Bye Bye Virendra

Prerna writes to us:
Beloved friends,

Ik voel me GOED vandaag! Het feest was fantastisch en ik wil jullie bedanken voor een onvergetelijke avond.
Toen ik naar bed ging hoorde ik nog ons zingen en de guitars spelen en dat ging door totdat ik in slaap viel.

Wirla wilde voor ons gisteravond een gedicht voorlezen. Maar ik denk dat ze te schuw was om het te doen en gaaf ze het aan mij.

Saturday 6 of April we were invited in Prerna 's house to celebrate with good food and music just the magic of life.
Prerna took out her recipe from the old Zorba the Buddha cook book. Amazing food and for an Italian expressing a comment like this it must means it was really delicious.
We enjoyed each other company in the house were our beloved friend Virendra spent so much time, silent time, meditating time, relationship time and finally his dying time. His presence were all over us and with us.


We didn' t even really finish eating that our musicians took their chitars and start playing. And of course singing.
Virendra in "Tai Chi" posture with a smiling Pratito and a concentrated Gyanam, tuning ....

Driek with his bass and Hinge's hands playing tablas.

Let's get going, singing our way to God. At least for me. In the back ground the dances were going on. We just missed Ageya, she couldn't make it.

Gambira ever so sweet and Virendra amazing picture. I couldn't stop photographing him with us.

And finally, "good bye and hello" our dear Friend. Your presence is ever so felt. Thank you Prerna for the sweet evening.
You could view more picture of a Milena rocking ....you in my blog.
Milena

Virendra
On the 28th of Januari Sami Anand Virendra left his body.
He lived almost all his life in the city of Amsterdam.
Virendra's search started when he was 10 years old and one of his uncles gave him a book about space. He told one of his friends that seeing that book he suddenly was there.
In the 70-ies he went to Osho.
He was one of the first people supporting Amitabh, the Osho Meditation Center on a boat in an Amsterdam canal.
On his funeral many people talked about that, they did their first Dynamic Meditation, Vipassana or Meditation weekend with him. Virendra loved Tai-chi, Sufidance and doing everything in a very regular order.


That gave him the time and rest for his great love, meditation.
Many also may have known him from the Stad Rajneesh in Amsterdam were he lived many years and took well care for the financial administration of that commune.
Among many friends and lovers Virendra had two longtime time lovers, Wirla and Prerna.
With Wirla he lived many years together in the Commune in Amsterdam and also with Prerna he lived for many years together in the Commune and after they moved out.
At one time Virendra and me gave meditation' s classes in community centers in Amsterdam.
When later Prerna spend some years in America, I was close with him too, for some time.

Last year Virendra got ill and at some point it turned out nothing could be done about it. For the last months Virendra could only sleep sitting up. The care and love from Prerna was comforting Virendra. I never heard a complain from him and seeing Virendra in his last weeks always left me with an unexpected unknown joyous feeling. At one point when he only could breath more and more difficult he decided that it was time to take off.
It was precious to take care of his body, together with Wirla and Prerna. It was cold winter and nature supported in that way that his body could stay home for a whole week. Sitting there with him one could always feel lifted up in a beautiful space. Many friends came at the house and later to his funeral were we sang his loved songs. Also when the flames transformed his body.
A few weeks later his friends held a SufiHeartDance where he was invited and remembered.

These spring days, walking along the canals in Amsterdam I often sing a song for him and remember his gentle being.

Ageya