MMEEDDIITTAATTIIOONNSS From the World of OSHO
INDEX Active Meditations Dynamic 5 Kundalini 7 Nataraj 8 Nadabrahma 9 Gourishankar 10 Mandala 11 Whirling 12 No Dimensions 13 Other Meditaions The Art of Listening 15 Gibberish & Let-Go! 18 Breathing in Love 20 Meditations for Busy People 21 Two Passive Techniques 24 Annexures FAQs 26 Vigyan Bhairav Techeqniques 110 Miscellanies Articles 116
Compiled and eBook prepared by K V S Pillai [email protected]
"First become conscious of your consciousness. And in that very becoming, in that very silence when you are only conscious of your consciousness and not of any other content no thought, no desire, no dream you are just conscious of your being conscious, the mirror is reflecting itself and nothing else... in that moment, something IMMENSELY miraculous happens. You become aware of the divine, you become aware of the essential core of your being."
Osho The Guest, Chapter # 15
"All techniques can be helpful but they are not exactly meditation, they are just a groping in the dark. Suddenly one day, doing something, you will become a witness. Doing a meditation like the dynamic, or KUNDALINI or whirling, suddenly one day the meditation will go on but you will not be identified. You will sit silently behind, you will watch it that day meditation has happened; that day technique is no more a hindrance, no more a help. You can enjoy it if you like, like an exercise, it gives a certain vitality, but there is no need now the real meditation has happened.
2 Meditation is witnessing. To meditate means to become a witness. Meditation is not a technique at all. This will be very confusing to you because I go on giving you techniques. In the ultimate sense meditation is not a technique; meditation is an understanding, awareness. But you need techniques because that final understanding is very far away from you; deep hidden in you, but still very far away from you. Right this moment you can attain it, but you will not attain it, because your moment goes on, your mind goes on. THIS very moment it is possible and yet impossible. Techniques will bridge the gap, they are just to bridge the gap.
So in the beginning techniques are meditations; in the end you will laugh, techniques are not meditation. Meditation is a totally different quality of being, it has nothing to do with anything. But it will happen only in the end; don't think it has happened in the beginning, otherwise the gap will not be bridged."
Osho Come Follow To You Vol.3, Chapter # 8
Meditation means pure awareness, a mirror like quality of consciousness. Being utterly present in the here and now, fully aware, unclouded by the dust of thoughts, emotions, desires, past or future; just being! Meditation is the state of pure witnessing consciousness to which different mystics have refered to as 'Drashta ', ' Sakshi ' or ' Bodh ' our true self.
There are hundereds of methods/techniques to finallly reach this state of pure awareness. Most of the meditation techniques given by different mystics around the world are in fact just preparations for meditation, many doorways to be in this pure witnessing consciousness. We must understand that these 'techniques ' are important but they are not meditation itself.
Meditation is beyond techniques, beyond doing; it is a state of relaxed awareness. However, once we have experienced the state of meditation, any action that arises out of this state of pure awareness becomes meditative. This sort of action is called 'effortless effort ' by the Zen masters or ' Karma Yoga ' by eastern mystics.
3 Meditation may be divided in two parts for a better understanding 'Dhyan ' and ' Samadhi '. Dhyan is the beginning and a doorway to Samadhi. Dhyan is awareness, Samadhi is the merger with the divine. Dhyan is the journey of duality, the flowering of Samadhi is non duality oneness with the divine.
Dhyan is the path of witnessing, experiencing that our true self is separate from the body, mind, heart; witnessing the object and the subject as separate dispelling all darkness. Samadhi begins with subjective awareness and culminates in realization of our divine self, the all permeating godliness within and without.
This is the state in which the 'Rishis ' in the east declared ' Aham Brahmasmi ', the state in which sufi mystic Mansur declared ' Ana'l Haq ', the state in which Jesus says, ' I and my Father are one '. This state is called ' Sambodhi ', enlightenment, divine realization the home coming.
And yet, this is just the beginning...
"In fact there are one hundred and twelve methods of meditation; I have gone through all those methods and not intellectually. It took me years to go through each method and to find out its very essence, and after going through one hundred and twelve methods I was amazed that the essence is witnessing. The methods' non essentials are different, but the center of each method is witnessing. Hence I can say to you, there is only one meditation in the whole world and that is the art of witnessing. It will do everything the whole transformation of your being. It will open the doors of satyam, shivam, sundram: the truth, the godliness and the beauty of it all."
– OSHO – Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Chapter # 22
4 Dynamic Meditation
Dynamic Meditation lasts one hour and is in five stages. It can be done alone, and will be even more powerful if it is done with others. It is an individual experience so you should remain oblivious of others around you and keep your eyes closed throughout, preferably using a blindfold. It is best to have an empty stomach and wear loose, comfortable clothing.
“This is a meditation in which you have to be continuously alert, conscious, aware, whatsoever you do. Remain a witness. Don’t get lost. While you are breathing you can forget. You can become one with the breathing so much that you can forget the witness. But then you miss the point.
“Breathe as fast as possible, as deep as possible; bring your total energy to it but still remain a witness. Observe what is happening as if you are just a spectator, as if the whole thing is happening to somebody else, as if the whole thing is happening in the body and the consciousness is just centered and looking.
“This witnessing has to be carried in all the three steps. And when everything stops, and in the fourth step you have become completely inactive, frozen, then this alertness will come to its peak.” Osho
First Stage: 10 minutes Breathe chaotically through the nose, concentrating always on exhalation. The body will take care of the inhalation. The breath should move deeply into the lungs. Be as fast as you can in your breathing, making sure the breathing stays deep. Do this as fast and as hard as you possibly can – and then a little harder, until you literally become the breathing. Use your natural body movements to help you to build up your energy. Feel it building up, but don’t let go during the first stage.
Second Stage: 10 minutes Explode! Express everything that needs to be thrown out. Go totally mad. Scream, shout, cry, jump, shake, dance, sing, laugh; throw yourself around. Hold nothing back; keep your whole body moving. A little acting often helps to get you started. Never allow your mind to interfere with what is happening. Be total, be whole hearted.
5 Third Stage: 10 minutes With raised arms, jump up and down shouting the mantra, “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!” as deeply as possible. Each time you land, on the flats of your feet, let the sound hammer deep into the sex center. Give all you have; exhaust yourself totally. Fourth Stage: 15 minutes Stop! Freeze wherever you are, in whatever position you find yourself. Don’t arrange the body in any way. A cough, a movement – anything will dissipate the energy flow and the effort will be lost. Be a witness to everything that is happening to you.
Fifth Stage: 15 minutes Celebrate through dance, expressing your gratitude towards the whole. Carry your happiness with you throughout the day.
If where you meditate prevents you from making a noise, you can do this silent alternative: Rather than throwing out the sounds, let the catharsis in the second stage take place entirely through bodily movements. In the third stage, the sound “Hoo” can be hammered silently inside.
6 Kundalini Meditation
This meditation lasts for one hour and has four stages, three with music, and the last without. Kundalini acts like an energetic shower, softly shaking you free of your day and leaving you refreshed and mellow.
First Stage: 15 minutes Be loose and let your whole body shake, feeling the energies moving up from your feet. Let go everywhere and become the shaking. Your eyes may be open or closed. “Allow the shaking; don’t do it. Stand silently, feel it coming and when your body starts trembling, help it but don’t do it. Enjoy it, feel blissful about it, allow it, receive it, welcome it, but don’t will it. “If you force it will become an exercise, a bodily, physical exercise. Then the shaking will be there but just on the surface; it will not penetrate you. You will remain solid, stone like, rock like within. You will remain the manipulator, the doer, and the body will just be following. The body is not the question – you are the question. “When I say shake, I mean your solidity, your rock like being should shake to the very foundations so that it becomes liquid, fluid, melts, flows. And when the rock like being becomes liquid, your body will follow. Then there is no shake, only shaking. Then nobody is doing it; it is simply happening. Then the doer is not.” Osho
Second Stage: 15 minutes Dance, any way you feel, letting the whole body move as it wishes. Again, your eyes can be open or closed Third Stage: 15 minutes Close your eyes and be still, sitting or standing, observing, witnessing, whatever is happening inside and out Fourth Stage: 15 minutes Keeping your eyes closed, lie down and be still.
7 Nataraj Meditation This is a 65 minute dancing meditation in three stages, with specifically created music. Disappearing in the dance, then relaxing into silence and stillness, is the route inside for this method. “Forget the dancer, the center of the ego; become the dance. That is the meditation. Dance so deeply that you forget completely that ‘you’ are dancing and begin to feel that you are the dance. The division must disappear; then it becomes a meditation. If the division is there, then it is an exercise: good, healthy, but it cannot be said to be spiritual. It is just a simple dance. Dance is good in itself – as far as it goes it is good. After it, you will feel fresh, young. But it is not meditation yet. The dancer must go, until only the dance remains…. Don’t stand aside, don’t be an observer. Participate! And be playful. Remember the word playful always – with me it is very basic.” Osho First Stage: 40 minute With eyes closed, dance as if possessed. Let your unconscious take over completely. Do not control your movements or witness what is happening. Just be totally in the dance. Second Stage: 20 minutes Keeping your eyes closed, lie down immediately. Be silent and still. Third Stage: 5 minutes Dance in celebration and enjoy.
8 Nadabrahma Meditation
Nadabrahma meditation lasts for one hour and has three stages. It is a sitting method, in which humming and hand movements create an inner balance, a harmony between mind and body. Suitable for any time of the day, have an empty stomach and remain inactive for at least fifteen minutes afterwards. “So in Nadabrahma, remember this: let the body and mind be totally together, but remember that you have to become a witness. Get out of them, easily, slowly, from the back door, with no fight, with no struggle. They are drinking you get out, and watch from the outside....” Osho First Stage: 30 minutes Sit in a relaxed position with eyes closed. With lips together, start humming, loud enough so that if you are doing it with others, you can be heard by them. This will create a vibration in your body. You can visualize a hollow tube or vessel filled only with the vibrations of the humming. A point will come when the humming continues by itself and you become the listener. There is no special breathing, and you can alter the pitch, and move your body smoothly and slowly, if you feel to. Second Stage: 15 minutes This stage is divided into two segments, of seven and a half minutes each. For the first part, move the hands, palms upwards, in an outward, circular motion. Starting at the navel, both hands move forward and then divide to make two large circles mirroring each other left and right. The movement should be so slow that at times there will appear to be no movement at all. Feel that you are giving energy outwards to the universe. After seven and a half minutes, the music will change and you turn your hands palm downwards, and start moving them in the opposite direction. Now the hands will come together towards the navel and divide outwards towards the side of the body. Feel that you are taking energy in. As in the first stage, don’t inhibit any soft, slow movements of the rest of your body Third Stage: 15 minutes Sit absolutely quiet and still.
9 Gourishankar Meditation
This technique, for the nighttime, consists of four stages of fifteen minutes each. The first two stages are preparation for the spontaneous Latihan of the third stage. If the breathing is done correctly in the first stage, the carbon dioxide formed in the bloodstream will make you feel as high as Gourishankar (Mt. Everest).
First Stage: 15 minutes Sit with closed eyes. Inhale deeply through the nose, filling the lungs. Hold the breath for as long as possible; then exhale gently through the mouth, and keep the lungs empty for as long as possible. Continue this breathing cycle throughout this stage. Second Stage: 15 minutes Return to normal breathing and with a gentle gaze look at a candle flame or a flashing blue light. Keep your body still. Third Stage: 15 minutes With closed eyes, stand up and let your body be loose and receptive. Allow your body to move gently in whichever way it wants. Don't do the moving, just allow it to happen gently and gracefully. Fourth Stage: 15 minutes Lie down with closed eyes, silent and still.
10 Mandala Meditation
This is another powerful technique that creates a circle of energy, resulting in a natural centering. There are four stages of 15 minutes each.
First Stage: 15 minutes
With open eyes run on the spot, starting slowly and gradually, getting faster and faster. Bring your knees up as high as possible. Breathing deeply and evenly will move the energy within. Forget the mind and forget the body. Keep going. Second Stage: 15 minutes Sit with your eyes closed and mouth open and loose. Gently rotate your body from the belly, like a reed blowing in the wind. Feel the wind blowing you from side to side, back and forth, around and around. This will bring your awakened energies to the navel center.
Third Stage: 15 minutes Lie on your back, open your eyes and with the head still, rotate them in a clockwise direction. Sweep them fully around in the sockets as if you are following the second hand of a vast clock, but as fast as possible. It is important that the mouth remains open and the jaw relaxed, with the breath soft and even. This will bring centering energies to the third eye. Fourth Stage: 15 minutes Close your eyes and be still.
11 Whirling Meditation
"Sufi whirling is one of the most ancient techniques, one of the most forceful. It is so deep that even a single experience can make you totally different. Whirl with open eyes, just like small children go on twirling, as if your inner being has become a center and your whole body has become a wheel, moving, a potter’s wheel, moving. You are in the center, but the whole body is moving."
First Stage: 45 minutes Keep your eyes open and feel the center point of your body. Lift your arms to shoulder height, with the right hand palm up and the left hand low, palm down. Start turning around your own axis. Let your body be soft. Start slowly and after 15 minutes gradually go faster and faster. You become a whirlpool of energy – the periphery a storm of movement but the witness at the center silent and still. Second Stage: 15 minutes Let your body fall to the ground when the music stops. (it may already have happened before.) Roll onto your stomach immediately so that your navel is in contact with the earth. Feel your body blending into the earth. Keep your eyes closed and remain passive and silent.
12 No Dimensions Meditation
This is a powerful method for centering one's energy in the hara the area just below the navel. It is based on a Sufi technique of movements for awareness and integration of the body. Because it is a Sufi meditation, it is free and non serious. In fact it is so non serious that you can even smile while you are doing it. This one hour meditation has three stages. During the first two stages the eyes are open but not focused on anything. During the third stage the eyes are closed. The music, created especially for this meditation, begins slowly and gradually becomes faster and faster as an uplifting force.
First stage: SUFI MOVEMENTS 30 minutes A continuous dance in a set of six movements. With your eyes open, begin by standing in one place and placing the left hand on the heart and the right hand on the hara. Stand still for a few moments just listening to the music to get centered. This stage of the meditation starts slowly and builds up in intensity. If you are doing this with others you may get out of synchronicity with the others and think you have made a mistake. When that happens, just stop, see where the other people are, and then get back into the same rhythm and timing as everyone else. When the bell rings, start the sequence as described below. The movements always come from the center, or hara, using the music to keep the correct rhythm. The hips and eyes face the direction of the hand movement. Use graceful movements in a continuous flow. Loud "Shoo" sounds are made from the throat in synchronicity with the sounds from the recording. Repeat this six movement sequence continuously for 30 minutes. The sequence: 1) Touch the backs of the hands together pointing downward on the hara. Breathing in through the nose, bring the hands up to the heart and fill them with love. Breathing out make the sound "Shoo" from the throat and send love out to the world. At the same time move the right arm (with fingers extended, palm downward) and right foot straight forward, and move the left hand back down to the hara. Return to the original position with both hands on the hara. 2) Repeat this movement with the left arm and foot. Return to the original position with both hands on the hara. 3) Repeat this movement with the right arm and foot, turning sideways
13 to the right. Return to the original position with both hands on the hara. 4) Repeat this movement with the left arm and foot, turning sideways to the left. Return to the original position with both hands on the hara. 5) Repeat this movement with the right arm and foot, turning directly behind from the right side. Return to the original position with both hands on the hara. 6) Repeat this movement with the left arm and foot, turning directly behind from the left side. Return to the original position with both hands on the hara. This stage is over when the music comes to a stop. The second stage begins with new music.
Second stage: WHIRLING 15 minutes
Begin by placing the right toe over the left toe. Fold your arms across your chest and embrace yourself. Feel love for yourself. When the music starts bow down to existence for bringing you here for this meditation. When the tempo changes, begin whirling either to the left or to the right, whichever feels best for you. If you whirl to the right put the right foot and the right arm to the right and the left arm in the opposite direction. As you start to whirl you can change your hands to any position which feels good to you. If you have not whirled before then go very very slowly at first and once your mind and body get acclimated to the movements the body will naturally go faster. Do not force yourself to go too fast too soon. If you do get dizzy or it feels like it is too much for you, it is okay to stop and stand or to sit down. To end the whirling, slow down and fold the arms over the chest and heart
Third stage: SILENCE 15 minutes
Lie down on the belly with your eyes closed. Leave your legs open and not crossed to allow all the energy you have gathered to flow through you. There is nothing to do except to just be with yourself. If it is uncomfortable to lie on your belly, lie on your back. A gong will indicate the end of the meditation
14 The Art of Listening
The art of meditation Is the art of listening With your total being "If one can learn how to listen rightly, one has learned the deepest secret of meditation." The essential function of the Osho talks is to provide an easily accessible way of learning this art of listening. An opportunity to experience, "silence with no effort," the key to bringing sharpened awareness to your daily life. Whether you want to listen quietly at home, or while commuting to work, or sitting in the park, never has meditation been more simple, or more widely available to anyone anywhere. Once you have selected an Osho talk, make yourself comfortable, relax and, in your own time, allow your eyes to close.
Sample: How Does a Man of Zen Take his Tea? (8 mins)
Choose your own Listening Meditation from the Audiobook Catalog, including some free samples where Osho is describing the purpose of these talks and explains the art of listening.
The purpose of these talks: “The way I talk is a little strange. No speaker in the world talks like me. Technically it is wrong; it takes almost double the time! But those speakers have a different purpose – my purpose is absolutely different from theirs. They speak because they are prepared for it; they are simply repeating something that they have rehearsed. Secondly, they are speaking to impose a certain ideology, a certain idea on you. Thirdly, to them speaking is an art; they go on refining it. As far as I am concerned, I am not what they call a speaker or an orator. It is not an art to me or a technique; technically I go on becoming worse every day! But our purposes are totally different. I don´t want to impress you in order to manipulate you. I don´t speak for any goal to be achieved through convincing you. I don´t speak to convert you into a Christian, into a Hindu or a Mohammedan, into a theist or an atheist. These are not my concerns. My speaking is really one of my devices for meditation. Speaking has
15 never been used this way: I speak not to give you a message, but to stop your mind functioning. I speak nothing prepared. I don´t know myself what is going to be the next word; hence I never make any mistake. One makes a mistake if one is prepared. I never forget anything, because one forgets if one has been remembering it. So I speak with a freedom that perhaps nobody has ever spoken with. I am not concerned whether I am consistent, because that is not the purpose. A man who wants to convince you and manipulate you through his speaking has to be consistent, has to be logical, has to be rational, to overpower your reason. He wants to dominate through words. My purpose is so unique : I am using words just to create silent gaps. The words are not important so I can say anything contradictory, anything absurd, anything unrelated, because my purpose is just to create gaps. The words are secondary; the silences between those words are primary. This is simply a device to give you a glimpse of meditation. And once you know that it is possible for you, you have traveled far in the direction of your own being. Most of the people in the world don´t think that it is possible for mind to be silent. Because they don´t think it is possible, they don´t try. How to give people a taste of meditation was my basic reason to speak, so I can go on speaking eternally; it does not matter what I am saying. All that matters is that I give you a few chances to be silent, which you find difficult on your own in the beginning. I cannot force you to be silent, but I can create a device in which spontaneously you are bound to be silent. I am speaking, and in the middle of a sentence, when you were expecting another word to follow, nothing follows but a silent gap. Your mind was looking to listen, and waiting for something to follow, and does not want to miss it – naturally it becomes silent. What can the poor mind do? If it was well known at what points I will be silent, if it was declared to you that on such and such points I will be silent, then you could manage to think; you would not be silent. Then you know: ‘This is the point where he is going to be silent; now I can have a little chit chat with myself.’ But because it comes absolutely suddenly.... I don´t know myself why at certain points I stop. Anything like this, in any orator in the world, will be condemned, because an orator stopping again and again means he is not well prepared, he has not done the homework. It means that his memory is not reliable, that he cannot find, sometimes, what word to use. But because it is not oratory, I am not concerned about the people who will be condemning me – I am concerned with you.
16 It is not only here, but far away...anywhere in the world where people will be listening to the video or to the audio, they will come to the same silence. My success is not to convince you, my success is to give you a real taste so that you can become confident that meditation is not a fiction, that the state of no mind is not just a philosophical idea, that it is a reality; that you are capable of it, and that it does not need any special qualifications. With me, to be silent is easier because of one other reason. I am silent; even while I am speaking I am silent. My innermost being is not involved at all. What I am saying to you is not a disturbance or a burden or a tension to me; I am as relaxed as one can be. Speaking or not speaking does not make any difference to me. Naturally, this kind of state is infectious. Because I cannot go on speaking the whole day to keep you in meditative moments, I want you to become responsible. Accepting that you are capable of being silent will help you when you are meditating alone. Knowing your capacity...and one comes to know one´s capacity only when one experiences it. There is no other way. Don´t make me wholly responsible for your silence, because that will create a difficulty for you. Alone, what are you going to do? Then it becomes a kind of addiction, and I don´t want you to be addicted to me. I don´t want to be a drug to you. I want you to be independent and confident that you can attain these precious moments on your own. If you can attain them with me, there is no reason why you cannot attain them without me, because I am not the cause. You have to understand what is happening: listening to me, you put your mind aside. Listening to the ocean, or listening to the thundering of the clouds, or listening to the rain falling heavily, just put your ego aside, because there is no need... The ocean is not going to attack you, the rain is not going to attack you, the trees are not going to attack you – there is no need of any defense. To be vulnerable to life as such, to existence as such, you will be getting these moments continuously. Soon it will become your very life. Wherever you are – at home, at work, or on the way between the two – you can use the presence of any sound, any noise, as an opportunity to move inside to a space of inner silence and stillness.”
Osho: The Invitation , #14
17 Gibberish and Let-Go “Gibberish is to get rid of the active mind, silence to get rid of the inactive mind and let go is to enter into the transcendental." Osho First Stage: Gibberish While sitting, close your eyes and begin to say nonsense sounds – any sounds or words, so long as they make no sense. Just speak any language that you don't know! Allow yourself to express whatever needs to be expressed within you. Throw everything out. The mind thinks, always, in terms of words. Gibberish helps to break up this pattern of continual verbalization. Without suppressing your thoughts, you can throw them out. Let your body likewise be expressive.
Second Stage: Moving In After some minutes of Gibberish, there is a drumbeat, at which point the Gibberish stops. Osho’s voice then guides the listener into a space of deep silence, stillness and relaxation, saying, for example, “Be silent, close your eyes...no movement of the body – feel frozen. Go inwards, deeper and deeper, just like an arrow. Penetrate all the layers and hit the center of your existence.” Third Stage: Let Go Another drumbeat and, without arranging yourself, just allow yourself to fall down "like a bag of rice," so you are lying, utterly still and relaxed, on your back as you are guided even more deeply into a silent stillness. Fourth Stage: Coming Back At the final drumbeat, Osho’s voice guides you back to a sitting position, with the reminder to carry the glimpse of silent awareness one may have had into everyday activities.
If you go to the Downloadable Osho Audiobooks page and follow the links to the Catalog page and select "Order Spoken: From Recent" you will find all the talks from "Live Zen" to "The Zen Manifesto: Freedom from Yourself" have guided Gibbersish and Let Go Meditations at the end.
18 “Remember, the first step of the meditation is Gibberish. Gibberish simply means throwing out your craziness, which is already there in the mind, piled up for centuries. As you throw it out you will find yourself becoming light, becoming more alive, just within two minutes. You will be surprised that when Nivedano [the drummer] gives his second beat, to enter into silence, you enter into silence as deeply as you have never done before. Just those two minutes have cleaned the way. In fact in those two minutes, if you put your total energy ... the more you put into it, the deeper will be the following silence. Any child can do Gibberish, it doesn´t need any training. From the very first moment you are almost trained. Gibberish needs no training, nor does laughter need any training. If you can do Gibberish you are cleansing your mind of all kinds of dust that goes on gathering. And as the mind becomes silent...there is nowhere to go other than inwards. All roads are forgotten; there remains a single one way traffic. Just for a day or two you may hesitate to go that much inside. Who knows whether you will be able to come back or not? It is a playful, joyful exercise. There is nothing to be worried about, you can go as deep as you want… not knowing Chinese but speaking Chinese, not knowing what they are saying but saying it very emphatically, not bothering at all who is listening.... Nobody is listening, so you can say anything you want, you are not going to offend anybody. There is nobody other than you. That will make you saner than you have ever been, because you throw so much garbage that you were holding. Do you think your gibberish is coming from the sky? You are carrying all that garbage, throw it! Just do it totally, enthusiastically. Don´t be bothered whether it is Arabic or Hebrew or Chinese; you are allowed to speak any language that you don´t know. Just avoid the language that you do know, because the language that you do know will not bring your nonsense out, it will be very grammatical. Meaning is not at all the requirement. Just for two minutes give an opportunity to your existence to be meaningless. And you will be immensely shocked to know that just within two minutes you become so light, so ready to enter into silence.”
Osho: The Miracle , #2
19 Breathing in Love
Love is always new. It never becomes old because it is non accumulative, non hoarding. It knows no past; it is always fresh, as fresh as the dewdrops. It lives moment to moment, it is atomic. It has no continuity, it knows no tradition. Each moment it dies and each moment it is born again. It is like breath: you breathe in, you breathe out; again you breathe in and you breathe out. You don’t hoard it inside.
If you hoard the breath you will die because it will become stale, it will become dead. It will lose that vitality, the quality of life. So is the case with love — it is breathing; each moment it renews itself. So whenever one gets stuck in love and stops breathing, life loses all significance. And that’s what is happening to people: the mind is so dominant that it even influences the heart and makes even the heart possessive! The heart knows no possessiveness but the mind contaminates it, poisons it. So remember that: be in love with existence! And let love be like breathing. Breathe in, breathe out, but let it be love coming in, going out. By and by with each breath you have to create that magic of love. Make it a meditation: when you breathe out, just feel that you are pouring your love into existence; when you breathe in, existence is pouring its love into you. And soon you will see that the quality of your breath is changing, then it starts becoming something totally different to what you have ever known before. That’s why in India we call it ‘prana’, life, not just breathing, it is not just oxygen. Something else is there, the very life itself.
Osho: The Open Door, #13
20 MEDITATIONS FOR BUSY PEOPLE
1. Being Telegraphic
Speak only the essential as if you are giving a telegram, so you have to go on choosing just ten words. Just watch people talking, and you will be amazed: everywhere there is misunderstanding.
You are saying one thing, something else is understood.
The world would be a more silent and peaceful place if people were only saying five percent of what they are saying now — although that five percent will cover absolutely everything that is essential. Your telegram means more than your long letter, condensed. Be telegraphic and you will be surprised that in the whole day there are very few times when you have to speak.
Osho: The Golden Future , #7
21 2. Celebrating Suffering
When I say enjoy it I don’t mean become a masochist; I don’t mean create suffering for yourself and enjoy it. I don’t mean: go on, fall down from a cliff, have fractures and then enjoy it. No. I am not saying be a masochist; I am simply saying suffering is there, you need not seek for it. Enough suffering is there already, you need no go in search. Suffering is already there; life by its very nature creates suffering. Illness is there, death is there, the body is there; by their very nature suffering is created. See it, look at it with a very dispassionate eye. Look at it — what it is, what is happening. Don’t escape. Immediately the mind says, “Escape from here, don’t look at it.” But if you escape then you cannot be blissful. When : Next time you fall ill and the doctor suggests to remain in bed. The Method : Close your eyes and rest on the bed and just look at the illness. Watch it, what it is. Don’t try to analyze it, don’t go into theories, just watch it, what it is. The whole body tired, feverish — watch it. Suddenly, you will feel that you are surrounded by fever but there is a very cool point within you; the fever cannot touch it, cannot influence it. The whole body may be burning but that cool point cannot be touched. So when you are lying on your bed, feverish, on fire, the whole body burning, just watch it. Watching, you will recede towards the source. Watching, not doing anything.... What can you do? The fever is there, you have to pass through it; it is no use unnecessarily fighting with it. You are resting, and if you fight with the fever you will become more feverish, that’s all. So watch it. Watching fever, you become cool; watching more, you become cooler.
