Veeresh Articles

Interview July 06 with Veeresh for Osho Times Poona by Gandha

BUILDING BRIDGES

What is Humaniversity Therapy?

It's an accumulation of 67 years of life experience.
A big turning point in my life was my entry into Phoenix House, a drug rehabilitation program in New York. The people who were in charge of the program used the Encounter method. Simply stated, Encounter is using projection to create clear communication with the other and finally, clear communication with yourself. It is a strong confrontation to look at what you're doing on the outside, because its who you are inside. You can use any situation to ask, Who are you now? Today you could call it awareness.
Social interaction is the basis of Humaniversity Therapy using the other person like a mirror. If you look at the AUM meditation, its interpersonal communication all the time. Then you can say, Oh, I understand who I am inside.
One of the beauties I see about Humaniversity Therapy is that I insist that we use anything that works. We have a martial arts school where we learn Hap Ki Do, Kung Fu and Ninja approaches. We have Shamanism and Aura Soma. We have people coming who do energy work in the house. They say, This area has to be cleaned of negative energy. In my mind I'm saying, This sounds kind of ridiculous, but why not? Lets do some ritual and throw some water and plant some crystals in the ground.
If it can bring some awareness of who you are, Ill use it. I'm always open. Were not one clear approach; were a multi-approach. We are based in Encounter, using the other to discover who you are, and anything else that works. Primal works, laughing works, martial arts. That's what I teach my therapists.

What makes a Humaniversity therapist?

A Humaniversity Therapist has to love himself and other people. In his heart, he wants to give. He cares so much that he's not willing to give up on anybody. More than that, he is open to being friends.
In my history of being a patient for fourteen years, going in and out of rehabilitation programs, I felt like I was being looked at under a microscope and the therapists were trying to treat me. I felt that they really didn't care. I was part of a case load. That's not what I want from my therapists. Humaniversity therapists have the most friends in the world because they don't stop at treatment. After the treatment, the groups, the process, they're open to be friends.
I don't give up on people. I get angry and I get frustrated, but I will really try with everything I know because that's what I've always really wanted for myself someone who would not give up on me. After fourteen years of addiction, I felt people would say, Okay, its enough. He's hopeless. They would give up. I don't want that.
I get frustrated because I want to reach everyone, but I know its not possible. Sometimes people are not ready, and there will be other times.
If a therapist does not appreciate the person who's going through the process, I go bananas. People come and they put themselves in our hands. We have to give them everything. If a therapist doesn't do that, I get very upset. It doesn't matter if they make a technical mistake; what's important is that in their hearts they're looking at who they're working with. We want to make sure that every person gets the best we have. If I find out that somebody has left a group, I get really upset. It means that somewhere on our part we missed. I don't want that to happen.
Humaniversity therapists have to look at themselves so that they can say, Hey, I've been there. I can take you as far as I've gone. So they have to look at themselves continuously. I want the staff to be open to learning more, and discovering more about themselves. That's important for their professional development. They have to keep looking because there's so much more to learn.
When Osho said to me, I want you to train the best therapists in the world, I was shocked. I said, If that's what you want, Ill do my best. So I want my therapists to be the best the best in that they look at themselves, and they really help other people.
Today I see what he was talking about in a broader sense because not everybody's going to be a therapist. I understand that it means bringing out the best in everyone, to help people to discover their potential, their greatness, their beauties.

Next year you're going to do a long program in Pune.

When Osho came back to India after his world tour, he asked me and the Humaniversity to be affiliated with the Meditation Resort. He asked me to create a bridge between our work and the Osho Multiversity in Pune. I thought about it for years. Why would he want that? Then I tried to see it from his viewpoint, and I thought, Well if he asked me, he knew I would do it.
Now I'm doing it; there's going be a definite connection. I want our therapists to come to Pune, and Pune therapists to come to the Humaniversity. He wanted that bridge from East to West.
The timing is right. I asked if we can do a Osho Humaniversity program in the Resort and I'm excited that the Multiversity said yes. That's the best news I can bring back to my community in Holland.

Your work is characterized by deep emotional release processes, late nights, unpredictability, and intense social interaction. How does this support people in daily life?

For many years, after my groups I would tell participants, Don't make major life decisions now. You need some time to integrate, to let it settle in before you make any decisions that are important for you. Its all changed for me now. People come to groups and they go through the deep emotional processes that I insist they go through, and I tell them, When you go home, make your life decisions now! If your relationship is not working and you've tried everything possible, change it. If you're not happy with your job, get another job. Whatever's not going right in your life, don't wait. You might slip on a banana and die tomorrow. So you better change now!
Their life gets turned upside down, but I know something good will happen. Before, I was trying to be very careful. Now, in the beginning it looks like chaos. But then later people tell me, I'm happy that I did change. I'm happy I did what I needed to do. In the long run I know it makes them happy if they really do what they want to do in their life.
Its not enough to have people go through a group and say, Oh! I understand! They have to apply it. I insist on it. If its not applicable outside, then the therapy doesn't work. I don't want people to go home and do the same things over again. No! I want them to take what they learn from the group and use it. If not, people keep going from group to group looking for the big bang. I want them to apply it back home. That's important.

