WWC: The bottom-line: What did they miss? – by Bhagawati

Bhagawati’s take on the Netflix docuseries, Wild Wild Country: “The enigma that wasn’t even remotely touched by this series: the deeply significant meaning of the master-disciple relationship.”

During the last two weeks, hundreds of thousands of viewers watched the unprecedented events that had unfolded more than thirty years ago in Oregon, USA.

The docuseries was built upon archive footage and new interviews conducted with some of the featured more prominent people. By choosing this approach, the directors created a chronicle that allows viewers to form their own opinion and perception of the times and characters.

I enjoyed seeing friends appear on the screen I had shared my life with – a life with often inexplicable experiences that were certainly highly transformative. Enjoyed seeing the landscapes and accomplishments we had made to a barren land, in spite of the many hurdles flung at us at every corner we turned.

Newspapers in the US, England, and India had a heyday of the sorts sorely missed by the media since RP was closed down. Many positive reviews about the series emerged, often written by young people who were new to the saga, expressing amazement that they had never heard about it before.

Among the highlighted topics were of course guns and sex (something which any urban population deals with on a daily basis), opinions were usually voiced by repressed mindsets while evading qualities such as love, surrender and devotion which are paramount in the lives of disciples and seekers.

Which brings me to the enigma that wasn’t even remotely touched by this series: the deeply significant meaning of the master-disciple relationship. What was the reason that encouraged hundreds of thousands of people to leave their jobs, families and homes and embark on an inner journey that would turn their lives completely upside down? Those who to this day vehemently express their displeasure about the people of Rajneeshpuram haven’t bothered to inquire nor have most of the critics.

The master-disciple relationship is invisible and unique in the way it unfolds for each person according to their abilities and ‘innerstanding’ of life and themselves. A commune is a mystery school where a disciple finds safe ground to open her/himself up to learning, to relating to a myriad of other people from all walks of life but with one common thread – exploring the mystery of being and, ultimately, awakening.

A commune around a spiritual master can be likened to a microcosm in the macrocosm. Life on a physical level is comparable to life in other environments yet to explain the simultaneous inner workings of a communion between master and disciple cannot be explained by mere words. And in that lies the mystery of what sustained us all to make the impossible possible – to build a city from scratch while being joyful and living life to the fullest.

In a public discourse in the late seventies, Osho lines out the prerogatives of his vision of the ‘new commune’. He speaks of seven concentric circles the commune will have – “The first, the most superficial circle, will consist of those who come only out of childish curiosity, or out of already accumulated prejudices, who are, deep down, antagonistic – the journalists, etcetera.” He then continues to explain in detail the following six circles.

This discourse has remained embedded in my being ever since and with it, gratefulness for having experienced it all.

Related discourse excerpt by Osho
Seven concentric circles