Talk:The Laughing Swamis
male and female swamis
In the mainstream Hindu tradition of sannyasa, some teachers do not use different titles for their male and female disciples as Osho does, but call them all swamis. Most will still be male but Satyananda's use of the term is meant to be inclusive of all.
The version of the story first used in The Laughing Swamis derived from Swami Satyananda (Teachings, vol. 4, 1986) and used male pronouns for the swami who died. As the Preface to the Revised Edition notes, Ma Prema Veena subsequently asked "What about the laughing female sannyasins?" For that edition, the story was rewritten to ensure that one, at least, of the swamis (the one who died) is now female. The rest could be. Some readers like the shock effect of the pronoun "she". Some don't. -- Haridas, via doofus-9 23:44, 23 March 2024 (UTC)
CONTENTS
- Preface to the Second Printing ix
- Preface xi
- The Laughing Swamis xvii
- PART ONE
- INTRODUCTION
- Chapter 1: Multiple voices:On Methodology 3
- Research as Discourse 5
- Problems of Dialogue 7
- Questionnaire on Sannyasa 10
- Sannyasa is not a Text 12
- PART TWO
- THE TRADITION OF RENUNCIATION
- Chapter 2: The Classical Indian Tradition of Renunciation 15
- Life Stages 16
- The Vedas: Renunciation as Ecstasy 17
- The Major Upanishads: Renunciation as Knowledge 19
- The Sannyasa Upanishads: Renunciation as World-Abandonment 26
- Bhagavad Gita: Renunciation as Yoga 30
- Chapter 3: CLASSICAL INDIAN RENUNCIATE LIFESTYLES 37
- History of Renunciation 38
- Sociological Studies of Traditional Renunciation 41
- Bhubaneswar 42
- Uttar Pradesh 45
- Western Renunciates: The Sannyasin Disciples of Swami Vishnu Devananda 47
- Hare Krishna (ISKCON) 49
- Conclusion 54
- PART THREE
- THE REDEFINITION OF RENUNCIATION
- Chapter 4: SATYANANDA AND INNER RENUNCIATION 59
- Swami Satyananda 60
- Sannyasa Tantra 62
- Karma Sannyasa 65
- Conclusion 69
- Chapter 5: OSHO AND NEO-SANNYASA 71
- Rajneesh 71
- The Path of Love 78
- God 79
- Human Existence 80
- Mind and Illusion 81
- The Search for Truth 82
- Renunciation 85
- PART FOUR
- AUSTRALIAN RENUNCIATES
- Chapter 6: RELIGION AND ASIAN RELIGIONS IN AUSTRALIA 91
- The Denominational Experience 91
- Religiousness in Australia 92
- The Australian Myth 93
- Asian Religions 95
- Switching to an Asian Religion 95
- Conclusion 97
- Chapter 7: THE "COUNTER-CULTURE" 99
- The End of an Era 99
- The Vietnam War 101
- Other Public Protest Movements 103
- The New Consciousness 104
- Feminism 105
- The Family 106
- Shared Living 106
- Personal Power and self understanding 107
- The Growth Movement 107
- Drugs and "Eastern Mysticism" 109
- The Ageing of the Counter-Culture 111
- Chapter 8: BACKGROUNDS TO SANNYASA 113
- I: Demographic Background 113
- Gender 113
- Age 114
- Place of Origin 115
- Religion 116
- Education 117
- Marriage 118
- Demographic Background:
- Conclusion 123
- Chapter 9: THE FULL SANNYASIN DISCIPLES OF SWAMI SATYANANDA 141
- Ram Giri Baba 141
- I. Taking Full Sannyasa: Swami Haribhakti Saraswati 142
- The First Full Sannyasin Cohort 145
- The Second Cohort 149
- The Third Cohort 153
- II: Living in the Ashram 153
- Leaving the Ashram 161
- III. Living in Australia 163
- Chapter 10: HOUSE HOLDER SANNY ASINS 165
- I. Taking Karma Sanny: Swami Tulsimala Saraswati 165
- The First Cohort 168
- The Second Cohort 169
- The Third Cohort 171
- The Meanings of Initiation 172
- II. Living in the World 176
- All Sannyasins Together 179
- Chapter 11: THE NEW SANNYASA 181
- I. Taking Neo-Sannyasa: Swami Ananda 182
- Coming to the Master 185
- The First Cohort 185
- The Second Cohort 187
- The Third Cohort 189
- Sex 189
- II. The Buddha Field 190
- Shree Rajneesh Ashram 191
- Oregon 193
- The Centres 194
- Headlong into the Temple of Ruin 195
- The Return to Poona 197
- III. Living at the End of the Eighties as a Non-Serious Neo-Sannyasin 199
- Work 199
- Possessions 200
- Celibacy 201
- Meditation 202
- Conclusion 203
- Postscript 205
- Appendix 207
- Glossary 211
- bibliography 213
