Osho - All That Happens Happens Now

Osho - All That Happens Happens Now

Make life a passionate affair, says Osho

You have been conditioned and you have to be unconditioned. Remember that death is coming. Don’t think that it is not going to happen today; it can happen any moment.

In fact, all that happens always happens now. The seed dies now, the bud becomes the flower now, the bird starts calling now. All that ever happens, happens only in the space made available by now, this moment. Nothing ever happens in the past, and nothing ever happens in the future. All that happens always happens in the present — that is the only way for things to happen because the present is the only time there is….

Past is just your memory and future is just your imagination. But you have been hypnotised to live in the past, and you have been hypnotised to live in the future. Choose either past or future, but no society allows you to live in the present.

Christians and Hindus and Mohammedans — they condition you to live in the past. Their golden age was in the past. Communists, socialists, fascists — they condition you to live in the future, their golden age is in the future, the utopia is coming: ‘When the revolution comes, then you will be able to really live, then there will be a golden age.

Forget Past & Future

Either you are taken to the past, which is false, or to the future, which is again false. No society tells you to live in the present, in the here and now. To be a real seeker means to live here and now. And there is no other life. But for that you will have to de-automatise yourself, you will have to become a man and not a machine. You will have to become a little more conscious.

Once I was sitting by the side of a dying man — he was a professor in the same university where I was a professor. He was at the pinnacle of his successful career. And then came the heart attack — which always comes when you are at the pinnacle. He was very sad — who wants to die? — and he was in great despair and anguish. I told him, ‘You need not worry. You’re not going to die.’ He said, What are you saying? Doctors say that there is no possibility of my survival.

On what grounds are you saying that I am not going to die?’

Dead Man Walking

I said, ‘You cannot die in the first place, because you never lived. You have not fulfilled the first requirement for dying. For these 55 years you have been sleep-walking, you have dreamt; you have not lived. I have watched you for years.’ He was shocked, he was angry — so angry that for a moment he forgot all about death. He said, ‘Is this the way to treat a dying man? Why are you so hard on me?’

I listened silently. Then the rage disappeared and he started crying. He held my hand with great love, and then he said, ‘Maybe you are right. I never lived. Maybe you are not rude, you are just being true. And I know nobody else would have said this to me.’

And then, great gratitude, and for a moment he became so conscious that one could have seen the light on the face — it was there, he was all aura. And he thanked me. That night he died. I remained with him to the last moment.His death was beautiful. He died without any regret, he died in a relaxed way. He died almost with a welcoming heart, he died full of gratitude.

Live Every Moment

One has to live each moment, whether it is of life, of love, of anger, of death. Whatsoever it is, one has to live each moment as consciously as possible.

Man lives in dreams, in imagination, in projections. You have to become more attentive to the moment, to the present. You have to gather your consciousness. Consciousness is your treasure, and all the methods that have been invented, devised, down the centuries are nothing but ways to create more consciousness in you, to create more fire in you, to make your life a passionate affair, a flame.

The Secret of Secrets, courtesy Osho International Foundation.

Anandmurti Gurumaa - Is Marriage a Curse or a Boon

Nature has made the two genders of male and female different from one another. Their physical differences are evident, but they are different mentally too; they think differently. But one thing is common to them for sure, and that is that they cannot stay away from one another. Nothing can separate them, not even their multiple differences.

A boy and a girl are apart only at the toddler stage, but once the hormone glands become active, nothing can stop them from coming together. Men can’t live without women or women without men. The truth is that nature has created these differences for a purpose. As the saying goes: Opposites will always attract. Mutual attraction between the sexes is nature’s handiwork.

Once upon a time, in primitive society, a man could have sex with any woman and vice versa – just like animals. Then, as man became wiser and started living in organized groups, the need for sex acquired another dimension – that of emotional attachment. This emotional attachment led to the further domestication of man and woman. The concept of marriage came into the picture and started taking shape slowly. When man started living in closed groups, the structure of society started to evolve, and society designed marriage around sexual attraction and emotional bonding.Many people believe that marriages are tailor-made by god.

Most people I have observed feel that marriage is something which everyone should indulge in at a certain age in their life, as though it is a compulsion; maybe for sex it is! For girls it is a license to get good clothes and be the focus of attention, even though just for a few nights during the wedding celebrations. For boys it is most definitely sex, and lots of it; the best part is that they don’t even have to pay for it! And yes, it is also about finally getting a woman they can own and flaunt in their social circle.

