Sadhana
Whenever I travel in India I find more and more young people coming to Osho meditations. It is so refreshing to see them- bright, intelligent, healthy, no religious air. What they want is joy and freedom. Osho meditations suit them perfectly. No committment, no gurudom, simply scientific and experiential. We all have a blast together.
Osho's message is certainly for the young. But who is young?
Osho says, " My message for the young is to always remain young. Never become old. Your body will become old, but your mind has no necessity to become old. If your mind remains young and fresh, ready to learn, ready to explore new dimensions of life, you are alive. The moment your mind stops exploring, expanding, you are no more alive. You may vegetate, you may drag your body around for twenty, thirty more years. My experience is that people die near about thirty but live to near about seventy-five. Those forty-five years they are just hanging around like cabbages, and when there are so many vegetables all around you, there's no room for young people to live.
Others want to prescribe everything in your life. You can remain young only if you never accept any conditioning from anybody else. Youngness is something like sharpening your sword; you should inquire into everything on your own. Don't believe in the holy scriptures, because there is nothing holy in them, they are not even first-rate literature.
Your starting point should not be belief, but a healthy doubt. And remember, doubt does not mean disbelief, doubt simply means, "I don't know and I want to inquire. I have not come to a conclusion to say yes or no."
Doubt is youth, belief is old age. The person is tired of inquiry; he has started believing in somebody else. It is better to die as a seeker; at least you will have the contentment that you did everything that was possible, and you will have an originality.
And this is my experience: to wear your original face is the greatest joy in the world, but everybody is wearing a mask. Somebody is Hindu, that is a mask; somebody is a Mohammedan, that is a mask. A young man has to fight against all masks; he has to declare to the universe, "I am going to remain individual, I am going to remain just myself, I am not going to imitate anybody. And I will do everything that is possible to find the truth."
And whenever anybody has made this decision, has had this determination, he has always found. Existence is very compassionate.
The Last Testament Vol. 4
Monday, April 28, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Laughter Meditation
SadhanaWhen did you laugh last? In case you have forgotten, let me remind you that only human beings can laugh, no other species is endowed with this amazing capacity. What a great honor!
Many laughter clubs have sprouted around the world and doctors advise it as a therapy, too. But laughter cannot cleanse emotions if it does not dig deeper into the giggle points which is also the source of tears. If tears do not follow laughter, it remains superficial. Also, after laughing totally if you don't sit silently and meditate, laughter will be nothing but catharsis.
Laughter can be a great medicine and it can cure many tensions, anxieties, worries if it is total and unconditional, says Osho.
Laughing 'at' somebody is sick, laughing for a reason is intellectual, and laughing without a reason is spiritual. For it is an expression of one's hidden sources of energy.
Osho is so creative that he has even devised a meditation out of laughter. Very easy and delightful to do.
So on your marks get set and go!
First stage: 30 minutes
Laugh for no reason at all – go in and find your own laughter inside. Allow the laugher to bubble up from the inside.
Create a giggle in the very guts of your being, as if your whole body is giggling, laughing. Start swaying with that laughter; let it spread from the belly to the whole of your body: hands laughing, feet laughing. Go crazily into it. For thirty minutes do the laughing. If it comes uproariously, loudly, allow it. If it comes silently, then sometimes silently, sometimes loudly, but simply laugh for thirty minutes.
Second stage: 15 minutes
Lie down on the belly, silent and still Lie down on the floor; spread yourself on the floor, facing the floor. Make contact with the earth, the whole body lying down there on the earth, and just feel that the earth is the mother and you are the child. Get lost in that feeling. Breathe with the earth, feel one with the earth. We come from the earth and one day we will be going back to it.
Third stage: 15 minutes
Dance to the tune of energizing music.
Courtesy Osho International Foundation
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Find Your Voice Find Your Song
Participants who found their voices and their songsSadhana
Everyone of us would love to do it, wouldn't we? But our voices are suppressed so much that many people carry a block in their throat, which is more emotional than physical. Osho Multiversity offers many courses that help people remove their blocks and help the energy flow freely.
One such course is Finding Your Voice Finding Your Song. Recently people from 8 different countries and four different continents participated in a fun-packed intensive at OSHO International Meditation Resort this last weekend culminating in a heart-warming performance on Monday night. This 4-day course is an invitation for everyone to reconnect with their unique instruments (themselves) and their potential for sound and singing. “In a place like this where the focus is on meditation and celebration, music is a wonderful tool to explore and express ecstasy and silence,” says Satyam the course facilitator.
