InterviewmadebyGolokawithNivedanoRiodeJaneiroJune,2012. 1.Whyonlynow,after22yearsfromthetimetheBelovedOsholeftthebody,didyoudecideto showtotheworldyourexperiencewithHim? Nivedano:WhenIcametoBrasilin1991,Iwasntmatureenoughtofacetheconsequences thatsuchamovewouldbringtomeandtheworkthatIamproposing.Brasilwasatthattime veryunwelcomingtowardsus,especiallyaftertheblunderofthesannyasinswhocamewithus andnowarelostinthatwonderfulplace,fullofunconsciousness,calledAltoParasoinGois. Themangoisonlyreadywhenitisripe,sweet,delicious. 2.

I have heard that you lived in Lao Tzu House for many years. What impression did this intenseexperiencewithOshohaveonyou? Nivedano:ToliveinthepresenceofaMasterisalreadyaveryrareanduniqueopportunity.In my case I was immensely honored by so much attention that Osho showered, better yet, pouredovermeinsuchatrust.Oneday,Shunyo,oneoftheMastersattendants,cametothe gardentotellmethatIshouldnotbeworriedaboutthepoliticsaroundhim,andtosaythat Hetrustsme.WhenaMastertrustshisdiscipleitisasignthateventoadiscipleitispossible tosurprisetheMaster.IlovedtosurpriseHimwithpoems,gardensandbeautifulmusic. 3.Youwerethemostconstantandactivemusician intheworkofOsho,isthistrue?Tell me aboutit,please. Nivedano:Yes,indeedIwasplayinginHispresencefromdayoneallthewaytoHislastdayin the body. In reality even after he left the body he might have still heard my drums in Buddhahall when Amrito told the commune of His death. On my first day on the Pune Commune,uponarrival,IplayedforSatsangandDarshan. AfterthatHetoldmenottobotheraboutanytherapygroups.Iwastogoimmediatelytothe musicsceneandthereIstayedforalltheyearswithhim.Isawanaddtwodaysagoandwould liketocorrecttheirmistakebysettingtherecordstraight. IloveMilarepaandwearestillfriendsbutthetruthofthematteristhathestartedtoplayfor thecelebrationsregularlyatthePune2Communein1986.InMarch1981Bhagwanwentinto silence and Yashu, the flute player much loved by Osho, replaced Chaitania Hari / Deuter, todayafamousmusician. The new band was Yashu, Rupesh, Haridas and Nivedano with occasional guest musicians. Osho was in silence and we played through the whole Zarathrustra series, that lasted 2 months. Then we went to USA with the Master and he took His new band and as He always did, He showered his light on us continuously and there too, there was always music. At the Rajneeshpuramtherewasmusiceveryday.IndianKirtans,Musicgroups,SufiDance,Theater, BallroomDances.AtthattimeImetthegreatMilarepathattodayfillsourheartswithsweet musicandilluminations,Ilovehimdearly,greatguy,arealmangoeater!!! At the end of His life, Osho created, devised a new meditation and called it the Oshoba. It happenedbecauseoneeveningIhadaloudargumentwithMilarepaaboutthekindofmusic 1

InterviewmadebyGolokawithNivedanoRiodeJaneiroJune,2012. thatwasbeingplayedandthatfromthatdayonIwouldnotplayanymore.Oshoheardabout itandsentmeamessagenottostopplaying.IthentoldHimthatIwouldthenmakeanew experiment with drums and Brazilian beats and it became the hit of the commune, and the Oshobawasborn.Itpushedlotsofpeoplesbuttonsbecauseitwasawildandveryrythmical, inducive and precisely executed combination of elements that brought the whole commune afireandcelebrating. HelovedandinsistedthatwekeptthatkindofmusicforDarshans.OnedayHetoldsomeone thatHewashappywiththatkindofmusicandthensaid,Whenthedrummerisgoodevena Buddhacandance". Iwasthrilledandimmenselyhappyandunfortunatelygotcontinuouslybeatenbythejetset ofthecommunewhowanted toremainontheirsmallminded musicdreams.Oshobaisthe nomind way of the newman. It means letgo, flow with the rivers and clouds, dont be a miser,beanemperor,thebringerofjoyandcelebration...Yahoo,theMysticRose. 