Sex seems to be the only binding factor for many married couples, who are otherwise nagging and fighting all the time. At times the bond is the children who are accidently born of such encounters. Thus, for the sake of the children, social marriages are kept intact. I have observed many unhappy marriages that are still withstanding every onslaught, as a divorce would bring more complications and troubles for the couple and their children.

Now lets see how marriages are planned. In Indian society it is the parents or the elders who choose a bride or groom for their children. The norm is that this selection is made within the boundries of caste and religion. What is the criteria for selection? Religion, money, social status, looks: this is the order of priority. In arranged marriages it is not the union of two individuals but of two families. Therefore economic worth is given great importance and then comes the status and of course the appearance. In love marriages, the chart is topsy-turvy; first come looks, and then everything else.

Never are compatibility, like-mindedness, likes and dislikes taken into consideration…..

Ramesh was congratulated by his lovely wife Sunita, “Darling, it is our wedding anniversary. I pray to god to be your wife in my next seven lives too.” Ramesh whispered to himself, “O god, may this be my last birth, how else will I tolerate her for the next seven.”

Lets examine how marriage was viewed in the distant past, from the point of view of tradition. In Vedic times, marriage was considered to be not entirely a social contract or a worldly commitment, but was seen as an important part of one’s spiritual journey. Masters and students saw life in a larger perspective.

For a Hindu there are four pillars on which life should ideally be based: Dharma – the principle of life; arth – money; kaama – desires including sex; moksha – liberation. These were considered the four objectives of life. A human being should strive to experience all four in order to bring about a total harmony, completeness and fullfilment to life.

All Hindu gods are married: Shiva & Parvati, Vishnu & Lakhsmi, Ram & Sita, Krishna & Rukmini. Most of our sages and rishis were married. Vashist, Atri, Vishwamitra, Agasthya, and Garga Acharaya, the list goes on and on. Marriage was considered holy; it was not entered into for the sake of sex alone. Undoubtedly procreation was a reason, but another very important reason was that marriage was considered a part of sadhana.

Living through the body and experiencing physical and emotional closeness and security was expected to mature the mind and take one to a deeper understanding of life. Usually people live their lives without any understanding of how and why things happen. In order to understand every experience with total awareness, training was given before marriage, to both men and women.

Boys and girls received training of the mind by various means: studying of the scriptures, contemplation, meditation – serving the master for good eighteen years made them mature and responsible adults. This period of brahmcharya was a preparation for the future challenges in a householder’s life. When a person gets married, every bhoga – sensory pleasure – is within reach.

This is the time to test whether man is the master of his body, mind and senses, or it is the sensory objects which will enslave him. Marriage means being in the world and of the world, and yet being firmly established in one’s spiritual practices; learning to remain distant and aloof from it. We live our life through this body; resisting the urges of the mind and body is like losing battle.

Marriage was supposed to be a tool of sadhana, a testing-ground for one’s mind, to see how much it is attached to sex, wealth, house, name etc

My question is: “Did you marry nurturing the same sentiments and mind-set as described above? If unmarried, are you preparing to get married in a similar manner, as it is supposed to be? Everyone is so keen to get married but no one talks about this! Therefore, I say good!
Go ahead and get married, but are you prepared for it? Do you know what marriage really means? If you get married without the right understanding of marriage, then most probably it will become a curse for you. It will become a cross on which you will be martyred.

Please think before you leap. If you are well prepared for marriage, then it can be heaven, and if you are not, then it will be a curse. By itself, marriage is neither heaven nor hell – it is what a person makes of it.

Anandmurti Gurumaa - Girl Power

Recently, Her Holiness Anandmurti Gurumaa gave a highly thought provoking, inspirational talk to the girls at a college in Nasik. The gist is as follows:

Traditionally in India, a woman has been addressed as a Devi, a goddess. On the face of it this may come across as a very noble gesture. However, actually this belies an underlying expectation of lifelong sacrifices for others. This selfish motive is disguised with a sugar coating of alleged reverence and results in a never-ending exploitation of women.

Right from the childhood, it is inculcated into a girl that her greatness lies in living for others – be it the husband, in-laws, and children. She is brainwashed into believing that a woman’s dignity lies in conforming to societal norms, customs and traditions. This is the goal of her life. There is no place whatsoever for her dreams, her aspirations, and her fulfillment.

It is hardly surprising then to see girls who have no particular ambition, pursuits or zest for life. Quite a few end up entering college to just get away from their homes, to enjoy their temporary freedom but have no objective in life other than getting married. Indeed, often education is viewed only as a means to ‘landing’ a sought after groom! And tragically, even if the girl pursues a professional career, often after her marriage, her in-laws will ask her to give up her job so that she can look after the family.