In these four days participants start “making friends” with their voices through playful singing games and interactions. “Many people arrive feeling inhibited – they only sing in the shower or alone in the car, or maybe not at all. In this course by creating a trusting and light-hearted environment people soon open up and soon find themselves performing uninhibitedly with a microphone and then creating their own song inspired by some beautiful words of Osho,” says Abhijat, who has assisted in the course many times.
Watching these people sing joyously one thinks why can't everyone sing like a bird?
Osho says, "If we can destroy the inferiority complex... which is very simple: the teachers and the parents just have to be aware not to impose themselves on the helpless children. And just within two decades the new generation will be free of the inferiority complex. People will express their creativity. There will be musicians, there will be dancers, there will be painters, carpenters. There will be all sorts of creativity around the world. But nobody is competing with anybody else; he is simply doing his best. It is his joy. The joy is not in competing, the joy is not in coming first; the joy is in doing it. It is not outside the act, it is intrinsic to the act."
Friday, March 21, 2008
Reclaim the Glory of Tibet
Sadhana
Osho says, " This is the greatest calamity of the twentieth century that Tibet has fallen into the hands of materialists who don't believe that you have anything inside you. They believe that you are only matter and your consciousness is only a by-product of matter. "
The latest turmoil in Tibet only proves that in today's world you can't enslave human beings for long. It is no wonder that more than 100 Buddhist monks who believe in non- violence and peace have kicked off the protests against the cruel regime of China, which quickly attracted hundreds of other Tibetans and saw one of the biggest markets in Lhasa ablaze. It was a "Free Tibet Campaign."
Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said the protests were a result of the long simmering public resentment of the "brute force" employed by China to maintain control of the region for more than 50 years. He also urged his fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.
Osho has expressed great concern over the untoward incidents in Tibet:
" The only country in the world which has devoted all its genius to the inner exploration is Tibet. Its findings are of tremendous value. But unfortunately, Tibet has fallen into a darkness. Its monasteries have been closed, its seekers of truth have been forced to work in labor camps. The only country in the world which was working -- a one-pointed genius, all its intelligence in the search for one's own interiority and its treasures -- has been stopped by the communist invasion of Tibet.
"It was such a beautiful experiment, and Tibet had no weapons to fight with, they had no army to fight; they had never thought about it. Their whole thing was an introverted pilgrimage.
"Nowhere has such concentrated effort been made to discover man's being. Every family in Tibet used to give their eldest son to some monastery where he was to meditate and grow closer to awakening. It was a joy to every family that at least one of them was wholeheartedly working on the inner being.
"These monasteries had no comparison in the whole world. These monasteries were concerned with only one thing: to make you aware of yourself.
Thousands of devices have been created down the centuries so that your lotus can blossom and you can find your ultimate treasure. The destruction of Tibet should be known in history, particularly when man becomes a little more aware and humanity a little more humane..."
Excerpted from Om Mani Padme Hum
Osho says, " This is the greatest calamity of the twentieth century that Tibet has fallen into the hands of materialists who don't believe that you have anything inside you. They believe that you are only matter and your consciousness is only a by-product of matter. "
The latest turmoil in Tibet only proves that in today's world you can't enslave human beings for long. It is no wonder that more than 100 Buddhist monks who believe in non- violence and peace have kicked off the protests against the cruel regime of China, which quickly attracted hundreds of other Tibetans and saw one of the biggest markets in Lhasa ablaze. It was a "Free Tibet Campaign."
Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said the protests were a result of the long simmering public resentment of the "brute force" employed by China to maintain control of the region for more than 50 years. He also urged his fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence.
Osho has expressed great concern over the untoward incidents in Tibet:
" The only country in the world which has devoted all its genius to the inner exploration is Tibet. Its findings are of tremendous value. But unfortunately, Tibet has fallen into a darkness. Its monasteries have been closed, its seekers of truth have been forced to work in labor camps. The only country in the world which was working -- a one-pointed genius, all its intelligence in the search for one's own interiority and its treasures -- has been stopped by the communist invasion of Tibet.
"It was such a beautiful experiment, and Tibet had no weapons to fight with, they had no army to fight; they had never thought about it. Their whole thing was an introverted pilgrimage.
"Nowhere has such concentrated effort been made to discover man's being. Every family in Tibet used to give their eldest son to some monastery where he was to meditate and grow closer to awakening. It was a joy to every family that at least one of them was wholeheartedly working on the inner being.
"These monasteries had no comparison in the whole world. These monasteries were concerned with only one thing: to make you aware of yourself.
Thousands of devices have been created down the centuries so that your lotus can blossom and you can find your ultimate treasure. The destruction of Tibet should be known in history, particularly when man becomes a little more aware and humanity a little more humane..."
