Sadhana
Most of the stress felt by the modern man is because of the continuous inner dialogue that goes on in the mind. There have to be some silent spaces in which the mind rejuvenates and regenerates its energy. In the twenty-four hours of a day you need to be silent for an hour or so, whenever it is convenient. The internal dialogue will go on but don't be a party to it. It is not so difficult if you follw these keys given by Osho.
Detached listening
Sit without doing anything and hear the talk within just as you would hear two people talking, but don't get involved; just listen to what one part of the mind is telling another. Whatever comes, let it come; don't try to repress it. Only be a witness to it.
Wild horses of the mind
A lot of rubbish that you have gathered over the years will come out. The mind has never been given the freedom to throw away this rubbish. When given the chance, the mind will run like a horse that has broken his reins. Let it run! You sit and watch.
To watch, just watch, is the art of patience. You will want to ride the horse, to direct it this way or that, because that is your old habit. You will have to exercise some patience in order to break this habit.
Speak your thoughts
If it is convenient and possible, speak your thoughts out loud so that you can also hear them, because within the mind the thoughts are subtle and there is the fear you may not be very conscious of them. Speak them aloud, listen to them, and be very aware and alert to remain well separated from them. Resolve to speak out whatever comes to mind, but be absolutely unbiased and neutral.
It is absolutely necessary to empty the mind patiently for six months, because all your life you have done nothing but load it with thoughts. If you work at this method wholeheartedly and sincerely, you will begin to hear the footsteps of silence.
Copyright Osho International Foundation/www.osho.com
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Freedom Of Women Will Be The Freedom Of Men
Women dancing freely at the Osho International Meditation Resort, Pune
Sadhana
I didn't post this blog on women's day on purpose. I don't like this hullabaloo about woman's upliftment or liberation. As if woman is some retarded creature and she has to be uplifted and brought to the level of man. The fact is, it's the man who needs to be liberated from his inhibitions. If he changes his attitude towards the woman -- inner and outer, the womanhood will get all the space to grow and evolve. Because a woman has to live in the man's world.
Remember the golden words of Osho: "The freedom of women is going to be the freedom of men too. The day the woman is accepted as equal, man will find himself suddenly free."
Osho tells all the men of the world: " You will have to go through a very deep inner spring cleaning and see that the woman is the victim. And because she is the victim and has no positive way to resist, to fight, she finds indirect ways: of nagging, of screaming, of throwing tantrums. These are simply hopeless efforts. And naturally her rage against the whole of humanity becomes focused on one man, the husband.
The freedom of women is going to be the freedom of men too. The day the woman is accepted as equal, given equal opportunity to grow, man will find himself suddenly free from the bitchiness that he used to feel from the women. And he will be surprised that neither is she a cat nor is he a dog -- both are human beings.
It is time.
Man has come to a certain maturity. We can create a world together, with men and women sharing their insight, their visions, their dreams. Because they are different, their dreams are different, their contributions to the society will be different. And if a society can be created in which men and women have participated equally, that will be for the first time the richest society in the world -- and without all this bitchiness and nagging and fighting.
Excerpted from Sermons in Stones
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Dropping the armor around
Osho International Meditation Resort Pune, India. A woman practising body movement.
Sadhana
If you experience the feeling of being enclosed, hemmed in by limitations around your body, it may be that you are carrying body armoring around you. These old patterns of protection can be dissolved, allowing you to feel free again.
And it is good that you are becoming aware of it. You are carrying it unconsciously. If you don't carry it, it will disappear.
Osho says, small exercises like breathing, running and visualizing that a load is being dropped, or taking your armor off while undressing for bed can help you regain your freedom. Here are some Osho tips worth trying.
Emphasize your exhalation
While walking or sitting, or whenever you are not doing anything, exhale deeply. The emphasis should be on exhalation, not on inhalation. Throw out as much air as you can and exhale through the mouth. But do it slowly so it takes time; the longer it takes the better, because then it goes deeper. When all the air inside the body is thrown out, then the body inhales. Don't you inhale. Exhalation should be slow and deep, inhalation should be fast. This will change the armor near the chest, and the throat.
Visualize while running
If you can start running a little that will be helpful. Not many miles, just one mile will do. Visualize that a load is disappearing from the legs, as if it is falling. Legs carry armor if your freedom has been restricted too much; if you have been told to do this and not to do that, to be this and not to be that, to go here and not to go there. So you start running…. And while running, also put more attention on exhalation. Once you regain your legs and their fluidity, you will have a tremendous energy flow.