Marriage cannot be the sole objective of any girl’s life. Marriage itself brings in a truckload of responsibilities and yet more expectations. The daughter in-law is expected to abide by the rules and regulations of her ‘new’ home. More often than not, she is soon expected to produce an heir, a grandson and heaven forbid if she fails to do so! It is not that all in-laws are tormentors. However, in essence, before marriage a girl is dependent on her father/brother and this dependency is transferred to her husband/in-laws after her marriage. Her freedom and liberty are always at stake. The irony is that the girl is always led to believe that her husband’s home is her ‘real’ home – no wonder, even from God, her objective of fulfillment is getting a good husband!

Unfortunately this urge to move in to ‘her own home’ is further intensified sometimes when the girl sees her own mother being maltreated (be it by the father or paternal grandmother etc). She simply wants to escape this unhappy environment; little realizing that she may be jumping from the hot pan right on to the fire.
It is not that all girls lack a will, a motivation to better their lives by education. Nevertheless, I have seen strong-willed, educated, confident girls turning into meek lambs after marriage – desirous of only making their marriage work at any cost and suffering all exploitations, as they cannot deal with the possibility of getting ‘tarnished’ by the husband leaving them or divorcing them.

Moreover, their parents have spent so much money on the lavish wedding (and the hefty dowry!) and may even be in debt because of all this extravagant spending. This adds further emotional pressure on the girls to keep enduring all quietly.

Parents are ready to go to any lengths to get their daughters married, often incurring loans and debts, so that they can fulfill the demands of dowry - an evil yet rampant affliction of the society. Paradoxically, they never give a thought to the possibility of any untoward event happening in her marital home – like what if the husband turns out to be a drug addict, an alcoholic, a womanizer or suffer from a fatal disease like AIDS? What would be their strategy then?
There is a custom of matching astrological charts of the prospective bride and groom. However, I think it is imperative to ‘match’ medical records, especially in this era of sexual promiscuity and perversion. Women are increasingly being viewed as objects of sexual gratification. The graphic portrayals on television, easy access to Internet and pornography is aiding this further. How then can anyone know that the prospective groom is a virgin, does not have any sexually transmissible disease? We never give a thought to this. But I want you to think on these lines, as these are serious issues and concern your whole life.

It is a fact of today’s society that all the seemingly innocuous acts of girls ‘dating’ boys, going to the cinema, coffee shops; most of these apparently platonic encounters end up being an extended foreplay to sex. How would a girl know that the boy is a ‘safe’ boy? This is the reality and we cannot ignore it. It is best discussed in the open rather than brushing it under the carpet and pretending these issues do not exist.

Because of the age, because of the hormonal changes, it is natural for a girl to experience sexual urges and they should not feel guilty about that. However, they have to take a level headed decision as to what will be the right time and right way to explore these urges.

Romanticism is fine, but it has to be balanced by a composed, rational thinking. Friendship between the opposite sexes is absolutely fine, nothing wrong there. However, a girl should have a sharp sense of judgment; the boy should not end up taking advantage of her. Girls are emotionally more sensitive than boys; this is a well-known fact. Hence, they find it difficult to get over a broken relationship. This hampers their concentration on their education and also leaves a deleterious impact on their future life as well.

This brings me to the paramount question: why are you studying? Just to get a license of eligibility to get married? What after marriage? I am not disparaging a housewife – in fact, it is a very challenging job, especially the role of a mother is a very onerous one. However, it is a ‘thankless job’ and moreover without any salary!

It is said that behind every successful man there is a woman – it was the strong willed “Jija Bai” who was responsible for the great heights achieved by her son, “Shivaji”. A woman, a mother is the strongest institution in its own right. A mother is the first teacher any child encounters and she has the foremost influence in one’s nurturing and conditioning, affecting the overall personality. Becoming a mother is indeed a very responsible role for anyone to play. However, before a woman decides to do so – she should first herself become a strong, self-reliant, resilient individual and education is the key in achieving this.

Here it is important to understand that education is not just about procuring degrees – even if it is from prestigious institutions like the IITs and IIMs. It is not the degree, which is going to impart you with the qualities of fortitude, tenacity and self-belief. It is common to read in the newspapers about young people committing suicide – be it for poor marks, broken relationships or even an acerbic remark.

So, it is important to cultivate mental strength and resilience. Girls need to examine themselves and see where they stand on this front. How prepared are they to cope with life’s adversities? How will they deal with failures, with lack of fulfillment of desires, the prevalent cut-throat competitiveness – can they stay calm and think level headedly?
Girls need to become strong willed, independent individuals; this refers to both, financial and emotional independence. They also need to bear in “mind” that acquisition of a mere degree is not enough. It certainly helps, but is not sufficient on its own. Those who don’t have an aptitude for higher education or professional careers – should undergo some kind of a vocational training so that they can earn a livelihood.

