Osho: Intimate Glimpses

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Through a series of poignant memories and anecdotes, Anando offers a glimpse into the private life of the twentieth- century mystic, Osho, through her unique perspective as one of his caretakers and secretaries in the last years of his life.

These stories, never before shared publicly, show another side of the man described by The Times (London) as "one of the makers of the twentieth century". Anando reveals the sense of humor and fearlessness with which he navigated the controversies that hounded him in his later years, as well as the immense compassion and love with which he worked on those closest to him.

In September 2010, Anando came to visit us in our home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We have been close friends since our time together in the Osho ashram back in the 1970s. It had been years since we had seen each other, but while she was with us, we reconnected like no time had passed. We had no plans other than enjoying being together.

As we began sharing stories, Bhikkhu said, 'Perhaps it would be good to write these stories down before we forget them all, or we will all be dead.' At this point we had a good laugh...and at the same time decided to do a series of interviews with Anando to recapture her stories for future generations, and 'for the record'.

As part of our house, we had a beautiful meditation room, and a gallery, which was an artsy kind of space with beautiful high ceilings and tall glass windows that looked into a peaceful Zen garden. There was also a multipurpose space where we hosted gatherings, meditations, live music, and video recordings for various projects.

Osho is an enlightened mystic who lived an extraordinary life.

Anando lived with him in his two communes in Pune, India, and in Oregon, USA, for fourteen years. She worked in the commune kitchen in Pune One (1976-81) and was chosen by Osho to be one of the mediums in his energy darshans in the late seventies.

At Osho's commune in Oregon (1981-85), she first worked in the housekeeping department, and then in the legal services department-she was a lawyer qualified to practice in both her native Australia and in the US.

When Osho was deported from the US and began his tour around the world looking for a place to establish a new commune (1985-86), Anando was one of the handful of people who accompanied him. She became one of his personal caretakers and secretaries during this period.