Looking back on her life, 47-year-old Wu Hsiu-ching (known to fellow Osho followers as Pavanee) says: "Everyone must seek long and hard to find his or her path in life. The only difference is in how we go about it."

As a child growing up, Wu's parents wielded strong authority over her affairs. An obedient girl, she had no sense of what she herself wanted, and suffered feelings of inferiority. Frequently she felt a tension inside that she was incapable of releasing. As a 19-year-old students at a two-year vocational night school, she took a job that her father had arranged for her, working for hourly wages at the Taichung City Government. Working a typical nine-to-five schedule, she eventually became salaried staff, thus winning for herself the coveted "iron rice bowl" of a government employee.

But Wu felt that something was missing in her life. Questions haunted her: Why are we born into this world? How must we live if we are to feel self-confident and fulfilled? And so she frequently attended all kinds of courses and activities. She got in touch with nature, dabbled in art. . . . Eventually she discovered that participation in various spiritual growth groups was especially rewarding. "I wanted to understand myself clearly," says Wu. The search for her path in life lasted for 30 years, from age 17 to 47.

Before joining Osho, she had previously taken part in traditional Buddhist prayer groups and studied the Book of Changes. She took up qi gong, then wai dan gong. She dipped into Indian religions, trying out An'anda Ma'rga ("path of bliss") and the Transcendental Meditation program of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. She attended a number of courses aimed at tapping into one's latent potential. When she speaks of "searching long and hard," she knows whereof she speaks.

Trip changes everything

The connection to Osho came during a "latent-potential development course." As she listened to Indian drum music, she went into a sort of trance, and though she remained completely alert mentally, her body spun round and round for over an hour. Later she learned that she had been listening to the music that is used by Osho at its Kundalini meditation activities. She went on to become an instructor herself in "latent-potential development," but more than the actual course content, which was based on the framework of Western psychological studies, "it was really the other things that attracted me most, the things that you can't sit around and discuss in the classroom with words." That meant Osho, so in 1990 she signed up to take part in an Osho activity.

In 1992, beset by marital strife, Wu Hsiu-ching decided, in spite of the protests of her family, to go with a group of Osho followers to the Osho Commune in Pune, India. Her mother, Shih Su-feng, was worried: "I was afraid she might not come back, so I went with her to make sure that she'd return." Even though Shih was getting on in years and unable to understand any English at all, that didn't stop her from buying an air ticket and traveling with the Osho contingent to a place she had never even heard of before.

Don't give us a bad name

Shih Su-feng, 70 years old, is a firm believer in the teachings of a syncretic sect called the Red Swastika Society, and she also practices Buddhism. The daughter of a well-to-do man who ran a theater in Huwei Township, Yunlin County, Shih grew up venerating Laozi, a common Taoist practice in Taiwan. At the age of 52, however, she dreamed that she was supposed to go to a certain place, though she had no idea how to get there. A while later she happened across the location and knew it was the place that she had dreamed about. It turned out to be a branch of the Red Swastika Society. She joined in their activities, but as a Hokkien speaker who had received her education under the colonial Japanese system, she had a hard time getting into the swing of things; all the people in the Red Swastika Society were mainlanders, and she didn't know the Mandarin readings of the Chinese characters in the texts that they chanted. Determined to make a go of it, however, she chanted from texts in which Japanese kana were used to indicate the Mandarin pronunciations of the characters. She eventually conquered the language difficulty and became one of the more important women disciples at the Taichung branch of the Red Swastika Society.

When she accompanied her daughter to India in 1992, Grandma Shih enrolled in a 15-day meditation session, since that wasn't going to require any knowledge of English. While meditating she saw the deceased founder of Osho gazing continually upon her, and observed lots of shining jewels floating in the sky. Moreover, a Canadian department head at Osho Multiversity had already dreamed that he was supposed to bring a Taiwanese granny into the Osho sect. When he came across Shih, he knew immediately that she was the woman in his dream. And so it came about that even though she only went to India to drag her daughter back home, Shih ended up joining Osho while in Pune. She laughs, "You don't suppose they'll arrest me for practicing so many different religions, do you?"

Just as Granny Shih had thought might happen, Wu Hsiu-ching was unwilling to return home after her 45 days in Pune were up, but Shih insisted that she return, telling her: "In seeking enlightenment, you have to keep everything in perspective. You can't go to extremes, otherwise you'll give Osho a bad name." She finally succeeded in persuading her daughter to return to Taiwan.