22 Just watching, you reach to a peak, such a cool peak, even the Himalayas will feel jealous; even their peaks are not so cool. This is the Gourishankar, the Everest within. And when you feel that the fever has disappeared.... It has never really been there; it has only been in the body, very, very far away. Infinite space exists between you and your body — infinite space, I say. An unbridgeable gap exists between you and your body. And all suffering exists on the periphery. Hindus say it is a dream because the distance is so vast, unbridgeable. It is just like a dream happening somewhere else — not happening to you — in some other world, on some other planet. When you watch suffering suddenly you are not the sufferer, and you start enjoying. Through suffering you become aware of the opposite pole, the blissful inner being. So when I say enjoy, I am saying: Watch. Return to the source, get centered. Then, suddenly, there is no agony; only ecstasy exists. Those who are on the periphery exist in agony. For them, no ecstasy. For those who have come to their center no agony exists. For them, only ecstasy. When I say break the cup it is breaking the periphery. And when I say be totally empty it is coming back to the original source, because through emptiness we are born, and into emptiness we return. Emptiness is the word, really, which is better to use than God , because with God we start feeling there is some person. So Buddha never used “God” he always used sunyata — emptiness, nothingness. In the center you are a nonbeing, nothingness, just a vast space, eternally cool, silent, blissful. So when I say enjoy I mean watch, and you will enjoy. When I say enjoy, I mean don’t escape. Osho: A Bird on the Wing
23 Two Passive Techniques
FOUR LEVELS OF gap. Do these four RELAXING: In a steps for two to three situation where you can’t times – just watching do active techniques? the breathing cycle, Here are two simple but not changing it in effective passive anyway, just methods. And watching the natural remember, you will find rhythm. many more in the regularly rotated Step 5: Counting In “Meditation of the Week” Breaths and “Meditation For Busy Now start counting: People.” Inhalation – count 1 (don’t count the 1. Watching the Breath exhalation), Breath watching is a inhalation – 2, and method that can be done so on, up to 10. Then anywhere, at any time, count from 10 back even if you have only a to 1. Sometimes you few minutes available. may forget to watch You can simply watch the breath or you the rise and fall of your chest or may count beyond 10. Then start belly as the breath comes in and again, at 1. goes out, or try this version…. “These two things have to be Step 1: Watch the In Breath remembered: watching, and Close your eyes and start particularly the gaps at the top watching your breath. First, the and the bottom. The experience inhalation, from where it enters of that gap is you, your your nostrils, right down into innermost core, your being. And your lungs. second: go on counting, but not more than up to 10; and come back again to 1; and only count Step 2: Watch the Gap That Follows the inhalation. At the end of the inhalation there is gap, before the exhalation These things help awareness. starts. It is of immense value. You have to be aware, otherwise Watch that gap. you will start counting the exhalation, or you will go over 10. Step 3: Watch the Out Breath Now watch the exhalation. If you enjoy this meditation,
continue it. It is of immense Step 4: Watch the Gap That Follows value.” Osho. At the end of the exhalation there is a second gap: watch that
24 2. Four Levels of Relaxing start from a wrong place. Everything should be done in the This particular method is useful right order. for those time when you are sick because it helps build a loving If you become capable of connection, to create a rapport relaxing the body voluntarily, between yourself and your then you will be able to help your bodymind. Then you can take an mind relax voluntarily. The mind active part in your own healing is a more complex phenomenon. process. Once you have become confident that the body listens to you, you Step 1: The Body will have a new trust in yourself. “Remember as many times as Now even the mind can listen to possible to look into the body you. It will take a little longer and see whether you are carrying with the mind, but it happens.” some tension in the body somewhere – the neck, the head Step 3: The Heart or the legs…. Relax it consciously. Just go to that part “When the mind is relaxed, then of the body, and persuade that start relaxing your heart, the part, say to it lovingly ‘Relax!’ world of your feelings, emotions, which is even more complex, You will be surprised that if you more subtle. But now you will be approach any part of your body, moving with trust, with great it listens, it follows you – it is trust in yourself. Now you will your body! With closed eyes, go know it is possible. If it is inside the body from the toe to possible with the body and the head, searching for any place possible with the mind, it is where there is a tension. And possible with the heart too.” then talk to that part as you talk to a friend; let there be a Step 4: Being dialogue between you and your body. Tell it to relax, and tell it, “Then only, when you have gone ‘There is nothing to fear. Don´t through these three steps, can be afraid. I am here to take care; you take the fourth. Now you can you can relax.’ Slowly slowly, you go to the innermost core of your will learn the knack of it. Then being, which is beyond body, the body becomes relaxed.” mind and heart: the very center of your existence. Step 2: The Mind “Then take another step, a little You will be able to relax it, too, deeper; tell the mind to relax. and that relaxation certainly And if the body listens, the mind brings the greatest joy possible, also listens. But you cannot start the ultimate in ecstasy and with the mind, you have to start acceptance. You will be full of from the beginning. You cannot bliss and rejoicing. Your life will start from the middle. Many have the quality of dance to it.” people start with the mind and they fail; they fail because they Osho: The Dhammapada: the Way of the Buddha Vol. 1 ,# 8
25
Frequently Asked Questions
What is meditation? That this is an ugly thought and This is a very beautiful and Meditation is a simple process of virtuous thought. watching your own mind. You should not judge Not fighting with the mind You should remain non Not trying to control it either judgmental Just remaining there, a Because the moment you judge, choiceless witness. you lose meditation. Whatsoever passes you simply You become identified. take note of it Either you become a friend or With no prejudice for or against. you become a foe. You don't call it names You create relationships. That this should not come to my Meditation means mind Remaining unrelated with your
26 thought process A man may know everything in Utterly unrelated, cool, calm the world Watching whatsoever is passing. But if he does not know himself And then a miracle happens: He is utterly ignorant Slowly slowly one becomes He is just a walking aware Encyclopaedia Britannica. That less and less thoughts are passing. Freedom without awareness is The more alert you are, the less only an empty idea. thoughts pass It contains nothing. The less alert you are, the more One cannot be really free without thoughts pass. being aware It is as if traffic depends on your Because your unconscious goes awareness. on dominating you When you are perfectly aware Your unconscious goes on pulling Even for a single moment, all your strings. thinking stops. You may think, you may believe Immediately, there is a sudden that you are free stop But you are not free, you are just And the road is empty, there is a victim no traffic. Of natural forces, blind forces. That moment is meditation. So there are two types of people. Slowly slowly those moments The majority come more and more Follows the tradition, the society, Those empty spaces come again the state. and again The orthodox people, the And stay longer. conventional And you become capable of The conformists ― they follow moving easily the crowd Into those empty spaces with no They are not free. effort. And then there are a few So whenever you want you can rebellious spirits move Drop outs, bohemians, artists Into those empty spaces with no Painters, musicians, poets; effort. They think they are living in They are refreshing, rejuvenating freedom And they make you aware of who But they only think. Just by you are. rebellion Freed from the mind you are Against the tradition you don't freed become free. From all ideas about yourself. You are still under the rule of Now you can see who you are natural instincts. without any prejudice. You are possessed by lust, by And to know oneself greed, by ambitions. Is to know all that is worth And you are not a master of knowing. these things And to miss self knowledge is to You are a slave. Hence I say miss all. Freedom is only possible through
27 awareness. man may have enjoyed dancing Unless one transforms ones under the stars, but he is simply unconsciousness going on accumulating a bank Into consciousness there is no balance. And he says he is freedom. unhappy: Give me some meditation.... I can give him! ― And that is where only very few but what is that meditation going people to do? what is it supposed to do? Have succeeded ― a Jesus, a Lao He will remain the same man: Tzu accumulating money, competitive A Zarathustra, a Buddha in the market. The meditation Just a few people may help in this way: it may Who can be counted on one's make him a little more relaxed to fingers. do this nonsense even better. They have really lived in freedom Because they lived out of That's what TM is doing to many awareness. people in the West ― and that is the appeal of transcendental That has to be the work for every meditation, because Maharishi seeker: Mahesh Yogi goes on saying, "It To create more and more will make you more efficient in awareness. your work, it will make you more Then freedom comes of its own successful. If you are a accord. salesman, you will become a Freedom is the fragrance of the more successful salesman. It will flower of awareness. give you efficiency." And American people are almost Osho: Eighty Four Thousand crazy about efficiency. You can Poems , Chapter 5 lose everything just for being efficient. Hence, the appeal. Will meditation help me to be happy? Yes, it can help you. It can relax you a little ― it is a tranquillizer. Many people come to me and By constantly repeating a they say they are unhappy, and mantra, by continuously they want me to give them some repeating a certain word, it meditation. I say: First, the basic changes your brain chemistry. It thing is to understand why you is a tranquillizer, a sound are unhappy. And if you don't tranquillizer. It helps you to remove those basic causes of lessen your stress so tomorrow your unhappiness, I can give you in the marketplace you can be a meditation but that is not going more efficient, more capable to to help very much ― because the compete ― but it doesn't change basic causes remain there. you. It is not a transformation. The man may have been a good, You can repeat a mantra, you beautiful dancer, and he is sitting can do a certain meditation; it in an office, piling up files. There can help you a little bit here and is no possibility for dance. The there ― but it can only help you
28 to remain whatsoever you are. in a certain pattern of life, then all the old traditions say: You are Hence, my appeal is only for wrong. I would like to say: The those who are really daring, pattern is wrong. Try to dare devils who are ready to understand the difference of change their very pattern of life, emphasis. who are ready to stake everything ― because in fact you You are not wrong! Just your don't have anything to put at the pattern, the way you have stake: only your unhappiness, learned to live is wrong. The your misery. But people cling motivations that you have even to that. learned and accepted as yours are not yours ― they don't fulfill What else do you have to put at your destiny. They go against stake? Just the misery. The only your grain, they go against your pleasure that you have is talking element.... about it. Look at people talking about their misery: how happy Remember it: nobody else can they become! They pay for it: decide for you. All their they go to psychoanalysts to talk commandments, all their orders, about their misery ― they pay all their moralities, are just to kill for it! Somebody listens you. You have to decide for attentively; they are very happy. yourself. You have to take your People go on talking about their life in your own hands. misery again and again and Otherwise, life goes on knocking again. They even exaggerate, at your door and you are never they decorate, they make it look there; you are always bigger. They make it look bigger somewhere else. than life size. Why? You have nothing to put at stake. But If you were going to be a dancer, people cling to the known, to the life comes from that door familiar. The misery is all that because life thinks you must be a they have known ― that is their dancer by now. It knocks there life. Nothing to lose, but so afraid but you are not there ― you are to lose anything. a banker. And how is life expected to know that you would With me, happiness comes first, become a banker? The divine joy comes first. A celebrating comes to you the way it wanted attitude comes first. A life you to be; it knows only that affirming philosophy comes first. address – but you are never Enjoy! If you cannot enjoy your found there, you are somewhere work, change it. Don't wait, else, hiding behind somebody because all the time that you are else's mask, in somebody else's waiting you are waiting for garb, under somebody else's Godot. Godot is never going to name. come. One simply waits ― and wastes one's life. For whom, for The divine can find you only in what are you waiting? If you see one way, only in one way can it the point, that you are miserable find you, and that is your inner
29 flowering: as it wanted you to have to find your own inner be. Unless you find your flame. spontaneity, unless you find your element, you cannot be happy. Osho: A Sudden Clash of And if you cannot be happy, you Thunder , Chapter 7 cannot be meditative. What will meditation do to Why did this idea – that solve my problems? meditation brings happiness – Problems are all around you. So arise in people's minds? In fact, even if you somehow get finished wherever they found a happy with one problem, another person they always found a problem arises. And you cannot meditative mind. They become prevent problems arising. associated. Whenever they found Problems will continue to arise till the beautiful, meditative milieu you come to a deep surrounding a man, they always understanding of witnessing. found he was tremendously That is the only golden key, happy ― vibrant with bliss, discovered by centuries of inward radiant. They became associated. search in the East: that there is They thought: Happiness comes no need to solve any problem. when you are meditative. You simply observe it, and the very observation is enough; the It was just the other way round: problem evaporates. meditation comes when you are happy. But to be happy is If you are clear, if you can see, difficult and to learn meditation is your life problems dissolve. Let easy. To be happy means a me remind you about using the drastic change in your way of word dissolve . I am not saying life, an abrupt change ― because you find the answers, solutions there is no time to lose. A to your problems, no. And I am sudden change, a sudden clash only talking about life problems. of thunder...a discontinuity. This is the most important thing That's what I mean by sannyas: to understand about life a discontinuity with the past. A problems: they are created by sudden clash of thunder, and you your unclarity of vision. So it is die to the old and you start not that first you see them afresh, from ABC. You are born clearly, then you find the solution again. You again start your life as and then you try to apply the you would have done if there had solution. No, the process is not been no enforced pattern by your that long; the process is very parents, by your society, by the simple and short. The moment state; as you would have done, you can see your life problem must have done, if there had clearly, it dissolves. been nobody to distract you. But you were distracted. You have to It is not that you have now found drop all those patterns that have an answer that you will apply, been forced on you, and you and someday you will succeed in destroying the problem. The problem existed in your unclarity 30 of vision. You were its creator. become completely clouded by it, Remember again, I am talking blinded by it; and how you start about life problems. I am not acting madly, for which you saying that if your car is broken repent later on…. You realize down you just sit silently and see later on that it was sheer clearly what the problem is: the insanity, that "I did it in spite of problem is clear, now do myself. I never wanted to do it, something! It is not a question of still I did it. And even when I was you simply sitting under a tree doing it I knew that I didn't want and meditating and just once in a to do it." But it was as if you while opening your eyes and were possessed.... seeing whether the problem is solved or not. Osho: From Misery to Enlightenment This is not a life problem, it is a mechanical problem. If your tire Osho: The Rebellious Spirit , #6 is punctured you will have to change the wheel. Sitting won't do; you just get up and change the wheel. It has nothing to do with your mind and your clarity; it has something to do with the road. What can your clarity do with the road? Otherwise, three thousand meditators here cannot mend one road? Just meditation would have been enough! But the question is only about life problems. For example, you are feeling jealous, angry; you are feeling a kind of meaninglessness. You are dragging yourself somehow; you don't feel that life is juicy anymore. These are life problems and they arise out of your unclarity of mind. Because unclarity is the source of their arising, clarity becomes their dissolution. If you are clear, if you can see clearly, the problem will disappear. You have not to do anything other than that. Just seeing, just watching its whole process: how the problem arises, how it takes possession of you, how you
31 Is meditation for me? very unburdening. While you laugh, you can put your mind • Serious people... aside very easily. For a man who • Spiritual people... cannot laugh the doors of the • New Age people... buddha are closed. To me, • True believers... laughter is one of the greatest • Skeptical people... values. No religion has ever • People who know nothing... thought about it. Religions have • Philosophical people... always been insisting on • Businessmen... seriousness, and because of their • Young people... insistence the whole world is • Older people... psychologically sick. • People with a sense of humor... Osho: The Language of • Hopeful people... Existence , Chapter 5
Is Meditation for Serious Is Meditation for Spiritual People? People? What I am doing here is very Meditation has to be a joyous simple, very ordinary, nothing activity, it has to be a song. One spiritual in it, nothing sacred. I has not to do it as a duty, one am not trying to make you holy has to enjoy it as fun, as play. If persons, I am simply trying to you do meditation as a duty you make you sane, intelligent, will miss the whole point. Then it ordinary people who can live cannot happen to you. It can their lives joyously, dancingly, happen only in a very light celebratingly. mood, in a very non serious mood. Seriousness is heavy, and Osho: Zen: The Special anything heavy drags you Transmission , Chapter 1 downwards. You have to be as Is meditation just for people light as a small child playing on the beach, collecting seashells, who know a lot about "new age" philosophy? colored stones, running here and there, almost part of the wind The new age movement is just a and the sea and the sand and the fashion which will disappear very sun. When that lightness is there soon, as all your other you have wings, you can fly movements have disappeared. upwards. And meditation means Now you don't see hippies.... It is an upward movement of your a very great phenomenon that so energies.. many hippies suddenly Osho: The Imprisoned Splendor , disappeared. What happened to Chapter 14 (Diary) their revolution? It was a I don't want you to be serious. I revolutionary movement; it was am so against seriousness – it is dropping out of the society. Why a spiritual sickness. Laughter is have they dropped back into the spiritual health, and laughter is society? All these movements are 32 very short lived. They have Do you have to believe in beautiful names ― that does not some kind of religion or matter ― but they don't have a philosophy before you can radical philosophy to change meditate? human beings. The new age movement has nothing unique Belief is the enemy of trust. Trust which can transform individuals. life! Don't believe beliefs – avoid It is a fashion; soon it will die ― them! Avoid beliefs: Hindu, just a passing phase. I am not Christian.... Seek on your own. part of any movement. What I You may come to find the same am doing is something eternal. It truth. You will, because the truth has been going on since the first is one. Once you have found it man appeared on the earth, and you can say yes, The Bible is true it will continue to the last man. It – but not before. Once you have is not a movement, it is the very found it you can say yes, the core of evolution. So you are Vedas are true – but not before. right that you don't count me as Unless you have experienced it, part of the new age movement. I unless you become a witness to am not. I am part of the eternal it personally, all vedas and all evolution of man. The search for bibles are useless. They will truth is neither new nor old. The burden you, they will not make search for your own being has you more free.... nothing to do with time. It is non temporal. I may be gone, The search is difficult because but what I am doing is going to the truth is unknown. The search continue. Somebody else will be is difficult because the truth is doing it. I was not here and not only unknown, it is somebody else was doing it. unknowable . The search is Nobody is a founder in it, nobody difficult because the seeker has is a leader in it. It is such a vast to risk his whole life for it. phenomenon that many enlightened people have If you are following scriptures appeared, helped and you are following named rivers. disappeared. But their help has If you are following a certain brought humanity a little higher, religion, a sect, a church, then made humanity a little better, a you have a map – and there little more human. They have left cannot be any map for the truth. the world a little more beautiful There cannot be any map than they had found it. because truth is private and not public. Maps become public; they Osho: Socrates Poisoned Again are needed so that others can After 25 Centuries , Chapter 11 also follow. On the map, superhighways are shown, not small footpaths; and religion is a footpath, not a superhighway. You cannot reach existence as a Christian or a Hindu. You reach as you, authentically you, and
33 you cannot follow anybody's Christian or a Hindu. You reach path. as you, authentically you, and you cannot follow anybody's Osho: The Search , Chapter path.
Do you have to believe in Osho: The Search , Chapter 1 some kind of religion or philosophy before you can Can a skeptical person be a meditate? meditator? Belief is the enemy of trust. Trust life! Don't believe beliefs – avoid The skeptical mind is one of the them! Avoid beliefs: Hindu, most beautiful things in the Christian.... Seek on your own. world. It has been condemned by You may come to find the same the religions because they were truth. You will, because the truth not capable of answering is one. Once you have found it skeptical questions; they wanted you can say yes, The Bible is true only believers. And the skeptical – but not before. Once you have mind is just the opposite of the found it you can say yes, the believer. Vedas are true – but not before. Unless you have experienced it, I am all in favor of the skeptical unless you become a witness to mind. Do not believe anything it personally, all vedas and all unless you have experienced it. bibles are useless. They will Do not believe anything go on burden you, they will not make questioning, however long it you more free.... takes. Truth is not cheap. It is not available to the believer; it is The search is difficult because available only to the skeptical. the truth is unknown. The search Just remember one thing: don't is difficult because the truth is be skeptical halfheartedly. Be a not only unknown, it is total skeptic. When I say be a unknowable . The search is total skeptic, I mean that your difficult because the seeker has skeptical ideas should also be put to risk his whole life for it. to the same test as anybody else's beliefs. Skepticism, when it If you are following scriptures is total, burns itself out because you are following named rivers. you have to question and doubt If you are following a certain your skepticism too. You cannot religion, a sect, a church, then leave your skepticism without you have a map – and there doubt; otherwise that is the cannot be any map for the truth. standpoint of the believer. There cannot be any map because truth is private and not If you can doubt the skeptic in public. Maps become public; they you, then the mystic is not far are needed so that others can away. What is a mystic? ― one also follow. On the map, who knows no answer, one who superhighways are shown, not has asked every possible small footpaths; and religion is a question and found that no footpath, not a superhighway. question is answerable. Finding You cannot reach existence as a 34 this, he has dropped questioning. Not that he has found the answer It does not matter what kind of ― he has simply found one thing, nonsense is filled in your head that there is no answer when you come here. I will chop anywhere. your head without any distinction. Who is sitting on your Life is a mystery, not a question. head does not matter ― my Not a puzzle to be solved, not a concern is chopping! I am just a question to be answered but a woodcutter. mystery to be lived, a mystery to be loved, a mystery to be Osho: Beyond Enlightenment , danced. Chapter 17 A totally skeptical mind is bound Is meditation for people who to finally become a mystic; know nothing? hence, my doors are open for all. I accept the skeptic because I The ignorant person can know how to turn him into a remember that he is ignorant – mystic. I invite the theist he has nothing to lose. But the because I know how to destroy learned, he cannot recognize that his theism. I invite the atheist he is ignorant. He has much to because I know how to take lose. The knowledgeable person away his atheism. My doors is the real fool. The ignorant prevent nobody, because I am person is innocent; he knows not giving you any belief. I am that he knows not, and because giving you only a methodology, a he knows that he knows not, meditation to discover for because he is ignorant, he is just yourself what in reality is the on the threshold of wisdom. case. Because he knows he knows not, I have found that there is no he can inquire, and his inquiry answer. All questions are futile, will be pure, unprejudiced. He and all answers are more futile. will inquire without any Questions have been asked by conclusions. He will inquire foolish people, and great without being a Christian or a philosophies have arisen because Hindu. He will simply inquire as of their questions. These an inquirer. His inquiry will not philosophies are created by the come out of ready made cunning and the shrewd. But if answers, his inquiry will come you want to have a rapport with out of his own heart. reality, you have to be neither a fool nor shrewd. You have to be His inquiry will not be a by innocent. product of knowledge, his inquiry will be existential. He inquires So whatever you bring ― because it is a question of life skepticism, atheism, theism, and death to him. He inquires communism, fascism, any type of because he really wants to know. nonsense you can bring here ― He knows that he knows not – my medicine is the same. that's why he inquires. His
35 inquiry has a beauty of its own. Osho: From Medication to He is not a fool, he is simply Meditation ignorant. The real fool is one who thinks he knows, without Can a businessman be a knowing at all. meditator?
Osho: The Dhammapada: The One has to do something in life. Way of the Buddha , Vol 2, Somebody is a carpenter and Chapter 7 somebody is a king, and somebody is a businessman and Can a philosophical person be somebody is a warrior. These are a meditator? ways of livelihood, these are ways of getting bread and butter, The old definition of a a shelter. They can't change your philosopher is that he is blind, in inner being. Whether you are a a dark night, in a dark house warrior or a businessman does where there is no light, and he is not make any difference: one has searching for a black cat that is chosen one way to earn his not there. But this is not all: he livelihood, the other has chosen finds her and he writes great something else. treatises, theses, creates systems and, proves logically the Meditation is life, not livelihood. existence of the black cat. It has nothing to do with what Beware of the mind: it is blind. It you do; it has everything to do has never known anything but it with what you are. Yes, business is a great pretender. It pretends should not enter into your being, to know everything. that is true. If your being also has become businesslike, then it Socrates has categorized is difficult to meditate and humanity in two classes. One impossible to be a class he calls the knowledgeably sannyasin...because if your being ignorant: the people who think has become businesslike, then they know and who are basically you have become too calculative. ignorant. That is the work of the And a calculative person is a mind. And the second category cowardly person: he thinks too he calls the ignorant knowers: much, he cannot take any jumps. the people who think, "We don't And meditation is a jump: from know." In their humbleness, in the head to the heart, and their innocence, descends ultimately from the heart to the knowing. being. You will be going deeper and deeper, where calculations So there are pretenders of will have to be left behind, where knowledge – that is the function all logic becomes irrelevant. You of the mind – and there are cannot carry your cleverness humble people who say, "We there. don't know." In their innocence there is knowledge. And that is In fact, cleverness is not true the work of meditation and intelligence either; cleverness is awareness.... a poor substitute for intelligence.
