DEATH IS THE ULTIMATE TRUTH THAT IS INEVITABLE IN LIFE

Swami Anand Arun had inaugurated Death Park at Osho Upaban. Photo: LB Thapa

By LB THAPA

The Bhagwat Gita is the source of spiritual knowledge that sheds light on several aspects of human life. In the meantime, many religious masters have spoken about the complexities of life and death. Death has always been a subject of much intriguing and highly speculative.

According to medical science, death is the end of life but from the spiritual point of view, death is the beginning of life. Perhaps Osho may be the first mystical guru of the modern world who spoke at length about the complex science of death. Osho always invited people to witness the beauty of death.

“There cannot be anything as beautiful as death and therefore I teach you how to celebrate death,” said Osho during the discourse.

To bring Osho’s words into life, the other day, under the initiation of Swami Anand Arun, a Death Park has been inaugurated at the Osho Upaban, Pokhara.

“It is sheer ignorance that makes people afraid of death. This is the biggest irony that no one wants to die but death is as certain as life itself is. Even the name of death is enough to bring shivers down the spine. However, let’s not be afraid of death, let’s try to understand death. Let’s make death a celebration”, said Swami Anand Arun while speaking at the inaugural program of Death Park.

Speaking with this scribe, Swami Yogananda, in charge of Osho Upaban said, “Fear is the weakness…this is due to abysmal ignorance. A right understanding of death makes people fearless. This was the reason why Osho used to say I teach you death. Many people misunderstood him and the media distorted his philosophy in an awkward manner. He wanted to help us to understand death as it is because death is the only thing in life that is certain and going to happen in our lives”.

 

A dummy of Swami Anand Arun lay on the pyre. Photo: LB Thapa

A magnificent view of Osho Upaban. Photo: LB Thapa

Zen Temple at Osho Upaban. Photo: LB Thapa

Swami Anand Arun's bust in meditating posture. Photo: LB Thapa

The interesting part of Death Park is that swami Anand Arun unveiled his own bust and offered flowers like paying tributes to a dead. There was more to come as a pyre was set and Swami Anand Arun’s dummy laid and was ready to be lighted.

Seeing the pyre which is ready to consume the mortal being of a person who is still alive seems to be absurd and scary for many ordinary human beings, but not for Osho’s disciples. They accept it and they welcome death like guests to their houses.

“By making the Death Park we want to convey the message that death is the only truth in life. There are many things which may not happen in life but ‘Death’ is certain to come in the life of every person,” said Swami Anand Arun during the inauguration of the Death Park.

“We organize regular sessions of meditation and teach the participants to scrape out the fear of death. Accept it as it is because this has to happen in everyone’s life,” said swami Yoganand, in charge of Osho Upaban, Pokhara.

“The Death Park is the first of its kind in Pokhara and the only park in the world. No effort has ever been made to display death in such a dramatic manner. The moment one enters the park he/she sees the bust of Swami Anand Arun and his body laid on the pyre conveys the message that how ephemeral life is. Though Swami Anand Arun is alive now, sooner or later this dramatic presentation will become a reality as soon as he dies. And this is true in everyone’s life” said one of the Osho’s disciples at the commune.

Osho Upaban is located at Dobhilla, which is about 5km from Pokhara Domestic Airport. A fine blacktopped road is connected up to the Upaban. The Upaban is located on the outskirt of the meddling crowd of Pokhara city. Under the initiation of Swami Anand Arun, Osho Upaban was established in 2010.

The main purpose of Osho Upaban is to spread the knowledge of spiritual master Osho. A beautiful view of the lofty Himalayan range can be observed from the commune. Mountains, rivers, and lush green forest hills make the Upaban a unique place for spiritual endeavors.

“The Upaban is open to all visitors of any faith and religious believers. The only qualification the visitors should have is to have a keen desire to understand life, nature, and spirituality.

Let’s understand that death is the beginning of a new life…this is not the end of life. That’s why Osho had said that death should be a celebration. If you understand death then there will be no mourning anymore…there remains celebration and only celebration”, said Swami Yogananda, the spiritual master, and in-charge at Osho Upaban.

Thank you very much for reading this article. I hope you liked this article. I will be glad if you take a little time and make a comment about this article. Your comment is highly appreciated.

Note: This article was originally published in The Rising Nepal.

LB Thapa is a Pokhara-based freelance writer and author. Photo: read 2b happy. 

LEGAL WARNING

All rights reserved. No articles and photos published in this blog can be reproduced without the prior written permission of the author. Legal action will be taken immediately if any articles or photos are reproduced without the author’s knowledge. However, articles or photos can only be reproduced by duly mentioning the author’s name and the blog's name (read2bhappy.blogspot.com). The author must be informed by sending an email. All articles and the photos published in this blog are the copyright property of LB THAPA