Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Pay for your meditation

Sadhana

Just read Pramod's explanation about OIF's action against sannyasworld.com. It was so educative. It is true, people call themselves Osho lovers without realizing what it means to be a lover of such an outstanding consciousness. They think their love gives them a license to go against Osho's wishes.
Pramod's revealing answer reminded me of an Osho talk. Once Osho was asked,in 1976 to be precise: "Why must everybody who wants to do meditation or hear the lecture pay for this?"
Osho said, " Why not? You pay for everything in life, why not for your meditation? You are ready to pay for whatsoever you want. You know that you have to pay. Meditation you don't want. If it is given free, and even with a prasad, then you will think about it. You are ready to go to the movie and pay for it; why should you not pay for your meditation and the lecture if you want to hear it?
If you are really religious, you will be ready to pay for your meditation with everything, even with your life.
What is money? If you pay five rupees for something, and if you earn ten rupees a day, then you have paid with half the day. Money is just a symbol that you have devoted half your day's labor for it. You go to the movie and you pay ten rupees for a ticket; you earn ten rupees per day. You are saying that this movie is worth it -- "I can stake one day's labor for it." But you are not ready to stake anything for your meditation, for religion. In fact, religion is the last thing on your list. You want it free; basically you don't want it. If there is a price to it you start feeling uneasy.
You ask why you have to pay here? The price that is asked is nothing; it is just the beginning of learning a certain lesson: that one has to pay for everything, and certainly for prayer, certainly for meditation -- because it is the highest thing in life. Those few rupees that you have to pay are very symbolic, just token -- they indicate something. If you are ready to pay something, then I know you will be persuaded to pay more. By and by, one day you will be able to stake your whole life for it. If you are not ready to even pay five rupees, it is impossible for you to stake your whole life.
There are only two ways. One is: somebody else should donate for you. But why should somebody else donate for you? You will meditate and somebody else will donate for you? Why? If you want to meditate, you pay for it. And if you really want to meditate you will be ready to pay for it; there should be no hitch about it. If you don't have money, go and earn it. If it is absolutely impossible, then come and work in the ashram and pay that way, workwise. But don't ask to come for free.
This idea of getting religion for free has entered so deep in the mind that people think they have a claim. People come to the office and they say, "Why are we not allowed?" But why should you be allowed? You have to earn it to be allowed. Just because you want to come in does not mean much.
You have to show that you are sincere, you have to show that you are not just here out of curiosity. What is the way to check a person? The easiest way is money... because the greatest greed is for money , so whenever you have to lose your money you have to lose a little part of your greed. When you pay five rupees for entry, you are paying by dropping a little greed. The money is not the problem, the problem is greed; you are dropping a little greed. And this is just a beginning -- because meditation can happen only when all greed disappears.

The Discipline of Transcendence Vol 4/

9 comments:

Photo Kath/ ZEN Counseling said...

Quote : " When you pay five rupee for entry..."
Honestly ,I would even pay 20 rupee , but certainly not 9 $ (Dollar) (that's the entry now -isn't it true??? 500 rupees)

Beloved Sadhana,

This is such an old lecture ...that I guess , nobody can take you seriously here.
And this are just 500 rupee to come into my own Ashram , don't forget the AIDS test .
So, before I am HOME I need what ? 2000 rupee ? Just to walk through the gateless-gate ?
Good Luck here ,
wishing you all the Best Katha.

swami anand terry said...

Beloved Katha,
Oshos lectures answer individual questioners,and the answer varies according to the questioner.Sad Sadhana,using a 30 year old answer to justify the venality of the resort! She should do what I have done,and retire ,from such nonsense.

Love,Swami anand terry

samayika said...

Beloved Katha,

If that lecture is too old for you, try this one.

---o0o---


Q:* WHY IS IT IMPORTANT, OR WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO SELL BLISS, WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE IT AWAY?

A:* No. Because anything that is just given away is never taken by anybody. The higher the cost, the better people will keep it, save it in their treasuries. Give it free, and it has no value, because people don't understand value unless it has a price. They understand price, they don't understand value ...

Q:* I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU TO REPEAT SOME OF THE WORDS YOU JUST SAID... WHY BLISS HAS TO BE SOLD.... WHY YOU SELL BLISS.
COULD YOU GRANT US THREE MORE MINUTES?

A:* I can, but I cannot repeat what I have said; I will say something else.

I don't believe in repetition.

Everything in this world has to be achieved. You have to pay a price for it, and the bigger the price you pay for it, the higher is your estimate of it. If bliss, ecstasy, joy, were all available, like water, free -- nobody will be able to appreciate their value.

You don't know the real value of water unless you have been thirsty in a desert. While he was in India, Alexander was asked by a great Master, "If you are in a desert and thirsty and I have a full bottle of water, how much will you be ready to pay for it?" Alexander said, "I will pay half my empire in such a situation." But the Master said, "I will not sell until you pay me the full empire. Why should I sell? If you are willing to pay half, that is indication enough that if I just wait a little more, the customer is going to feel more thirsty and is going to pay the full empire."

And Alexander agreed that perhaps he would give the whole empire. And the Master laughed. He said, "Then what are you doing? Wasting your whole life for a bottle of water? Are you stupid or something?"

The world understands things in its own way. Otherwise, my bliss is freely available to anybody who can appreciate it, who is vulnerable to it, who is open to receive it. There is no price tag on it. But those who cannot understand anything unless they pay for it -- for those poor people, we have to put a price on everything. It is out of compassion.

The Last Testament, Vol. 1, Chapter 21

---o0o---

We are all entitled to our views. Osho too.

Love,
J.

Photo Kath/ ZEN Counseling said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Photo Kath/ ZEN Counseling said...

That's why I am willing to pay ..OK let's make it 50 rupee !

PS :My bliss is freely available to anybody who can appreciate it,
Love & Bliss Katha.

swami anand terry said...

Samayika !
"But those who cannot understand anything unless they pay for it -- for those poor people, we have to put a price on everything. It is out of compassion."
Fair enough,but what about the people who CAN understand,but are deterred by having to pay.Jesus for example distributed loaves and fish to a multitude to enable them to take time off work to listen to him !(excuse poetic license!)
Love,Swami AnandTerry

swami anand terry said...

Swami Upageya to me
show details 3:15 PM (1 hour ago)



Wollte gerade einen KOmmentar posten, aber ausgerechnet eine Verbercherfirma wie Google wollte dazu erst mal meine Daten.

Wenn Du willst, kannst du dies ja, auch mit meinem Namen, posten.


What a joke these people are.
Nobody minded paying for meditations while Osho was there. And may I remind those liars that the cost used to be 1 Rupee.
Nowadays the 21 simply claim to do Oshos work, while all they actually do, is finance a resort in which they live in luxury and where even Oshos pictures are removed. If they actually believe, that any sannyasin with half a brain will pay for this, they are not just crooks, they are also idiots.
Remember what Osho used to say: A religious organisation is like a sewage plant. The big pieces will float to the top.

Have fun...

The Bishop said...

Sannyas World's response to OIF's policy:

http://www.sannyasworld.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=867

Satrakshita

The Bishop said...

Sannyas World's comment a bit tinier:

http://tinyurl.com/ys3ox3