Hugh Schmidt,

The Western Australian, Australia

Osho,
Good evening.

Thank you.

Osho,
Is your retinue of sannyasins throughout the world growing in number or is it declining?

It is growing fast.

Can you estimate how many you might have worldwide?

More than one million.

How many, say, ten years ago? Or when you left India how many do you think you had?

It is difficult for me to remember – what is left, is left.

And what do you think brings people to places like Rajneeshpuram? Do you think it’s for the good life or do you think to find themselves, to find their inner selves, or is it a combination of reasons that brings people here to live?

They are inseparable; they are not two things. Unless you find yourself you cannot live a good life. Finding yourself is fundamental. Everything else follows it.

Osho,
In Western Australia, as you know, there is quite a strong and healthy commune in Fremantle, and as you also know they were trying to get established in Pemberton, which caused quite a lot of concern amongst the local population. I heard when I phoned home two weeks ago that the Pemberton council has refused to issue them a permit. Does that worry you at all?