Gopal Shrestha spends his weekends at Osho Tapoban. Just 10km from the city center, it is a haven where one can find peace amid the tranquil surroundings. “I have been coming here every week and spend my Saturdays meditating and mingling with the others. I have even encouraged a few of my old friends to visit. This is a place to meditate and be with like-minded people in an atmosphere of serenity,” says Gopal. Away from the honking of cars, the polluted air, and the strife of city life, it is here that one can retreat from worldly cares— at least for a while.
Replete with dense foliage, ancient trees and even a waterfall and a spring, the retreat has comfortable lodging arrangements for one hundred guests at a time. Covering a large area, the ashram is well designed. After all Acharya Anand Arun, who established it is a qualified engineer and one of the founder Directors of Building Design Authority (BDA), a renowned architectural firm in Nepal. Most of the time here is spent on meditation from early morning. One learns all kinds of meditations such as Dynamic Meditation, Kundalini Meditation, etc. Other activities include Samadhi Darshan, Chakra Sound/Nadabrahma/Nataraj.No-dimension and Evening Satsang. All who take part are required to dress in maroon, which anyone who knows about Osho will be familiar with.
During our visit, we came across people meditating in the main Rajneesh Dhyan Mandir and later we found some meditating at the Samadhi, where the Swami joined them sitting at the center. During lunch all gather at the large dinning hall where it’s self-service and each member also washes his own plates and glasses.
The Sujata Kitchen serves all Tapoban guests. We were shown around the ashram by Swami Arhat, who also happens to be a qualified engineer. In the afternoon after lunch, it was time for letting out ones’ energies and we watched a crowd of maroon clad members dancing free-style to lovely meditative music.
The Osho Samadhi is built where the Buddhist saint Nagarjuna is said to have attained his ultimate enlightenment 2000 years ago. The Samadhi is surrounded by spring water where the remains of Osho are also buried. The Dev Teertha Study Center displays a wide collection of Osho’s books, audio and visual discourses as well as literature of other mystics from all over the world. The Nagarjuna Gift Center also offers a wide range of books, audio/video tapes, CDs, meditation music, all Hindi Osho discourses and selected English discourses in mp3, VCD, DVD and other gift items.
Although most people gather here on Saturdays, there are many special celebrations held annually on various auspicious days, like Osho’s Birthday (11th December), Mahaparinirvan Diwas (19th January), Enlightenment Day and Tapoban Foundation Day (21st March) and Guru Purnima (full moon of July). Besides these programs, Full Moon Meditation Camps are also organized, which can last from four to eight nights and take place every full moon. It is good for both beginners as well as advanced seekers. Each year a Pilgrim Meditation Camp is also organized and the venue may be a pilgrimage site in India or Nepal.
For details: Ph 4353762/ 4357312 Web: www.tapoban.com