One needs to have the feet firmly planted to the ground – be prepared for all the misfortunes, mishaps and hardships that one may encounter in one’s life. I am not saying be a pessimist but life is not a bed of roses and the sooner one accepts this, the better prepared they will be for all that comes their way.

Women have to be strong because the patriarchal society has already labeled women as a weaker section of the society. So a woman has to prove her worth every time in all walks of life. The society just waits for a woman to slip up before jumping to rip her reputation to pieces.

I once met a director of a private bank. This woman narrated her earlier harrowing days in the bank when she had no say at all, as her male colleagues would belittle her by saying that the only reason she got the post was because the position was reserved for a woman. They continued putting her down, notwithstanding her qualifications and experience! She decided to put an end to this persistent humiliation and fought for her rights and succeeded, eventually becoming the director of the bank.

Society ridicules a woman in many ways. So, either she is deemed a fool or revered as a Devi, nothing in between! However, it is every woman’s fundamental right to live a dignified life, be treated as a human being and work towards the fulfillment of her aspirations. Nobody should allow anyone to take this away from her. It should be a girl’s choice when to get married. Nobody should get married unless they want to and are well prepared for it.
And look at the way marriages are being arranged today. The only compatibility people seem to be interested in sorting is – wealth, prestige, physical appearance, social standing, and ability to give an enormous dowry! Horoscopes may be matched but no one bothers to check the compatibility on issues of personality, temperament, values, beliefs, and spiritual inclination…

In my opinion, a husband should be related to not as the lord but instead, as the dearest friend. The one with whom one can share anything and everything. For this though, first, women need to become wise and mature in their outlook to life. Be well versed with the social, political, economical, ecological environment of current times. Be a voracious reader, as books are the best tools not only to widen one’s knowledge base but also give creative upliftment (for e.g. reading poetry). One should also be well versed with practical know how – sorting out minor electrical glitches in the home, changing tyres of a car, accounting, banking, etc. How will anyone gain self-confidence if they are dependent on others even for trivial things?

Another aftermath of the prevalent male bigotry and chauvinism is the assumption that women are only good at doing household chores, i.e cooking and cleaning – how absurd is this! To dispel these unfounded statements, it is all the more important that girls learn practical skills needed in every aspect of daily life, learn and become adept in new skills. I have met women who find themselves in a helpless situation after the demise of their husbands – as they never ever learnt the basic, practical skills to live an independent life.

Girls should not only be concerned with their physical appearance, after all no one needs to tell a woman on how to beautify her! However, it is more important to enhance and beautify one’s mental and intellectual abilities. The more knowledge one seeks, the more knowledge is gained, the more beautiful one becomes. Mahatma Gandhi was not a very handsome man. But he had a beautiful mind and hence was admired by one and all.

All girls, all women should make it a priority to ‘beautify’ their brain, their mind. Reading gives the wings to soar high above the skies. They should cultivate some creative hobbies, like dancing. Dance is the best stress buster, best way to diffuse stress, anger.

Dream and take efforts to fulfill those dreams. But this will not happen by simply praying to God. Girls, you will have to work diligently towards this goal, only then will they get divine blessings. Some people complain that despite working hard they don’t get success, then they blame God. However, it is not God but one’s previous karmas, which result in failure.

Your karma is always going to be with you. No one can negate the karma theory just because some Hindu sage or seer has expounded it. It is a law of life. So, sometimes our own karma becomes an obstructive wall and we don’t get what we are looking for. But never be disheartened, always be grateful that one is alive and as long as one is alive, one can create more opportunities for oneself. So, why be disheartened?

Never get discouraged by failures. One needs to remain optimistic, remain balanced, as there will be many more golden opportunities, which will enrich you. As the adage goes – when one door is closed, there are many others that open. If you remain positive and calm, you will see other doors that have opened up for you; otherwise the negativity and depression will prevent you from seeing the other opportunities that have sprung up.

So never ever be disheartened for anything. Never ever cry just because you did not get what you wanted. The only time tears should roll down one’s eyes is when one is ecstatic, delirious in love or as an expression of gratitude.

It is always mind over matter – hence girls, believe in positive thinking and affirmations. Positive thinking combined with appropriate action brings in good karma.

I hope I have instilled zeal, a joie de vivre as the French would say, a zest for living life to its fullest, with dignity and freedom.

May this be the first day of the rest of your lives.