36 People who are not intelligent part of character, the real virtue learn how to be clever. People is part of consciousness. All who are intelligent need not be societies live on pseudo virtue clever; they are innocent, they because it is easier to impose on need not be cunning. They children; it is difficult to make function out of a state of not them meditators. That's what knowing. If you are a people have thought up to now. businessman, that's okay. If It is not true: children can be Jesus can become a meditator taught to be meditative, and and a sannyasin, and ultimately more easily than older people. a christ, a buddha... and he was the son of a carpenter, helping But for centuries the idea has his father, bringing wood, cutting persisted that they are children wood. If a carpenter's son can how can they meditate? Of become a buddha, why not you? course they cannot sit still like an old man, but there is no need to Osho: The Dhammapada: The sit like an old man. Meditations Way of the Buddha , Vol 6, can be devised especially for Chapter 4 them: they can dance and jump and jog and run, and yet Is meditation also useful for meditation can happen. Their younger people? meditation has to be very active, it cannot be inactive. Youth is the best time for inner transformation because youth is If children are introduced to the most flexible time. Children meditation from the very are more flexible than young beginning they will have a totally people, but they are not so different kind of virtue. Then you understanding. They need a little need not tell them what is right experience. Youth is exactly the and what is wrong; they will middle; you are no longer a know it on their own. child, no longer ignorant of life and its ways and not yet settled And that's my effort here: to help as an old man. You are in a state you to know on your own what is of transition, and the state of right and what is wrong, I never transition is the best time that say what is right and what is you can jump out of the wheel of wrong, I have no life and death. Youth is the most commandments, no shoulds, no significant time to take any should nots. I simply want you to jump, because the jump needs be able to see, to be clear like a courage, it needs energy, it mirror so that you can reflect needs risk, it needs daring. reality. Osho: The Dhammapada: Any action out of that clarity is The Way of the Buddha , Vol. 8, virtuous. Chapter 5 Osho: The Imprisoned Splendor , The real virtue arises out of Chapter 5 meditation, the pseudo virtue is cultivated. The pseudo virtue is 37 Can older people also talked about meditation, but at meditate? the most about prayer, which is a very diluted form, which doesn't ... and in fact everybody is in work much ― when people need of meditation. Everybody is become older, when they come starved of it. Particularly as one to the middle of their life, grows older in life, more and suddenly they feel a haunting, more is the necessity felt. Of that something is missing; what course people have completely is it? They cannot even pinpoint forgotten the language of it. it. They cannot put their finger They cannot even form the right on it: 'This is what is missing.' question about what is missing. They simply feel that something People start drifting at the age of is missing; they don't know forty two. They think this wife is what. They are bewildered by it. not fulfilling because they know They may have everything. One only one experience. At the age may have arrived in worldly of fourteen there was a haunting ways, succeeded, but by the time of sexuality. Maybe again this that one reaches the age of wife is not satisfying, this man is forty two, one starts feeling that not satisfying. So they swap something is missing. wives, swap husbands, make group sex. There is only one Forty two is just like the age of language, and that is of sex. Or fourteen. At the age of fourteen they start thinking that they you start feeling that something need more money, a bigger is missing. The sexual partner is house, bigger cars, because that missing; the man or the woman is the whole logic they have been is missing. Suddenly you feel living by and they cannot find that you are alone, incomplete. any satisfaction through it. They You need somebody to go on and on and on until they complement and complete you. A simply fall down dead and die. great desire arises to move into love. But meditation is as natural an urge as sex. It has its own time. Exactly the same happens at the age of forty two. Again one has Osho: The Passion for the matured ― deeper than the Impossible , Chapter 18 maturity that comes at fourteen. That was physical maturity; one was ready to make love physically. Forty two is the age As one becomes older the when one is psychologically shadow of the death starts falling mature, and is ready to make on you; that's what is creating love psychologically. the fear. But as far as a sannyasin is concerned, there is That's what meditation is all no death. about. Because in the West people have completely forgotten If you are feeling afraid of death ― and Christianity has never and the dangers ahead, that only
38 means you are not going deeper teaching you not to repress it so into your meditation, that that you can transform it, not to meditation has been to you just a repress it so that you can get fashion. Now it is time, that you free of it. Anything repressed will should sincerely and remain with you in your authentically enter into unconscious as a bondage. Don't meditation, because that is the repress anything, and you will only space which can free you feel a tremendous freedom. from all fears of death, old age, sickness. Experience everything, and you will start becoming more and It makes you aware that you are more mature, you will not have not the body and you are not the to wait until the age of ninety. mind, and you are not only this My own experience with my life, you are eternal life. Death sannyasins is that just as a man has happened many times and becomes sexually mature at the you are still alive, and death will age of fourteen, if he lives his happen many times and you will sexual life without any guilt, be still alive. without any idea of sin but simply as a natural phenomenon, Meditation's ultimate conclusion by the age of forty two he will is, live the moment to its totality, have gone beyond it. intensively, joyously, because there is nothing to be feared ― Every seven years there comes a because even death is a fiction. change. Just as fourteen is the There is no need for any security, time when you become ripe for for any safety. Live moment to sexual experience, able to moment, trusting the whole produce children, at the age of existence as the birds are forty two you start a new phase trusting it, as the trees are of your life. At fourteen you were trusting it. Don't separate entering into the world of living. yourself from existence, become At forty two you are entering part of it and existence will take into the world of death. Just as care of you. It is already taking at fourteen life needed care of you. reproduction, at forty two life needs not sexuality but Osho: The New Dawn , Chapter meditation. 26 And if you have lived your sex, you have had enough time to see that it is a child's game. There is Even at the time of death, sexual no question of repressing it, it repression is such that people go simply drops of its own accord, on thinking about it. And that is the way it came on its own the reason why they enter again accord. You did not produce it; it into another womb ― that is, was not your creation at the age another sexual body. of fourteen. In the same way as the breeze came at the age of I am not teaching sex. I am fourteen, the breeze passes you
39 by at the age of forty two. That passed. He whispered to the is the time when something more king, "Sir, these people are never significant, something more going to come to any conclusion. valuable, has to be experienced. All they know is fighting, You have loved, you have seen quarreling, arguing. You don't the reality of the world, have time for that, the sun has experienced all kinds of already risen, and how long will it relationships ― now is the time take for it to set? There is not to know yourself, to be yourself, much time. My suggestion is, let because death will be coming them discuss. You take your soon. Before death you have to fastest horse and escape far be ready to meet it. The last away from this capital and this story.... palace." A king dreamed in the night that The advice appeared to be very a big, very ferocious shadow was relevant. The king picked the standing in front of him. He best horse he had, and by the asked, "Who are you and what is evening he had moved hundreds the purpose of your coming into of miles away from the palace. my dream?" The shadow said, "I am your death, and I am coming To rest for the night, he entered tomorrow evening at sunset. into a mango grove. He stroked Remember, at the time of sunset the horse and said to the horse, meet me at the right place." "You really proved your mettle. I had no idea that you could run so And before he could ask, "Where fast. You risked everything, as if is the right place?" ― not that he you understood my problem that was going to be at the right death is close and you have to place, he wanted to know so that risk all your energy. I am he could avoid the right place ― thankful to you." the shadow disappeared, and out of fear the dream was broken. At that very time the sun was setting, and suddenly he became It was the middle of the night. aware of a hand on his shoulder. Immediately he asked all the He looked back. The old shadow wise men, astrologers, palmists, that he had seen in the dream prophets, to gather because they was standing there and said, "I had to decipher the meaning of have also to thank your horse, the dream. They discussed, and because without him I was as are the ways of the so called worried how you were going to knowledgeable, they couldn't manage to reach the right place agree. They were all talking, at the right time. But you discussing, everybody had his managed. The whole credit goes own explanation ― and the king to your horse." was more and more confused. Whether death is a few hours The king's old servant was away, or a few days or few watching all this, and the sun years, it makes no difference. was rising; half the night had Just as one prepares for life, one
40 has to prepare for death too. And Osho: Yoga: The Alpha and the the preparation for death I call Omega , Vol. 10, Chapter 3 religiousness. The secret of the joke is that it The art of religiousness is the art brings you to a point where you of preparing for death and dying are expecting, expecting, in such a way that nothing dies expecting that this is going to ― only the body is left behind happen; then it never happens. and you move into eternity. And what happens is so sudden... and because you were Osho: The Sword and the Lotus , expecting something you were Chapter 4 coming to a tension, and then suddenly something else Is meditation for people who happens, and the tension has have a sense of humor? come to such a climax that it explodes. You are all laughter. It My whole effort here is to keep is a tremendous release, it is you as non serious as possible, great meditation. If you can for the simple reason that laugh totally, it will give you a meditation, all kinds of moment of no time, no mind. meditation, can make you too Mind lives logically with serious and that seriousness will expectations, laughter is create a spiritual disease and something that comes from the nothing else. beyond. Mind is always guessing what is going to happen, groping. Unless a meditation brings you And something happens which is more laughter, more joy, more absolutely contrary to its playfulness, avoid it. It is not for expectations: it simply stops for you. a moment. Osho: The Great Pilgrimage: And that is the moment when the From Here to Here , Chapter 7 mind stops, when laughter comes from your belly, a belly Meditate playfully, don't meditate laugh. Your whole body goes into seriously. When you go into the a spasm, it is orgasmic. meditation hall, leave your serious faces where you leave A good laugh is tremendously your shoes. Let meditation be meditative. fun. 'Fun' is a very religious word; 'seriousness' is very Osho: The Book of Wisdom , irreligious. If you want to attain Chapter 28 to the original mind, you will have to live a very non serious, Even just sitting in your room, though sincere life; you will have close the doors and have one to transform your work into play; hour of simple laughter. you will have to transform all Laugh at yourself. your duties into love. 'Duty' is a But learn to laugh. dirty word; of course, a four Seriousness is a sin, and it is a letter word. disease.
41 Laughter has tremendous aware of the ridiculousness of beauty, a lightness. It will bring things. lightness to you, and it will give you wings to fly. Osho: The Discipline of And life is so full of opportunities. Transcendence , Vol. 3, Chapter You just need the sensitivity. And 10 create chances for other people to laugh. Laughter should be one In fact, laughter of the most valued, cherished Is one of the greatest spiritual qualities of human beings ― qualities. because only man can laugh, no In deep laughter the ego animals are capable of it. disappears Because it is human, it must be Just as in deep dance the ego of the highest order. To repress disappears. it is to destroy a human quality. When you really have a belly laugh Osho: Beyond Enlightenment , You are no more there, only Chapter 27 laughter is happening You are not there as an observer Try to understand: only man, You are totally immersed in it. ONLY man, can laugh ― no other And that gives you a taste of animal. It is possible only at the meditation. stage of man that laughter happens. If you come across a Osho: Eighty Four Thousand donkey laughing, you will go Poems , Chapter 14 mad. Or a horse laughing ― then you will not be able to sleep Is meditation for people who again. Animals don't laugh. They hope? don't have that much intelligence. For laughter, Hope is not the right thing. Live intelligence is needed ― the in the present so deeply, so greater the intelligence, the completely, that nothing is left. deeper the laughter. Then there will be no projection. You will move very smoothly into The laughter is a symbol that you the tomorrow without carrying are really human. If you cannot any load from today. And when laugh, then you are below there is no yesterday haunting human. If you can laugh, you you, then there is no tomorrow. have become human. Laughter is When the past is not hanging a sure indication of humanity. around you, there is no future. Aristotle says man is a rational Hope is an illness, a disease of animal. I don't believe it, the mind. It is hope that is not because I have watched man and allowing you to live. Hope is not I don't see any rationality in him. the friend, remember; it is the My definition is: man is a foe. It is because of hope that laughing animal. you go on postponing. But you will remain the same tomorrow Laughter means you can become also, and tomorrow also you will hope for some future. And this 42 way it can go on for eternity, and you can go on missing. Stop So you are in a great trap. Drop postponing. And who knows what that whole structure. Hope is the the future is going to reveal to bondage of man. you? There is no way to know about it. It is an opening; all Osho: The Beloved , Vol. 2, alternatives are open. What is Chapter 8 really going to happen, nobody can predict. People have tried. That's why people go to astrologers, to I Ching , and to other sorts of things. I Ching goes on fascinating people, astrologers go on influencing people. Astrology still seems to be a great force. Why? ? because people are missing and they are hoping for the future. They want some clue to know what is going to happen so they can arrange it that way. These things will persist, even if scientifically it is proved that it is all nonsense. They will persist because it is not a question of science, it is a question of human hope. Unless hope is dropped, I Ching cannot be dropped. Unless hope is dropped, astrology cannot be dropped. It will have great power over man's mind because hope is gripping you. You would like to know little clues about the future so you can move more confidently, you can project more confidently, and you can postpone many more things. If you know something about tomorrow, I think you will not live today. You will say, "What is the need? Tomorrow we will live." Even without knowing anything about tomorrow you are doing that. And tomorrow never comes... and when it comes, it is always today. And you don't know how to live today.
43 When and how often do I missed. Apart from missing, need to meditate? people never come to know what they were to gain, they never Even if you have to give up a become aware of it. meal, do it...but do not give up meditation. The more regular you So always devote energy to are, the greater depth you will meditation. attain. Meditation is such a delicate thing that it takes Osho: Won’t You Join the Dance ? months to grow but just a day or two to wither away. A delicate thing needs much regularity, continuity. Meditation is the Is it possible to meditate highest; everything else is without any technique? secondary. The question you have asked is You will not miss much by certainly of great importance missing a day’s sleep. One can because meditation, as such, do without sleeping for five to needs no technique at all. But seven days. It is okay if you miss techniques are needed to remove a meal; man can survive without the obstacles in the way of food for three months. You can meditation. So it has to be go without drinking water for a understood very clearly: day; you will not die. meditation itself needs no techniques, it is a simple But usually, people give much understanding, an alertness, an more importance to such petty awareness. Neither alertness is a things and think that for a day or technique nor is awareness a two they can do without the technique. But on the way to things that are really significant. being alert, there are so many But let it be remembered that obstacles. For centuries man has nothing will go wrong if you do been gathering those obstacles not fulfil the petty things of your — they need to be removed. routine. You will not gain Meditation itself cannot remove anything by doing them; nor will them, certain techniques are you be a loser by not doing needed to remove them. them. So the work of the techniques is But meditation is of the highest, just to prepare the ground, is and through it the divine is just to prepare the way, the attained. If you do not meditate, passage. The techniques in you will not know what you were themselves are not meditation. If to gain and what you have you stop at the technique, you missed; you will really not know have missed the point. J. what you have lost. Krishnamurti was insisting his whole life that there is no The greatest misfortune that can technique for meditation. And the befall people is that they never total result was not that millions come to know what they have of people attained to meditation;
44 the total result was that millions to create a space in which the of people became convinced that mind becomes quiet, silent, no technique is needed for almost absent. Then meditation meditation. But they forgot all happens on its own accord. about what they were going to do with the obstructions, the It is not a question of technique. hindrances. So they remained You don't have to do anything. intellectually convinced that no Meditation is something natural, technique is needed. something that is already hidden inside you and is trying to find its I have met many followers of J. way to reach to the open sky, to Krishnamurti, very intimate ones, the sun, to the air. But the mind and I have said to them, "No is surrounding it from all sides; technique is needed ― I agree all doors are closed, all windows absolutely. But has meditation are closed. The techniques are happened to you or to anyone needed to open the windows, to else who has been listening to J. open the doors. And immediately Krishnamurti?" Although what he the whole sky is available to you, is saying is essentially true, he is with all its stars, with all its saying only the positive side of beauty, with all its sunsets, with the experience. There is a all its sunrises. Just a small negative side also. And for that window was preventing you...just negative side all kinds of a small piece of straw can go into techniques are needed ― are your eye and it will prevent you absolutely needed ― because from seeing the vast sky because unless the ground is well you cannot open your eyes. It is prepared, and all the weeds and absolutely illogical that just a wild roots are taken away from small piece of straw or sand can the ground, you cannot grow prevent you from seeing the roses and other beautiful flowers. great stars, the infinite sky. But Roses are in no way concerned in fact they can, they do . with those roots, with the wild Techniques are needed to plants that you have removed. remove those straws, those But the removal of those weeds pieces of sand, from your eyes. was absolutely necessary for the ground to be in a right situation Meditation is your nature, is your where roses can blossom. very potential. It is another name of alertness. You are asking, "Is it possible to meditate without any technique?" The young father, taking his It is not only possible, it is the baby for a walk in the pram in only possibility. No technique is the park, seemed quite needed at all ― as far as unperturbed by the wails meditation is concerned. But emerging from the pram. "Easy what are you going to do with now, Albert," he said quietly. your mind? Your mind will create "Keep calm, there's a good a thousand and one difficulties. fellow." Those techniques are needed to Another howl rang out. "Now, remove the mind from the way, now, Albert," murmured the
45 father, "keep your temper." Hymie. "Sure," answered his A young mother, passing by, friend. "I have some good news remarked, "I must congratulate and some bad news. First, there you. You certainly know how to sure is baseball in heaven. And speak to babies." Then, patting the bad news is that you are the baby on the head, she cooed, pitching next Sunday." "What is bothering you, Albert?" "No, no," interrupted the father. Life is a complicated affair. There "His name is Johnnie; I am is good news, and there is bad Albert." news. The good news is that He was simply trying to keep there is no need of any himself alert: "Albert, don't lose technique; but the bad news is, your temper." He does not want without any technique you are to forget; otherwise he would like not going to get it. to throw this baby into the lake! Osho: The Rebel , Chapter 24 Meditation is simply awareness without any effort, an effortless alertness; it does not need any technique. But your mind is so What is the role of therapy in full of thoughts, so full of meditation? dreams, so much of the past, so much of the future ― it is not Buddha never needed any here now, and awareness has to psychotherapy for his be here now. The techniques are sannyasins; those people were needed to help you to cut your innocent. But in these twenty roots from the past, to cut your five centuries, people have lost dreams from the future, and to their innocence, they have keep you in this moment as if become too knowledgeable. only this moment exists. Then People have lost their contact there is no need of any with existence. They have technique. become uprooted. Hymie Goldberg was visiting his I am the first person who uses friend, Mr. Cohen, who was therapy but whose interest is not dying. "Do us a favor," said therapy but meditation...just as Hymie Goldberg, "when you go it was with Chuang Tzu or to heaven could you find a way Gautam Buddha. They never of letting me know whether they used therapy because there was play baseball up there?" no need. People were simply Mr. Cohen said he would ready, and you could bring the certainly try to contact his old rosebushes without clearing the friend if at all possible. Only a ground. The ground was already few days after Mr. Cohen died, clear. In these twenty five Hymie Goldberg had a phone centuries man has become so call. "Hello, Hymie," said Mr. burdened with rubbish, so many Cohen, "it is your old friend wild weeds have grown in his here." being that I am using therapy "Cohen? Is it really you?" asked just to clean the ground, take
46 away the wild weeds, the roots, scientist and the mystic are so the difference between the coming very close, almost ancient man and the modern holding hands. man is destroyed. Eddington, one of the greatest The modern man has to be made scientists of this age, has said, as innocent as the ancient man, "We used to think that matter is as simple, as natural. He has lost a thing; now it is no more so. all these great qualities. The Matter is more like a thought therapist has to help him ― but than like a thing." his work is only a preparation. It is not the end. The end part is Existence is energy. Science has going to be the meditation. discovered that the observed is energy, the object is energy. Osho: The Great Pilgrimage: Down through the ages, at least From Here to Here , Chapter 27 for five thousand years, it has been known that the other What is the relationship polarity ― the subject, the between consciousness and observer, consciousness ― is energy? energy. Modern physics has discovered Your body is energy, your mind one of the greatest things ever is energy, your soul is energy. discovered, and that is: matter is Then what is the difference energy. That is the greatest between these three? The contribution of Albert Einstein to difference is only of a different humanity: e is equal to mc rhythm, different wavelengths, squared, matter is energy. that's all. The body is gross ― Matter only appears ; otherwise energy functioning in a gross there is no such thing as matter. way, in a visible way. Nothing is solid. Even the solid rock is a pulsating energy, even Mind is a little more subtle, but the solid rock is as much energy still not too subtle, because you as the roaring ocean. The waves can close your eyes and you can that are arising in the solid rock see the thoughts moving; they cannot be seen because they are can be seen. They are not as very subtle, but the rock is visible as your body; your body waving, pulsating, breathing; it is is visible to everybody else, it is alive. publicly visible. Your thoughts are privately visible. Nobody else Friedrich Nietzsche has declared can see your thoughts; only you that God is dead. God is not dead can see them ― or people who ― on the contrary, what has have worked very deeply into happened is that matter is dead. seeing thoughts. But ordinarily Matter has been found not to they are not visible to others. exist at all. This insight into matter brings modern physics And the third, the ultimate layer very close to mysticism, very inside you, is that of close. For the first time the consciousness. It is not even
47 visible to you. It cannot be ― because for centuries you reduced to an object, it remains have been taught that you are the subject. not the body. For centuries you have been told that the body is If all these three energies your enemy, that you have to function in harmony, you are fight with it, that you have to healthy and whole. If these destroy it, that the body is sin. energies don't function in harmony and accord you are ill, Because of all these ideas ― silly unhealthy; you are no more and stupid they are, harmful and whole. And to be whole is to be poisonous they are, but they holy. have been taught for so long that they have become part of your The effort that we are making collective mind, they are there ― here is to help you so that your you don't experience your body body, your mind, your in a rhythmic dance with consciousness, can all dance in yourself. one rhythm, in a togetherness, in a deep harmony ― not in conflict Hence my insistence on dancing at all, but in cooperation. The and music, because it is only in moment your body, mind and dance that you will feel that your consciousness function together, body, your mind and you are you have become the trinity, and functioning together. And the joy in that experience is the divine. is infinite when all these function together; the richness is great. Your question is significant. You ask, "Please say something about Consciousness is the highest the relationship of consciousness form of energy. And when all and energy." these three energies function together, the fourth arrives. The There is no relationship of fourth is always present when consciousness and energy. these three function together. When these three function in an Consciousness is energy, the organic unity, the fourth is purest energy. The mind is not always there; the fourth is so pure; the body is still less nothing but that organic unity. In pure. The body is much too the East, we have called that mixed, and the mind is also not fourth simply the fourth ― totally pure. Consciousness is turiya ; we have not given it any totally pure energy. But you can name. The three have names, know this consciousness only if the fourth is nameless. To know you make a cosmos out of the the fourth is to know the divine. three, and not a chaos. Let us say it in this way: the divine is when you are an organic People are living in chaos. Their orgasmic unity. The divine is not bodies say one thing, their when you are a chaos, a disunity, bodies want to go in one a conflict. When you are a house direction; their minds are divided against yourself there is completely oblivious of the body no divinity.
48 orchestra. Then the divine is ― When you are tremendously not that you see it; there is happy with yourself, happy as nothing to be seen. The divine is you are, blissful as you are, the ultimate seer, it is grateful as you are, and all your witnessing. energies are dancing together, when you are an orchestra of all Learn to melt your body, mind, your energies, the divine is. That soul. Find ways in which you can feeling of total unity is what the function as a unity. divine is. The divine is not a person somewhere, The divine is Osho: The Book of Wisdom , the experience of the three Chapter 23 falling in such unity that the fourth arises. And the fourth is How to know when to change more than the sum total of the methods? parts. Always remember, whatsoever If you dissect a painting, you will you enjoy can go deep in you; find the canvas and the colors, only that can go deep in you. but the painting is not simply the Enjoying it simply means it fits sum total of the canvas and the with you. The rhythm of it falls in colors; it is something more. tune with you: there is a subtle That "something more" is harmony between you and the expressed through the painting, method. the color, the canvas, the artist, but that "something more" is the Once you enjoy a method then beauty. Dissect the rose flower, don’t become greedy; go into and you will find all the chemicals that method as much as you can. and things it is constituted of, You can do it once at least or if but the beauty will disappear. It possible, twice a day. The more was not just the sum total of the you do it, the more you will parts, it was more. enjoy it. Only drop a method when the joy has disappeared; The whole is more than the sum then its work is finished. Search total of the parts. It expresses for another method. No method itself through the parts but it is can lead you to the very end. more. To understand that it is more is to understand the divine. On the journey you will have to The divine is that more, that change trains many times. A plus. It is not a question of certain method takes you to a theology; it cannot be decided by certain state. Beyond that it is of logical argumentation. You have no more use, it is spent. to feel beauty, you have to feel music, you have to feel dance. So two things have to be And ultimately you have to feel remembered: when you are the dance in your body, mind enjoying a method go into it as and, soul. You have to learn how deeply as possible but never to play on these three energies become addicted to it, because so that they all become an one day you will have to drop it
49 too. If you become too much What is the purpose of the addicted to it then it is like a Osho talks? drug; you cannot leave it. You no more enjoy it it is not giving The basic purpose of the Osho you anything but it has talks is to provide an opportunity become a habit. Then one can for the listener to experience continue it, but one is moving in meditation. And listening is very circles; it cannot lead beyond different from just "hearing." that. In this way, these talks are So let joy be the criterion. If joy unique. They are basically an is there, continue, to the last bit experiment, and the listeners are of joy go on. It has to be the experimenters. squeezed totally. No juice should Just as the Active Meditations are be left behind...not even a single a bridge to help restless modern drop. And then be capable of people enjoy a taste of dropping it. Choose some other meditation, so too, talking is method that again brings the joy. used as a way of solving the Many times a person has to oldest dilemma in the history of change. It varies with different meditation – how to experience people but it is very rare that one silence with no effort. method will do the whole journey. Meditation is often taught as something you "do" for a certain Osho: Only Losers Can Win in length of time a day...Osho has This Game something to say about that too. At which point.... And the final point – the path All the methods that I have given that never ends, the reality that to you are such that you will not goes on growing . need to drop them. Just use There are so many, very different them to perfection, and the kinds of techniques. Do they moment they are perfect they have some common meeting will drop on their own – just like ground There are one hundred ripe fruit falling from the tree. and twelve methods of And when a method disappears meditation, but witnessing is an on its own, it has a beauty; then essential part of all one hundred your watchfulness is and twelve methods. So as far as unscratched. Just continue till the I am concerned, witnessing is the method disappears of its own only method. Those one hundred accord, and you are left simply a and twelve are different watcher on the hill. applications of witnessing. Osho: Transmission of the Lamp , The essential core, the spirit of Chapter 29 meditation is to learn how to witness. You are seeing a tree: You are there, the tree is there, but can’t you find one thing
50 more? – that you are seeing the angry." You are never angry, tree, that there is a witness in there is no way for you to be you which is seeing you seeing angry; you are always a witness. the tree. The world is not divided The anger comes and goes; you only into the object and the are just a mirror. Things come, subject. There is also something get reflected, move – and the beyond both, and that beyond is mirror remains empty and clean, meditation. unscratched by the reflections. So in every act...and I don’t want Witnessing is finding your inside people to sit for one hour or half mirror. Once you have found it, an hour in the morning or in the miracles start happening. When evening. That kind of meditation you are simply witnessing the is not going to help, because if thoughts, thoughts disappear. you meditate for one hour, then Then there is suddenly a for twenty three hours you will tremendous silence you have be doing just the opposite of it. never known. When you are Meditation can be victorious: watching the moods – anger, witnessing is such a method that sadness, happiness – they it can spread over twenty four suddenly disappear and an even hours of your day. greater silence is experienced. Eating, don’t get identified with When there is nothing to watch – the eater. The food is there, the then the revolution. Then the eater is there, and you are here, witnessing energy turns upon watching. Walking, let the body itself because there is nothing to walk but you simply watch. prevent it; there is no object left. Slowly, the knack comes. It is a The word object is beautiful. It knack, and once you can watch simply means that which small things.... A crow prevents you, objects you. When crowing...you are listening. there is no object to your These are two – the object and witnessing, it simply comes the subject – but can’t you see a around back to yourself – to the witness who is seeing both? The source. This is the point where crow, the listener, and still there one becomes enlightened. is someone who is watching both. It is such a simple Meditation is only a path: the phenomenon. Then you can end is always buddhahood, move into deeper layers: you can enlightenment. To know this watch your thoughts; you can moment is to know all. Then watch your emotions, your there is no misery, no moods. frustration, no meaninglessness; then life is no longer an accident. There is no need to say, "I am It becomes part of this cosmic sad." The fact is that you are a whole – an essential part, and a witness that a cloud of sadness is tremendous bliss arises that this passing over you. There is anger whole existence needs you. – you can simply be a witness. There is no need to say, "I am Osho: Light on the Path , Ch: 1
