A Cup of Tea with Vimala Thakar

Vimala Thakars house in Mt. Abu

It was at Ajjas ashram in Puttur, Karnataka, that Vimala Thakars name first came
up. We were told that a woman who lived in Mt. Abu had become enlightened
through J. Krishnamurti and that she was available for visitors.
On our way north through India we went through Rajasthan. We arrived in Mt.
Abu and chose a guesthouse from Lonely Planet. After settling in we informed the
manager that we were interested in visiting Vimala Thakar and asked if he knew of
her. We had chosen well, the guesthouse was located less than 100 meters from her
house and the manager himself was a friend of hers.
He called and made arrangements for an appointment for us the following day.
We arrived and were shown into a small sitting room where we met Vimalaji. A
tremendous force of presence surrounded her. We introduced ourselves and told
her that we were Osho sannyasins. She spoke to each of us about the names Osho
had given us. Vimalaji asked us about our travels in India and in general about the
life we were living allowing life itself to lead the way.
Over tea Vimalaji told us that Osho had invited her to Jabalpur to speak at the
university where he was chair of the Philosophy Department. Osho took her out on
the Narmada river in a boat and then to the Kwality Ice Cream shop in town. She
said she chided him about his tastes in food because they were not good for his

health and that she felt like an older sister but that Rajneeshji was Rajneeshji,
meaning that he wasnt one for listening to advice. Vimalji also said that she was
sad for what had happened to him in Oregon.
I told her that I didnt know much about her but had heard the story concerning
Krishnamurti and her experience and wanted to ask her about it. She proceeded to
relate the story that you will find in her book On an Eternal Journey. She stated
that if one wants to say that the transformation that happened to her was through
the grace of Krishnaji, she was fine with that. I will let her tell you the story so in
that way you will not need to rely on my memory. This story is also related in an
interview Vimalji gave to Chris Parish for the magazine What Is Enlightenment.
There is a link below.
When our time was up Vimalji gave us four of her books. The giving was a very
deliberate act and seemed pregnant with significance. I had never read any of her
books but because of this event I paid special attention and kept a look out for what
might jump out at me and shout This! This! This is for you. Here is one such
statement:
In meditation, there is no movement. Life has no movement: it is only matter that
has movement. Movement and energy are the property of matter. Life is is-ness
without any movement whatsoever. That which remains without movement can
be called neither individual nor universal. It has no center and no circumference.
Intellectual activity has a center, the me, the self, the ego. Awareness as the
activity of the intelligence has the whole human body, the human individual, as
the center. Beyond awareness, the individual is not at the center. Nothing moves
out of the individual. Nothing emanates or radiates from the person. Just as in
the state of observation there is no ego-centered activity, so in the state of
awareness, the whole cerebral organ does not function. Beyond awareness, the

individual entity and the movements contained in the individual entity are simply
not there. I wish that I could verbalize this more fully. The Movement of Mind.
This has proved to be extremely helpful. Thank you, Vimalaji.
Two of her books are easily available in the west through Rodmell Press. The book I
mentioned above, On an Eternal Journey, I have not been able to find copies for
sale, but you can download it from the link above.
-purushottama
This post is from a collection of essays, stories, insights and poems that have
occurred to me along the Way titled Here to Now and Behind.
Here is the link for the Chris Parish interview Set Them on Fire.
For more posts on Vimala Thakar look here.

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Posted onOctober 31, 2009CategoriesEnlightenment, Here to Now and Behind, J.

Krishnamurti, Meetings & Interviews, Osho Sannyasins, Prem
Purushottama, Vimala
ThakarTagsAdvaita, Ajja, awareness,Being, Consciousness,Enlightenment,Krishna
murti, Meditation,Osho, Vimala Thakar1 Commenton A Cup of Tea with
Vimala Thakar