"Darpan's name was given to me by the mystic Osho.

 

This extraordinary master could literally see through beings and detect their intrinsic imprint or "character." Like snowflakes, all similar and yet unique, our character is the aspect that distinguishes us from others, the original scent of our authenticity. Character has nothing to do with our personality ; the latter is the product of our social, educational, religious and cultural heritage.

 

Darpan means "mirror". The whole name is actually: "Chetan Darpan" and can be translated from Sanskrit as "mirror of consciousness". Changing the name used to mark a break with the past, with one's old identity and personal history. It also implied a commitment to oneself to free oneself from one's attachments and to become or realize the deep meaning of the name received by the master.

 

My baptismal name is "Gerard", of Germanic origin, it means "hard spear". If this name has some resonance in my way of piercing through the false and illusory, Darpan's name in fact reveals the unique characteristic of my true nature: that of reflecting, like a mirror, everything that comes before it.

 

In my life in the world, I use my baptismal name and my surname, but in my role as a companion and scout, Darpan is more appropriate because it is a reflection of who I really am. It should not be seen as a desire to be special or "exotic". I'm not attached to any name, for names cannot define me; they only have a utilitarian function for me."