51 Is it always necessary to moving inwards. You don’t have close my eyes while to do anything except to close all meditating? the doors that lead you away from yourself. Editorial Comment It is one of the simplest things Most, but not all, techniques and because you don’t have to do it. all stages of a particular But just because of its simplicity, technique, tend to require that its obviousness, it has become you have your eyes closed. difficult, the most difficult thing, Some, on the other hand, because nobody can teach you; specifically require you to have nobody can indicate to you open eyes; still others leave the where to move, how to move. option to you. The master can only create a situation in which the Below is the Osho understanding spontaneous movement of the about how closing the eyes energy will happen. facilitates going inside. That’s what I call meditation. It There is no naturally given way is not your doing. You have to to go inwards, but it is not stop doing everything. It is your needed. If enough consciousness non doing. The moment when is gathered in, it will create its you are not doing, all your own way, just as water creates energy that was involved in its own way – no map, no doing a thousand and one things guidelines, just enough quantity is released. It gathers to a point and the water will start flowing where it starts flowing inwards, towards an unknown sea. It has and the innermost center is not never heard about, knows far away. nothing about, where it is going. Osho: The Miracle , Chapter 9 The same is true about consciousness. Enough consciousness gathered inside immediately makes a way upon Is meditation anything to do with which nobody has ever trodden, religion? I have dissolved any and starts moving inwards. religious connotation – a Hindu Outward senses are closed; can remain a Hindu and still that’s what I mean when I say in meditate – to make meditation your meditations to close your available to all without any eyes, to leave the body condition, whether he is Hindu, completely behind...because all Jew, Christian…. Anybody can the senses are joined to the participate. body. Just be a watcher of the mind, so the mind cannot take The beauty is that if somebody your energy outside. With body meditates, sooner or later his and mind both closed, energy Hinduism will disappear. It gathers upon itself spontaneously cannot remain with meditation. and, at a certain point, it starts So why bother about Hinduism
52 when we have a secret which will thing. You were angry a few automatically disperse all minutes before: now, your face darkness in their minds? may be still a little angry but deep down you know now there I want meditation to become is no anger; the energy has almost universal. It can become moved. universal only if it is not attached to any religion, to any politics, to The same will happen in any ideology – and it is not. It is catharsis. You are doing a simple method. Even an atheist catharsis; it is an energy can do it; there is no problem. phenomenon. Many emotions are We don’t ask him to believe in suppressed: they are uncoiling, God, we don’t ask him to believe they are coming up, bubbling up. in anything . We simply say to Then there is much energy. You him, "Here is a method you can are screaming – there is energy try. Hypothetically, if you find – and after the screaming you something, good. If you don’t, feel relieved, as if a burden has drop it." And anybody who has disappeared. You feel weightless; tried meditation has never come you feel more at ease, calmed back empty handed. down, slowed down. But if there is no suppressed emotion, then Osho: Press Conference you can do the gesture but after the gesture you will feel tired because you were unnecessarily wasting the energy. There was At what point can catharsis be no suppressed emotion. Nothing dropped? It drops itself when it is was coming up and you were finished. You need not drop it. By unnecessarily jumping and and by you will feel there is no screaming; you will feel tired. energy in it. By and by you will feel that you are doing catharsis If the catharsis is true, you will but they are empty gestures, the feel rejuvenated after it; if the energy is not there. In fact, you catharsis is false, you will feel are pretending to do it, acting it; tired. If the catharsis was true it is not happening. Whenever you will feel very, very alive after you feel that it is not happening it, younger than before, as if a and you have to force it, it has few years have disappeared. You already dropped. You just have were thirty; now you are twenty to listen to your heart. eight or twenty five. A load has disappeared; you are younger, When you are angry, how do you livelier, fresher. But if you are know when the anger has just making the gesture, you will disappeared? When you are feel tired. You were thirty; you sexual, how do you know that will feel thirty five…old. the sexuality has gone? Because the energy from the thought is You have to watch. Nobody else no longer there. The thought can tell what is happening within may remain but the energy is no you. You have to be a watcher. longer there; it is an empty Continuously watch what is
53 happening. Don’t go on First, it is a vigorous exercise and pretending…because catharsis is your body has to get attuned to not the goal; it is just a means. it. So for three or four days you One day it has to drop. Don’t go will feel that the whole body is on carrying it. It is just like a aching. With any new exercise it boat, a ferry boat: you cross the will happen. But after four days stream and then you forget you will get over it and your body about it; you don’t carry it on will feel stronger than ever. your head. But this is not very basic. The Remember, catharsis can basic thing goes deeper, and the become your obsession. You can basic thing is what modern go on doing it, and then it can psychologists have come to become a rut, a pattern. It is not know. Your body is not simply to be made a pattern. At what physical. In your body, in your point can catharsis be dropped? muscles, in the structure of your It drops itself. You simply remain body many other things have alert and watch it. And when it entered through suppressions. If wants to drop, don’t cling to it; you suppress anger, the poison let it be dropped. goes into the body. It goes into the muscles, it goes into the Osho: Yoga: The Alpha and blood. If you suppress anything, Omega , Vol 5, Chapter 10 it is not only a mental thing, it is also physical…because you are not really divided. You are not body and mind; you are What about any aches or bodymind – psychosomatic. You pains I might feel during or are both together. So whatsoever after meditating? is done with your body reaches the mind and whatsoever is done Editorial Comment If you have with the mind reaches the body, some concerns about your as body and mind are two ends physical health, for example if of the same entity. you know you have back problems or a heart condition, When an animal gets angry, he check with your physician before gets angry. He has no morality trying the active methods. Once about it, no teaching about it. He you begin the methods, if an simply gets angry and the anger ache or pain persists after three is released. When you get angry, days, it is advisable to see a you get angry in a way similar to doctor. any animal. But then there is society, morality, etiquette, and This is the Osho response to one thousands of other things. You questioner about pain on doing have to push the anger down. one of the active techniques: You have to show that you are not angry; you have to smile – a Go on doing it – you will get over painted smile! You have to create it. The reasons [for the pain] are a smile, and you push the anger obvious. There are two reasons. down. What is happening to the
54 body? The body was ready to The whole body is in an fight – either to fight or to fly, to upheaval. You will feel aching all escape from the danger, either to over the body. But this aching is face it or escape from it. The good and you have to welcome body was ready to do something: it. Allow the body to become a anger is just a readiness to do flow again. Again it will become something. The body was going graceful and childlike; again you to be violent, aggressive. will gain the aliveness. But before that aliveness comes to If you could be violent and you the dead parts have to be aggressive, then the energy straightened and this is going to would be released. But you be a little painful. cannot be – it is not convenient, so you push it down. Then what Psychologists say that we have will happen to all those muscles created an armor around the which were ready to be body and that armor is the aggressive? They will become problem. If you are allowed total crippled. The energy pushes expression when you get angry, them to be aggressive, and you what will you do? When you get push them backwards not to be angry, you start crushing your aggressive. There will be a teeth together. You want to do conflict. In your muscles, in your something with your nails and blood, in your body tissues, there with your hands, because that’s will be conflict. They are ready to how your animal heritage will express something and you are have it. You want to do pushing them not to express. something with your hands, to You are suppressing them. Then destroy something. If you don’t your body becomes crippled. do anything your fingers will become crippled; they will lose This happens with every emotion the grace, the beauty. They will and this goes on day after day not be alive limbs. And the for years. Then your body poison is there, so when you becomes crippled all over. All the shake hands with someone, nerves become crippled. They really there is no touch, no life, are not flowing, they are not because your hands are dead. liquid, they are not alive. They have become dead, they have Your body has to release many become poisoned and they have poisons. You have become toxic, all become entangled. They are and you will have pain because not natural. So when you start those poisons have settled down. meditating, all these poisons will Now I am creating a chaos again. be released. And wherever the This meditation is to create chaos body has become stagnant, it will within you so that you can be have to melt, it will become rearranged so that a new liquid again. This is a great arrangement becomes possible. effort. After forty years of living You must be destroyed as you in a wrong way, then suddenly are; only then can the new be meditating…. born. As you are you have gone totally wrong. You have to be
55 destroyed and only then can you. Whatsoever is always there, something new be created. There you become unconscious about. will be pain, but this pain is Through meditation you will worthwhile. become conscious and then the mind will say, "Don’t do this; the So go on doing the meditation whole body is aching." Do not and allow the body to have pain. listen to the mind. Simply go on Allow the body not to resist; doing it. allow the body to move into this agony. This agony comes from Within a certain period the pain your past but it will go. If you are will be thrown out. And when the ready it will go. And when it pain is thrown out, when your goes, then for the first time you body has again become receptive will have a body. Right now you and there is no block, no poisons have only an imprisonment, a around it, you will always have a capsule…dead. You are subtle feeling of joy wrapped encapsulated; you do not have around you. Whatsoever you are an agile, alive body. Even doing or not doing, you will animals have more beautiful, always feel a subtle vibration of more alive bodies than you. joy around your body. We have done much violence to Osho: The Supreme Doctrine , our bodies. So in this chaotic Chapter 5 meditation I am forcing your bodies to be alive again. Many Anything else I should know blocks will be broken; many about meditating? settled things will become unsettled again and many Editorial Comment systems will become liquid again. There will be pain, but welcome Boredom, Bliss and the Blues it. It is a blessing and you will overcome it. Continue! There is Once negativities have been no need to think what to do. You allowed expression it is easier to simply continue the meditation. I watch when they do resurface have seen hundreds and from time to time. You’ve let off hundreds of people passing the pressure, so they won’t have through the same process. as great a hold on you. Boredom Within a few days the pain is is another feeling that commonly gone. And when the pain is gone, occurs. Just recognize it as a you will have a subtle joy around symptom of the mind and yet your body. another passing mood to be watched, without becoming You cannot have it right now involved in it, without acting on because the pain is there. You it. may know it or you may not know it but the pain is there all We’d all like to be able to be over your body. You have simply detached from our pain, our hurt, become unconscious about it and our boredom, but not from because it has always been with the good times, the lovely
56 experiences. However, the secret between totality and over to learning the art of detached zealousness to the point of observation is to start practicing causing yourself physical harm. with positive feelings. Once By and by your level of you’ve mastered that, it is easier awareness and sensitivity will be not to be dragged down by the heightened, and will act as negative. Remember, all reliable barometers. At the same experiences are of the mind – time the habit of your interfering and the way lies far beyond the mind will begin to loosen its hold confines of the tiny mind. on you. Not Pushing... This is an Osho introduction to meditation as a way of life rather The old habits of the mind can than a method only approach: : make themselves felt even when you are meditating. For example, My only work is to give you a you might start competing with clear cut idea how you can yourself – urging yourself to go become more conscious; I call it beyond your limits, even if your meditation – working, walking, body is in pain. [Of course the sitting. mind can also try and sabotage your intention to meditate by I don’t believe in what others call telling you that you have reached meditation, that ten or twenty your limit before you’ve barely minutes you do it and then just begun!] be your ordinary self for twenty four hours and again for twenty …Yet Going For It minutes meditate. This is stupid. It is like saying to a person that If there is a key word to every day in the morning breathe guarantee success in your for twenty minutes and then meditative practice it’s totality or forget all about it, because you wholeheartedness . So for have to do many other things. example, when you are dancing Then the next morning you can in Osho Nataraj Meditation, really breathe twenty minutes again. dance – not just going through To me, meditation is exactly like the movements with your mind breathing. So whatsoever you engaged in something completely are doing and wherever you are, different, such as what you are do it more consciously. going to do later, or ruminating over a conversation you had For example, I can raise this yesterday. Be present, on every hand without any consciousness, level of your being. just unconsciously, out of habit. But you can raise your hand with Follow the instructions of the full awareness, and you can see method given, but then gauge the difference between the two. for yourself, by tuning into your The act is the same: one is body and staying in contact with mechanical, the other is full of yourself , how much to exert consciousness, and the quality is yourself. There is a fine line tremendously different. Try it,
57 because it is a question of taste just to have the same taste, and and experience. Walking, just try then he becomes fat and is still for a few minutes to walk unsatisfied. Still he feels to eat consciously. Each step be alert, more. The man of awareness and you will be surprised that the eats only as much as his body quality of your walk is totally needs. He immediately feels that different; it is relaxed. There is now there is no need; the hunger no tension and there is a subtle is gone, he is content…doing joy that is arising out of your anything. relaxed walking. The more you become aware of this joy, the My meditation is a totally more you would like to be different kind of approach. It has awake. to be spread all over your twenty four hours. Even falling Eating, eat with awareness. asleep, remain alert how sleep is People are simply throwing food descending on you, so slowly, so into their mouths, not even silently, but you can hear the chewing it, just swallowing it. steps. The darkness is growing, People who are suffering from you are relaxing – you can feel obesity, fatness, cannot resist the muscles, the body, the tense eating more and more. No doctor parts which are preventing sleep is going to help them, unless – and soon you will see the they become aware while they whole body has relaxed and are eating, if they become sleep has come. But slowly, aware. A few things happen as a slowly a great revolution by product of awareness. Their happens. Sleep comes to you, eating will be slowed down. They but something deep inside you will start chewing, because goes on remaining awake, even unless you chew your food you in sleep. are putting an unnecessary burden on your whole system. The situation is: you are asleep Your stomach has no teeth. One even when you think you are has to chew each bite exactly awake, and I am awake even forty two times; then anything when you think I’m asleep. that you are eating becomes Unless a man becomes aware in liquid. his sleep he is not aware, not awake; that is the criterion. A man of awareness only drinks, There are so many by products because before he swallows he that you can judge by. Dreams has changed the solid food into disappear, because dreams need liquid. And the strange thing is you to be completely that when you chew forty two unconscious; they come from the times you enjoy the taste so unconscious mind. But if you are much. One bite of an conscious they cannot come. unconscious man gives forty two times more taste to the Sigmund Freud would have been conscious man. It is simple immensely enriched if he had arithmetic: the unconscious man come to a man like me who has will have to eat forty two bites no dreams. He would have been
58 puzzled also and he would have capable enough to say, "I do not had to change his whole idea of know." You will not believe in psychoanalysis. But he only anything. Either you will know it came across people who were or you will not know it. asleep. He himself was asleep – he had no idea of any spiritual Belief is a deception: you don’t awakening; otherwise he would know, yet you pretend as if you certainly have realized that there know. All these people in is a space when man is temples, in churches, in conscious, just conscious, and synagogues, what are they there are no dreams at all. doing? To whom are they praying? They don’t know God. If dreams disappear in the night, Their priest does not know God. the second thing will happen to They don’t know that any prayer you: thoughts will disappear in has ever been heard by anybody. the daytime. That does not mean They don’t know that any prayer you will become incapable of has ever been answered by thinking; that simply means you anybody. Still, they are praying will not just go on thinking to a god…. mechanically, unnecessarily. You will be capable of thinking if you Religion is a very simple want to think, otherwise you will phenomenon. Theology has be silent. And a man who can nothing to with religion. It makes remain silent for hours is things unnecessarily complex. gathering energy so whenever he Religion is a simple awareness of wants to think his thinking has whatever you are doing, some strength, some power, wherever you are. And when this some tremendous energy. awareness surrounds you always Ordinary people’s thinking is just like a luminous aura, you impotent, their thoughts are just become aware for the first time vagrant…clouds floating in their of the universe – its beauties, its mind. music, its eternal song. And to me, that is the religious A man of meditation will find that experience. In religious dreams disappear, and then experience you don’t encounter a sleep is incomparable beauty. god. There is nobody there, just Then sleep becomes spiritual; to this pure existence. But it is all transform sleep into spirituality is alive – these flowers, these birds religion. Then your whole day on the wing, these stars – becomes a day of silence. You everything is alive, but because will talk but something deep you are asleep you cannot down in you will remain a silent experience the aliveness that witness. So you will not say surrounds you. things which will unnecessarily create trouble for you and And we are not islands. No man trouble for others. You will say is an island. We are part of this only that which is absolutely whole living, infinite continent. needed. You will say only the Those flowers are part of us just truth; otherwise you will be as we are part of them. Those
59 faraway stars are within us as we ― a state of not knowing. are within the universe. That Socrates said at the very end of experience of unity, of at his life, "I know only one thing, onement, is liberation. that I know nothing." This is the state of a true seeker. So my teaching is very simple: meditation is the key, becoming In the East we call this state totally aware is the result. meditation: no belief, no Experiencing oneness with the thought, no desire, no prejudice, whole is the reward. no conditioning ― in fact, no mind at all. A state of no mind is This is my trinity: meditation, meditation. When you can look awareness, oneness. without any mind interfering, distorting, interpreting, then you Osho: Last Testament , Vol 2, see the truth. The truth is Chapter 7 already all around; just you have to put your mind aside. The seeker has to fulfill only one Is meditation a belief? basic thing: he has to drop his mind. The moment the mind is A belief simply means you don't dropped, a great silence arises ― know ― still you believe. My because the mind carries your effort here is that you never whole past; all the memories of believe unless you know. When the past go on hankering for your you know, there is no question of attention, they go on crowding believing, you know it. I destroy upon you, they don't leave any all belief systems and I do not space within you. give you any substitute. Hence, it is not easy to understand me. And the mind also means future. Out of the past you start Osho: The Last Testament , Vol. fantasizing about the future. It is 1, Chapter 4 a projection out of the past. You have lived a certain life in the past: there have been a few Beliefs are like colored glasses: moments of joy and many many they will make the whole dark nights. You would not like to existence of the same color as have those dark nights; you your glasses. It will not be the would have your future to be full true color of existence; it will be of those joyous moments. So you imparted by your glasses. You sort out from your past: you have to put aside all your choose few things and you glasses. You have to contact project them in the future, and reality directly, immediately. you choose a few other things There should be no idea between and you try to avoid them in the you and existence, no a priori future. Your future is only conclusion. nothing but a refined past ― a little bit modified here and there, A real seeker has to be in the but it is still the past because state that Dionysus calls agnosia 60 that's all that you know. not basic differences, only in the non essential parts. Essentially it And one thing very significant to will be the same tragedy. be remembered: those few Dropping the mind means moments of joy that you had in dropping the past, and with it of the past were basically part of course the future disappears. those long dark nights, so if you Dropping the mind means you choose those moments those are suddenly awakened into the dark nights will come present, and the present is the automatically; you cannot avoid only reality there is. Past is non them. The silver linings in the existential, so is future. Past is dark clouds cannot be chosen no more, future is not yet, only separately from the dark clouds. the present is. It is always now In the dark night you see the sky ― only the now exists. And the full of stars; in the day those meditator starts merging and stars disappear. Do you think melting with the now. they evaporate? They are still there, but the context is missing. Osho: I Am That , Chapter 11 They need darkness; only then you can see them. In the night, What is the wisdom of the you will be able to see them heart? again. Darker the night, the more shining are the stars. Common sense carries fragments of knowledge. It knows that the In life everything is intertwined people who are compassionate, with each other. Your pleasures people of heart, have a certain are intertwined with your pains, wisdom which is not knowledge, your ecstasies mixed inevitably, a certain insight, a certain inseparably with your agonies. intuitiveness which cannot be So your whole idea of the future taught. They can see things, feel is sheer nonsense. You cannot things. They are sensitive to manage it, nobody has ever been things which are not available to able to manage it, because you the mind. So people start are trying to do something which thinking that there are cannot be done in the very possibilities of the heart having nature of things. It will be simply wisdom. a repetition of your past. But they don't know that the Whatsoever you desire is not heart is your emptiness. And out going to make any difference. It of your emptiness a clarity, a will be again and again a transparency arises which can repetition of your past, the same see things which you cannot past, maybe a little bit different, intellectually infer. This is but not because of your wisdom. expectations ― a little bit different because life goes on To make it complete, it has to be changing, people go on changing, said, "the wisdom of the empty existence goes on changing. So heart." The heart, as the there will be few differences but physiologist knows it, is just a
61 blood pumping system. Out of What is conditioning? And your heartbeats no wisdom can what has it do with arise. Have you ever felt any meditation? wisdom arising from your heartbeats? Has any doctor ever Religions have been conditioning heard some wisdom while you, politicians have been checking your heartbeats conditioning you: you are a through his stethoscope? This conditioned mechanism. Only heart is not the one we mean through meditation is there a when we are talking about the possibility to uncondition the emptiness of the heart. Actually, mind. Only a meditator goes we are talking about throwing beyond conditioning. Why? away all the contents of the Because every conditioning mind. Then, the no mind itself works through thoughts. If you becomes your heart. It is not a feel you are a Hindu, what is it? physiological thing. It is your no ― a cluster of thoughts given to mind ― no prejudice, no you when you were not even knowledge, no content. Just aware of what was being given to purity, simple silence, and the you. A cluster of thoughts and no mind can be called the empty you are a Christian, a Catholic, a heart. It is only a question of Protestant. Only in meditation expression. What you want to thoughts dissolve ― all thoughts. choose, you can choose: the You become thought less. In that wisdom of the empty heart, or thought less state of mind there the wisdom of no mind ― they is no conditioning: you are no are equivalent. longer a Hindu, nor a Christian, nor a Communist, nor a Fascist. When you are in deep You are no longer anybody ― meditation, you feel a great you are simply yourself. For the serenity, a joy that is unknown first time all conditioning has to you, a watchfulness that is a been dropped. You are out of the new guest. Soon this prison. watchfulness will become the host. The day the watchfulness Only meditation can uncondition becomes the host, it remains you. No social revolution will twenty four hours with you. And help, because the revolutionaries out of this watchfulness, will again condition you in their whatever you do has a wisdom in way. In 1917 Russia went it. Whatever you do shows a through a revolution. Before it, it clarity, a purity, a spontaneity, a was one of the most orthodox grace. Christian countries. The Russian Church was one of the most Osho: The Buddha: The orthodox ― more orthodox than Emptiness of the Heart , Chapter the Vatican ― but [hen, 2 suddenly, Russians changed everything. Churches were closed ― they were converted into schools, Communist Party offices, hospitals ― religious
62 teaching was banned, and they is individual flowering of no started conditioning people for mind. You attain to Communism. Within ten years thoughtlessness. then nobody everybody was an atheist. Just in can condition you, then all ten years! By the year 1927 the conditionings drop. Then, for the whole of religion disappeared first time, you are free. Then the from Russia; they conditioned whole space is yours: without anew. any limitations, without any walls, in life you move, you live, But to me it is the same: you love, you rejoice, you whether you condition a man as delight. a Catholic, Christian. or you condition a man as a Communist, Osho: Yoga: The Alpha and the it makes no difference to me, Omega , Vol. 5, #10 because the whole question is of conditioning. You condition, you don't give him freedom ― what difference does it make whether There has never been any you live in a Christian hell or a consciousness which has not Hindu hell, or you live in a been programmed. In the very Christian slavery or a Hindu upbringing comes the slavery? What difference does it programming. Even if the child is make? There is no difference. If brought up not by you but by you live in a Hindu prison, wolves in the wild, the wolves hmm?...just the label. Then will program the child. someday there comes revolution: they tear away the label; they There have been cases... Just a put "Communist Prison." Then few years ago a child twelve you are happy and rejoicing that years old was found who had you are free ― in the same been brought up by the wolves in prison! Only the words change. the forest in north India. He First you were taught there is a could not stand even on his two God, he created the world; now feet. He ran like a wolf; even the you are taught there is no God best runner could not manage to and nobody has created the keep pace with him. He had been world; but both things are being programmed by the wolves. taught to you. The problem is, you have to And religion cannot be taught. All bring the child up, and somebody that can be taught will be has to take care, and whoever is politics. That's why I say religion going to take care is going to, itself has been the greatest knowingly or unknowingly, politics in the past. And there is condition the mind of the child. It no possibility of any social is not a question that you have revolution, because all to program consciously. But how revolutions will again condition the child will learn the you. language... it is a program. That's why every language is There is only one possibility: that called the mother tongue,
63 because the child never finds the into reality ― and whatever you father speaking in the presence find is your own truth. of the mother. Naturally he is conditioned by the mother. There is no need to believe in it because once you know it, the There is no possibility of anybody question of belief does not arise. being brought up You believe only in things which unprogrammed. you do not know. When you know them, you know: belief is And you are asking, "Are there irrelevant. any techniques to de condition our brain?" There are techniques So I am not giving you another to de condition, but that is re set of beliefs, another set of programming. You can call it de values: I am giving you a certain conditioning, but in fact, what technique so that you can are you doing? You are putting B destroy all conditioning. That in place of A. The only possibility technique itself is not a is meditation; that's why conditioning. It cannot be, meditation should not be called a because you are not required to technique. It is simply relaxing believe in it; you are required to into your own inner world, alone experience it, and unless your ― without a guide, without experience supports it, there is scriptures ― and becoming so no need to give it any credibility. silent that not a single ripple of thought remains. That's the only Not that you have to believe in way of canceling all living totally because I am saying programming. so. I am saying that I am living totally, and this is the only way Meditation is the only way ― not that I have found to live. You can the technique ― in which you can also try. I am not saying to find your self nature, your believe in living in totality; there Buddha nature in its purity, in its is no need of any belief. Either virginity, untouched by anybody. live or don't live. But if you But there are people who are decide to taste, to explore, you trying to de program; in fact are going with a clean mind, with they are simply re programming. no belief, just to see what it is, and if it happens to be a joy, a Osho: Hari Om Tat Sat , Chapter rejoicing, a celebration, then it is 30 up to you to continue it or to discontinue it. Is meditation just another program or conditioning? All conditionings are based on belief. Changing from one belief to And my whole effort is that another belief is changing the experience should be the only conditioning, but you remain criterion, not belief. conditioned. I am saying you All beliefs are lies. have to remain without any belief Even my truth is not your truth: system, and you yourself enquire Only your truth can be your
64 truth. anything to be added to you. You are born perfect; the society is So there is no question of keeping you imperfect. I want conditioning. But whoever has you just to be aware of your asked the question is simply perfection, of your beauty, of thinking intellectually, not trying your joy, of all the blessings that it. And logically he can convince are possible to you which the himself: this is a new set of society is hindering by values, again it is a conditioning. conditioning your mind. So what are you going to do? ― whatever you will do will be a I am not giving you any new set of values; if you don't do conditioning. If it was possible to anything, that will be a new set make people more aware by of values, so you cannot get out conditioning, things would have of conditioning. been very simple. If it was possible to make people blissful, Your question is less a question just by conditioning, things would than a statement. You are saying have been so simple. You have there is no way of getting out of been made to believe in utter lies conditioning, so why bother? ― God, prophets, saviors, Remain with the old because the incarnations ― but nobody could new will also be a conditioning. condition you for blissfulness, for The old is at least well known, a spontaneity, for totality, because well trodden path ― our these are qualities which you forefathers' inheritance, ancient already have; they just have to truths. Millions have believed in it be discovered. ― why change it? You are simply trying to find a shelter in logical Things that are conditioned are jargon. qualities that you don't have, but the society can manage by Look again at your question and constant repetition to fill your you will be able to see that mind with thoughts, and slowly meditation is not a conditioning. slowly you start believing in It is unconditioning, because it is them, because people are afraid not going to give you any of emptiness and these thoughts thought, any thinking, any give you a feeling of fullness. ideology. It is simply cleaning everything and making you But the miracle is that if you are utterly empty. How can it be a courageous enough to be empty, conditioning? you will be filled with all your natural qualities, which are Awareness cannot be tremendously beautiful and have conditioning. It is your own. You the ultimate character of being have brought it with your birth. eternal. Once found, they are Nobody can give it to you; you never lost. have simply to throw away all the rubbish that is clinging to it. Osho: The Path of the Mystic , My effort is to give you your own Chapter 37 individuality. I don't want
65 I don’t understand what is It has been conditioned by meant by "mind" and "no society; society has implanted mind." many things in it. It is your mind, but it no longer functions Your mind is constantly as a servant to you; it functions projecting ― projecting itself. as a servant to society. Your mind is constantly interfering with reality, giving it a If you are a Christian then it color, shape and form which is functions as an agent of the not its own. Your mind never Christian church, if you are a allows you to see that which is; it Hindu then your mind is Hindu, if allows you to see only that which you are a Buddhist your mind is it wants to see. Buddhist. And reality is neither Christian nor Hindu nor Buddhist; Just twenty years ago, scientists reality is simply as it is. And you used to think that our eyes, ears, have to put these minds aside: nose and our other senses, and the communist mind, the fascist the mind, were nothing but mind, the Catholic mind, the openings to reality, bridges to Protestant mind.... reality. But within twenty years ― the last twenty years ― the There are three thousand whole understanding has religions on the earth ― big changed. Now they say our religions and small religions and senses and the mind are not very small sects and sects within really openings to reality but sects ― three thousand in all. So guards against it. Only two there exist three thousand percent of reality ever gets minds, types of mind ― and through these guards into you; reality is one, and God is one, ninety eight percent of reality is and truth is one! Meditation kept outside. And the two means: put the mind aside and percent that reaches you and watch. The first step ― love your being is no longer the yourself ― will help you same; it has to pass through so tremendously. By loving yourself many barriers, it has to conform you will have destroyed much to so many mind things, that by that society has implanted within the time it reaches you it is no you. You will have become freer longer itself. from the society and its conditioning. Meditation means putting the mind aside so that it no longer And the second step is: watch ― interferes with reality and you just watch. Buddha does not say can see things as they are. Why what has to be watched ― does the mind interfere at all? ― everything! Walking, watch your because the mind is created by walking. Eating, watch your society. It is society's agent eating. Taking a shower, watch within you; it is not in your the water, the cold water falling service, remember! It is your on you, the touch of the water, mind but it is not in your service; the coldness, the shiver that it is in a conspiracy against you. goes through your spine ― watch
