Osho’s ashram in Pune, India began in 1974 and grew rapidly until 1981, when the mystic travelled to the United States. There, his disciples built a town for 3,500 people in Oregon, but after four-and-a-half years, conflict with the Reagan Administration resulted in Osho’s deportation.  Leaving the United States in late 1985, Osho travelled the world before returning to Pune in January 1987. Once again, the ashram began to fill up with followers from around the world.

Very soon a new, open-air marble plaza was opened where people could browse and book groups and sessions. The group department kept expanding as more international therapists arrived to offer their skills and modalities. The ashram was again a thriving growth centre as it had been before relocating to the United States back in 1981.

In early May of 1988, a call came from Osho’s secretary Anando, asking me to meet her at the gates of his house in the Ashram.  When I arrived, she handed me a page of instructions. I began to read:

Laughter for seven days, three hours a day.

Begin with ‘Yahoo!’ then laugh for three hours, then end with ‘Yahoo!’

Tears for seven days, begin with ‘Yaboo!’ Then cry for three hours, then end with ‘Yaboo!’ at the beginning and the end. (Laughing and crying for no reason at all).

This is a new meditation which also functions as physiological change, medical transformation, and brings out your child with its freshness and wonder.

It will be a deep cleansing of many wounds and scars of centuries. Society has repressed your laughter and your crying because they disturb the status quo. This has been going on for millennia. We have been repressed much and whatever is repressed in this way becomes a wound.

These wounds and scars have been developing for many lives. They are not part of the body, they are surrounding the consciousness and have to be released.

It is an absolutely new meditation which has never existed before in the history of mankind. Even scientists are now becoming aware of the benefits of laughter, what it can do for the body and its health, flexibility and playfulness. A good laugh or cry will also rejuvenate you.

We are going into laughter first because it will be easier; crying has been repressed more deeply than laughing. There should be no talking in the group, just start laughing. If someone in the group is not laughing, the other members of the group should gently tickle them. If someone is not crying, then the other members should just softly touch them and be crying themselves. Nobody should be left dead.

Let your tears and your laughter be released and you will feel like a new person. Three hours have been chosen because it is like a dam when it breaks and one hour is not enough. The question is just to break the dam. You will find it very refreshing, everything is allowed, just don’t hurt anyone.

There should be no talking during the three hours of the group.

No crying during the laughter

No laughter during the crying

This is very important.

Person to run it: Leela

“What is this?” I asked.

“That’s it,” she replied. “He wants you to run it.”