Not Giving a Damn: Mexican Mantras for a Postmodern Yogic Path

A former follower of Bhagwan Rajneesh, the Italian-born Prem Dayal founded the Osho Meditation Center in Mexico. Among his several contributions to meditation and therapeutic techniques, he envisioned a whole brand-new set of verbal utterances, or mantras, for the liberation of the soul. In the antinomian spirit of Rajneesh, this novel mantric practice relies on popular Mexican catchphrases, such as Me vale madres (‘I don´t give a damn'), the ultimate mantra for detachment according to Prem Dayal. Humor plays a major role in these Mexican mantras, allegedly an effective way to deal with daily psychological afflictions. Also, an important component in Dayal's teachings is provocation using foul language and irreverence. This paper will discuss the idiosyncratic ways in which Prem Dayal repackages and refurbishes popular Mexican modern lore into a spiritual but not religious logic of enlightenment in the heart of a metropolis. By resorting to everyday idiomatic expressions, Dayal both spiritualizes said utterances and situates spiritual liberation within urban postmodern contexts. This analysis implies revisiting standard definitions of mantra and discussing the multifarious methodologies of New Religious Movements in contemporary societies, as well as the complex negotiation between tradition and (post) modernity.