Hotei, Master Of Laughter (Osho Afroz's Mystic Rose in Octobre)

My name is Hotei. Not that it mattered to me. After I got enlightened I stopped using my mouth for words. Only laughter comes out of my mouth. I travel around my ancient Japan, from one village to another and I spread my light as laughter. People in the beginning they think I'm crazy. But noone really can resist a heartfelt belly laughter. Soon they roll in the ground laughing like children and in a glimpse of a moment they might realize that the real crazy is their world manufactured in seriousness. It was a long time ago that I walked this land. But because a deep laughter is one of the few-if not the only-ways to set the ego aside people still remember my name and my form. They depict me with a big belly and a laughing mouth, like the child nature that I reminded them to be. And then this Indian mystic, Osho, brought my spirit in his human scientific meditations that bring the contemporary people in contact with their true nature. In one of his meditative therapies, the Mystic Rose, the first of the three week process my pure laughings, laughing with and without a reason, are coming back. Laughing can reach to the deepest core of our being. Without laughing, one can't cry even. This is written at the last day of the laughing week, just before the crying week starts. With lots of love and deepest gratitude to Osho Afroz Buddha field for this amazing opportunity in the peacefull time of Octobre.

Reflecting Before -and After- We Die

This is the second part of posting for this year's "Die Before You Die" in Osho Afroz. One of the things Kaifi asked me to do was to take portraits of the stuff and participants right before and after we finished the group. Here, I post only the photos of the stuff team and not of the participants, because of privacy. But if you participated, had your portrait and would like to see it posted here, you can let me know. Another reason for this post, is to mention something I forgot in the previous post. That is, about a member of the stuff, which for private reasons didn't want to be photographed or her name mentioned. I would like to send (surely on behalf of all the stuff and participants) love and respect to her and say that eventhough she's not visible in these posts, her wonderfull presence is always felt in our hearts.
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To Live Before We Die (Die Before You Die 2016, Osho Afroz)

Just before I right this text tonight, I was walking through the olive grove in Osho Afroz. I was walking barefoot and I had no flashlight with me. Then I thought that usually people would be scared walking without a light or shoes in the night. For me, after more than a decade of living in this wonderful place, walking barefoot most of the time just feels natural, as well as so connecting to the earth and healing to myself. As for the darkness, I guess I let go of that fear since the time I was studding photography and spending hours in the dark room. And certainly after a life changing experience in Osho Darkness meditation in this place some years ago. So each time I find myself walking in darkness in nature this summer I leave my mind behind and I'm becoming aware of my steps and my environment. Then, as the trees and the stones dimly reach my eyes, they take a form of faitytale, of wonder, of a majestic world. 

So, while walking in woder in the darkness, it came to me that this is a good metaphor to talk about my experience from the “Die Before You Die” group, that my Sufi bro Kaifi facilitates in Osho Afroz and I did last year as a participant and this year as a helper. You see, sometimes I have this feeling that I'm living this life in darkness, kind of like groping in the dark but that doesn't mean that I have to be fearful about it. As a matter of fact I can still enjoy it, marvel and be wonderful in it. And then the light can come from the inside.

As a member of the helpers team, one of my assignments was covering the process with photography and video. Here is a collection of the best photographs. They are unedited and the text is written in a non sophisticated way, by the sea, drinking coffee just before the swim. When I go back to the city, I will retouch the posts of this wonderful summer in Osho Afroz, by editing the photos and the texts. For the meantime, I post them like this as a way to send my love to all the beloved friends with which we connected this summer and as a way of showing my gratitude to this beautiful island, place and the Buddha field.

I am deliberately not writing what the “Die Before You Die” group is about. It is not for me to explain it here and maybe there is no need for explanation anyway. Maybe later I can write about my own experience. The only thing I can say now, is that last year, as a participant, there were sometimes in which somehow I felt I'm dying and these made me come closer to living fully, naturally and in wonder. So, while I'm not going to recommend that you walk barefoot and with no flash light at night through a forest, I certainly recommend this process.

oshoafroz.com