Osho - Become A Child Once Again

You can become a child again, It’s possible through meditation, says OSHO.

Draw a line between ignorance and innocence. Innocence has to be supported, protected — because the child has brought with him the greatest treasure, the treasure that sages find after arduous effort. Sages become children again, they are reborn.

In India the real Brahmin, the real knower, calls himself “Dwij”, twice born. What happened to the first birth? Why a second birth? What will he gain? In the second birth, he is going to gain what was available in the first birth but society, parents, the people surrounding him crushed it, destroyed it.

Every child is being stuffed with knowledge. This removes his simplicity because it is not an advantage in a competitive world. His innocence will be exploited in every possible way. Afraid of society and the world, we try to make every child clever, cunning, knowledgeable — to be in the category of the powerful, so that he is not oppressed and powerless.

Seeing With New Eyes

Whenever you understand that you’ve missed life, the first principle to be brought back is innocence. Drop your knowledge; forget your scriptures, religions, theologies and philosophies. Be born again, become innocent. Clean your mind of all that is not known by you, of all that is borrowed, all that has come from tradition, convention, all that has been given to you by others — parents, teachers, universities. Just get rid of it.

Once again be simple, be a child. And this miracle is possible by meditation. Meditation simply cuts you away from all that is not yours and saves only that which is your authentic being. It burns everything else and leaves you standing naked, alone under the sun, in the wind. It is as if you are the first person who has descended on earth — who knows nothing, who has to discover everything, who has to be a seeker, who has to go on a pilgrimage.

The second principle is the pilgrimage. Life must be a seeking — not a desire, but a search; not an ambition to become this, to become that, a president of a country or a prime minister, but a search to find out ‘Who am I?’

Strangely, people who don’t know who they are, are trying to become somebody. They don’t even know who they are right now! They are unacquainted with their being — but they have a goal of becoming.

“Becoming” Is A Disease

Becoming is the disease of the soul. Being is you. And to discover your being is the beginning of life. Then each moment is a new discovery, each moment brings a new joy; a new mystery opens its doors, a new love starts growing in you, a new compassion that you have never felt before, a new sensitivity about beauty, about goodness.

You become so sensitive that even the smallest blade of grass takes on immense importance for you. Your sensitivity makes it clear to you that this small blade of grass is as important to existence as the biggest star; without this blade of grass, existence would be less than it is. And this small blade of grass is unique, it is irreplaceable, it has individuality.

And this sensitivity will create new friendships for you — friendships with trees, birds, animals, mountains, rivers, oceans and with stars. Life becomes richer as love grows, as friendliness grows. As you become more sensitive, life becomes bigger. It is not a small pond, it becomes oceanic. It is not confined to you and your wife and children. This whole existence becomes your family.

All Joined Together

We are a vast continent, joined in millions of ways. And if our hearts are not full of love for the whole, in the same proportion, our life is cut short. Meditation will bring you sensitivity, a great sense of belonging to the world.
Secondly, meditation will bring you a great silence — because all rubbish knowledge is gone. Thoughts that are part of the knowledge are gone too.. .an immense silence, and you are surprised:

This silence is the only music there is. All music is an effort to bring this silence somehow into manifestation.

Anandmurti Gurumaa - The Witness

When you recognize the Self as Pure Consciousness, you become the witness, says ANANDMURTI GURUMAA.

The Self is pure consciousness. Your true self is the purest of pure. It is the witness. How is the Self a witness and when is it that? When are you aware of your pure Self? Just because you are not aware of the Self, it cannot and will not lose its identity in any way. But when identification of the self happens with the body and mind, then the self is in a state of delusion, and this false identification and delusion makes you suffer.

You go to a shop to do your shopping and having bought what you need, you realise that you forgot your wallet at home, so you just walk out without buying what you need. However, when you get to the car and whilst getting the keys of the car out of your pocket some monies also drop out, and which would have been sufficient for what you bought, how would you feel? That money was there all the time — just that you were not aware that money was there, and therefore, you could not buy what you wished to buy.

Awakening Of The Self

Similarly, ‘I’ — the ‘Self’ is sakshi, pure witness. However, if I am not aware of it, I cannot be rich and blissful. To be truly happy, the awakening of the self to Self is required. This knowledge gives you the understanding that you are pure consciousness — the witness. It is only through Brahmngyan, the pure knowledge, that you come to know about your own true Self.

Your body is always changing; in childhood it looked different from what it looks like today. It is only through pure knowledge that you will understand how many different bodies you have had and yet you are the very same existence; how many births you took and all those bodies died but you always remained untouched by death. You may not be able to recall one single body out of those thousands of bodies that you took, but yet you are the same unchangeable purity.