Excerpted from Om Mani Padme Hum
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Abolish Exams
Sadhana
"Unlike in the US, it's not a faulty gun law that's killing kids in India. Here, we have another way to kill our children. It's called exams. At least six students ended their lives across the country, in metros and in villages, on March 13 alone. And all the suicides were attributed to exams. " Reports TheTimes of India on March 17, 2008.
In 2006, almost 6000 students — or 16 a day — comitted suicide across India due to exam stress. And these are just the official figures. Shimla superintendent of police (crime), Punita Bhardwaj, said incidents of children committing suicide because of examination stress often did not get reported as traumatized parents wanted to keep the issue under wraps.
This year the number is mutiplied. So much so that The Parliament of India discussed this issue on March 17th so as to find the solution to this growing problem.
Osho has declared that the current system of education is wrong and he wants examinations to be abolished as they have proved to be killers, and are no criterian to judge somebody's intelligence.
"The education that has prevailed in the past is very insufficient, incomplete, superficial. It only creates people who can earn their livelihood but it does not give any insight into living itself. It is not only incomplete, it is harmful too -- because it is based on competition.
Any type of competition is violent deep down, and creates people who are unloving. Their whole effort is to be the achievers -- of name, of fame, of all kinds of ambitions. Obviously they have to struggle and be in conflict for them. That destroys their joys and that destroys their friendliness. It seems everybody is fighting against the whole world.
Education up to now has been goal-oriented: what you are learning is not important; what is important is the examination that will come a year or two years later. It makes the future important -- more important than the present. It sacrifices the present for the future. And that becomes your very style of life; you are always sacrificing the moment for something which is not present. It creates a tremendous emptiness in life.there should not be any kind of examination as part of education, but every day, every hour observation by the teachers; their remarks throughout the year will decide whether you move further or you remain a little longer in the same class. Nobody fails, nobody passes -- it is just that a few people are speedy and a few people are a little bit lazy -- because the idea of failure creates a deep wound of inferiority, and the idea of being successful also creates a different kind of disease, that of superiority.
Nobody is inferior, and nobody is superior.
One is just oneself, incomparable.
So, examinations will not have any place. That will change the whole perspective from the future to the present. What you are doing right this moment will be decisive, not five questions at the end of two years. Of thousands of things you will pass through during these two years, each will be decisive. "
The Golden Future # 23
"Unlike in the US, it's not a faulty gun law that's killing kids in India. Here, we have another way to kill our children. It's called exams. At least six students ended their lives across the country, in metros and in villages, on March 13 alone. And all the suicides were attributed to exams. " Reports TheTimes of India on March 17, 2008.
In 2006, almost 6000 students — or 16 a day — comitted suicide across India due to exam stress. And these are just the official figures. Shimla superintendent of police (crime), Punita Bhardwaj, said incidents of children committing suicide because of examination stress often did not get reported as traumatized parents wanted to keep the issue under wraps.
This year the number is mutiplied. So much so that The Parliament of India discussed this issue on March 17th so as to find the solution to this growing problem.
Osho has declared that the current system of education is wrong and he wants examinations to be abolished as they have proved to be killers, and are no criterian to judge somebody's intelligence.
"The education that has prevailed in the past is very insufficient, incomplete, superficial. It only creates people who can earn their livelihood but it does not give any insight into living itself. It is not only incomplete, it is harmful too -- because it is based on competition.
Any type of competition is violent deep down, and creates people who are unloving. Their whole effort is to be the achievers -- of name, of fame, of all kinds of ambitions. Obviously they have to struggle and be in conflict for them. That destroys their joys and that destroys their friendliness. It seems everybody is fighting against the whole world.
Education up to now has been goal-oriented: what you are learning is not important; what is important is the examination that will come a year or two years later. It makes the future important -- more important than the present. It sacrifices the present for the future. And that becomes your very style of life; you are always sacrificing the moment for something which is not present. It creates a tremendous emptiness in life.there should not be any kind of examination as part of education, but every day, every hour observation by the teachers; their remarks throughout the year will decide whether you move further or you remain a little longer in the same class. Nobody fails, nobody passes -- it is just that a few people are speedy and a few people are a little bit lazy -- because the idea of failure creates a deep wound of inferiority, and the idea of being successful also creates a different kind of disease, that of superiority.
Nobody is inferior, and nobody is superior.
One is just oneself, incomparable.
So, examinations will not have any place. That will change the whole perspective from the future to the present. What you are doing right this moment will be decisive, not five questions at the end of two years. Of thousands of things you will pass through during these two years, each will be decisive. "
The Golden Future # 23
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Footsteps of Silence
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
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 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
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