66 everything, today, tomorrow, divisible. Minds are many always. because societies are many; cultures, religions are many. A moment finally comes when Each culture, each society, you can watch even your sleep. creates a different mind. Mind is That is the ultimate in watching. a social by product. And unless The body goes to sleep and there this mind dissolves, you cannot is still a watcher awake, silently go within; you cannot know what watching the body fast asleep. is really your nature, what is That is the ultimate in watching. authentically your existence, Right now just the opposite is the your consciousness. case: your body is awake but you are asleep. Then you will be The effort to move into awake and your body will be meditation is a struggle against asleep. The body needs rest but the mind. Mind is never your consciousness needs no meditative, it is never silent, so sleep. Your consciousness is to say 'a silent mind' is consciousness; it is alertness, meaningless, absurd. It is just that is its very nature. like saying 'a healthy disease'. It makes no sense. How can there Osho: The Dhammapada: The be a disease that is healthy? Way of the Buddha , Vol. 5, Disease is disease, and health is Chapter 5 the absence of disease. Are mind and consciousness There is nothing like a silent two separate things or is the mind. When silence is there, silent mind what is called there is no mind. When mind is consciousness? there, there is no silence. Mind, as such, is the disturbance, the It depends. It depends on your disease. Meditation is the state of definition. But to me, mind is no mind. Not of a silent mind, that part which has been given to not of a healthy mind, not of a you. It is not yours. Mind means concentrated mind, no. the borrowed, mind means the Meditation is the state of no cultivated, mind means that mind: no society within you, no which the society has penetrated conditioning within you. Just you, into you. It is not you. with your pure consciousness. Consciousness is your nature; mind is just the circumference In Zen they say: Find out your created by the society around original face. The face that you you, the culture, your education. are using is not original; it is cultivated. It is not your face; it Mind means the conditioning. is just a facade, just a device. You can have a Hindu mind, but You have many faces, each you cannot have a Hindu moment you change your face. consciousness. You can have a You go on changing it. The Christian mind, but you can't changing has become so have a Christian consciousness. automatic by now that you don't Consciousness is one; it is not even observe it, you don't notice
67 it. changing. Consciousness is eternal, one. It is not different in When you meet your servant you the morning and different in the have a different face from when evening. It is not different when you meet your boss. If your you are born and different when servant is sitting on your left side you die. It is one and the same, and your boss is sitting on your eternal. Mind is a flux. A child right, you have two faces. The has a childish mind, an old man left face is for the servant and has an old mind; but a child or the right face is for the boss. You an old man have the same are two persons simultaneously. consciousness, which is neither How can you have the same face childish nor old. It cannot be. for your servant? Your one eye has a certain quality, a certain Mind moves in time and look. Your other eye has a consciousness lives in different quality, a different look. timelessness. They are not one. It is meant for the boss and the But we are identified with the other one is meant for the mind. We go on saying, insisting, servant. This has become so "My mind. I think this way. This automatic, so mechanical, so is my thought. This is my robot like that you go on ideology." Because of this changing your faces, you have identification with the mind, you multi faces, and not a single one miss that which you really are. is the original. Dissolve these links with the In Zen they say: Find out your mind. Remember that your original face, the face you had minds are not your own. They before you were born, or the face have been given to you by you will have when you are dead. others: your parents, your What is that original face? That society, your university. They original face is your have been given to you. Throw consciousness. All your other them away. Remain with the faces come from your mind. simple consciousness that you are ― pure consciousness, Remember well that you don't innocent. This is how one moves have one mind; you have multi from the mind to meditation. minds. Forget the concept that This is how one moves away everyone has one mind. You from society, from the without to don't have, you have many the within. This is how one minds: a crowd, a multiplicity; moves from the man made you are poly psychic. In the world, the maya, to the universal morning you have one mind, in truth, the existence. the afternoon a different mind and in the evening still a Osho: The New Alchemy: To different mind. Every single Turn You On , Chapter 10 moment you have a different mind. Mind is a flux: river like, flowing,
68 Does the mind have to be king, risking his own life. He was thrown out? the king's bodyguard. One day the king was feeling so happy with the man, he said, "If Nothing has to be thrown out of you desire anything, if you have your system; everything has to any desire, just tell me and I will be transformed and absorbed. fulfill it. You have done so much The mind is not ugly; your use of for me that I can never show my the mind is ugly. Change your gratitude, I can never repay you, use. Mind is not ugly ― you are but today I would like to fulfill unconscious. The chariot is any of your wishes whatsoever it beautiful, it is a golden chariot, is." but the charioteer is drunk and fast asleep; and he calls the The servant said, "You have chariot names, condemns the already given me too much. I am chariot. When he finds himself in so blessed just by being always a ditch he beats the horses, he with you ― I don't need condemns the chariot, he anything." condemns the chariot maker, and he never thinks that it is not But the king insisted. The more the fault of the chariot, not the the servant said, "There is no fault of the horses, not the fault need," the more the king of the chariot maker. It is his insisted. Finally the servant said, fault ― he was drunk, he was "Then it's okay. You make me fast asleep. If the chariot has the king for twenty four hours fallen into a ditch it is natural, and you be the guard." the whole responsibility is yours. The king was a little It is not a question of destroying apprehensive, afraid, but he was the mind or throwing the mind a man of his word and he had to out. Mind is a beautiful fulfill the desire. So for twenty mechanism, the most beautiful four hours he became the guard mechanism in existence, but you and the guard became the king. have become a servant to the And do you know what the guard mind. You are the master and did? The first thing that he did, the master is functioning as a he ordered the king to be killed, servant; the mind is a servant sentenced to death! and you have made the servant the master. The king said, "What are you doing?" I have heard an ancient story: He said, "You keep quiet! You are A king was very happy with one simply the guard and nothing of his servants. He was so more. It is my wish and now I devoted, so totally devoted to am the king!" the king; he was always ready to The king was killed, and the sacrifice his life for the king. The servant became the king forever. king was immensely happy, and many times he has saved the Servants have their own devious
69 ways to become masters. The mind is one of the most And I have not told you to reject beautiful, the most complex, the the mind. Mind is a beautiful most evolved mechanisms. It has mechanism, one of the miracles served you well, it serves you of existence. We have not been well. Because of its services you able yet to make anything have repeated the same story in comparable to human mind. your life, everybody has repeated Even the most sophisticated the same story: you have made computers are nothing compared the mind the master and now the to it. A single human mind can master treats you just like a contain all the libraries of the servant. This is the problem, not world; its capacities are almost that the mind has to be thrown unbounded. But it is a machine, out. it is not you. To get identified with it is wrong, to make it your And that's what meditation is all master is wrong, to be guided by about: the art of moving away it is wrong. But to be the master from the mind, being above the and the guide is perfectly right. mind, becoming transcendental The mind as a servant is of to the mind, knowing that "I am tremendous value, so don't reject not the mind." That does not it. To reject it will impoverish mean that you have to throw out you, it will not enrich you. the mind. Knowing that "I am not the mind" makes you again the I am not against the mind; I am master. You can use the mind. in favor of transcending it. And if Right now, mind is not within you reject you cannot transcend. your hands. You are not a good Use it as a stepping stone. It all charioteer. depends on you: you can make it a hindrance if you start thinking Osho: The Dhammapada: The that the mind has to be rejected, Way of the Buddha , Vol. 6, denied, destroyed; or you can Chapter 10 make it a stepping stone if you accept it, if you try to understand it. In the very effort of understanding it, transcendence Mind has not to be rejected at happens. You go beyond it, you all; if you reject it, it will remain. become a witness. Rejection means repression. Anything rejected never leaves Osho: The Dhammapada: The you; it simply moves from the Way of the Buddha , Vol. 9, conscious to the unconscious, Chapter 6 from the lighted part of your being to the dark layers where Isn’t the mind the source of you cannot face it. You become our sanity? oblivious of it, but it is there, more alive than ever. It is better The mind can try to be sane. But to face the enemy than to keep it will be very superficial sanity, the enemy at your back; that is just skin deep, or perhaps not far more dangerous. even that much; a little scratch
70 and the insane will come out. move. Let them do whatsoever Real sanity consists only in going they are doing, any gymnastics beyond the mind and entering let them do; you simply watch, into a state of meditation. enjoy. It is just a beautiful film. Thoughts can never become And you will be surprised: just sane. Only a thoughtless silence watching, a moment comes when brings you to the world of sanity. thoughts are not there, there is nothing to watch. And when silence deepens inside you and goes on opening doors This is the door I have been upon doors of your heart till you calling nothingness, emptiness. have reached your very being, From this door enters your real don't stop, because the mind is being, the master. very old and your meditation will And that master is absolutely be a very new experience. The positive; in its hands everything old has weight, the old can pull turns into gold. If Albert Einstein you back again and again. The had been a meditator, the same new experience of meditation mind would have produced and intelligence has to be given atomic energy not to destroy time to grow roots, has to be Hiroshima and Nagasaki but to given time to start influencing help the whole of humanity to your actions and your behavior. raise its standard of living. You should not leave the effort to Without meditation the mind is create your meditation, your negative, it is bound to be in the silence, your peace and its depth service of death. With meditation till you are absolutely certain the master is there, and the that your mind is under your master is absolute positiveness. control and you are not under In its hands the same mind, the the control of the mind. That is same energy, becomes creative, the criterion of a sane man: the constructive, life affirmative. mind is his servant. For the insane man, the mind is his So you cannot do anything master. directly with the mind. You will have to take a little roundabout Osho: The Golden Future , way; first you have to bring the Chapter 34 master in. The master is missing, and for centuries the servant has What do we do with our been thinking he is the master. thoughts? Just let the master come in, and the servant immediately Your thoughts have to understands. Just the presence understand one thing: that you of the master and the servant are not interested in them. The falls at the feet of the master and moment you have made this waits for any order, for anything point you have attained a the master wants to be done ― tremendous victory. Just watch. he is ready. Don't say anything to the thoughts. Don't judge. Don't The mind is a tremendously condemn. Don't tell them to powerful instrument. No
71 computer is as powerful as man's And once you are attuned with mind ― cannot be, because it is the transcendental then the mind made by man's mind. Nothing is in your hands. It can be can be, because they are all immensely creative. It can make made by man's mind. A single this very earth paradise. There is man's mind has such immense no need for any paradise to be capacity: in a small skull, such a searched for above in the clouds, small brain can contain all the just as there is no need to search information contained in all the for any hell ― because hell we libraries of the earth, and that have created already. We are information is not a small living in it. amount. Osho: The Osho Upanishad , Just one library, the British Chapter 4 library, has so many books that if we put those books in a line side by side they will go three times around the earth. And a bigger Is there a time to use the library exists in Moscow, a similar mind? library exists in Harvard; and there are similar libraries in all Against the society, use the the big universities of the world. mind. Mind is a perfect means to But a single human mind can keep you independent, to keep contain all the information you alert. It is a good fighter, but contained in all these libraries. it is not a lover. So when there is Scientists are agreed that we need to fight, when there is need may not be able to make a to stand up for your liberty, use computer comparable to the the mind; heart will not be of any human mind which can be put in use. Heart knows no way to such a small space. fight. But the result of this immense But the context is totally gift to man has not been different, and I call that man beneficial ― because the master conscious who can use his is absent and the servant is capacities in their right context running the show. The result is and does not get mixed up. Eyes wars, violence, murders, rape. are for seeing ― you cannot hear Man is living in a nightmare, and from them. And ears are for the only way out is to bring the hearing ― you cannot see from master in. It is there, you just them. So use them whenever the have to get hold of it. And need is there, and don't let them watchfulness is the key: just come in each other's way. watch the mind. The moment there are no thoughts, Mind is a beautiful instrument. It immediately you will be able to has to be sharpened, but see yourself ― not as mind, but remember its limitations. It as something beyond, something should remain a servant to the transcendental to mind. heart. The moment it becomes the master, the heart simply
72 dies. In slavery, the heart cannot I make it absolutely simplified: exist. Be watchful. So there is no contradiction in It is none of your business ― if what I have said ― just two greed is passing by, let it pass; if different contexts. And your anger is passing by, let it pass. consciousness is different from Who are you to interfere? Why both, so a conscious person can are you so much identified with use his heart when needed, can your mind? Why do you start use his mind when needed, can thinking, "I am greedy... I am put both to silence when he angry"? There is only a thought wants to be absolutely in a state of anger passing by. Let it pass; of nirvana, where neither the you just watch. mind is needed nor the heart. When he wants simply to be There is an ancient story.... A himself, both are not needed. man who has gone out of his town comes back and finds that If you are the master of your his house is on fire. It was one of instruments, there is no problem. the most beautiful houses in the If you have a flute and I ask you, town, and the man loved the "Can you stop playing on it for a house. Many people were ready few moments ― I want to talk to to give double price for the you," and you say, "I cannot do house, but he had never agreed it; the flute won't stop," what will for any price, and now it is just be thought about you? You are burning before his eyes. And insane. The flute won't stop? So thousands of people have you are not playing the flute, the gathered, but nothing can be flute is playing you. When you done. want to stop the mind, just say, "Stop" ― it has to stop. If it The fire has spread so far that moves even a little bit, that even if you try to put it out, means something has to be done nothing will be saved. So he urgently. This is dangerous: the becomes very sad. His son servant is trying to be the comes running, and whispers master. The servant should be something in his ear: "Don't be the servant, and the master worried. I sold it yesterday, and should be the master. And at a very good price ― three beyond both is your being which times.... The offer was so good I is neither servant nor master... could not wait for you. Forgive which simply is. That "isness" is me." the goal of all meditations. But the father said, "Good, if you Osho: The Path of the Mystic , have sold it for three times more Chapter 37 than the original price of the house." Then the father is also a What is the meaning of watcher, with other watchers. "identification?" Just a moment before he was not a watcher, he was identified. It is All that I say is: to watch is the same house, the same fire, right; not to watch is wrong. 73 everything is the same ― but yours but from your parents, now he is not concerned. He is your teachers, your friends, the enjoying it just as everybody else books, the movies, the is enjoying. television, the newspapers. Just count how many thoughts are Then the second son comes your own, and you will be running, and he says to the surprised that not a single father, "What are you doing? You thought is your own. All are from are smiling ― and the house is other sources, all are borrowed on fire?" ― either dumped by others on The father said, "Don't you know, you, or foolishly dumped by your brother has sold it." yourself upon yourself, but He said, "He had talked about nothing is yours. selling it, but nothing has been settled yet, and the man is not The mind is there, functioning going to purchase it now." Again, like a computer; literally it is a everything changes. Tears which bio computer. You will not get had disappeared, have come identified with a computer. If the back to the father's eyes, his computer gets hot, you won't get smile is no more there, his heart hot. If the computer gets angry is beating fast. But the watcher is and starts giving signals in four gone. He is again identified. letter words, you will not be worried. You will see what is And then the third son comes, wrong, where something is and he says, "That man is a man wrong. But you remain detached. of his word. I have just come from him. He said, 'It doesn't Just a small knack... I cannot matter whether the house is even call it a method because burned or not, it is mine. And I that makes it heavy; I call it a am going to pay the price that I knack. Just by doing it, one day have settled for. Neither you suddenly you are able to do it. knew, nor I knew that the house Many times you will fail; it's would catch on fire.'" Again the nothing to be worried about... no father is a watcher. The identity loss, it is natural. But just doing is no more there. Actually it, one day it happens. nothing is changing; just the idea that "I am the owner, I am Once it has happened, once you identified somehow with the have even for a single moment house," makes the whole become the watcher, you know difference. The next moment he now how to become the watcher feels, "I am not identified. ― the watcher on the hills, far Somebody else has purchased it, away. And the whole mind is I have nothing to do with it; let there deep down in the dark the house burn." valley, and you are not to do anything about it. The most This simple methodology of strange thing about the mind is, watching the mind, that you if you become a watcher it starts have nothing to do with it.... disappearing. Just like the light Most of its thoughts are not disperses darkness, watchfulness
74 disperses the mind, its thoughts, have to become more and more its whole paraphernalia. aware of thoughts, desires, imagination, memory, because So meditation is simply this is the secret, that if you watchfulness, awareness. And watch your mind, slowly slowly it that reveals ― it is nothing to do evaporates ― just by watching. with inventing. It invents One day it happens that there is nothing; it simply discovers that no mind; you are left absolutely which is there. alone, in solitude. There is nothing surrounding you, infinite And what is there? You enter and nothingness. you find infinite emptiness, so You are fully aware, absolutely tremendously beautiful, so silent, aware, but there is nothing to be so full of light, so fragrant, that aware of. You are pure light, but you have entered into “the the light is not falling on any kingdom of God.” In my words, object; there is no object left. you have entered into godliness. That is meditation or a state of no mind. And wisdom is a by And once you have been in this product of it. space, you come out and you are Osho: Finger Pointing to the a totally new person, a new man. Moon, Chapter 4 (Diary) Now you have your original face. All masks have disappeared. You Are there any “ten will live in the same world, but commandments” for not in the same way. You will be meditators? among the same people but not with the same attitude, and the Ten non commandments: same approach. You will live like a lotus in water: in the water, The first: freedom. but absolutely untouched by The second: uniqueness of water. individuality. Osho: From Unconsciousness to The third: love. Consciousness , Chapter 20 The fourth: meditation. The fifth: non seriousness. What has meditation to do The sixth: playfulness. with wisdom? The seventh: creativity. The eighth: sensitivity. Wisdom is a by product of The ninth: gratefulness. meditation. It does not come in Tenth: a feeling of the any other way. It does not come mysterious. through accumulating information. It comes only These ten non commandments through the transformation that constitute my basic attitude meditation brings to you. And towards reality, towards man's meditation means a state of no freedom from all kinds of mind, a consciousness without spiritual slavery. content. Osho: Beyond Enlightenment , That's the goal of sannyas. We Chapter 23
75 Sitting silently.. . have accumulated, you are acting out of the conclusions that "Sitting silently, you have arrived at in the past. doing nothing, How can you be spontaneous? the spring comes and the grass grows by itself." The past dominates, and because of the past you cannot even see the present. Your eyes are so full Question: We are constantly of the past, the smoke of the drilled with the aphorism, "Don't past is so much, that seeing is just stand there – do something! impossible. You cannot see! You Yet, Buddha would say, "Don't are almost completely blind – just do something – stand blind because of the smoke, blind there!" The unconscious man because of the past conclusions, reacts, while the wise man blind because of knowledge. watches. But what about spontaneity? Is spontaneity The knowledgeable man is the compatible with watching? most blind man in the world. Because he functions out of his Buddha certainly says: Don't just knowledge, he does not see what do something – stand there! But the case is. He simply goes on that is only the beginning of the functioning mechanically. He has pilgrimage, not the end. When learned something; it has you have learned how to stand, become a ready made when you have learned how to mechanism in him...he acts out be utterly silent, unmoving, of it. undisturbed, when you know how to just sit...sitting silently, doing There is a famous story: nothing, the spring comes and the grass grows by itself. But the There were two temples in grass grows, remember! Japan, both enemies to each other, as temples have always Action does not disappear: the been down the ages. The priests grass grows by itself. The were so antagonistic that they buddha does not become had stopped even looking at each inactive; great action happens other. If they came across each through him, although there is other on the road, they would no doer anymore. The doer not look at each other. If they disappears, the doing continues. came across each other on the And when there is no doer, the road they stopped talking; for doing is spontaneous; it cannot centuries those two temples and be otherwise. It is the doer that their priests had not talked. does not allow spontaneity. But both the priests had two The doer means the ego, the ego small boys – to serve them, just means the past. for running errands. Both the priests were afraid that boys, When you act, you are always after all, will be boys, and they acting through the past, you are might start becoming friends to acting out of experience that you 76 each other. He was really embarrassed, ashamed, and felt also, "My The one priest said to his boy, master was right not to talk with "Remember, the other temple is these people – these are our enemy. Never talk to the boy dangerous people! What kind of of the other temple! They are talk is this? I had asked a simple dangerous people – avoid them question: 'Where are you going?' as one avoids a disease, as one In fact I already knew where he avoids the plague. Avoid them!" was going, because we were both going to purchase The boy was always interested, vegetables in the market. A because he used to get tired of simple answer would have done." listening to great sermons – he could not understand them. He went back, told his master, "I Strange scriptures were read, he am sorry, excuse me. You had could not understand the prohibited me, I didn't listen to language. Great, ultimate you. In fact, because of your problems were discussed. There prohibition I was tempted. This is was nobody to play with, nobody the first time I have talked to even to talk with. And when he those dangerous people. I just was told, "Don't talk to the boy asked a simple question. 'Where of the other temple," great are you going?' and he started temptation arose in him. saying strange things: 'There is no going, no coming. Who That's how temptation arises. comes? Who goes? I am utter That day he could not avoid emptiness,' he was saying, 'just talking to the other boy. When a dead leaf in the wind. And he saw him on the road he asked wherever the wind takes me....'" him, "Where are you going?"The other boy was a little The master said, "I told you philosophical; listening to great before! Now, tomorrow stand in philosophy he had become the same place and when he philosophical. He said, "Going? comes ask him again, 'Where are There is nobody who comes and you going?' And when he says goes! It is happening – wherever these things, you simply say, the wind takes me...." He had 'That's true. Yes, you are a dead heard the master say many leaf, so am I. But when the wind times that that's how a buddha is not blowing, where are you lives, like a dead leaf: wherever going? Then where can you go?' the wind takes it, it goes. So the Just say that, and that will boy said, "I am not! There is no embarrass him – and he has to doer. So how can I go? What be embarrassed, he has to be nonsense are you talking? I am a defeated. We have been dead leaf. Wherever the wind constantly quarreling, and those takes me...." people have not been able to defeat us in any debate. So The other boy was struck dumb. tomorrow it has to be done!" He could not even answer. He could not find anything to say. Early the boy got up, prepared
77 his answer, repeated it many Bhagavadgita, the Bible, the times before he went. Then he Vedas. He has everything stood in the place where the boy crammed, he knows all the used to cross the road, repeated answers. But life never raises the again and again, prepared same question again; hence the himself, and then he saw the boy knowledgeable person always coming. He said, "Okay, now!" falls short. The boy came. He asked, "Where Buddha certainly says: Know are you going?" And he was how to sit silently. That does not hoping that now the opportunity mean that he says: Go on sitting would come.... silently forever. He is not saying you have to become inactive; on the contrary, it is only out of Again crestfallen, now really silence that action arises. If you ashamed that he was simply are not silent, if you don't know stupid: "And this boy certainly how to sit silently, or stand knows some strange things – silently in deep meditation, now he says, 'Wherever the legs whatsoever you go on doing is take me....'" reaction, not action. You react. He went back to the master. The Somebody insults you, pushes a master said, "I have told you not button, and you react. You are to talk with those people – they angry, you jump on him – and are dangerous! This is our you call it action? It is not action, centuries long experience. But mind you, it is reaction. He is the now something has to be done. manipulator and you are the So tomorrow you ask again, manipulated. He has pushed a 'Where are you going?' and when button and you have functioned he says, 'Wherever my legs take like a machine. me,' tell him, 'If you had no legs, then...?' He has to be silenced Just like you push a button and one way or other!" the light goes on, and you push the button and the light goes off So the next day he asked again, – that's what people are doing to "Where are you going?" and you: they put you on, they put waited. And the boy said, "I am you off. going to the market to fetch vegetables." Somebody comes and praises you and puffs up your ego, and Man ordinarily functions out of you feel so great; and then the past, and life goes on somebody comes and punctures changing. you, and you are simply flat on the ground. You are not your Life has no obligation to fit with own master: anybody can insult your conclusions. That's why life you and make you sad, angry, is very confusing – confusing to irritated, annoyed, violent, mad. the knowledgeable person. He And anybody can praise you and has all ready made answers: The make you feel at the heights, can
78 make you feel that you are the else. I act according to my inner greatest – that Alexander the need. You cannot force me to do Great was nothing compared to anything. It's perfectly good:you you. wanted to abuse me, you abused me! Feel fulfilled. You have done And you act according to others' your work perfectly well. But as manipulations. This is not real far as I am concerned, I don't action. take your insults, and unless I take them, they are Buddha was passing through a meaningless." village and the people came and they insulted him. And they used When somebody insults you, you all the insulting words that they have to become a receiver, you could use – all the four letter have to accept what he says; words that they knew. Buddha only then can you react. But if stood there, listened silently, you don't accept, if you simply very attentively, and then said, remain detached, if you keep the "Thank you for coming to me, distance, if you remain cool, but I am in a hurry. I have to what can he do? reach the next village, people will be waiting for me there. I cannot Buddha said, "Somebody can devote more time to you today, throw a burning torch into the but tomorrow coming back I will river. It will remain alight till it have more time. You can gather reaches the river. The moment it again, and tomorrow if falls into the river, all fire is gone something is left which you – the river cools it. I have wanted to say and have not been become a river. You throw able to say, you can say it to me. abuses at me. They are fire when But today, excuse me." you throw them, but the moment they reach me, in my coolness, Those people could not believe their fire is lost. They no longer their ears, their eyes: this man hurt. You throw thorns – falling has remained utterly unaffected, in my silence they become undistracted. One of them asked, flowers. I act out of my own "Have you not heard us? We intrinsic nature." have been abusing you like anything, and you have not even This is spontaneity. The man of answered!" awareness, understanding, acts. The man who is unaware, Buddha said, "If you wanted an unconscious, mechanical, answer then you have come too robotlike, reacts. late. You should have come ten years ago, then I would have You ask me, "The unconscious answered you. But for these ten man reacts while the wise man years I have stopped being watches." It is not that he simply manipulated by others. I am no watches – watching is one aspect longer a slave, I am my own of his being. He does not act master. I act according to without watching. But don't myself, not according to anybody misunderstand the Buddha.
79 watching. The buddhas have always been misunderstood. The real man of understanding acts – acts tremendously, acts You are not the first to totally, but he acts in the misunderstand. This whole moment, out of his country has been consciousness. misunderstanding the Buddha; hence the whole country has He is like a mirror. The ordinary become inactive. Thinking that man, the unconscious man, is all the great masters say: Sit not like a mirror, he is like a silently, the country has become photoplate. lazy, lousy; the country has lost energy, vitality, life. It has What is the difference between a become utterly dull, mirror and a photographic plate? unintelligent, because A photographic plate, once intelligence becomes sharpened exposed, becomes useless. It only when you act. receives the impression, becomes impressed by it – it And when you act moment to carries the picture. But moment out of your awareness remember, the picture is not and watchfulness, great reality – the reality goes on intelligence arises. You start growing. shining, glowing, you become luminous. But it happens through You can go into the garden and two things: watching, and action you can take a picture of a out of that watching. If watching rosebush. Tomorrow the picture becomes inaction, you are will be the same, the day after committing suicide. Watching tomorrow the picture will also be should lead you into action, a the same. Go again and see the new kind of action; a new quality rosebush: it is no longer the is brought to action. same. The roses have gone, or new roses have arrived. A You watch, you are utterly quiet thousand and one things have and silent. You see what the happened. situation is, and out of that seeing you respond. The man of It is said that once a realist awareness responds, he is philosopher went to see the responsible – literally! He is famous painter, Picasso. The responsive, he does not react. philosopher believed in realism His action is born out of his and he had come to criticize awareness, not out of your Picasso because Picasso's manipulation; that is the paintings are abstract, they are difference. Hence, there is no not realistic. They don't depict question of there being any reality as it is. On the contrary, incompatibility between watching they are symbolic, have a totally and spontaneity. Watching is the different dimension – they are beginning of spontaneity; symbolistic.The realist said, "I spontaneity is the fulfillment of don't like your paintings. A
80 painting should be real! If you very young, very alive.The boy paint my wife, then your painting asked, "Mummy, who is this should look like my wife." And he man?"And the woman said, took out a picture of his wife and "Can't you recognize him? He is said, "Look at this picture! The your daddy!"The boy looked painting should be like puzzled and said, "If he is my this."Picasso looked at the daddy, then who is that bald man picture and said, "This is your who lives with us?" wife?"He said, "Yes, this is my wife!" Picasso said, "I am A picture is static. It remains as surprised! She is very small and it is, it never changes. The flat." unconscious mind functions like a camera, it functions like a The picture cannot be the wife! photographic plate. The watchful mind, the meditative mind, Another story is told: functions like a mirror. It catches A beautiful woman came to no impression; it remains utterly Picasso and said, "Just the other empty, always empty. day I saw your self portrait in a friend's home. It was so So whatsoever comes in front of beautiful, I was so influenced, the mirror, it is reflected. If you almost hypnotized, that I hugged are standing before the mirror, it the picture and kissed it."Picasso reflects you. If you are gone, said, "Really! And then what did don't say that the mirror betrays the picture do to you? Did the you. The mirror is simply a picture kiss you back?"The mirror. When you are gone, it no woman said, "Are you mad?! The longer reflects you; it has no picture did not kiss me obligation to reflect you back."Picasso said, "Then it was anymore. Now somebody else is not me." facing it – it reflects somebody else. If nobody is there, it A picture is a dead thing. The reflects nothing. It is always true camera, the photoplate, catches to life. only a static phenomenon. And life is never static, it goes on The photographic plate is never changing. Your mind functions true to life. Even if your photo is like a camera, it goes on taken right now, by the time the collecting pictures – it is an photographer has taken it out of album. And then out of those the camera, you are no longer pictures you go on reacting. the same! Much water has Hence, you are never true to life, already gone down the Ganges. because whatsoever you do is You have grown, changed, you wrong; whatsoever you do, I have become older. Maybe only say, is wrong. It never fits. one minute has passed, but one minute can be a great thing – A woman was showing the family you may be dead! Just one album to her child, and they minute before you were alive; came across a picture of a after one minute, you may be beautiful man: long hair, beard, dead. The picture will never die.