Similarly, the mind too is in flux; it is always changing with plenty of good and bad thoughts lurking in the mind, all the time. Who knows all this? It is you and you only are the one who is witnessing these changes that are happening in the body and the mind continuously. The intellect too behaves differently: sometimes the buddhi or intellect goes crazy and at other times, it acts intelligently.

When I say that ‘the Self is a witness — ‘sakshi swaroop’ can you grasp what I am explaining? The answer can be both ‘yes’ and ‘no’; knowing it with your mind is not enough, the experience has to be there; is that not strange: knowing and yet not knowing. Those who do not realise their Self, does their Self die along with the body? No, even the Self of ignorant people is immortal but they suffer from the fear of death due to their ignorance. However, the one who has realised the purity of the Self simply laughs away when he encounters death.

You are consciousness, pure existence and this body is mortal, jadh — dead. The Self is pure existence and a witness. In awareness of the Self there is immense joy and in not knowing the Self there is a lot of pain and suffering.

So for whom does a person require to have this realisation of the Self? Is it for the sake of others or for his own sake? When the Self has this shell of the body, mind and senses in front of it, then false knowledge arises that I am the body, mind, and we are one.

Self Is Super Consciousness

The Self is chetana or super consciousness, the one who knows, pure existence, truth, ever conscious and in one word known as satchitanand. That ananda or bliss and joy will only come to you not by verbalising and repeating ‘I am satchitanand’ but only through experience, and that too, your very own experience of your Self. When would your pain, suffering, jealousy, hatred take leave of your mind? This will happen only when you understand and realise that the mind also is different from you. No doubt it is close to you but still it is not you.

You just be a watcher, a seer; be aloof from all this paraphernalia of the world and the body. Then only can you really enjoy; otherwise, you will suffer as no scenario is ever going to remain unchanged. Change is bound to happen as it is the very nature of the mind and this whole world. An enlightened being would say: if it is birth that is fine, even if it is death, that is also fine as nothing can happen to the Self.

Anandmurti Gurumaa - Mind Is Good Servant, Bad Master

What does 'watching oneself' mean? When i say watch yourself, then i'm talking not about your body, your senses, your thoughts, your emotions, nor about your imaginations but i'm talking about that being, which is layer after layer hidden within. So, body is the most external layer, then the senses, the mind, conscious, subconscious, unconscious - behind that is the intellect, and then you. When i say watch yourself, i'm asking you to peel all these layers and move within. For this you need deeper understanding and wisdom and viveka, gyana - wisdom and knowledge.

What is willpower? See, for now you do not have any willpower and whatever will you have, is part of the mind, which is already weak. Whatever decision you make, you are unable to fructify your desired goal. At the moment, when you say 'we', then this 'we' is inclusive of your mind, intellect and consciousness and as such if your mind is not being well trained and if you do not have a higher intellect then it is pretty clear that you will not have higher power to make decisions and to follow them.

So how to strengthen willpower? Understanding and wisdom. Wisdom makes you strong, it makes you clear and with wisdom, the choices you make, you will stick with those. See, your ego is pretty big and whenever this ego makes a decision, it sticks with that and if you do not have the right wisdom and intellect, then you will not have the right kind of ego with you. If you do not have the 'shuddha ahankara', the pure ego, then you cannot have the 'shuddha sankalpa' and then no good things happen in your life.

You are unable to go beyond the mind because you are struggling through the mind, to transcend the mind, that wouldn't happen. It is just like, if someone holds his shoelaces, and still wants to stand straight, how would you do that? Either you let go of your shoelaces, or you let go of your desire to stand straight. You can't do two things together. Similarly, the mind which is struggling to transcend the mind, how will it transcend the mind? But how? It's not easy to still the mind. Yes, mind is the biggest enemy but it can also be your best friend.

The Master guides you how to train your mind so that it becomes your friend. Ignorance, there are dark shadows; child gets scared of all these dark shadows and begins to think that there are ghosts in the room. But the mother brings the light and the ghosts disappear. Child doesn't have to struggle; with light, all ghosts go away. Similarly, the Guru works like a mother, brings the light of knowledge that helps you overcome ghosts of lust, greed, prejudice and hatred. With light of knowledge we get a clear insight, and we come to know how this mind is to be used and then you become your own master.

Osho - State Of Ecstasy & Meditation

Dhyan can bring you ecstasy that seems to last an eternity though it might be for a few minutes only, says OSHO.

What is orgasm in reference to meditation and higher levels of consciousness? Isn’t feeling orgasmic in a deep state of meditation nonsexual?