Take off your armor at night
In the night when you go to sleep, take off your clothes, and while taking them off, just imagine that you are not only taking off your clothes, you are taking off your armor too. Actually do it. Take it off and have a good deep breath – and then go to sleep as if unarmored, with nothing on the body and no restriction.
Excerpted from Osho books
Friday, February 22, 2008
Mediums and channels…all gibberish
Sadhana
Hey, there is something interesting I want to share with you. Yesterday someone phoned and said in a deep voice," I am calling from Sweden, I am Osho's channel. I talk to Osho regularly and I have some important information to pass to the Inner Circle. Can you tell me their names?"
I said suppressing my laugh, " Didn't Osho tell you their names? If the information is so important, he must have told you whom to impart it to."
He said, " This is no joke. I am serious. At least give me their email ids."
I said, " I am not joking either. Why don't you ask Osho about the email ids? He knows everything."
He grunted, "It means you are not interested."
I said, " Sorry, wrong number."
This triggered my curiosity and I dived into Osho books. And this is what I found. Have fun!
"These people who have become channels are not in any meditative state, one thing. The second thing is that whatever messages they are bringing are such crap that it is disrespectful towards the dead. Those poor fellows cannot say anything now, that "this is not my message."
I have looked into a few of the books which these channels have produced -- they are absolutely rubbish! They can be valued only by weighing them -- that much paper has been wasted. I have not come across a single mediumistic book which shows the greatness or the grandeur of a Gautam Buddha. And strangely enough, all these mediums are not mentioning the names of the real masters because then, compared to their statements, the rubbish message that they bring will look too poor.
If somebody says, "This is a message from Gautam Buddha," then it has to be of his quality. So they are talking about masters who have never happened, they are talking about masters who happened on the continent of Atlantis which has drowned. Fortunately there is no proof now, no document, no evidence left about whether there was such a master, ever.
But I can say that these statements are not coming from any master. The statements themselves are not luminous. There is nothing that gives them the authority of experience. It is all gibberish.
And you should also see that these people who have been chosen for this great work of becoming vehicles... their lives don't prove it. They are just as greedy, as angry, as jealous as anybody else. Their mediumship would have transformed them. In fact, unless they were transformed, they could not become mediums."
Sermons in Stones # 9/Copyright Osho International Foundation
Hey, there is something interesting I want to share with you. Yesterday someone phoned and said in a deep voice," I am calling from Sweden, I am Osho's channel. I talk to Osho regularly and I have some important information to pass to the Inner Circle. Can you tell me their names?"
I said suppressing my laugh, " Didn't Osho tell you their names? If the information is so important, he must have told you whom to impart it to."
He said, " This is no joke. I am serious. At least give me their email ids."
I said, " I am not joking either. Why don't you ask Osho about the email ids? He knows everything."
He grunted, "It means you are not interested."
I said, " Sorry, wrong number."
This triggered my curiosity and I dived into Osho books. And this is what I found. Have fun!
"These people who have become channels are not in any meditative state, one thing. The second thing is that whatever messages they are bringing are such crap that it is disrespectful towards the dead. Those poor fellows cannot say anything now, that "this is not my message."
I have looked into a few of the books which these channels have produced -- they are absolutely rubbish! They can be valued only by weighing them -- that much paper has been wasted. I have not come across a single mediumistic book which shows the greatness or the grandeur of a Gautam Buddha. And strangely enough, all these mediums are not mentioning the names of the real masters because then, compared to their statements, the rubbish message that they bring will look too poor.
If somebody says, "This is a message from Gautam Buddha," then it has to be of his quality. So they are talking about masters who have never happened, they are talking about masters who happened on the continent of Atlantis which has drowned. Fortunately there is no proof now, no document, no evidence left about whether there was such a master, ever.
But I can say that these statements are not coming from any master. The statements themselves are not luminous. There is nothing that gives them the authority of experience. It is all gibberish.
And you should also see that these people who have been chosen for this great work of becoming vehicles... their lives don't prove it. They are just as greedy, as angry, as jealous as anybody else. Their mediumship would have transformed them. In fact, unless they were transformed, they could not become mediums."
