The only way that the commune was kept so free of crime and violence was the careful screening taken at the front gate to ensure that visitors
were, by and large, coming for the meditations and to see Osho, rather than to
steal. It was a common experience to find those who stole bags and purses from Buddha Hall were
broke, or had themselves been robbed.
January 1990 was a time of tremendous turbulence in the commune; Osho was telling us nightly that he was being attacked by ultrasonic waves that were destroying his
body. His health was already in a deteriorating and precarious state from having been poisoned in the US
jails. People were in a state of high anxiety fearing for Osho's
well-being.
Part of my work was screening visitors for possible trouble makers, or
worse. Akaam is solely concerned with his sore feelings, and he has no idea of the bigger
picture. It clearly seems hard to him that he was asked about the person who had robbed
him, andhe clearly expected the commune to support him, almost as if it was in some way responsible for his
misfortune.
I asked him about his ticket home simply because I cared that a visitor to India who has been robbed might be concerned about getting back
home. The commune regularly helped people arrange their trip home if they were stuck without documents or cash. Akaam seems to expect that ashrams should provide seekers with food and
shelter. Osho's commune is not an ashram, nor a Christian alms house nor a traditonal Hindu or Buddhist
ashram. His disappointment and subsequent resentment perhaps has less to do with Devageet than his failure to see that his grievance is due to his expectations not being met. Love
Devageet
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