4. Osho mentions your name to beat the drum every time He conducts the 'no mind' meditation, starting and ending the 'gibberish', our most important prayer. What is the meaningofthedruminZen? Nivedano:Thedrumisanemptyshell,withoutanymind,justlikeanewbornbaby.Whenyou fillthebabywithyournonsenseitbecomesamonsterlikeMussolini,GengisKhanorRonald Reagan.Butwhenthenewbornisleftaloneinhisfindingshewillprobablychoosethewayof beingjoyfulandblissoutinitssimplicity.Likethatisplayingadrum. Putintothebeatfirst,andmostofall,thesilences,thenahandfulofyourimaginativeessence andcreativity,addbeauty,sweetnessandrhythmandthereyouhaveacommuneafire,agog withcelebration.ItiscontagiousIcanguaranteeyou. WeusedtostarttheworkingdayatthePuneCommuneplayingdrumstogethertorolltheday away with lots of fun and we did change the mood all around the commune. This is the meaningofabeatlessbeat,beatingthezerobeat.InZenitisusedmoreseverely,maybeso because of the snow or because the monks were prohibited to make love and became hard shells,whoknows? InOshospresencewecocreatedtheOSHOBAandthisisawonderfulnewwayofonebeing meditativeandyetaliveandpulsating. 5. Nivedano, as well as a musician you were a gardener and landscaper of Osho. You built waterfalls and made part of the project Osho Theert Nala Park , which now decorates and beautifiestheOshoInternationalMeditationResort.Howdidithappenandhowdiditaffect yourlife?OshoalsoaskedyoutomakealakeofdolphinsaroundthePoonaAshram,isittrue? Nivedano: My first day in Rajneeshpuram was in the LaoTzu garden and since that day I createdmostofthegardensaroundOshoshousesandhiscommunes.AtfirstIdidntknow that I had that talent in me and was a sideman for the Gardens coordinators at that time.

InterviewmadebyGolokawithNivedanoRiodeJaneiroJune,2012. WithSwTamaiaeSw.HendrikusIlearnedthemagicalwayofusingplants,flowers,hugetrees androckstocreatebeautyandwondersfortheeyesandtheheart. We had to make instant gardens wherever the Master would go and that training was necessaryfortheworkthatwouldhappenyearslateratthePune2Commune.WhenIgotback toPune2mymainoccupationwastomakeOshossocksanddiethematnight,3am. OnedayIgotthemessagetotakeawaythisandthatbuildings,putdownthewallshereand there,extendtheroadabithereandthereandmakeawaterfallandgardensallaroundthe Budha Hall. Great idea!!! I Now I would now have to leave that wonderful and cozy environmentofthesewingroom,fullofbeautifulladies,fruitsandcakes,includingmybeloved Gayan,togopoundcementandsweattheshirtagainwiththebabasandlearnhowtocursein Hindi!!!Maakishut!!! Thatoccupationoflandscapegardenertogetherwiththemusicandalltheextrasmademylife a wonderful opportunity to learn the magic of being contented, ecstatic and blissful. On His lastdaysinthebodyHecalledmeinHisroomandtoldmethatthewaterfall,madeofmarble fromtheMakaranaDesertwasntfinishedandaskedmewhattodoaboutit. I replied to him that it was taking that long because the bureaucrats didnt want to give us moremoneytocompletetheworkandwerenowreallyobnoxiousandadamantaboutusto stoptheconstruction.TocontinuetheworkIhadtogoaroundaskingmyrichfriendstopay fortheblackgranite,thenewlightsfornightviewingthegardensandfalletc... I got lucky and we put together almost 250.000 dollars and finished the job. By the way, he lovedourworkveeeerymuch.Still,nothappyyetwiththecoursethatthesituationtook,the bureaucratswantedtoprovetheirpointtotheMasteranddraggedmeagaintoseeHimand bycrooktheyfoundasolutiontocompromiseanddontloseface. TheMasterwinkedatmeandsaidNivedano,itisbettertoletgoofthisbecauseIhaveanew project for you. Excited to the max I asked Him what He wanted. He told me to make a DolphinPondaroundtheAshramandthatIshouldstartimmediately.Iwent2dayslaterto Hong Kong to be with the dolphins and found out that to do that in Pune would cost 500 millionDollars.IwasreadytostartwhenHeleftthebodyByebyesweetMaster,Istillcarry Youinmyheart,deeperanddeeper. 6.Nivedano,whatis'OshobaCelebration'? Nivedano:OshobaisthelastmeditationcreatedbyOsho.Itstillissuchaforcethatstill up sets the narrow minded people who dont want to let go and join the dances on the caravanserai.ThelastmomentsinhispresencewerepermeatedbythisOshobasCelebration. Amusicwhichisnotmusic,arhythmthattakesyourmindsetregulatorsintochaos,aswing thatisorgasmicandsacredlydivine.Itissupposedtowakeyouupandalsoshouldbedone together with the gibberish part of the meditation. It is meant for this new generation of humanswhoareinahurrytogettonowhere.Ittransformsthenowhereintonowhere.

