Ma Dharm Jyoti: Journey from disciple to one of the first sannyasins

Ma Dharm Jyoti is one of OshoOsho was one of the earliest followers of Sannyas. In 1970, Osho initiated her into Sannyas and she became one of the first disciples of his to embrace the Sannyasin life. Osho describes Sannyas as “living life in its entirety, but with one absolute and categorical condition: that condition is awareness, meditation.” She is also the author of the book, One hundred stories for ten thousand Buddhas.

In a conversation, Ma Jyoti, who runs meditation camps at Osho Dham in Delhi, talks about her guruthe life of a sannyasin and more.

In the late 1960s, Ma Jyoti was searching for a guru, drawn by her interest in religion and psychology. She attended talks and seminars led by several spiritual teachers, but none seemed familiar. Then, in 1968, in Bombay (now Mumbai), she saw a poster that read: “Acharya Rajneesh the truth.”Acharya Rajneesh, later known as Osho, was giving a public talk.

“I immediately went to hear him, as I heard that someone new had arrived. My first experience was in a big auditorium in Bombay, Shanmukhananda Hall, with thousands of people. people present,” he said. “The moment he appeared on stage and said ‘Mere Priya Atman–my beloved souls“There was a deathly silence. I was sitting far away on the second-floor balcony, and when he started to speak, I closed my eyes. His voice plunged me into a deep silence.”

She recalls that it was an unusual experience, one in which her thinking stopped as she listened to him. “I was astonished because he seemed to answer all the questions that had been plaguing me for so long. I realized that what he was saying came from his own experience, not just intellectual knowledge. It was as if my heart recognized the truth of his words. At that moment, I knew I had found the person I had been looking for,” she said.

Her curiosity about Osho’s teachings led her to buy one of his books and attend a meditation camp near Surat in Gujarat, which marked the beginning of her journey as one of his followers.

“I was fortunate to meet him in person at one of these camps,” said Ma Dharm Jyoti. “During our brief interaction, I expressed my gratitude and shared my feelings with him. Our initial conversation was formal – he asked me where I was from, my name and what I did. He then asked me, ‘Will you do my job?’ Even though I had no idea what his job entailed, I simply replied, ‘Yes, I will. ’”

Ma Jyoti considers herself fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel with Osho throughout India. During one such visit to a camp in Manali, Osho initiated her into sannyas.

“At that time, Ma Yog Lakshmi had been appointed as his secretary and she was wearing an orange lungi and kurta. When I mentioned this, Osho asked me if I liked Lakshmi’s outfit. I said yes and he suggested that I get a similar dress made for the Manali camp,” she said.

She wore the dress to the camp, and when she showed it to Osho, he praised her and gave her the name “Ma Dharm Jyoti.”

“At first I was confused and amused, as he had never spoken to me about sannyas before. But that was when sannyas really began for me. The next day, Osho called a meeting and announced the beginning of a new sannyas movement,” she says. Sannyasins were required to live in their homes, remain financially independent, wear orange robes and meditate.

However, being a sannyasin who was visibly a disciple of Osho – evident through her orange robes and mala (beaded necklace) – was not always easy. “Back then, Osho was quite famous and was often labelled as a ‘sex guru’. Wearing orange robes and malas made it clear that we were his disciples. After a leave, I went back to the office where I worked dressed in my orange clothes and mala,” she says. “The office didn’t have a strict dress code, so no one really objected to what I was wearing. On the street, however, it was different. When I took the bus or train, people would look at us as if to say, ‘Here come the disciples of that so-called sex guru,’” she said. As a result, she often faced harassment on the streets.

Osho’s main message was not to take people too seriously, and that’s how she stopped letting it bother her.

“I was standing at the bus stop when a bus passed by and from the upper deck some boys started sending me flying kisses. It was an incredibly awkward situation,” she said. “We were reporting these incidents to Osho. He was laughing. When I told him about the flying kisses, he said, ‘Oh, you should have given them flying blessings in return.’ We all laughed a lot,” she added.

And what is the Osho teaching that she deeply believes in and considers relevant for everyone?

“Whatever you do, do it with awareness. Don’t be like a robot. Bring awareness to your life. His message was about awareness and totality. Do it with totality and love. Consciousness and love are his messages. Bring balance to your life,” he explains.