The experience of orgasm itself is always nonsexual. Even though you have achieved it through sex, it itself has no sexuality in it. You can reach orgasm through sex. It is a merger of the negative and positive polarities — such a deep merger that the man is no longer man, the woman is no longer woman. They are not two; there is only one energy surrounding them both. They have melted into that energy.

Biological Experience

It may be for a moment — that does not matter — but the experience itself has nothing to do with sex. The first orgasm is bound to be attained through sex. And my own understanding is that meditation has grown out of the experience of orgasm, because the original founders — particularly Shiva who, in his Vigyan Bhairva Tantra, has spoken of, just like a scientific formula, about 112 meditations; each meditation just in one line or two lines…. Those 112 sutras are just like seeds.

He has condensed everything about the method in them. He is also known as a great lover. Perhaps he was the first man to discover meditation. And it can be scientifically assumed that whoever experienced orgasm, if he had a little intelligence, would have seen that although it has come through sex, it itself is a nonsexual experience.

That gives the insight that there may be possibilities of reaching it through nonsexual means, because it is not sexual itself, so sexuality is not necessarily the only way. Perhaps sexuality created the background, the groundwork in which it happened. But the experience of orgasm itself does not remind you of sex; it is purely spiritual.

Whoever experienced this must have concluded then that there can be other ways to reach it — because sex is not necessarily a part of it. There is no colour, nor any impression of sex left in it. The moment the orgasm happens, time stops, you forget about time. Your mind stops, you do not think anymore. There is tremendous calmness, and awareness.

You have not fallen into a hypnotic sleep. Everything is crystal clear. The mind is no more functioning the way it functions continuously: the thought process has stopped. The sense of time is not there; it seems timeless. Afterwards you will think it lasted only a few seconds, but that is afterwards; in the experience itself, it seems it is eternity. And you are fully aware, as aware as you have ever been: wide-awake.

Any observer going through the experience will naturally think, “If these things can be managed without sex — awareness, thoughtlessness, timelessness — you will reach to the orgasmic state, bypassing sexuality.” And this is how man must have first discovered meditation; otherwise meditation is not something biological or natural, so that in the course of time you have to discover it. But biology has given you an experience; if you try to understand it, you are bound to search for other methods to make it possible. You know it has happened, that there was only pure awareness — so it is possible.

Start With Awareness

You are not groping in the dark, you are not just guessing: you know it is possible. You have known it through the biological route. Then if these three things can be maintained without sex, the orgasm happens. And the difference is that the sexual orgasm is very momentary. Although while it is there, it looks almost eternal, that feeling is just because of its depth. But through meditation you can have it as long as you want, because meditation is not dependent on anybody else — the woman or the man or a certain state of two minds, a certain rhythm of two energies.

Meditation is independent of any other person; only you are to create the situation. And naturally the conclusion will be to start with awareness, because you don’t know how else to stop thoughts. It is not in your hands to stop thoughts or to stop time. Only one thing remains, and that is awareness, that you can be more aware or less aware.

Osho - Revolutionise Education

Ø Intro - The education system we follow in India was started by the British government to create clerks. No government wants intelligent people… then it is easier to exploit them, rule them, to avoid any revolution, and easier for mediocre people to become leaders. The British government managed beautifully.

For 25 years, for almost one third of his life, a person is processed in such a way that he turns out either to be a station master, a head clerk, or a postmaster. These were the needs of the government.

All the gold medallists in the universities disappear — you never hear of them again. In the university they get gold medals, but in life they become head clerks but don’t go further.

Reformation Not Enough

The whole system is wrong. So it is not a question of reforming it; it is a question of revolutionising it. A real educational system will take care of the whole individual; this education system takes care only of the mind. The whole individual means the body, mind, heart and soul. Unless education takes care of all these four in a balanced way, it cannot create a whole individual.

For example, the university does nothing to the body. Much needs to be done with the body because everything else is based on it. It needs not only exercises, yoga, aikido and other systems of training, but it also needs a systematic, scientific approach to food — because what you eat, you become.
We should make it a point that non-vegetarian food is not allowed in the universities because to kill, to do violence just for food, is so ugly and inhuman.... Non-vegetarian food makes you insensitive, it makes you hard. And it creates anger and violence which can be easily avoided.

Couch Potato Syndrome

Taking care of the body means the body should be given adequate exercise. Students are sitting in the universities the whole day and in the night they have to do their homework and they have to go to the movies. They become just sitting idiots.