InterviewmadebyGolokawithNivedanoRiodeJaneiroJune,2012. 7.InoticedthatyouhavebroughtUmbandaintothecontextofyourspiritualjourney.What doesthatmean? Nivedano: After being in India meditating at the feet of the Master Osho, playing His music andsongsanddoingthelandscapingofbothcommunes,IcametoBrazilwithmyladyGayan, andwemovedintotheforestsatthemostenchantingplacethatIveseenonthisEarth.Ithas been 20 years since we came here and most of them we stayed in the sacredness of the splendorousnaturethataboundsthatarea.Bybeinginsuchimmaculatenatureitwaspossible to assimilate the impact of what Osho gave directly to me. I was hit for many years by the thunderandlighteningofHispresence.Itwas,thoughIdidntknowthen,justapreparation forwhatwouldbecomehereinBrazilProjectNewMan. Thisexperimentstillgoesonnowdays,onlyonatickingmodenow,waitingforthesacredyes fromtheuniverse,blessingusall,theignorant,tocontinue.Allthatpreparationwasnecessary tofacehereinBrazilanimmenseopposingforcethatstillkicksandbitesbutisonitswayout. Theywillgooutscreamingmurder,butoutofthepicturetheywillgo. ThroughallthisfrictionIbecomeavailabletoanegregoreofbeingsthatinhabitstheuniverse and permeates the entire fabric of the cosmos, Kryon calls it the Lattice. The forests, full of wildanimals,thestarryskyfullofwonders,thesweetwatersandimmensequietness,brought metothepantheonoftheUmbandaMasters. These are many, and they are very beautiful and gracious beings and without my knowing I becametheirnewcompanion.Insuchanundisturbednatureonebecomesavailable,again,to what it means to be in a real spaciousness and who are our eternal companions on the caravanserai... Praise them, love them, support their divine nature... We are them and vice versa...always. But,evenbeingpreparedexhaustivelyandpersonallybytheMaster,thelessonswerenotfully assimilated.ThegringospoisonedOshoinUSAandsomethingwasunfinishedonmydevotee shipwiththegreatBhagwanOshoReketesneer. HereinBraziltroughtheUmbandaIcametorealizewhatOshoandExhaveincommon,what the man of the white cloth means...hahaha...Krishna with his bow and arrow, just like a Caboclo,ShivaandhistridentandalsoPoseidonarejustlikeEx'strident.Doyouknowwhat thetridentreallymeans?Findout,itmayhelpyouonthejourney. Nowadays we are still living on the same forests with my new companionships who are the UmbandaMasterswhopresentlyareheretohelponthisplanetarycrisis.Manyofthepeople thatIknowassannyasinsmaytwisttheirnosesaboutUmbandaandhavethewrongIdeathat Umbandaisa(Fundodequintal)lesser,backyardreligiousness.Whatamistake!!! IcantellyouthatOshoandCiprianodoSio,alsoMasterAndrdaUmbanda,ExAkezando Universo, everyone sings the same songs and Umbanda and Zen, here, in this tropical environment,willreallymakeadifferenceonfacingwhatiscomingonthewayofhumanity. Osholaughedmuch,Exisalsoagreatmasteroflaughter,whataboutyou,andwontyoujoin thedance??? 4

InterviewmadebyGolokawithNivedanoRiodeJaneiroJune,2012. Nowafter20yearsontheforestsandinsideofthebureaucraticjungle.Itisabouttimethat Nivedano feels to bring out to the world the very last meditation created by Osho in Pune India,calledOSHOBA.NotSAMBA,butOSHOBA.Itissupportedbyanintensedrummingthat createstheatmosphereforyoutoletgoofyourfearsanddropalltheunnecessarybondage thatkeepshumanityimprisonedoncagesmadeofgold. Itismadeforthenewhumanitywhofliesonplanes,eatspoisonedfood,freaksingeneralof theplanettowhomjustasittingmeditationwonthelpatall.Beforeanything,oneneedsto emptythecup,thecupofthemindwhichisalwaysfull.Thebestoflifeistobehappy,joyous, contentedlyblissful,Sarav! Umbanda