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/