From then on, Wu took her vacation time all at once every year so that she could go to India for additional 45-day stints. As her daughter Chen Yu-ju grew older, Wu began to feel that Yu-ju ought to understand something of her mother's religious beliefs and practices. When Yu-ju reached the fifth grade, Wu took her along to the Osho Commune.

In touch with herself

Yu-ju, now a high school student in Taichung, has fond memories of her first trip abroad. She liked the abundant greenery at the Osho Commune, and found the environment very beautiful. While there she went by herself every day to help out with commune chores, such as sweeping the grounds and baking bread. These were called "work meditation" activities. The 45 days were happy ones for the young girl.

Only 11 and a half years old at the time, Yu-ju had a unique experience one twilight evening while participating in a white-robe meditation session. With everyone swaying to the rhythm of religious music, she saw many points of silver light hovering in the air above the seat where Osho's founder used to sit when he was alive. She didn't think it was any big deal, however: "I grew up watching my grandmother chanting Buddhist sutras and my mother doing all sorts of dynamic meditation activities, which are quite frenetic, so the points of light didn't strike me as strange or frightening. Stuff like that is pretty run-of-the-mill for me."

After attending Osho courses for several years, Chen Yu-ju feels very strongly that she has changed: "I used to have nightmares. I would cry at night, and was afraid to be at home alone, but now I really like to be alone." She has made big strides since the days when family strife drove her to think of suicide.

Wu Hsiu-ching, in the meantime, came to feel as she progressed with her Osho studies that she was wasting her life away in her nine-to-five existence, so six years ago she quit her job and went for an extended period of training at Osho Multiversity. After finishing 736 hours of basic courses in four months, she took a test in front of three Osho instructors, who affirmed that she was ready to do an "internship" as an Osho therapist. The next year she did that internship, which consisted of four months of volunteer work at Osho, administering massages to nine Osho members three days a week. After this internship was finished, she was finally certified as a chakra therapist. In chakra balancing, the therapist determines where the patient's "seven chakra" are out of balance, then gives massages to rebalance the chakra and heal the patient's physical and spiritual maladies.

Haven't got time for the pain

Wu affirms that her life has changed completely: "I used to feel like everyone in my family, including myself, was oppressing me. But after I explored my inner self and let go of all my anger and discontent, I finally understood that life is precious and full of happiness."

Before joining Osho, Wu had entertained many different dreams. She thought of becoming a latter-day Florence Nightingale and helping people. She thought of becoming of an artist, or a musician. But none of these dreams ever materialized. Osho, however, has given her the chance to do it all. In Osho's Sufi whirling activities she is able to move her body freely. In the "soul painting" classes, she has taught herself to paint, and has executed dozens of dazzling chakra paintings. Says Wu: "I've done everything I always wanted to do. I've got no regrets any longer."

Even 70-year-old Granny Shih sometimes takes part in Osho's physically demanding dynamic meditation practices, in spite of severely impaired hearing (stemming from a bout of postpartum hemorrhage, when she was given too many antibiotics) and kidney problems, (requiring dialysis three times a week). But just judging by her limber movements, ruddy face, and cheerful laughter, no one would ever guess that she suffers such serious health problems. Shih feels her experience with Osho has been very positive, and is grateful: "When I go in for dialysis, I just tune everything out and meditate. The chakra wheels start spinning, and I can feel it in my arms and legs."

Amid peals of laughter, the three hug each other. Chen Yu-ju is affectionate toward her mother: "Mom is just perfect for hugging! She's like a panda, and I'm like a koala!" Osho has both devotees and detractors, but regardless what others may think of the organization, it seems clear that Wu Hsiu-ching and her family have grown much closer thanks to their shared commitment.

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Left to right: Shih Su-feng, Wu Hsiu-ching, and Chen Yu-ju. Their shared commitment to Osho's spiritual growth activities has fostered warm relations between grandmother, mother, and daughter. (photo by Pu Hua-chih)

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At the Osho Commune's chakra art class, Wu Hsiu-ching has at last found the opportunity to

become a painter, just as she had always dreamed of doing.

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Whirling is one of the more important activities practiced at Osho. Participants forget themselves completely in an atmosphere of joy and celebration.