81 But in the mirror, if you are alive, really going to happen, nobody you are alive; if you are dead, can predict. People have tried. you are dead. Buddha says: Learn sitting silently – become a That's why people go to mirror. Silence makes a mirror astrologers, to I Ching , and to out of your consciousness, and other sorts of things. I Ching then you function moment to goes on fascinating people, moment. You reflect life. You astrologers go on influencing don't carry an album within your people. Astrology still seems to head. Then your eyes are clear be a great force. Why? ? because and innocent, you have clarity, people are missing and they are you have vision, and you are hoping for the future. They want never untrue to life. This is some clue to know what is going authentic living. to happen so they can arrange it that way. Osho: The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha , Vol 2, These things will persist, even if Chapter 10 scientifically it is proved that it is all nonsense. They will persist Is meditation for people who because it is not a question of hope? Hope is not the right science, it is a question of human thing. Live in the present so hope. Unless hope is dropped, I deeply, so completely, that Ching cannot be dropped. Unless nothing is left. Then there will be hope is dropped, astrology no projection. You will move very cannot be dropped. It will have smoothly into the tomorrow great power over man's mind without carrying any load from because hope is gripping you. today. And when there is no You would like to know little yesterday haunting you, then clues about the future so you can there is no tomorrow. When the move more confidently, you can past is not hanging around you, project more confidently, and there is no future. you can postpone many more things. If you know something Hope is an illness, a disease of about tomorrow, I think you will the mind. It is hope that is not not live today. You will say, allowing you to live. Hope is not "What is the need? Tomorrow we the friend, remember; it is the will live." Even without knowing foe. It is because of hope that anything about tomorrow you are you go on postponing. But you doing that. And tomorrow never will remain the same tomorrow comes... and when it comes, it is also, and tomorrow also you will always today. And you don't hope for some future. And this know how to live today. way it can go on for eternity, and you can go on missing. Stop So you are in a great trap. Drop postponing. And who knows what that whole structure. Hope is the the future is going to reveal to bondage of man. you? There is no way to know about it. It is an opening; all Osho: The Beloved , Vol. 2, alternatives are open. What is Chapter 8
82 What are these different “paths,” completely in the sitting; like Yoga, Tantra, Devotion and nonmovement should be your so on only movement. In fact, the word Zen comes from the word zazen, All the methods that lead man to which means, just sitting, doing realization are, essentially, nothing. If you can just sit, doing awareness. Their non essential nothing with your body and components may be different. nothing with your mind, it becomes meditation; but it is I have spoken on yoga, on difficult. tantra, on Hassidism, on Tao, on You can sit very easily when you Zen, on all possible methods that are doing something else but the humanity has tried. I wanted you moment you are just sitting and to be aware of all the ways doing nothing, it becomes a through which man has been problem. Every fiber of the body searching to reach the truth that begins to move inside; every liberates ― but each method is vein, every muscle, begins to essentially awareness. move. You will begin to feel a subtle trembling; you will be That's why now I am aware of many points in the body emphasizing only awareness. of which you have never been aware before. And the more you So whatever you are doing, try to just sit, the more whatever method you are movement you will feel inside practicing, it makes no you. So sitting can be used only difference. Those are different if you have done other things names given by different people first. in different ages, but they were all practicing awareness. You can just walk, that is easier. You can just dance, that is even In essence, it is only awareness easier. And after you have been that leads you to the ultimate doing other things that are goal. easier, then you can sit. Sitting There are not many paths. There in a buddha posture is the last are many names for one path, thing to do really; it should never and that one path is awareness. be done in the beginning. Only after you have begun to feel Osho: The Osho Upanishad , identified totally with movement Chapter 13 can you begin to feel totally identified with nonmovement. Is it good to start with a sitting meditation or an active So I never tell people to begin meditation? with just sitting. Begin from where beginning is easy, You can go into meditation just otherwise you will begin to feel by sitting, but then be just many things unnecessarily ― sitting; do not do anything else. things that are not there. If you can be just sitting, it If you begin with sitting, you will becomes meditation. Be feel much disturbance inside. The
83 more you try to just sit, the more subtle point, a deep point inside disturbance will be felt; you will you that is silent and still, in become aware only of your contrast to the madness on the insane mind and nothing else. It periphery. You will feel very will create depression, you will blissful; at your center there is feel frustrated. You will not feel an inner silence. But if you are blissful; rather, you will begin to just sitting, then the inner one is feel that you are insane. And the mad one; you are silent on sometimes you may really go the outside, but inside you are insane. mad. If you make a sincere effort to If you begin with something "just sit," you may really go active ― something positive, insane. Only because people do alive, moving ― it will be better; not really try sincerely does then you will begin to feel an insanity not happen more often. inner stillness growing. The more With a sitting posture you begin it grows, the more it will be to know so much madness inside possible for you to use a sitting you that if you are sincere and posture or a lying posture ― the continue it, you may really go more silent meditation will be insane. It has happened before, possible. But by then things will so many times; so I never be different, totally different. suggest anything that can create frustration, depression, sadness A meditation technique that ― anything that will allow you to begins with movement, action, be too aware of your insanity. helps you in other ways, also. It You may not be ready to be becomes a catharsis. When you aware of all the insanity that is are just sitting, you are inside you; you must be allowed frustrated; your mind wants to to get to know certain things move and you are just sitting. gradually. Knowledge is not Every muscle turns, every nerve always good; it must unfold itself turns. You are trying to force slowly as your capacity to absorb something upon yourself that is it grows. not natural for you; then you have divided yourself into the I begin with your insanity, not one who is forcing and the one with a sitting posture; I allow who is being forced. And really, your insanity. If you dance the part that is being forced and madly, the opposite happens suppressed is the more authentic within you. With a mad dance, part; it is a more major part of you begin to be aware of a silent your mind than the part that is point within you; with sitting suppressing, and the major part silently, you begin to be aware of is bound to win. madness. The opposite is always the point of awareness. With That which you are suppressing your dancing madly, chaotically, is really to be thrown, not with crying, with chaotic suppressed. It has become an breathing, I allow your madness. accumulation within you because Then you begin to be aware of a you have been constantly
84 suppressing it. The whole dissipated his anger and there upbringing, the civilization, the will be no accumulation of it. education, is suppressive. You have been suppressing much You have accumulated anger, that could have been thrown sex, violence, greed, everything! very easily with a different Now this accumulation is a education, with a more conscious madness within you. It is there, education, with a more aware inside you. If you begin with any parenthood. With a better suppressive meditation ― for awareness of the inner example, with just sitting ― you mechanism of the mind, the are suppressing all of this, you culture could have allowed you to are not allowing it to be released. throw many things. So I begin with a catharsis. First, let the suppressions be thrown For example, when a child is into the air; and when you can angry we tell him, "Do not be throw your anger into the air, angry." He begins to suppress you have become mature. anger. By and by, what was a momentary happening becomes If I cannot be loving alone, if I permanent. Now he will not act can be loving only with someone angry, but he will remain angry. I love, then, really, I am not We have accumulated so much mature yet. Then I am anger from what were just depending on someone even to momentary things; no one can be loving; someone must be be angry continuously unless there, then I can be loving. Then anger has been suppressed. that loving can only be a very Anger is a momentary thing that superficial thing; it is not my comes and goes: if it is nature. If I am alone in the room expressed, then you are no I am not loving at all, so the longer angry. So with me, I loving quality has not gone deep; would allow the child to be angry it has not become a part of my more authentically. Be angry, but being. be deep in it; do not suppress it. You become more and more Of course, there will be mature when you are less and problems. If we say, "Be angry," less dependent. If you can be then you are going to be angry angry alone, you are more with someone. But a child can be mature. You do not need any molded; he can be given a pillow object to be angry. So I make a and told, "Be angry with the catharsis in the beginning a pillow. Be violent with the must. You must throw everything pillow." From the very beginning, into the sky, into the open space, a child can be brought up in a without being conscious of any way in which the anger is just object. deviated. Some object can be given to him: he can go on Be angry without the person with throwing the object until his whom you would like to be anger goes. Within minutes, angry. Weep without finding any within seconds, he will have cause; laugh, just laugh, without
85 anything to laugh at. Then you do it. This is a very inner thing can just throw the whole now; it comes from his inner accumulated thing ― you can body wisdom, not from his just throw it. And once you know mind's intellectual, cerebral the way, you are unburdened of information. If his body insists, the whole past. "Go and stand on your head!" and he allows it, he will feel very Within moments you can be refreshed, very changed by it. unburdened of the whole life ― of lives even. If you are ready to You may do any posture, but I throw everything, if you can allow these postures only when allow your madness to come out, they come by themselves. within moments there is a deep Someone can sit down and be cleansing. Now you are cleansed: silent in siddhasan or in any fresh, innocent ― you are a child other posture, but this siddhasan again. Now, in your innocence, is something quite different; the sitting meditation can be done ― quality differs. He is trying to be just sitting, or just lying or silent in sitting ― but this is a anything ― because now there is happening, there is no no mad one inside to disturb the suppression, there is no effort; it sitting. is just how your body feels. Your total being feels to sit. In this Cleansing must be the first thing sitting there is no divided mind, ― a catharsis ― otherwise, with no suppression. This sitting breathing exercises, with just becomes a flowering. sitting, with practicing asanas, yogic postures, you are just You must have seen statues of suppressing something. And a Buddha sitting on a flower, a very strange thing happens: lotus flower. The lotus is just when you have allowed symbolic; it is symbolic of what is everything to be thrown out, happening inside Buddha. When sitting will just happen, asanas "just sitting" happens from the will just happen ― it will be inside, you feel just like the spontaneous. opening of a flower. Nothing is being suppressed from the You may not have known outside; rather, there is a anything about yoga asanas but growth, an opening from the you begin to do them. Now these inside; something inside opens postures are authentic, real. and flowers. You can imitate They bring much transformation Buddha's posture, but you inside your body because now cannot imitate the flower. You the body itself is doing them, you can sit completely buddhalike ― are not forcing them. For even more buddhalike than example, when someone has Buddha ― but the inside thrown many things out, he may flowering will not be there. It begin to try to stand on his head. cannot be imitated. He may have never learned to do shirshasan, the headstand, but You can use tricks. You can use now his whole body is trying to breathing rhythms that can force
86 you to be still, to suppress your rhythm cannot remain the same, mind. Breath can be used very and if the breathing rhythm suppressively because with every remains the same, the mind is rhythm of breath a particular not involved at all. If the mind is mood arises in your mind. Not not involved even in such a deep that other moods disappear; they biological thing as sexual just go into hiding. intercourse, then the mind will not be involved in anything else. You can force anything on yourself. If you want to be angry, But you can force. You can sit just breathe the rhythm that and force a particular rhythm on happens in anger. Actors do it, your body, you can create a when they want to express anger fallacious buddhalike posture, but they change their breathing you will just be dead. You will rhythm; the breathing rhythm become dull, stupid. It has must become the same as when happened to so many monks, so there is anger. By making the many sadhus; they just become rhythm fast they begin to feel stupid. Their eyes have no light anger, the anger part of the mind of intelligence; their faces are comes up. just idiotic, with no inner light, So breathing rhythm can be used no inner flame. Because they are to suppress the mind, to so afraid of any inner movement, suppress anything in the mind. they have suppressed everything But it is not good, it is not a ― including intelligence. flowering. The other way is Intelligence is a movement, one better; when your mind changes of the most subtle movements, and then, as a consequence, so if all inner movement is your breath changes; the change suppressed, intelligence will be comes first from the mind. affected. So I use breathing rhythm as a sign. A person who remains at Awareness is not a static thing. ease with himself constantly Awareness, too, is movement ― remains in the same breathing a dynamic flow. So if you start rhythm; it never changes from the outside, if you force because of the mind. It will yourself to sit like a statue, you change because of the body ― if are killing much. First be you are running it will change ― concerned with catharsis, with but it never changes because of cleaning out your mind, throwing the mind. everything out, so that you become empty and vacant ― just So tantra has used many, many a passage for something from breathing rhythms as secret the beyond to enter. Then sitting keys. They even allow sexual becomes helpful, silence intercourse as a meditation, but becomes helpful, but not before. they allow it only when your breathing rhythm remains To me, silence in itself is not constant in intercourse, something worthwhile. You can otherwise not. If the mind is create a silence that is a dead involved, then the breathing silence. Silence must be alive,
87 dynamic. If you "create" silence, different quality, a different you will become more stupid, beauty, altogether different; it more dull, more dead; but this is will be authentic. easier in a way, and so many people are doing it now. The When silence comes to you, whole culture is so suppressive when it descends on you, it is not that it is easier to suppress a false thing. You have not been yourself still more. Then you do cultivating it; it comes to you; it not have to take any risks, then happens to you. You begin to feel you do not have to take a jump. it growing inside you just like a mother begins to feel a child People come to me and say, "Tell growing. A deep silence is us a meditation technique that growing inside you; you become we can practice silently." Why pregnant with it. Only then is this fear? Everyone has a there transformation; otherwise madhouse inside and still they it is just self deception. And one say, "Tell us a technique that we can deceive oneself for lives and can do silently." With a silent lives ― the capacity to do so is technique you can only become infinite. more and more mad ― silently ― and nothing else. Osho: Meditation: The Art of Ecstasy , Chapter 4 The doors of your madhouse must be opened! Don't be afraid What is vipassana? of what others will say. A person who is concerned about what Vipassana is such a simple thing others think can never go that even a small child can do it. inward. He will be too busy In fact, the smallest child can do worrying about what others are it better than you, because he is saying, what they are thinking. not yet filled with the garbage of the mind; he is still clean and If you just sit silently, closing innocent…. your eyes, everything will be okay; your wife or your husband Vipassana can be done in three will say that you have become a ways ― you can choose which very good person. Everyone one suits you the best. The first wants you to be dead; even is: Awareness of your actions, mothers want their children to be your body, your mind, your dead ― obedient, silent. The heart. Walking, you should walk whole society wants you to be with awareness. Moving your dead. So called good men are hand, you should move with really dead men. awareness, knowing perfectly that you are moving the hand. So don't be concerned with what You can move it without any others think, don't be concerned consciousness, like a mechanical about the image that others may thing. You are on a morning have of you. Begin with catharsis walk; you can go on walking and then something good can without being aware of your feet. flower within you. It will have a Be alert of the movements of
88 your body. While eating, be alert conscious of how she sits; she is of the movements that are always conscious of being needed for eating. Taking a graceful. And it is not only a shower, be alert of the coolness conditioning; it is something that is coming to you, the water natural and biological. falling on you and the tremendous joy of it.... Just be Mothers who have experienced alert. It should not go on having at least two or three happening in an unconscious children, start feeling after a state. certain time whether they are carrying a boy or girl in their And the same about your mind: womb. The boy starts playing whatever thought passes on the football; he starts kicking here screen of your mind, just be a and there, he starts making watcher. Whatever emotion himself felt ― he announces that passes on the screen of your he is here. The girl remains silent heart, just remain a witness ― and relaxed; she does not play don't get involved, don't get football, she does not kick, she identified, don't evaluate what is does not announce. She remains good, what is bad; that is not as quiet as possible, as relaxed part of your meditation. Your as possible. meditation has to be choiceless So it is not a question of awareness. conditioning, because even in the womb you can see the difference You will be able one day even to between the boy and the girl. see very subtle moods: how The boy is hectic; he cannot sit sadness settles in you just like in one place. He is all over the the night is slowly, slowly settling place. He wants to do everything, around the world, how suddenly he wants to know everything. a small thing makes you joyous. The girl behaves in a totally different way…. Just be a witness. Don't think, "I am sad." Just know, "There is The second form is breathing, sadness around me, there is joy becoming aware of breathing. As around me. I am confronting a the breath goes in, your belly certain emotion or a certain starts rising up, and as the mood." But you are always far breath goes out, your belly starts away: a watcher on the hills, and settling down again. So the everything else is going on in the second method is to be aware of valley. This is one of the ways the belly, its rising and falling. vipassana can be done. Just the very awareness of the belly rising and falling ... And the And for a woman, my feeling is belly is very close to the life that it is the easiest, because a sources because the child is woman is more alert of her body joined with the mother's life than a man. It is just her nature. through the navel. Behind the She is more conscious of how navel is his life's source. So when she looks, she is more conscious the belly rises up, it is really the of how she moves, she is more life energy, the spring of life that
89 is rising up and falling down with except in Japan, all athletes and each breath. That too is not teachers of athletes emphasize difficult, and perhaps may be breathing by filling your lungs, even easier, because it is a single expanding your chest, and technique. pulling the belly in. The ideal is the lion whose chest is big and In the first, you have to be aware whose belly is very small. So be of the body, you have to be like a lion; that has become the aware of the mind, you have to rule of athletic gymnasts and the be aware of your emotions, people who have been working moods. So it has three steps. with the body. The second sort has a single step: just the belly, moving up Japan is the only exception, and down. And the result is the where they don't care that the same. As you become more chest should be broad and the aware of the belly, the mind belly should be pulled in. It becomes silent, the heart needs a certain discipline to pull becomes silent, the moods the belly in; it is not natural. disappear. Japan has chosen the natural way; hence you will be surprised And the third is to be aware of to see a Japanese statue of the breath at the entrance, when Buddha. That is the way you can the breath goes in through your immediately discriminate nostrils. Feel it at that extreme whether the statue is Indian or ― the other polarity from the Japanese. The Indian statues of belly ― feel it from the nose. The Gautam Buddha have a very breath going in gives a certain athletic body: the belly is very coolness to your nostrils. Then small and the chest is very the breath going out ... breath broad. But the Japanese Buddha going in, breath going out.... is totally different; his chest is almost silent, because he That too is possible. It is easier breathes from the belly, but his for men than for women. The belly is bigger. It doesn't look woman is more aware of the very good because the idea belly. Most men don't even prevalent in the world is the breathe as deep as the belly. other way round, and it is so old. Their chest rises up and falls But breathing from the belly is down, because a wrong kind of more natural, more relaxed. athletics prevails over the world. Certainly it gives a more In the night it happens when you beautiful form to the body if your sleep: you don't breathe from chest is high and your belly is the chest, you breathe from the almost non existent. belly. That's why the night is Man has chosen to breathe only such a relaxed experience. After up to the chest, so the chest your sleep, in the morning you becomes bigger and bigger and feel so fresh, so young, because the belly shrinks down. That the whole night you were appears to him to be more breathing naturally...you were in athletic. Around the world, Japan!
90 them to the chief, and then These are the two points: if you report back to him the next are afraid that breathing from morning. the belly and being attentive to The next morning the squaw its rising and falling will destroy came back with the message, your athletic form...men may be "Big chief no shit." So the more interested in that athletic medicine man told her to double form. Then for them it is easier the dose. to watch near the nostrils where The next day, she came back the breath enters. Watch, and with the message, "Big Chief no when the breath goes out, watch. shit." So again he told her to double the dose. These are the three forms. Any Again she came back with the one will do. And if you want to do same message. This went on for two forms together, you can do a week, and finally the medicine two forms together; then the man told the squaw to give effort will become more intense. Sitting Bull the whole box. If you want to do all three forms The next morning, she came together, you can do all three back with a very sad expression. forms together. Then the process "What is wrong, my child?" asked will be quicker. But it all depends the medicine man. The little on you, whatever feels easy. squaw looked at him with tears Remember: easy is right. in her eyes and said, "Big Shit, no chief!" As meditation becomes settled, mind silent, the ego will One day it will happen to you, disappear. You will be there, but and that will be a great moment. there will be no feeling of "I." That's what I am calling the right Then the doors are open. Just moment. wait with a loving longing, with a welcome in the heart for that Osho: The New Dawn , Chapter great moment, the greatest 16 moment in anybody's life ― enlightenment. Meditation or therapy ― sex, love, and death? It comes ... it certainly comes. It has never delayed for a single Working with people, three fears moment. Once you are in the continuously come up in them. It right tuning, it suddenly explodes is the fear of going crazy, the in you, transforms you. The old fear of letting go in sexual man is dead and the new man orgasm, and the fear of dying. has arrived. Can you please comment on this? Big Chief Sitting Bull had been constipated for many moons. So It is really very significant an he sent his favorite squaw to the existential question. In these medicine man for help. The three fears humanity has lived medicine man gave the squaw for thousands of years. They are three pills and told her to give not personal, they are collective.
91 They come from the collective borrowed, it is not his own. The unconscious. respectability is borrowed. He himself has no respect for his The fear of going crazy is in own being. His whole personality everyone, for the simple reason, is borrowed from some source ― because their intelligence has not the university, the church, the been allowed to develop. state. He himself has nothing of Intelligence is dangerous to the his own. vested interest. So for thousands of years they have been cutting Just think of a man who lives in a the very roots of intelligence. grand palace with everything conceivable for his luxuries. And In Japan they have a certain one day suddenly you make him tree, which is thought to be a aware that the palace does not great art, but it is simply murder. belong to him, neither this The trees are four hundred, five luxuries belong to him. They hundred years old and six inches belong to somebody else who is high. Generations of gardeners coming and you will be thrown have taken care of them. The out. He will go crazy. technique is the trees are put in a pot without any bottom. So So in deep therapy you will come they go on cutting their roots. across this point and the person They don't allow their roots to go has to face it and allow it. Go into the earth. And when you crazy. Allow in the therapy the don't allow the roots to go situation that the person can go deeper, the tree simply grows crazy. Ones he goes crazy, he old, it never grows up. It is a will drop the fear. Now he knows strange phenomenon to see that what craziness is. The fear is tree. It looks ancient, but it has always of the unknown. Let him only grown old, old, old, but it go crazy and he will soon calm has never grown up. It has never down, because there is no real blossomed, it has never given base to his fear. It is a fear any fruits. projected by the society. And that is exactly the situation The parents say if you don't of man. His roots are cut. Man follow us, if you disobey, you will lives almost uprooted. He has to be condemned. The Jewish God be made uprooted, so that he says in Talmud "I am a very can become dependent on the jealous God, very angry God. society, on the culture, on the Remember that I am not nice, I religion, on the state, on the am not your uncle." And all the parents, on everybody. He has to religions have been doing it. depend. He himself has no roots. The moment he becomes aware So just go off the way, which is that he has no roots, he feels he followed by, the mob and they is going crazy, he is going will declare you crazy. So insane. He is losing every everybody goes on clinging to support, he is falling into a dark the crowd, remaining part of a ditch... because the knowledge is religion, a church, a party, a
92 nation, a race. He's afraid to be them to have it, because it alone, and that's what you are comes from a capitalist world, doing when you bring him to his and to the government of Russia own depths. All that crowd, all it seems like a bribery. This is those connections, disappear. how they purchase people, and He's left alone and there is these are the people who have nobody else on whom he has all the secrets of science. They always depended. don't want to be world known, they don't want to be in contact He has not of his own intelligence with other scientists, they don't ― that is the problem. Unless he allow them to accept Nobel prize. starts growing his own But if the person insists, then the intelligence, he will always result is he is put into a hospital. remain afraid of being crazy. Not only that, the society can make He goes on saying that, "I am him crazy any moment. If the perfectly healthy; why I am society wants to make him crazy, being put in the hospital?" They if that is in their favor, they will say, "Because the doctors feel make him crazy. you are going to be sick. The early symptoms are there, you In Soviet Union it happens may not be aware." And they go almost everyday. I am taking the on injecting the person, he example of Soviet Union because knows nothing of, and within they do it more scientifically, fifteen days he is mad. They methodologically. It happens have made him through their everywhere all over the world, chemicals mad. And when he is but their methods are very perfectly mad, then they produce primitive. For example, in India if him in the court that this man is a person behaves in a way, insane, that he should be which is not approved, he is removed from his job, and that made an outcast. He cannot get he should be sent into a mental any support from anyone in the asylum. And then nobody ever town. People will not even speak hears what happened to those to him. His own family will close people. the doors upon his face. The man is bound to go crazy. You are This is doing it scientifically. But driving him crazy. every society has been doing it, and the fear has entered into to But in Soviet Russia they do it very deep realms of more methodologically and they unconsciousness. And the work have done it to such people who of therapy is to make the person were Nobel prize winners, who free of that fear. If he is free of had intelligence, but an that fear, he is free of society, intelligence, which was always free of culture, free of religion, under control, under the free of God, heaven, hell, and all obedience of the state. And just nonsense. All that nonsense is a single disobedience... because significant because of this fear, they got the Nobel prize, and and to make that nonsense Russian government did not want significant the fear has been
93 created. It is the ugliest crime it is a phony phenomenon, one can think of. It is being done imposed upon him. So there is to every child around the world no need to be worried: in this every moment, and the people situation you can go crazy. Don't who are doing have no bad be afraid. Enjoy for the first time intentions. They think they are you have got a situation in which doing something for the best of you can be crazy and yet not the child. They have been condemned, loved, respected. conditioned by their parents. And the group has to respect the They are transferring the same person, love the person ― he conditioning to their children. needs it, and he will cool down. And he will come out of the fear But basically the whole humanity with a great freedom, with great stands on the verge of madness. stamina, strength, integrity. In deep therapy the fear grips suddenly, because the person is The second fear is of sexual losing all the props, supports; orgasm. That too is created by the crowd is disappearing farther religions. All religions are existing and farther away; he is being left because they have turned man alone. And suddenly there is against his own energies. Sex is darkness and there is fear. He man's whole energy, his life has never been trained, energy, and religious prophets disciplined for being alone and and messiahs, messengers of that is the function of meditation. God, they all are doing the same No therapy is complete without work in different words, different meditation, because only languages, but their work is the meditation can give him his lost same... to make man an enemy roots, his strength of being an of himself. individual. There is nothing to fear. But the conditioning is that And the basic strategy is ― you have to be afraid on each because sex is the most powerful moment, each step. energy in you ― sex should be condemned, a guilt should be The whole humanity lives in a created. Then arises a problem paranoia. This humanity could for the individual. His nature is have lived in paradise; it is living sensuous, sexual, and his mind is in hell. So help the person to full of garbage against it. He is in understand that this is nothing to a split. Neither he can drop the be worried, there is nothing to be mind, because dropping the mind afraid. It is a created fear. Every means dropping the society, the child is born fearless. He can play religion, the prophet, Jesus with the snakes with no fear. He Christ, and God, everything. He's has no idea of fear or death or not capable to do that unless he anything. Meditation brings the has become an individual and is person back to his childhood. He able to be alone without any is reborn. fear. So help the person to understand So man is afraid of sex as far as why the fear is. Make it clear that his mind is concerned, but his
94 biology has nothing to do with The woman needs time to warm the mind. The biology has not up. Her whole body is erotic, and received any information from unless her whole body is the mind. There is no throbbing with joy, she will not communication. The biology has be able to experience orgasm. its own way of functioning, so For that there is no time. the biology will draw him towards sex and his mind will be standing So for millions of years women there continuously condemning have been completely denied him. So he makes love, but in a their birthright. That's why they hurry. That hurry has a very have become so bitchy, so psychological reason. The hurry continuously nagging, always is he is doing something wrong. ready to fight. There is no He is doing something against possibility of having a God, against religion. He is conversation with a woman. You feeling guilty and he cannot are living with a woman for manage not to do it, so the only years, but there is not a single compromise is: do it, but be conversation that you can recall quick. That avoids the orgasm. when you both were sitting together talking about great Now there are implications upon things of life. No. All that you will implications. A man who has not remember will be fighting, known orgasm feels unfulfilled, throwing things, being nasty, but frustrated, angry, because he the woman is not responsible for had never been in a state which it. She's being deprived of her nature provides freely, where he whole possibility of blissfulness. could have relaxed totally and Then she becomes negative. And become one with the existence, this has given chance to the at least for few moments. priests. All the churches and the temples are filled up with women Because of his hurry he cannot because they are the losers, manage the orgasm. Sex has more than men. Because the become equivalent to more man's orgasm is local; his ejaculation. That is not true as whole body is not erotic. So his far as nature is concerned. whole body does not suffer any Ejaculation is only a part, which damage if there is no orgasmic you can manage without orgasm. experience, but the woman's You can reproduce children, so whole body suffers. biology is not worried about your orgasm. Your biology is satisfied But it is good business for if you reproduce children, and religions. Unless people are they can be reproduced only by psychologically suffering, they ejaculation, there is no need for will not come to the churches. orgasm. They will not listen to all kinds of idiotic theologies. And because Orgasm is a tremendous gift of they are suffering, they want nature. Man is deprived and some consolation, they want because he is so quick in making some hope, at least after death. love that the woman is deprived. In life they know there is no
95 hope; it is finished. And this violent, more loving. Orgasm is gives a chance to religions to going to give you your roots, show to men and women both which have been taken away that sex is absolutely futile. It from you. So don't be worried. has no meaning, no significance. And mixed will be the fear in You are unnecessarily losing your orgasm that one may go crazy. If energy, wasting your energy, in orgasm one goes crazy, help and their argument seems to be him to go crazy. Only then he correct because you have never will be able to have it in its experienced anything. totality. But the orgasm relaxes every fiber of your mind, your So by preventing the orgasmic heart, your body. experience religions have made men and women slaves. Now the It is immensely important for same slavery functions for other meditation that a person has the vested interests. The latest priest experience of orgasm. Then you is the psychoanalyst. Now he's can make him understand what exploiting the same thing. And I meditation is. It is an orgasmic was amazed to know that almost experience with the whole all new priests, particularly existence. If the orgasm can be Christians, study psychology in so beautiful and so beneficial, so their theological colleges. healthy with a single human Psychology, psychoanalysis have being, meditation is getting into become their necessary part of oneness with the whole that education. Now what psychology surrounds you, from the smallest has to do with Bible? What blade of grass to the biggest psychoanalysis has to do with star, millions of years away. Jesus Christ? They are being trained in psychology and This... once he experiences.... psychoanalysis, because it is The question is always the first clear that the old priest is experience. Once he knows it, disappearing, losing his grip over that that craziness was not people. The priest has to be craziness, but a kind of explosion made up to date, so he can of joy, and that cools down and function not only as a religious leaves him behind, healthier, priest, but also as a more whole, more intelligent, psychoanalyst, psychologist. then the fear of orgasm is Naturally the psychologist cannot disappeared. And with it he is compete with him. He has finished with the religion, with something more: religion. the psychoanalysis and all kinds of nonsense for which he is But this whole thing has paying so tremendously. And the happened through a simple third fear you say is of death. device of condemning sex. So The first is of being alone. Much when in your groups you find of the fear of death will be people fearing of orgasm, help destroyed by the first experience them to understand that orgasm of being alone and having no is going to make you more sane, fear. The remaining much of the more intelligent, less angry, less fear of death will be immediately