You are an artist and a designer, you're a music producer, a rapper, the author of new therapeutic processes. What's the secret of your creativity?

The secret is that I'm in love with everything I see that's beautiful. I try to reproduce it in my painting and my music. I'm in love with being a child.
I remember once when I was very small, my father was in the living room and I wanted attention. I drew what I saw in a magazine, and I painted it. Then I showed it to him, and he kept it! I was so proud that he liked it. That was the first time I did anything creative. I did it for him, and he was so happy.
When I was eighteen, I was accepted by the Art Institute of Chicago. I was so excited! I remember telling my mother and she said, You know you cant make any money being an artist. So I dropped it. And now at the Humaniversity I've made up for it.
It doesn't matter what the medium is. I love designing, whether its clothes, or a garden, or the way the dining room is set up. I can spend hours painting and when I paint, I get lost. I look at a blank canvas and its a challenge to project what I'm feeling. I get so much pleasure painting, making music, designing, making the Humaniversity beautiful. Its so fulfilling for me. I love harmony and beauty that things are set up well. What's the secret? Its in my heart. It was always there.

You could be doing so many different things. What is it that keeps you working with strong emotions?

One of my favorite quotations from Osho reflects why I work the way I do. Feel more rather than thinking. Through your feelings, your prayer will arise, and through feelings you will dissolve one day. When you are dissolved, god is. That is the basis of why I do all this work with feelings. If I feel what I'm doing, things work. If I think too much, I get a bit lost.
I know that emotional catharsis frees you up so that then you can appreciate being aware of who you are. I've always worked that way. I try to do seminars, and I end up doing an experiential seminar. Some people just want to write notes about my methods and techniques. That's not me. I'm a feeling person; I know that when people feel, it makes them who they are.
I'm a heart person and I know I can touch people, bring them into their hearts. There's so much there for them. If you look on the internet you can get information forever, but to teach people to be heartful to me that means becoming a human being. That's why I've always worked on an emotional level. Then I try to integrate the mind after they've discovered who they are in their bodies and their hearts.

Interview with Veeresh by Chandrika on Manhood
for Osho Times Germany, May 2006

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE
A man has to do what a man has to do!

When was the last time you felt really male?

This morning. I was making love with my beloved last night, our energies merged and we achieved this special state of mutual orgasm. I was totally blissed out. When I woke up, I felt so blessed to be a man.

Men commit suicide three times more often than women, and die five times more often in traffic accidents and four times more often by violence. How do you explain that? Why is it so risky to be a man?
I think that men are drawn to war. About 70% more men than women die in war. Most women get killed by collateral damage in men's wars. It has to do with men's basic nature, their drive to pass on their being and their genes through their sperm- its called evolutionary psychology. The way I see it, Man evolved from animals. Imagine a young bull in a meadow, in his prime with all his energy and power. The bull looks around at all his cows and calves; he has everything he needs, he's in paradise. Then he looks up at the hill in the distance and thinks to himself, The grass is probably greener on the other side. One day, he leaves paradise to find out if the grass really is greener on the other side. He finally gets to the top of the hill and sees another bull coming at him from the other side with exactly the same idea: the grass is greener on the other side! That is where it all begins: competition, survival, power tripping, accidents, violence and war. Men die more because they believe that the grass is greener on the other side.

To build a house, to father a son and to plant a tree: those were once the goals for a man to express his love. What are the goals today?

They are still the goals today and I think that they always will be.
When I was in jail, there was practically no personal space but I would decorate my little section with books and things so that I could feel it was my home. Then I would invite people in. We would sit there and share crackers, and tins of food. They would respect my home. That drive was there, even in jail. Now, whenever I travel I bring in flowers and arrange my room. I claim the space as my home. Men need this. Whether it is a physical home or a space inside, men have a need for my space where they can feel grounded, safe and protected.

I believe that every man, deep down, wants a family to care for. He wants to promote his way, his soul, and his body. I saw this recently in relation to my son. I touched a primal space that I had never experienced before, as if to say this is my son, my family, he is an extension of me and no-one is allowed to threaten or violate him or take him away. I felt a rage deep in my guts that if this would ever happen, I would kill. I believe that all men have the same drive: to have, protect, and raise a family.

I have planted many trees. When I die I want to have given all the love that I am back to this beautiful existence that has given so much to me. I believe that all men need to be able to say thank you to existence before they leave this earth.

