I create paradise wherever I am, says Sheela, Osho’s close aide – Times of India

Ma Anand Sheela’s description of herself—from an ‘active powerhouse’ who had diminished to a ‘dead volcano’—fits the bill. Sheela—erstwhile spokesperson and a close associate of spiritual guru Osho Rajneesh— has lived many lives in one. The 16-year-old from a ‘Gandhian family’ in Baroda rose to become a powerful leader of the Rajneeshees (as followers of Osho called themselves) practically running the affairs at Rajneeshpuram in US’s Oregon, only to find herself behind bars for her role in the 1984 bioterror attacks. She has since then rehabilitated herself, doing odd jobs like that of a dog walker and a housemaid before finally running retirement homes spread over several countries.

“There is no possibility of an explosion now,” she says in mirth. Sheela was speaking at the Times LitFest in conversation with author Devapriya Roy. “I could command a whole commune but could not control a dog. I used to beg it,” she says, hinting at the challenges she faced after twenty years in prison. Her book “By my own rules” traces her eventful life journey.

Sheela says that the greatest learning from Osho or Bhagwaan as she calls him, was the understanding that a person can create their own heaven or hell. “Bhagwaan once told me a story of a Zen Master who abused a Samurai. The Samurai became angry and drew his sword. The Zen Master said, ‘This is hell.’ The Samurai pushed back the sword in its sheath. The Master said, “This is heaven.’ Bhagwaan taught us we make our own hell and paradise. So I create paradise wherever I am.”