96 destroyed by the experience of Socrates is a man. Therefore orgasm, because in the orgasm Socrates is mortal. And when I the person disappears. The ego was taught that syllogism for the is no more. There is an first time, I stood up and I said, experiencing, but the experiencer "Wait. I may be the exception. is no more. Up to now I have been the exception. Why not tomorrow? These first two steps will help to About Socrates I accept the solve the third step very easily. syllogism is true because he is And with each step you have to dead, but what about me? What go on deepening his about you? What about all these meditativeness. Any therapy people who are living? They have without meditation cannot help not died yet." much. It is just super fear, touching here and there, and Experiencing death ― people soon the man will be same again. dying in disgust, in misery, in A real transformation has never suffering, in all kinds of pain, old happened without meditation, age ― that gives you the fear of and these are beautiful situations death. Because nobody has as far as meditation is known the death of an concerned. enlightened man, how beautifully he dies, how joyously he dies. So use the first to make him The moment of his death is of alone. Use the second to give tremendous luminosity, silence, him courage and tell him to drop as if joy is radiating from every all thoughts, just go crazily pore of his being. Those who are orgasmic. Don't bother what near him, those who have been happens. We are here to take fortunate to be near him, will be care of you. With these two steps simply surprised that death is far the third will be very easy. That more glorious than life has ever is the easiest. It looks the been. biggest fear of man. It is not true. You don't know death; how But this kind of death happens can you be afraid of it? You have only to people who have lived always seen other people dying. totally, without fear, who have You have never seen yourself lived orgasmically, without dying. Who knows, you are bothering about idiots what they maybe the exception, because are saying. They know nothing there is no proof that you are about it, and they go on saying going to die. Those who have about it. died have given proof that they were mortals. The fear of death will be the simplest out of the three. You When I was in the university and have to solve the first two, and learning logic from my professor, then you tell the person that in every logic book, in every death is not the end of life. If you university around the world, the meditate deeply and reach to same Aristotelian syllogism is your innermost center you will being taught. Man is mortal. suddenly find an eternal life
97 current. The bodies... there have all other fears are very small, been many. There have been they will follow it, they will many forms to your being, but simply disappear. you are just the same. But it has to be not just a belief ― it has to And we have to teach people how be made their experience. to live totally and wholly, against the teachings of all the religions. So remember one thing: your They teach renounce. I teach therapy groups should not be rejoice. ordinary therapy ― just somehow whitewashing and Osho: The Last Testament , Vol. giving a man a feeling that he 2, Chapter 16 (Available on has learned something, he has audiotape only) experienced something and after a week or two he is the same. What is meant by “the head?” There is not a single person in And what is “the way of the the whole world who is totally heart?” psychoanalyzed. And there are thousands of psychoanalysts The first thing to be understood doing psychoanalysis, and not a is that there is no way, either of single case they have been able head or of heart. Every way to complete yet, for the simple leads you away, away from the reason because they have truth that you are. nothing to do with meditation. And without meditation you can It would have been so easy if go on painting on the surface, there were a truth somewhere. but the inner reality remains the Howsoever difficult the way, same. people would have reached. The more difficult, the more far away My therapists have to introduce the truth was, the more meditation as the very center of challenging to the ego. If man's therapy, and everything else ego challenges him to reach the should revolve around it. Then highest peak in the Himalayas, we have made therapy Everest, where nothing is to be something really valuable. Then found; if man's ego gives him it is not only the need those who incentive to waste billions of are sick or of those who are dollars to reach the moon, somehow mentally unbalanced, risking lives.... But man has or of those who feel fears, reached the moon. And the first jealousies, violence. This is a man who walked on the moon negative part of therapy. must have looked silly to himself ― there was nothing for which so Our therapies should be that we much endeavor, technology, give the person his individuality preparation was needed. back. We give him his childhood and innocence back. That we Remember, the ego wants give him integrity, crystallization, challenges. so that he never fears death. And It lives through challenge. once the fear of death disappears Why have so few people been
98 able to have a glimpse of the come all kinds of devotion, truth? ― because it is not a prayer, sentimentality. But the challenge; it is not there, it is heart also goes round and round here within you. It does not need in emotions. any way, you are already it. The word "emotion" is good. But the question has one other Watch...it consists of motion, implication too: Will it ever be movement. So the heart moves, possible for the head and heart but the heart is blind. It moves to be married, or are they going fast, quick, because there is no to remain forever divorced? It all reason to wait. It does not have depends on you, because both to think, so it jumps into are mechanisms. You are neither anything. But truth is not to be the head nor the heart. You can found by any emotionality. move through the head, you can Emotion is as much a barrier as move through the heart. Of logic. The logic is the male in course you will reach different you, and the heart is the female places because the directions of in you. But truth has nothing to the head and the heart are do with male and female. Truth diametrically opposite. is your consciousness. You can watch the head thinking, you can The head will go round and round watch the heart throbbing with thinking, brooding, emotion. They can be in a certain philosophizing; it knows only relationship.... words, logic, argument. But it is very infertile; you cannot get Ordinarily, the society has anything out of the head as far arranged that the head should be as truth is concerned, because the master and the heart should truth needs no logic, no be the servant, because society argument, no philosophical is the creation of man's mind, research. Truth is so simple; the psychology, and the heart is head makes it so complex. Down feminine. Just as man has kept the centuries philosophers have the woman a slave, the head has been seeking and searching for kept the heart a slave. the truth through the head. None of them has found anything, but We can reverse the situation: the they have created great systems heart can become the master, of thought. I have looked into all the head can become the those systems: there is no servant. If we have to choose conclusion. between the two, if we are forced to choose between the two, then The heart is also a mechanism ― it is better that the heart different from the head. You can becomes the master and the call the head the logical head becomes the servant. instrument; you can call the heart the emotional instrument. There are things which the heart Out of the head all the is incapable of. Exactly the same philosophies, all the theologies is true about the head. The head are created; out of the heart, cannot love, it cannot feel, it is
99 insensitive. The heart cannot be The heart can function in certain rational, reasonable. For the dimensions. It has no eyes but it whole past they have been in has legs; it is blind but it can conflict. That conflict only move tremendously, with great represents the conflict and speed ― of course, not knowing struggle between men and where it is going. It is not just a women. coincidence that in all the languages of the world love is If you are talking to your wife, called blind. It is not love that is you must know it is impossible to blind, it is the heart that has no talk, it is impossible to argue, it eyes. As your meditation is impossible to come to a fair becomes deeper, as your decision, because the woman identification with the head and functions through the heart. She the heart starts falling, you find jumps from one thing to another yourself becoming a triangle. And without bothering whether there your reality is in the third force in is any relationship between the you: the consciousness. two. She cannot argue, but she Consciousness can manage very can cry. She cannot be rational, easily, because the heart and the but she can scream. She cannot head both belong to it. be cooperative in coming to a conclusion. The heart cannot You know the story of a blind understand the language of the beggar and a crippled beggar.... head. They both lived outside the village in the forest. Of course, The difference is not much as far they were competitors to each as physiology is concerned, the other, enemies ― begging is a heart and the head are just a few business. But one day the forest inches apart from each other. was on fire. The cripple had no But as far as their existential way to escape, because he could qualities are concerned, they are not move on his own. He had poles apart. eyes to see which way they could get out of the fire, but what use My way has been described as is that if you don't have legs? that of the heart, but it is not The blind man had legs, could true. The heart will give you all move fast and get out of the fire, kinds of imaginings, but how was he going to find the hallucinations, illusions, sweet place where the fire had not dreams ― but it cannot give you reached yet? the truth. The truth is behind both; it is in your consciousness, Both were going to die in the which is neither head nor heart. forest, burned alive. It was such Just because the consciousness an emergency that they forgot is separate from both, it can use their competition. In such both in harmony. The head is emergencies only a Jew can dangerous in certain fields, remain a businessman, and because it has eyes but it has no certainly those two beggars were legs ― it is crippled. not Jews. In fact, to be a beggar and a Jew is a contradiction in
100 terms. gentleman, that he has not fought back, he has accepted the They immediately dropped their slavery voluntarily. The madness antagonism ― that was the only on the earth is the result. way to survive. The blind man took the cripple on his shoulders, We have to change the very they found the way out of the alchemy of man. fire. One was seeing, and the We have to rearrange the whole other was moving accordingly. inside of man. Something like this has to And the most basic revolution in happen within you ― of course, man will come when the heart in reverse order. The head has decides the values. It cannot the eyes, the heart has the guts decide for war, it cannot go for to move into anything. You have nuclear weapons; it cannot be to make a synthesis between the death oriented. The heart is life's two. And the synthesis, I have to juice. Once the head is in the emphasize, should be that the service of the heart, it has to do heart remains the master, and what the heart decides. And the the head becomes the servant. head is immensely capable of You have as a servant a great doing anything, just right asset ― your reasoning. You guidance is needed; otherwise, it cannot be befooled, you cannot is going to go berserk, it is going be cheated and exploited. The to be mad. For the head there heart has all feminine qualities: are no values. For the head there love, beauty, grace. The head is is no meaning in anything. For barbarous. The heart is far more the head there is no love, no civilized, far more innocent. beauty, no grace ― only reasoning. A conscious man uses his head as a servant, and his heart as the But this miracle is possible only master ― just the opposite of the by disidentifying yourself from story I told you. both. Watch the thoughts, because in your watching them, And this is so simple for the man they disappear. Then watch your of consciousness to do. Once you emotions, sentimentalities; by are unidentified with head or your watching, they also heart, and you are simply a disappear. Then your heart is as witness of both, you can see innocent as that of a child, and which qualities should be higher, your head is as great a genius as which qualities should be the Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, goal. And the head as a servant Aristotle. can bring those qualities, but it needs to be commanded and But the trouble is far bigger than ordered. Right now, and for you can conceive. It is a male centuries, just the opposite has dominated society; man has been happening: the servant has been creating all the rules of the become the master. And the game, the woman has just been master is so polite, such a following. And the conditioning
101 has gone so deep, because it has of the enemies as quickly as been going on for millions of possible. I am putting women in years. all significant, powerful positions. It is symbolic. Man has a If in the individual the revolution tremendous capacity to do happens and the heart is re things, but he should not be the enthroned, given its right place guide anymore. He is hung up in as the master, and the head his head. He can also become the given the right place as a great master if he puts his heart above servant, this will affect your his head. That's why I said that whole social structure. You can all of my sannyasins are women see it happening in my ― even those who biologically, commune. physiologically, are men. The moment they become sannyasins The woman is the master; she is they have accepted a new not longer mistress, and the man structure, they have put is no longer master. People go on something above their head ― asking me why, for all significant their heart. posts, I have chosen women? For the simple reason that the This is what I mean: that even woman will not create the third men around me start learning world war. It has been a feminine qualities. And feminine historical fact that each war is qualities are the only qualities created by the man, but the worth having. woman suffers most. Strange ― the man is the criminal and the So there is a possibility, but the consequence happens to the possibility has a basic condition woman! The woman loses her to be fulfilled: you become more husband, the woman loses her conscious, a witness, a watcher children. The woman loses her of all that goes on inside you. dignity, because whenever a The watcher becomes country is invaded, the soldiers immediately free from are so much repressed ― just identification. Because he can like the monks.... Sexually they see the emotions, it is an had no opportunity while the war absolute certainty that "I am not was going on. When the the emotions." He can see the opportunity arises ― they invade thoughts; the simple conclusion a city and conquer it ― their first is, "I am not my thought attack is on the woman. process." "Then who am I?" ― a pure watcher, a witness. And you And the war has nothing to do reach to the ultimate possibility with the woman, she is simply of intelligence in you: You outside of the game ― it is a become a conscious man. male game, just like boxing ― but she has to be raped. Those Amongst the whole world soldiers are hankering not to be sleeping, you become awake, victorious for their nation's glory and once you are awake there is ― that is a faraway thing ― they no problem. Your very awakening are hankering to get the women will start shifting things to their
102 right places. The head has to be fragrance of let go: awareness is dethroned, and the heart has to a flowering of surrender, of be crowned again. This change relaxation. amongst many people will bring a new society, a New Man in the Just sit silently in a relaxed state, world. It will change so many doing nothing... and awareness things, you cannot conceive. will start happening. Not that you have to pull it up from Science will have a totally somewhere, not that you have to different flavor. It will not serve bring it from somewhere. It will death anymore, it will not make shower on you from nowhere. It weapons that are going to kill the will well up from within your own whole of life on the earth. It will sources. You just be silent, make life richer, discover sitting. energies which can make man more fulfilled, which can make But I understand, Asker, your man live in comfort, in luxury, problem. It is very difficult to sit because the values will have silently; thoughts go on coming. completely changed. It will still So let them come! Don't fight be mind functioning, but under with thoughts and you will not the direction of the heart. need any energy. Just let them come ― what can you do? Clouds My way is the way of meditation. come and clouds go; let the I have to use language, thoughts come and let them go unfortunately, that's why I say whenever they want to go. Don't my way is the way of meditation: be on guard, and don't be in a Neither of head nor of heart, but certain attitude that thoughts of a growing consciousness, should come or. should not come which is above both mind and ― don't be judgmental. Let them heart. come, and let them go whenever This is the key to open the doors they want. You be utterly empty. for a New Man to arrive on the Thoughts will pass, they will earth. come and go, and slowly, slowly you will see that you remain Osho: From the False to the unaffected by their coming and Truth , Chapter 31 going. And when you are unaffected by their coming and going, they start disappearing, Do I need to make an effort they evaporate... Not by your to be aware ? effort, but by your cool, calm emptiness, your relaxed state. It is not a question of making efforts to be aware. If you make And don't say that relaxation will efforts to be aware, you will need great energy. How can create tensions inside yourself ― relaxation need great energy? all efforts bring tensions. If you Relaxation simply means you are try to be aware, you are fighting not doing anything. with yourself; there is no need to fight. Awareness is not a by Sitting silently, product of effort: awareness is a 103 Doing nothing, But sometimes it happens that The spring comes your inner beauty is so much, And the grass grows by itself.... your inner light is so much that it starts radiating from your outer Let this mantra sink into your body. Your outer body may not heart. This is the very essence of be beautiful, but the light that meditation!... Sitting comes from your sources, your silently...doing nothing...the innermost sources of eternal life, spring comes...and the grass will make even a body which is grows by itself.... Everything not beautiful in the ordinary happens! You are not to be a sense appear beautiful, radiant. doer. But vice versa it is never true. Your outer beauty is only skin Don't make awareness your goal, deep. It cannot affect your inner otherwise you have missed my beauty. On the contrary the point. I have simply defined. I outer beauty becomes a have said: awareness is virtue, hindrance in search of the inner: unawareness is sin. you become too identified with the outer. Who is going to look Osho: Philosophia Perennis , Vol. for the inner sources? Most often 2, Chapter 4 it happens that the people who are outwardly very beautiful, are inwardly very ugly. Their outer beauty becomes a cover up to What is the connection hide themselves behind, and it is between inner and outer experienced by millions of people beauty? every day. You fall in love with a woman or a man, because you The outer beauty comes from a can see only the outer. And just different source than the inner. within a few days you start The outer beauty comes from discovering his inner state; it your father and mother: their doesn't correspond to his outer bodies create your body. But the beauty. On the contrary it is very inner beauty comes from your ugly. own growth of consciousness that you are carrying from many For example, Alexander the lives. Great had a very beautiful body In your individuality both are but he killed millions of people, joined, the physical heritage just to fulfill his ego that he is from your father and mother and the world conqueror. He met one the spiritual heritage of your own man, Diogenes, when he was on past lives, its consciousness, its his way to India, who lived bliss, its joy. naked, the only man in Greece So it is not absolutely necessary who did, unique in a way. His that the outer will be a reflection beauty was tremendous, not just of the inner, nor will vice versa the outer, but the inner radiance be true, that the inner will was so much and so dazzling correspond with the outer. that even Alexander had to stop his armies when he was close by
104 in a forest near a river. He these things the plastic surgeon stopped the armies and went to can do nothing about. see Diogenes alone; alone, because he did not want anybody For that you will need a different to know that there exists a man kind of surgery. It is happening who is far more beautiful than here: you are on the table. As Alexander himself. you become more and more meditative, peaceful, a deep at It was early morning and onement with existence happens. Diogenes was taking a sunbath, You fall into the rhythm of the naked on the riverbank. universe. The universe also has Alexander could not believe that its own heartbeat. Your a beggar ... He had nothing, no heartbeat, once it starts in possessions even Buddha used rhythm with the universal to have a begging bowl, but that heartbeat, will have transformed too Diogenes had thrown away. your being from that ugly stage He was absolutely without any of animality, into authentic possessions, exactly as he was humanity. born, naked. And even the human is not the Alexander could not believe his end. You can go on searching eyes. He had never seen such a deeper and there is a place beautiful personality and he where you transcend humanity could see that this beauty was and something of the divine not just on the outer side. enters in you. Once the divine is Something infiltrated from the there, it is almost like a light in a inner; a subtle radiation, a subtle dark house. The windows will aura surrounded him. All around start showing the light; even the him there was a fragrance, a cracks in the wall or the roof or silence. the doors will start showing the inner light. If the inner becomes beautiful which is in your hands the The inner is tremendously outer will have to mold itself powerful, the outer is very weak. according to the inner. The outer The inner is eternal, the outer is is not essential, it will have to very temporary. How many years reflect the inner in some way. do you remain young? And as youth fades away you start But the converse is not true at feeling that you are becoming all. You can have plastic surgery, ugly, unless your inner being is you can have a beautiful face, also growing with your age. Then beautiful eyes, a beautiful nose; even in your old age you will you can change your skin; you have a beauty that the youth can change your shape. That is may feel jealous of. not going to change your being. Inside you will still remain Remember, from the inner the greedy, full of lust, violence, change to the outer happens, but anger, rage, jealousy, with a I am not making it inevitable. tremendous will to power. All Most often it happens, but
105 sometimes the outer is in such a thousand beautiful cows. Their rotten state that even the inner horns were covered with gold radiation cannot change it. and diamonds. This was going to be the prize for the champion. It There have been cases on was a hot day and the cows were record: one very great mystic of perspiring. India I have spoken on him for almost half a year continuously. He told his disciples, "You take His name was Ashtavakra. And these cows. As far as winning the what he has written is competition is concerned, I am tremendously important; each certain. Why should the cows sentence has so many suffer here? You take them to dimensions to be explored, but our place." They had their own the man himself was in a very place in the forest. difficult situation. Even Janak could not prevent Ashtavakra the name was him, because he knew that he given to him, because he was had been the champion almost like a camel. In eight continuously for five years, and places he was distorted in the he would be the champion this body one leg was longer, one time, because there was nobody arm was shorter, his back was else who could defeat him. It is bent in eight places he was not right to take the reward distorted. That's how he was before you have won, but his born, with a crippled, distorted victory was so certain to body. But even in a crippled and everybody that nobody objected. distorted body the soul is as And his disciples took away all beautiful as in the most beautiful the cows. body. While Yagnavalkya was He became enlightened, but his discussing, a very unknown body was too rigid to change scholar was also present in the with his inner change. His eyes conference. Ashtavakra was this started showing something of the unknown philosopher's son. His beauty, but the whole body was mother was waiting for her in such a mess. husband to come home. It was The story is that the emperor of getting late and the meal was India in those days was Janak getting cold. So she sent and he was very much interested Ashtavakra to bring his father in philosophical discussions. Each home, because he could not win year he used to call a big the competition. Why should he conference of all the scholars, unnecessarily waste his time? He philosophers, theologians or was a poor scholar and there whoever wanted to participate. It were great scholars there. was a championship competition. Ashtavakra went. There were at One very famous philosopher, least one thousand people in the Yagnavalkya came a little late. conference, the highly cultured The conference had started and and sophisticated scholars of the he saw standing outside one country.
106 then began the long inquiry of As Ashtavakra entered, looking Janak, the emperor. He asked at his distorted body they all questions and Ashtavakra started laughing. But Ashtavakra answered them. Each answer in was a man of tremendous itself carried so much meaning integrity. As they started and significance. laughing, he laughed even louder. Because of his loud laugh Because his body was in such a they stopped. They could not bad shape he could not get believe that he was laughing. identified with it. Sometimes blessings come in such disguise. Janak asked him, "I can He could not go out, because understand why they are wherever he went people would laughing because of your laugh, "Look at that man! Have body; but I cannot understand you seen anything uglier than why you are laughing. And you this?" stopped all their laughing with your laughter." A single man So most of the time he was in stopped one thousand people's the house, meditating, figuring laughter. out, "Who am I? Certainly I am not this body, because I can be Ashtavakra said to Janak, "I aware of this body, I can observe thought this conference was for this body from within. Certainly scholars and philosophers, but that awareness has to be these are all shoemakers. They different from the body." can understand only the skin. They cannot see the inner, they Because of his crippled body he can only see the outer." experienced enlightenment. The only barrier is identification with There was a great silence. What the body. But he could not he was saying had a great truth identify, the body was so ugly. in it. Janak dissolved the He never looked in a mirror; it conference and said, "Now I would have been such a shock. would like to inquire of Ashtavakra only. He has defeated But Yagnavalkya had to return you all just by his laughter and those one thousand cows to his statement that, `You can't Ashtavakra's house. He was see the inner, you can only see young and he defeated one the outer; you are all thousand old philosophers in the shoemakers.' Shoemakers work ancient scriptures. with the skin of different animals. I dissolve the conference and, It is one of the strangest things Yagnavalka, return those one in this country that on every thousand cows, because you also book written by any prominent laughed. And when Ashtavakra mystic there have been hundreds laughed, you also stopped!" of commentaries, but nobody has commented before me on It was a very strange situation; it Ashtavakra. And he must be at had never happened before. And least five thousand years old. For
107 five thousand years nobody has The inner comes out, you cannot bothered to look into his hide it much. Now he is being statements, which are so very calculating. At the time of significant. death, unnecessarily annoying anybody ... and who knows But his inner enlightenment, his where you are going? It is better inner understanding could not to keep silent. change his outer appearance. And yet for those who are going A wealthy widower and his deeper into themselves, the beautiful daughter are on a sea outer does not matter. They cruise. By chance the girl falls would have seen even in overboard, and Rubin Ashtavakra tremendous beauty, Fingelbaum, aged seventy, but it would not have been of the splashes in afterwards and outer circumference, but of the rescues her. After the two are center. brought on board the ship, the widower throws his arms around Most often the inner change Rubin. changes the outer, if the outer is "You saved my daughter's life," not too rigid. But the outer never he cries. "I'm a rich man I will changes the inner. give you anything! Ask for whatever you want!" You need to have eyes, going "Just answer me one question," deep into people's beings, which replies Rubin. "Who pushed me?" is possible only if you are going inwards yourself. The deeper you What is inside is bound to come go into yourself the deeper you outside. can look into other people's How can you hide it? beings. And then a totally new world opens its doors. An old black preacher had used the letters B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. Flanagan is on his deathbed and after his name for many years Father Murphy has come to give without ever having had anyone him the last rites. "Open your from his congregation ask what eyes," says the priest. "We have they meant. Finally a nosey old got to save your immortal soul." woman questions him about it. Flanagan opens one eye, closes it "Well, sister," he answers. "You and tries to doze off. He is know what B.S. stands for, don't having such a nice snooze. you?" "Come on now!" says Father "I sure do," says the lady Murphy. "If you don't want to indignantly. "Bull shit!" confess, at least answer me this: "Right," says the preacher. "And do you renounce the devil and all M.S. just means more of the his works?" same, and Ph.D. means piled "Well, I don't know," says high and deep." Flanagan, opening one eye again. "At a time like this it That's the inner side of most doesn't seem very smart to upset people: bull shit, B.S.; M.S., anyone." more of the same; and Ph.D.,
108 piled high and deep. the periphery of our being that we have forgotten that the No plastic surgeon can change it. periphery does not exist in itself. But you are capable of changing There must be a center inside. it yourself. It is within your And the search for the center is hands. Nobody can do anything the only religious search not about your inner being except for God, not for heaven, not for you. You are the master of your any rewards for your virtues, not inner world. And as the inner to avoid hell and punishment. world becomes silent, naturally your eyes become deeper, with There is only one authentic an oceanic depth. As your inner religious search and that is to being becomes cloudless your know your innermost being. It is face also becomes cloudless, just the being of the whole universe. an open sky. As your inner being By entering your innermost comes to discover the source of temple you have entered the real your life, the flame of your life, temple. All other temples are something of that flame starts false, man manufactured; all radiating from every pore of your other gods in those temples are body. false, they are man manufactured. This is the rule. Ashtavakra is an exception. Exceptions don't make Only one thing is not man the rule, they only prove the manufactured and that is your rule. But it has never happened innermost dignity, your vice versa before, and I don't innermost grace. That grace think it can ever happen. starts flooding your outer being too. And that grace transforms We are all trying to be beautiful not only the inner, but gives a on the outside: all kinds of new look to your outer being: an make up, all kinds of things are innocence, a serenity, a depth, a going on to make your outer peace, a love, and these are all beautiful. flowers blossoming around you. Then even your periphery I Have Heard... becomes so beautiful, so musical, A man was catching flies. Finally such a dance of rejoicing. But after two or three hours' effort you should start from the inner. he caught four flies. He told his wife, "I have caught four flies: Osho: Sat Chit Anand, , Chapter two are male, two are female." 27 The wife said, "My God, how did you figure out who is male and who is female?" He said, "Easy! Two were sitting for almost two hours on the mirror and two were for two hours reading the newspaper!" We are so much identified with
109 VIGYAN BHAIRAV 5. Attention between eyebrows, let mind be before thought. Let TANTRA TECHNIQUES form fill with breath essence to the top of the head and there (from the 'Book of Secrets' by shower as light. Osho ) 6. When in worldly activity, keep attention between two breaths, and so practicing, in a few days be born anew. 7. With intangible breath in center of forehead, as this reaches heart at the moment of sleep, have direction over dreams and over death itself. 8. With utmost devotion, center on the two junctions of breath and know the knower. 9. Lie down as dead. Enraged in wrath, stay so. Or stare without moving an eyelash. Or suck Following are the 112 techniques something and become the given by Lord Shiva to Devi as sucking. answers to her questions. 10. While being caressed, sweet 1. Radiant one, this experience princess, enter the caress as may dawn between two breaths. everlasting life. After breath comes in (down) and just before turning up (out) 11. Stop the doors of the senses the beneficence. when feeling the creeping of an ant. Then. 2. As breath turns from down to up, and again as breath curves 12. When on a bed or a seat, let from up to down through both yourself become weightless, these turns, realize. beyond mind.
3. Or, whenever in breath and 13. Or, imagine the five colored out breath fuse, at this instant circles of the peacock tail to be touch the energy less, energy your five senses in illimitable filled center. space. Now let their beauty melt within. Similarly, at any point in 4. Or, when breath is all out (up) space or on a wall until the and stopped of itself, or all in point dissolves. Then your wish (down) and stopped in such for another comes true. universal pause, one's small self vanishes. This is difficult only for 14. Place your whole attention in the impure. the nerve, delicate as the lotus 110 thread, in the center of your do not place it on the person in spinal column. In such be question, but remain centered. transformed. 25. Just as you have the impulse 15. Closing the seven openings to do something, stop. of the head with your hands, a space between your eyes 26. When some desire comes, becomes all inclusive. consider it. Then, suddenly, quit it. 16. Blessed one, as senses are absorbed in the heart, reach the 27. Roam about until exhausted center of the lotus. and then, dropping to the ground, in this dropping be 17. Unminding mind, keep in the whole. middle until. 28. Suppose you are gradually 18. Look lovingly at some object. being deprived of strength or of Do not go to another object. knowledge. At the instant of Here in the middle of the object deprivation, transcend. the blessing. 29. Devotion frees. 19. Without support for feet or hands, sit only on the buttocks. 30. Eyes closed, see your inner Suddenly, the centering. being in detail. Thus see your true nature. 20. In a moving vehicle, by rhythmically swaying, 31. Look upon a bowl without experience. Or in a still vehicle, seeing the sides or the material. by letting yourself swing in In a few moments become slowing invisible circles. aware.
21. Pierce some part of your 32. See as if for the first time a nectar filled form with a pin, and beauteous person or an ordinary gently enter the piercing and object. attain to the inner purity. 33. Simply by looking into the 22. Let attention be at a place blue sky beyond clouds, the where you are seeing some past serenity. happening, and even your form, having lost its present 34. Listen while the ultimate characteristics, is transformed. mystical teaching is imparted. Eyes still, without blinking, at 23. Feel an object before you. once become absolutely free. Feel the absence of all other objects but this one. Then, 35. At the edge of a deep well leaving aside the object feeling look steadily into its depths until and the absence feeling, realize. the wondrousness.
24. When a mood against 36. Look upon some object, then someone or for someone arises, slowly withdraw your sight from
111 it, then slowly withdraw your 47. Enter the sound of your thought from it. Then. name and, through this sound, all sounds. 37. Devi, imagine the sanskrit letters in these honey filled foci 48. At the start of sexual union of awareness, first as letters, keep attentive on the fire in the then more subtly as sounds, then beginning, and so continuing, as most subtle feeling. Then, avoid the embers in the end. leaving them aside, be free. 49. When in such embrace your 38. Bathe in the center of sound, senses are shaken as leaves, as in the continuous sound of a enter this shaking. waterfall. Or, by putting the fingers in the ears, hear the 50. Even remembering union, sound of sounds. without the embrace, transformation. 39. Intone a sound, as aum, slowly. As sound enters 51. On joyously seeing a long soundfulness, so do you. absent friend, permeate this joy.