Men like to have power, to be competent, to work efficiently and achieve. Most men look for satisfaction through success. But that becomes more and more difficult in a society with increasing unemployment. For many men the loss of work means the loss of manhood. How can men deal with this crisis?
If a man works for 30 years in a company and then because of cutbacks, he loses his job, it can be a big blow. It can bring him into an existential crisis; I can understand that. But if I am in that crisis, I need to take responsibility for what happens to me, for who I am and what I do. I can play victim and say, it is not my fault. But if I have a family and I am unemployed, I need to get my ass up and get that money. I am not going to stand there and say I am a victim of circumstances and the unions and the management cant get it together and I am a by-product of this and I am stuck here. No. Whatever the situation is, I am not going to be overcome by it, especially if I am working for my family. Of course, there are social factors but I can choose: I can say it is all their fault or I can say I had better stop complaining and do something. I am talking about the victim attitude. Don't blame society for being unemployed. It is not a mans position; it is a child's position.

What are the best male qualities in your opinion?

The ones I possess of course! The best male quality is enjoyment of his
sexuality. Imagine you see a man walk into a room: you think this guy is a turn-on, he radiates, he's attractive, and he's juicy. He doesn't walk in looking like a limp carrot, all depressed. He loves himself, and everything he wants for himself he also wants for others too. His behavior is a projection of his love. He exudes his way of being. He is sexy and lovable. He is able to enjoy the situations he finds himself in. For instance, I love going to Pune and playing the rock star; I walk in and everyone says, Its Veeresh! All my friends come up and want to hug me, and I feel absolutely great. I love that! I get blissed out. I like men who are loving, caring, respectful, thoughtful, and considerate and who try to do everything in the most beautiful way possible. In short, gentlemen.

What are then the best female qualities in your opinion?

I am turned on to a woman who is clear about who she is. She is sexy, loving, and warm; her presence is a turn-on. I feel attracted to her way of being.

What is the difference to the male qualities?

I think the main difference is that although I love men and women, I don't want to go to bed with men! (laughs) When the women are not around, you rarely see the guys sitting together and explaining this is how I make love to my girlfriend. Men just don't do that; they don't give out private information. They don't reveal too much about what is going on because of male competitiveness i.e. maybe-the-other-guy-will-take-all-this-information-and-use-it-against-me. On some level the men are always measuring pricks. Its a kind of power trip. With guys, its easier to talk about a certain point, such as football and to get distracted with that. On the other hand, there can be a comradeship among men. To be a man you often need to identify with other men so that you can find yourself. When I was growing up I needed a lot of male role models so that I could discover who I was. That can happen when you are together with a group of guys. There is a bond among the boys.

When women talk they feel more free -the guys are not present, they can gossip and talk about their personal issues. Overall, I think its a
men from Mars, women from Venus number. I am happy that there is a difference between men and women!

You are a role model for many men at Osho Humaniversity. What do you teach them about being a man?

Friendship- to become friends with other men, so that then they can become friends with women. I teach them not to look at each man as a competitor who might take something away from them. Rather, if they see their brother crying, to be concerned that he is hurt, to be there for him, and take care for him because he is in pain. I teach them awareness, empathy, care, respect, responsibility, compassion and mutual support.

I also teach them to really look at women: to see their beauty and to appreciate the sacred feminine instead of regarding them as only sex objects to score and conquer. I teach them to become lovers. By loving, pleasuring and giving to the woman, they will also learn to give to themselves. If a man can learn to give a woman everything she needs and she can learn to receive, then together they can melt and find paradise. I also teach them to take a position: to be honest and to stand up for themselves and for what they need.
Actually, I do this with everybody, not only with men.

When I listen to you I think it is not so much about men and women, but more about human beings. Even so, you are a still a very male person and you have a lot of women around you - beautiful and feminine, strong and juicy women. What is the recipe? How do you do it?

I had the greatest teacher in the world. I remember I said to Osho once: When I grow up I want to be like you. (laughs) He cracked up because I was acting like a little kid! Until I met Him I believed that you had to pay for love; that you had to work and one day you would be good enough to receive it. He always loved people. He did not care about strange behavior; he always related with his love to their core, to their essence, to the love inside of them. I saw that over and over. I was always amazed. He related to everybody as beautiful human beings. He taught me unconditional love. That blew my mind. It was an amazing learning.

What do men and women need to learn so that they can meet in a new way?

Each one has to decide honestly what they want in their life, where they want to go and how they want their life to look like at the end of the journey.
They have to communicate that in a clear, sensitive way to the other so that the other can say, Yes, I see who you are and I see what you want; now I can tell you what I want and where I am going. Lets see if we can meet.

This communication is the most important thing. Then we can create a relationship based on appreciating the other: a friendship. Then we are both in harmony. Together we can create a beautiful world- paradise. Goodwill for everyone. Life is exciting when you discover that the grass is just fine where you are here and now!