Sermons in Stones # 9/Copyright Osho International Foundation
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Is it necessary to sell bliss?
Sadhana
It is an old religious conditioning that expects to get meditation for free.In fact spirituality is the ultimate luxury, one should be ready to pay the highest price for it. Particularly in this age when everything has a price tag, why can't meditation have it too? Pay in cash or in kind, but you must pay.
A journalist once asked Osho:: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT, OR WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO SELL BLISS, WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE IT AWAY?
Osho says : 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 ...
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
It is an old religious conditioning that expects to get meditation for free.In fact spirituality is the ultimate luxury, one should be ready to pay the highest price for it. Particularly in this age when everything has a price tag, why can't meditation have it too? Pay in cash or in kind, but you must pay.
A journalist once asked Osho:: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT, OR WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO SELL BLISS, WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE IT AWAY?
Osho says : 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 ...
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
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/
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/
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Keep Rising in Love
Sadhana
The Valentine's day could be a reminder of the importance of love in human life. Everybody is hungry for love but very few know the art of love. Unless love becomes our way of life we will not feel fulfilled. Celebrating one day of love is not enough.
In the following insights Osho talks about how we can transform the romantic love into an unending growth of cosnciousness.By the way, romance is love gone cerebral as per Osho!
*Love in itself is an experiencing, a moment-to-moment flow with no past being carried; the river remains fresh. But the mind says, possess this woman, possess this man, because who knows about the future? Beware of this mischief of the mind.
*The moment you say, "I love," it has become an experience, it is already dead. Loving is something else; it is a process. You have to dissolve your ego in love. Anything alive is greater than you.
* Do you love yourself? You have not even asked the question. People hate themselves. People condemn themselves, they go on thinking that they are rotten. How can the other love you? Right now, you are worried too much whether the other loves you because you are not certain about your own love, your own worth.
* If you want to go deep in a relationship, first go deep in meditation. Unless you are resolved within yourself you will create more problems. If you move in relationship, all your problems will be multiplied. The greatest and the most beautiful thing in the world is love but can you find anything more ugly, more hell-creating?
* Never fall in love. Try to rise. And rising in love is a totally different matter.
Rising in love means a learning, a changing, a maturity. Rising in love ultimately helps you to become grown-up. And two grown-up persons don't quarrel; they try to understand, they try to solve any problem.
* Love first has to happen in the deepest core of your being. It is the quality of being happily. And the economics of love is: the more you give, the more you have, because in your silent being you are joined with the oceanic, the divine source of all. And you can go on sharing... more and more goes on flowing in you, it goes on welling up.
All quotes are from Osho books/copyright Osho International Foundation/www.osho.com
The Valentine's day could be a reminder of the importance of love in human life. Everybody is hungry for love but very few know the art of love. Unless love becomes our way of life we will not feel fulfilled. Celebrating one day of love is not enough.
In the following insights Osho talks about how we can transform the romantic love into an unending growth of cosnciousness.By the way, romance is love gone cerebral as per Osho!
*Love in itself is an experiencing, a moment-to-moment flow with no past being carried; the river remains fresh. But the mind says, possess this woman, possess this man, because who knows about the future? Beware of this mischief of the mind.
*The moment you say, "I love," it has become an experience, it is already dead. Loving is something else; it is a process. You have to dissolve your ego in love. Anything alive is greater than you.
* Do you love yourself? You have not even asked the question. People hate themselves. People condemn themselves, they go on thinking that they are rotten. How can the other love you? Right now, you are worried too much whether the other loves you because you are not certain about your own love, your own worth.
* If you want to go deep in a relationship, first go deep in meditation. Unless you are resolved within yourself you will create more problems. If you move in relationship, all your problems will be multiplied. The greatest and the most beautiful thing in the world is love but can you find anything more ugly, more hell-creating?
* Never fall in love. Try to rise. And rising in love is a totally different matter.
Rising in love means a learning, a changing, a maturity. Rising in love ultimately helps you to become grown-up. And two grown-up persons don't quarrel; they try to understand, they try to solve any problem.
* Love first has to happen in the deepest core of your being. It is the quality of being happily. And the economics of love is: the more you give, the more you have, because in your silent being you are joined with the oceanic, the divine source of all. And you can go on sharing... more and more goes on flowing in you, it goes on welling up.
All quotes are from Osho books/copyright Osho International Foundation/www.osho.com
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