40. In the beginning and gradual 52. When eating or drinking, refinement of the sound of any become the taste of food or letter, awake. drink, and be filled.
41. While listening to stringed 53. Oh lotus eyed one, sweet of instruments, hear their touch, when singing, seeing, composite central sound; thus tasting, be aware you are and omnipresence. discover the ever living.
42. Intone a sound audibly, then 54. Wherever satisfaction is less and less audibly as feeling found, in whatever act, actualize deepens into this silent harmony. this.
43. With mouth slightly open, 55. At the point of sleep, when keep mind in the middle of the the sleep has not yet come and tongue. Or, as breath comes the external wakefulness silently in, feel the sound "hh". vanishes, at this point being is revealed. 44. Center on the sound "aum" without any "a" or "m". 56. Illusions deceive, colors circumscribe, even divisibles are 45. Silently intone a word ending indivisible. in "ah." then in the "hh," effortlessly, the spontaneity. 57. In moods of extreme desire, be undisturbed. 46. Stopping ears by pressing and the rectum by contracting, 58. This so called universe enter the sound. appears as a juggling, a picture show. To be happy, look upon it so.
112 59. Oh beloved, put attention see many suns in water from one neither on pleasure nor on pain, sun, so see bondage and but between these. liberation.
60. Objects and desires exist in 70. Consider your essence as me as in others. So accepting, let light rays from center to center them be transformed. up the vertebrae, and so rises "livingness" in you. 61. As waves come with water and flames with fire, so the 71. Or in the spaces between, universal waves with us. feel this as lightning.
62. Wherever your mind is 72. Feel the cosmos as a wandering, internally or translucent ever living presence. externally, at this very place, this. 73. In summer when you see the entire sky endlessly clear enter 63. When vividly aware through such clarity. Shakti, some particular sense, keep in the awareness. 74. See all space as if already absorbed in your own head in the 64. At the start of sneezing, brilliance. during fright, in anxiety, above a chasm, flying in battle, in 75. Waking, sleeping, dreaming, extreme curiosity, at the know you as light. beginning of hunger, at the end of hunger, be uninterruptedly 76. In rain during a black night aware. enter that blackness as the form of forms. 65. The purity of other teachings is an impurity to us. In reality, 77. When a moonless rainy night know nothing as pure or impure. is not present, close eyes and find blackness before you. 66. Be the unsame same to Opening eyes, see blackness. So friend as to stranger, in honor faults disappear forever. and dishonor. 78. Wherever your attention 67. Here is the sphere of change, alights, at this very point, change, change. Through change experience. consume change. 79. Focus on fire rising through 68. As a hen mothers her chicks, your form from the toes up until mother particular knowings, the body burns to ashes but not particular doings, in reality. you.
69. Since, in truth, bondage and 80. Meditate on the make believe freedom are relative, these world as burning to ashes and words are only for those terrified become being above humans. with the universe. This universe is a reflection of minds. As you
113 81. As subjectively, letters flow 92. Put mindstuff in such into words and words into inexpressible fineness above, sentences, and as, objectively, below and in your heart. circles flow into worlds and worlds into principles, find at last 93. Consider any area of your these converging in our being. present form as limitlessly spacious. 82. Feel: my thought, i ness, internal organs me. 94. Feel your substance, bones, flesh, blood, saturated with the 83. Before desire and before cosmic essence. knowing, how can i say i am? Consider. Dissolve in the beauty. 95. Feel the fine qualities of creativity permeating your 84. Toss attachment for body breasts' and assuming delicate aside, realizing i am everywhere. configurations. One who is everywhere is joyous. 96. Abide in some place 85. Thinking no thing will limited endlessly spacious, clear of trees, self unlimit. hills, habitations. Thence comes the end of mind pressures. 86. Suppose you contemplate something, beyond perception, 97. Consider the plenum to be beyond grasping, beyond not your own body of bliss. being. you. 98. In any position gradually 87. I am existing. This is mine. pervade an area between the This is this. Oh beloved, even in armpits into great peace. such know illimitably. 99. Feel yourself as pervading all 88. Each thing is perceived directions, far, near. through knowing. The self shines in space through knowing. 100. The appreciation of objects Perceive one being as knower and subjects is the same for an and known. enlightened as for an unenlightened person. The 89. Beloved, at this moment let, former has one greatness: he mind, knowing, breath, form, be remains in the subjective mood, included. not lost in things.
90. Touching eyeballs as a 101. Believe omniscient, feather, lightness between them omnipotent, pervading. opens into heart and there permeates the cosmos. 102. Image spirit simultaneously within and around you until the 91. Kind devi, enter etheric entire universe spiritualizes. presence pervading far above and below your form.
114 103. With your entire 108. This consciousness is the consciousness in the very start of spirit of guidance of each one. Be desire, of knowing, know. this one.
104. O shakti, each particular 109. Suppose your passive form perception is limited, to be an empty room with walls disappearing in omnipotence. of skin empty.
105. In truth forms are 110. Gracious one, play. The inseparate. Inseparate are universe is an empty shell omnipresent being and your own wherein your mind frolics form. Realize each as made of infinitely. this consciousness. 111. Sweet hearted one, 106. Feel the consciousness of meditate on knowing and not each person as your own knowing, existing and not consciousness. So, leaving aside existing. Then leave both aside concern for self, become each that you may be. being. 112. Enter space, supportless, 107. This consciousness exists as eternal, still. each being, and nothing else exists. 115 Professionals using OSHO Meditaions The Watcher on the Stage An experiment to bring meditation into the theater By Nayano "Early in 1998 I was asked to conduct an experimental course in teaching Osho Active Meditations to drama students." This was at the invitation of the director of the Amsterdam Theatre Academy, Jooph Huysman. An Osho meditator for the past 20 years, I have for the last 8 of those years run workshops in meditation in and around Amsterdam. The opportunity to work with the Theater Academy was of particular interest to me as I had studied drama 22 years ago. Jooph explained that he wanted to teach the students "distant acting." In this approach the actor is disciplined in playing a role and not feeling identified or emotionally involved at all. Jooph added that in some of the students' lessons, like Aikido and T'ai chi, a lot of emotions and painful memories from the past had been coming up for them, and he did not want that. Apparently, when the school had been under different directorship, students had had classes in which to work with their emotions, but it had taken the form of therapy something that the current director wanted to avoid. He was concerned that what I would be offering might be something like that, and would evoke even more emotions. In addition, since Jooph told me that he had been in a Buddhist monastery himself for five years, from what he said I concluded that he understood meditation to be a means by which to control emotions. "I knew through my training as a drama student those many years ago that emotions certainly need to be acknowledged." I'd recognized a need to be active and to be able to express myself, to have an acceptable way of releasing the anger I knew was inside me. But I was given to understand then that this was not the place to let my anger out; nor I was offered an alternative way to deal with my feelings. It seemed to me I was only going to be able to cultivate a fake personality, while the deepest longing in me was to be able to be myself. t was largely because of this situation that I had chosen to leave the theater academy. What drew me to the Osho meditative methods is the understanding on which they are based, namely the validation of our emotional life, but not as an area that needs to be "therapized." Rather, that when we accept and totally experience or go through whatever feelings or thoughts might be provoked instead of
116 "sitting on them," repressing them we gain a sense of dis identification from them, or "distance." Once repressed energies are released, a natural sense of peace and calm follows. An added benefit is that these methods activate the being on all levels, promoting general flexibility, strength and relaxation. This later point took care of Jooph's wanting to provide students with a physical workout as part of their curriculum. Once he saw the rationale behind emotional release through the meditations I was offering, we agreed to proceed with my course proposal. We held an initial 1 hour "test" lesson to which eight students were invited, men and women, in their twenties. Jooph said they were his most critical students, the ones who would be relentless in their feedback! I presented the "Stop Dance!" meditation, combined with "Gibberish." For the first segment, I let the students dance to three totally different types of music. Twice I suggested they dance with closed eyes and once with eyes open. This simple strategy provokes different feelings, and thus different ways of dancing. In between I asked them to stop and watch inside what might be happening any thoughts or feelings...to simply be aware of them. After the last dance I suggested they begin "Gibberish" a kind of verbal release in which nonsense words are made, noises, sounds, sentences without any meaning. Since there was only one hour for the explanation, doing the methods and the evaluation we did a shortened form of the meditation techniques. Even so, it had a strong effect on the students: they said they felt very serene, relaxed, and more "in their heart." Some felt many different emotions during the dance, partly because of the different sorts of music, and also during the gibberish feelings ranging from joy to sadness to anger. One woman cried and felt very touched, because she could say "yes" to her sadness. Some felt emotional afterwards, sadness and fear. They were being observed as I was by the director of the school, so this created some self consciousness. I did mention this fact at the beginning, so they could include it in their meditation. For some this was still inhibiting for others, not at all. All of the students loved the meditation very much. "The students' feedback and the director's enthusiasm were encouraging, so it was agreed that I would undertake to teach four different groups of students, almost half of the entire school." Three of those groups were from the first year, the fourth from the second and third year together. As the course progressed and the word spread, students from other classes who felt they needed something
117 like this also, began to drop in. The course comprised ten lessons of 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes. In the first lesson the students were introduced to the Stop Dance meditation. This was followed by Osho Kundalini, Osho No mind, and the Laughter meditation. In the fifth session a technique to help with dis identification of feelings was used: the Russian mystic, George Gurdjieff's, "Way of the Sly Man." Subsequently, students tried Osho Dynamic Meditation, Mandala, No dimensions, Devavani, the Sufi "Prayer" method and Ramana Maharshi's, "Who am I?" technique. I suggested that between the lessons the students keep a diary in which to record their insights related to their meditation practice. I also gave them homework in the form of specific meditative devices, e.g. to watch their breath whenever they caught themselves in different emotions, or to stop suddenly in the middle of some action. At the time of writing, the courses with two groups have been concluded, with the other two to finish shortly. "In spite of their initial skepticism, the majority of students responded very positively to the meditations’ The following is the evaluation of the groups who have completed the course. Several students reported that they felt deeply relaxed each time they did the meditations. Other specific comments included: "I see emotions come and go, they are not me. So I do not have to be afraid that I will remain stuck in one, because they come and go. With several meditations I could see it was impossible for my mind to be prepared and so I had to trust my first impulse. This is very important for me also with acting." " I learned from the meditations that it is very important to indicate my boundaries to other people, and to respect my own authority, longings and rights." "I felt especially great after the laughter meditation, the feeling of loving myself, like a baby." "I love the structure of the meditations, from a physical effort towards a mental relaxation. One goes a bit further than one thinks the body can handle. This stops the endless, worrying mind. After the effort, when I sit, the mind is empty." "It is a pity that there is not more time to go to the roots of certain feelings or thinking patterns. So much comes up. It is a pity that you open the bottle, but you cannot continue drinking it."
118 "What I find very good is letting the thoughts go or pass, especially in the Gibberish meditation." "Through the Dynamic and Mandala methods I now know that I have much more energy then I thought." "The Mandala was great! I love to challenge my limits. The Dynamic did a lot: I had to cry, it was very strong. For the whole weekend I felt it. But it has certainly taken off the pressure." "I have come to know myself better. All the meditations were great, even though beforehand I felt a bit skeptical about it." "I always felt open during the lessons and I accepted what was given. If I could not apply it immediately or if 'nothing' was happening I did not reject it, but left it open. I often came out of the meditations very calm and peaceful, even when I had to cry after Dynamic. It was kind of funny. I thought 'Ah, well,' then after five minutes it was over and I thought: 'Alright, that was that.'" "I felt very good that we were never pushed to feel something, it was not forced." "I have experienced many things that were totally new for me. Already with the Kundalini I felt it touched me. I had to cry so much! First I stopped it, and then it came out, after all. I did not know what happened, but it felt great." "What I learned was that through not giving attention to negative thoughts, the way opens to lots and lots of energy. I could go on and on." "Dynamic was horrible, but it was the first meditation which did something to me. I touched on so much anger during it, and also afterwards. Usually I am very good at repressing, but suddenly that did not work anymore. With the Mandala I tapped into a seemingly endless source of energy." "I felt so relaxed after all this activity. Maybe it is because you do not have time to think." "At first I was skeptical, but I always felt so relaxed afterwards and light. Usually there was a little time where I felt some anger or some irritation at the beginning of the meditation and then it went into peace, joy and relaxation. This was the strongest with the Gibberish." "The Dynamic and Mandala, besides making me aware of an immense tension in my muscles afterwards, made me realize that I have much more energy then I use. Now when I am running I keep this in my memory and can go much further than I used to. I also go into a kind of trance with these meditations and I love that."
119 "Even though we had only ten lessons, I feel it has made me more at ease and peaceful. I recognize my emotions much better, especially because during the meditations we never had to go into stories or reasons why these emotions are there." "Most meditation lessons ended for me with the same experience: relaxed and quiet." "The meditation that impressed me most was the Dynamic. The thoughts were absorbed in the action; during the dance I disappeared in the music and movements." "I do not know what the meditations mean for me. I feel nothing has happened. You said that maybe I expect too much and then do not see what is happening.... I have been more aware of my breathing since these lessons." Many wrote that when they saw "Active meditation" on the program, their response was that meditation was something airy fairy or for those poor souls who needed to purify themselves! After a few lessons already they all felt very different, realizing that it was helping them very much. Some of them regret that the course is over now. My own response to my experience was that the course fitted well with the theater school. Through the meditative approach they found a way to both experience whatever feelings were evoked and to move beyond those feelings into a deeper level of being. I am currently working on a 4 year proposal for the drama academy.
120 HEALTH AND MEDITATION Meditation and Brain Rot By: Amrito MD RECENT RESEARCH HAS NOW ESTABLISHED that thinking too much can rot the brain. What they have yet to discover is that meditation is the key to the "off" button. The Economist puts it perfectly: "Just as hard labor leaves marks on the hands, hard thinking leaves marks on the brain." And medical research has known for some time that the brain is a malleable organ: the brains of sportsmen look different from computer users. In the 1960's, research at University of California at Berkeley showed that rats brought up in a stimulating environment had denser, more complex brains than those in boring environments. Even old rats put in a more interesting cage show the same changes in their brains, with more synaptic connections between the cells supporting the old adage of "use it or lose it." Not only do the brain cells increase, but the blood supply which brings the needed energy sources increase too. So, not only do "young interested rats develop 20 25 more synapses per nerve cell than do their bored contemporaries," but also they have "80% more capillaries" to supply the energy bearing blood. Recent research by William Greenough and his colleagues at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign subjected three sets of rats "acrobats," "jocks," and "couch potatoes" to different environments with the acrobats challenged by tasks that required coordination, the jocks just challenged physically, and the couch potatoes not challenged at all. The acrobats showed dramatic changes to the parts of the brain involved with coordination. But what about overdoing it? It is also known that thinking too much can kill brain cells. It appears that chemicals excreted by thinking cells may not be cleared away quickly enough and may poison and kill the brain cells. When Ruben Gur at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia asked men he was studying to relax, they could not their brains kept banging away at whatever they had been doing before without their being aware of it. Essentially this means, like all non meditators, they were unaware of their thinking.
121 By contrast, women shifted to thinking about something completely different, using a different part of their brain. This difference, he believes, may explain his other main finding, which is that men's brains rot a lot faster than women's. Despite their big head start, by the age of 45, with their attention span and memory failing, the front of the men's brains which is responsible for "complex thinking" has shrunk to same size as "the frontal lobes of women of the same age." Alzheimer Lite all round for the boys. So, not surprisingly, the brain works very much like the rest of our biological system. Rest between periods of exertion is the natural way of functioning. Lack of rest will cause over training in athletes and reduce their function...the same is obviously true of the brain. And there is an intriguing relationship between awareness of breath and the fatigue that precedes heart attacks in stressed patients, over training in athletes, and the chronic fatigue syndrome in others.... And while at least the athletes muscles rest while he or she sleeps, our multimedia brains do not. They switch over to a picture show called dreams, which in stressed, tense people can be quite a horror show. Similarly it is not surprising that other investigators are increasingly recognizing a connection between alertness and function on the one hand, and relaxation on the other. The key to reducing brain loss with age is the ability to relax the brain which means allowing the mind to stop and rest. The first essential step is to become aware of our thoughts. This is the knack of meditation. Then you can experience a real surprise. Thoughts are very shy. The moment you become aware of them, they begin to dissolve, leaving behind, "the peace that passeth all understanding."
122 PERSONAL EXPERIENCES Driving Madness Up the Wall By Dr. Wilfried Nelles Driving Madness Up the Wall To the modern mind, hyped up by CNN, cellular phones and cyberspace, the idea of sitting in silent meditation as Buddha's disciples did 2500 years ago seems a remote possibility. Recognizing this, Osho has created active meditations. A former sociology professor describes how Dynamic Meditation revitalizes modern man and 20th century society. It is seven o'clock. My son leaves for school, and I change out of my pajamas into gym shorts and a T shirt. More is not needed, soon I will feel warm enough. For I am about to meditate meditate dynamically, that is. Dynamic is a very curious meditation, particularly if seen from the outside. Is has little to do with images of bald shaven monks sitting for hours on cold stone floors, even less with the chanting of sacred mantras, or contemplations on holy matters. Its time is the early morning, and its message is simple: wake up! because that is easier said than done, as it meets with so much resistance within ourselves, it employs massive, energetic, and strenuous means to shake us awake. We live in fortunate unfortunate times. Everything has gone topsy turvy. We no longer know why we live, what we are living for, what we are doing, whether we really want what we want. We have lost our bearings and are rapidly losing our ultimate dreams. Some of us are conscious of it, many sense it more or less, but the majority don't want to know anything about it. We throw ourselves into work, pleasure, all sort of activities, or turn to alcohol or drugs to avoid the obvious. Counselors are in greater demand than ever, the more traditional one like astrologers, card reader or soothsayers as well as the modern variation you can dial during a TV show or consult in a book. They tell you how to eat, how to walk, what to wear where and when, in which direction to have your head while you sleep, how to get rich, how to get or stay healthy, and , last but not least, how to love. But the more good counsel we get, the more knowledge we collect about "how to", the more we feel lost, the more we feel left behind. Our so called modern enlightened consciousness is, it seems, a very unhappy consciousness. The more developed a civilization is, the more neurotic, the more psychologically ill, the more addicted, the more suicidal are its members. After all the great social visions of our age have popped like soap bubbles the latest being the breakdown of socialism life seems to have fizzled down to something we simply must get through, or, to use a phrase coined by Max Weber "to bear like a man". Which is OK if you are on the side of the fence where the fleshpots are full. But the flesh in the pots is getting putrid, even
123 affluence doesn't hold what it once promised and deep down we all know it, however much we are dying to have it. We love our dreams and it hurts when they are broken. But that's how it is and we have no say in it. All we can do is repress the pain, close our eyes and hearts in order to avoid it. But one day it catches up with us, when some unforeseen event an illness, an accident, a war, a natural catastrophe, a human encounter, even our own end rips a gap in our personal preoccupations and we ask ourselves in anguish: "Was that it? Was that really it?" Every time a dream is destroyed, is reveals as just a dream and shattered to pieces, we are on the point of awakening. But the question is: Do we want to wake up? Do we really want to be disillusioned? Or do we prefer to hold on to our illusions until the bitter end? Basically, we have no alternative. Anybody who just pauses a moment and takes an unblinkered look at the state of the world, sees this huge nightmare for what it really is, knows that that this nightmare will explode sooner rather than later and all our private little dreams will explode along with it. Do we, do you, do I want to wake up? While the tape with the music that accompanies Dynamic Meditation is being rewound on my tape deck, I mechanically do my preparations: I pull a foam rubber mattress in place so that I won't hurt myself in case I feel like throwing a fit, and I blow my nose as thoroughly as I can. For the nose must be free, otherwise nothing is possible. Then I start the tape.: a loud gong resounds, and already the drums start. I stand there feet firmly on the ground, but otherwise as loose as possible,' and breathe as fast and deep and chaotically as possible, through the nose. The mouth is closed firmly, and so are the eyes. That's anyway what the instructions say. Today I feel better than during the last few days, but the breathing doesn't come particularly fast, let alone deep. My nostrils are blown wide open, but hardly any air seems to come in. The left nostril is like it always is in the first few minutes almost shut, and the right one also feels pretty narrow. True, I usually take it easy at first, allowing myself approximately one minute warming up time before really getting into the huffing and puffing, but this time I feel more low than loose. But didn't I feel particularly fit just now? Ah, that's it! I am feeling well enough, and precisely because of it I'm afraid that this small amount of well being might get disturbed if I really get going; I would like to cling to it a little longer and not enter into the shit right away. Often enough we don't want to really wake up. Yes, we want to get rid off the bad dreams, the nightmares, but the beautiful ones? Many of us are hankering after the good old times. We complain about the present and seek solutions that were long ago obsolete. Specters from
124 the Nazi past raise their ugly heads here and there, skinheads with a skull as an emblem. True, their ideas are stupid and dull, but what alternative has our society to offer them? Caviar instead of Big Macs, champagne instead of Coke, career instead of sex 'n drugs 'n rock 'n roll? And on top of that a few arid (and phony) sermons on the glories of reason? Reason has become a dead tree without fruits, a tree that says: "Sorry, no fruits anymore, you have to understand, you have to live with that." If we were prepared to really look, we would see in these drifting youngsters the mirrors of our own lack of perspective and vision. And the same goes for the dead junkies, for the battered babies, for the sexually abused children, for the sick relationships, for those infinitely sad dead end sidings called "old people's homes", for those dehumanized life prolonging and dying wards in our health repair garages, for all those alcohol wrecks, cancer heart failure and AIDS patients. Whoever has the guts to speak the truth can only have something like this to say: "Those of you who believe in fortifying sand castles, who want more out of life than just another kick from food or sex, but also more than just defying adversity, more than just a `reasonable` acquiescence with what cannot be changed... if you want life, all of it, then you will have to create it yourselves, find your answers from your own inner selves without any chart. There are no other goals than those. That's why you are here. You are unique. You yourself are the goal, the answer, the meaning. Yes, you." There is little more to be said about this. In Europe, the legacy of the 19th century is defunct, finished for good, even if occasionally nationalism still rises from its grave. The final sellout and fall of communism is much more than just the collapse of a certain social system or empire. It is also the death of Marxism as a religion, and that has far wider implications. "The children of Marx and Coca Cola" as a famous French cin*aste of the sixties, Jean Luc Godard, summed up the student rebels of the time are dying out. Now there is only Coca Cola left. That is the revolution, or perhaps even more: a spiritual landslide, comparable to Galileo's discoveries putting an end to the Middle Ages, and with it all the certainty of a universally shared cosmology, a common Weltanschauung. For what went down the drain along with Marxism is the last of the great Western attempts to find a common answer to the burning question about the meaning of life. We now know: there is none. Unless you accept it's Coca Cola for that's the bottom line of what society has to offer. Or unless you accept it's in yourself. But who are you? That's the only question the remains: Who am I? Here I am getting up early in the morning and breathing like crazy through my nose. Is that a way to find the answer? Really, it
125 looks more like losing your marbles than finding your senses. But is it really less sensible than say, for argument's sake, what the philosopher Immanuel Kant was doing? He spent all his life in his Ksnigsberg ivory tower, torturing his brain and churning out long winded sentences nobody can understand, replacing the Ten Commandments with Kantian Imperative intended to guide man in his moral action. But, in fact, it didn't change him one iota. Or is it less sensible than what Marx was doing when he was planning the salvation of man in the Reading Room of the British Museum? These tinkers may have done the most sensible and best thing possible in their time, but now it is high time to have a good look at ourselves in person, not in theory. After all, it is the sum total of all of us that's creating our history. And for that no books are needed. In books, all we can find are other people's thoughts. rehashing the thoughts of yet other people. What is needed is a mirror that helps us look within ourselves. And Dynamic Meditation is just such a mirror. And that's why I stand here, huffing and puffing like an express train. When I note my halfheartedness, I change to a higher gear. My nose is still damned narrow, but I know this will change soon. Within minutes I have reached a speed that leaves my thoughts painting behind. That is one of the purposes of the exercise: the mind is blown away fear nothing, it will come back! All I hear now is a staccato of massive outbreaths, driven on by frenzied drums. I realize that even more is possible (more is always possible), and breathe even more deeply. I think nothing, there is only breathing deeper, faster, madder. It's totally far out. When a pang of pain shoots up somewhere. I just take note of it, and then I am back with the breathing. From a certain speed limit, a certain speed limit, a certain intensity on, I a simply in it, and it is fun to go for the maximum. The drums build up to a climax. Then the gong end of phase one. The first phase of Dynamic Meditation is the awakening to a new life. "Wake up, man!" it seems to be shouting at us. "Come out of your ancient sleep, step out of the maze of your dreams, be they sweet or nightmarish. Stop letting yourself be trapped by these dreams, drop your limitations and live! Breathe! Breathe and live! Open yourself for the Breath of Life, take in as much of it as you can possibly take! Stop philosophizing about life, stop losing yourself in the dreams of others, stop dreaming of Day x when you will really start living! Do it yourself, do it now! LIVE." Breath is life. The first and the lest breath are the two extremes between which our human existence moves. God, it is said, put his breath into Adam fashioned of clay, making him come to life. The Hindu word for breath, prana, is synonymous with life energy. A breath therapist can decode the way I live from the way I breathe. Each of us has our own breath patterns, each has subconscious tricks of how to avoid certain experiences that may be threatening to the
126 unconscious, by simply changing the breathing rhythm. That's why ancient schools like yoga as well as modern psychotherapies use breath as a path to bring harmony back to body and soul, or to bring to light, and heal, traumatic experiences hidden deep in the unconscious. But this is not bringing harmony this is chaos! Deep, fast breathing dissolves the cemented patterns of our psyche, makes everything move and tingle, and charges the body with oxygen and life energy, blowing apart our psychosomatic structure, the order that was created by the circumstances of our birth and our background conditioning. We are coming closer to life in is original wildness, unpredictability, power. The onward march of rock music since the sixties is a sign of the human soul's need for the chaotic side of life, for expansions, for unfettered movement. It was expressed in frenetic solos on the guitar and drums. Every artist know this, and every child. For children that are granted a certain freedom, every day is new. That's why they have a different sense of time. Life is more intense, open for discoveries and surprises. That's what Jesus must have had in mind when he said: "Unless you become like children...." no molds, no pattern, simply vulnerable, curious and innocent. But we don't only have patterns, we are patterns. We have become so much one with them, that we are not even aware of the fact, we don't even notice them. We lost our innocence long ago, and we want to find it again. And we will to find it again if we want to enjoy, to really celebrate life and not go dragging on alone. So my choice with this meditation is either to breathe as if all hell were let loose, or forget about ever coming alive again. The fear of what it means to come alive again is in every one of us, and it is understandable. We have no idea what's going to happen if our carefully maintained inner and outer mechanisms break down. Maybe there is an inner order, what Heraclitus called "the hidden harmony." But who knows maybe not. Yes we may have an inkling, but we don't know. That's where a Master, an Awakened One, play such a central role in the spiritual search. In him if he is not a pretender this inner harmony, this being in tune with the innermost heartbeat of existence, has taken shape. In him we can feel it, in him it gets a voice and a face. In him, transcendence is not just an abstract term, but a palpable reality. We can also be mistaken, of course, but on the spiritual path there is no security, no guarantee anymore. The traditional meditation techniques created some 2,500 years ago aim at a gradual pacification of the mind over decades of patient practice, as in Japanese Zen or Tibetan Buddhism. Both traditions have become very popular in the West over the last few years. By contrast, Osho Dynamic meditation is more of a shock therapy. All meditation techniques are tricks, attempts to put the mind to sleep without consciousness falling asleep with it to allow a glimpse of no mind, the dimension beyond the mind.
127 Whether or not a technique works is a question of who uses it. But the people for whom the ancient techniques were developed are no more. We live in a totally different world today. Dynamic Meditation is a method for modern man as he is neurotic, speed, confused. It helps to bring all the mess of the modern mind to a boil so that it can evaporate. Whit these methods, tanks to the ingenuity and genius of Osho who invented them, a new path to meditation has been hewn through the jungle of today's mind, thicker and more tangled than ever before in the evolution of man.
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