is the South American way of Zen. In this continent religiousness is colorful, rhythmical, full of zest and enthusiasm. Obviously, Zen in Brazil needs the colors, the drumbeat,thesuntannedenlightenedbeingsjustlikeintheEast,Zenhasmanyfaces,many ways.ThecolorofZeninIndiaissaffron.InChina,JapanandAsiaitisusuallyBlack.InBrazil thereisawholerainbow,itistomeamuchmoreinterestingwaythenhavingonlyonecolor, uniformlyforthatbranchortheother,Hahaha!!! BuddhainrealityhadnothingtodowithZenBuddhism.Bythetimeithappenedtobecalled Zen, This Zen, That Zen... Gautama the Sacred, also my dearest beloved, was already in the Orun having a cup of tea with Sr. Exu.It is very important and opportune to remember, especially for the Oshos sannyasins, that intense Black Magic was used to speedup his disembodiment. ApparentlyitwasdonebyaDisciplewhodiedyearslaterinsidetheVaticanwalls.So,firstof all have respect. This story that the light is stronger than the darkness is bullshit made to lullaby you into oblivion. What is called light is always fair and just and what is known by darknessisalwaysusingeverytrickonthebooktopreventhumanity,youforsure,tobefree of this eternal bondage. Osho`s vision and Umbanda understanding are meant to melt and evolve.WhenOsholeft,Iwasstartingtobecomeacquaintedwithotherwaysofperceiving differentrealities,paralleltothislimited3dimensionalenvironmentoftheEarth. The channel was becoming cleaner and more refined, therefore easier to manifest whoever wasaroundatthetime.DuringdiscoursesattimeIcouldseeverylovingbeingsfullofglowing luminouspresenceallaroundBuddhaHall.IneversaidanythingbecauseIwasalreadyknown tobecrazyandifIstartedtotellthatIveseenthisorthathangingaround,theywouldstone me dead. I guess that in the beginning Ive joined Umbanda to learn how to channel and furtheronbeabletochannelOsho. It was going well until the day that, during a channeling practice with the Eastern Phalanx, I heardOsho`svoicetellingmenottobotherHimanymorebecauseIcouldnowgoon,onmy ownandpleaserejoiceinsuchblessedcompanyastheUmbandaMasters.Basically,hetold metogiveHimabreakandgetajob!!! 8.WhydoyouwanttojointheOshoinBrazilInternationalFestivalTeam?

InterviewmadebyGolokawithNivedanoRiodeJaneiroJune,2012. Nivedano: The most difficult and the arduous task in the established society today is to get individualstopulluptogethertogetanythingdone.Itisamaladythathasinfectedthewhole planetarycommunity.Togetthreepeopletogethertodoanyworkisamajoreffort.Mama Miachicho!!! Nevertheless,Iamalivingwitnessofwhatcanbecreatedwhenagroupofindividualsteamup and let it go beyond their small mindset conditionings. The creativity then happens on its most sacred expression. Because Ive seen and experienced such a miracle happens, I trust thatIamabletosparkthatflameonceagainandkeepitburninguptowardsabalancedand calibratedhumanity. Thesouthandthenorthshouldworktogetherandnotseparatedasegosparks,itshouldbea unityofthedivide,shiningtogetherwiththeeastandwestandofcourseinthemiddle,where Project New Man takes place. I amtalkingaboutBraziliansannyasinsalloverBrazil,mostof themarecobracriadaandknoweverythingbetterthanthenextone. Myaimsarethesimplepeoplewhoneverheardofsuchathingasmeditation,Yoga,Zen,etc ThatiswhyIamnowatthisuniqueandrareintersectioninlifewheremeetingofremarkable people are current life style. If you can join in with the ones who are really making the difference,maybeyouwillalsomeeta newmanandmaybeyouyourselfwillbealsoanew man.