The body, by nature, is not created just to go on sitting. Students should be walking, running, swimming, climbing trees and mountains. Their bodies should be given a chance to achieve their natural potential. But the body is a neglected part; nobody is interested in it. We live in the body, but we don’t think about what we are eating and whether we exercise.

Scientists say that as far as the body is concerned it seems to have the capacity to go on renewing itself for 300 years. So if people are dying at 70, something is wrong. Nothing is wrong with the body; we are just giving it the wrong food, no exercise or the wrong exercise. My first concern is the body. Experts in diet should be consulted. Taste cannot be the decisive thing; taste can be added to anything. But the basic thing should be the science of the body.

Doubting Is A Good Sign

Professors should give more emphasis to discussion, to doubt, and they should destroy completely any textbook belief system. Those books should be removed; then you would see an explosion of intelligence. But to doubt seems to be doing something evil, and to have faith seems to be spiritual and religious. Just the reverse is the case. To have faith is evil; to doubt is natural. Go on doubting until you come to an indubitable fact.

So universities have to change their whole attitude about doubt and belief. And it is not important that you pass the examination; those five examination questions can be answered by a person who knows nothing else.

I am against examinations because they create a totally wrong approach. The student becomes interested only in passing the examination. So rather than reading the book, he looks for a shorter version or a key. The professor has answered questions which are probable examination questions, so the students read just these and nothing else. It is the examination system that creates a wrong attitude.

My idea is that students should be given credit by each professor, every day, just the way they take attendance. And the credit should be given according to the intelligence shown by the student.

Rote Learning, A Waste

Our whole system depends on how much you can memorise, not on intelligence. But memory is not something great; a computer can do it. And soon there will be no need of any memory; you can just have a small computer in your pocket and any answer you need will be immediately available. Why waste time and life and torture people about memory when memory has nothing to do with intelligence?

Right now, our education system is based on memory. I would like it to be based on intelligence. Every professor should give credits every day, not just at the end of the year, because that creates trouble. Students don’t take any interest for the whole year; just for one month at the end they are torturing themselves trying to learn everything at once.

I would like them to get credits every day, and if somebody is intelligent enough to get enough credit in six months to pass to another class, why make him waste six months more in the same class? The moment he gets the required credits, he moves to the next class. So nobody passes, nobody fails; people simply move.

Then the university becomes a moving phenomenon. People are moving according to their intelligence, and there are no fixed barriers. Instead of memory, reward intelligence. People of good memory need not be people of good intelligence. Memory functions mechanically and intelligence functions non-mechanically.

Enlightenment Just Anywhere

Drop your desires to know the real meaning of life, writes OSHO.

Whatsoever meaning we give to life, we give it to life. And Buddha says, if you want to know the real meaning of life, then you have to drop giving all meanings to it. Then life opens its mysterious doors. You stop giving meaning to it — your desires are giving meaning to it; they are defining the undefinable.

And if you remain clouded with your desires, whatsoever you know is nothing but your own dreaming. That’s why we say that this life, this so-called life lived through desires, is maya, it is a magical thing. You create it, you are the magician. It is your maya, your magic.

Clash Of Two Worlds

We don’t live in the same world, remember. We live in separate worlds, because we don’t live in the same desires. You project your desires, your neighbour projects his desires. That’s why when you meet a person and you want to live with him, difficulties arise. That is a clash of two worlds.

Everybody is good alone. Together, something goes wrong. I have never come across a wrong person, but every day, I see and observe wrong relationships. It seems almost all relationships are wrong. Because two persons live in two desire worlds, they have their own magical worlds. When they come together, those worlds clash.

Tie two persons together — that’s what a marriage is — and see what happens. Suddenly two worlds.... It seems almost impossible to understand the woman you love. It should not be so — you love her — but it seems impossible to understand her. It is impossible to understand the man you love. It should not be so — you love him — but it seems impossible to understand him.

It is very easy to understand strangers, it is very difficult to understand people who are very close. To understand your mother, father, brother, sister, friend, is very difficult. The closer you are, the more difficult — because the worlds are clashing.

Don’t Fight Your Desires

These worlds surround you like a subtle aura. Unless you drop this magical creation that you go on feeding, you will remain in conflict. You have to drop your private mentation. Dropping mentation is what meditation is all about.
You have to drop your thinking, desiring. You have just to be, and suddenly everything falls into an organic whole, becomes a harmony.

And these desires are the root of the darkness that is surrounding you. These desires are the support, the foundation of the darkness that surrounds you. These desires are the hindrances that don’t allow you to become alert.

Beware of these desires. And remember — the word ‘beware’ means be aware. That is the only way. If you really want to get rid of these desires, don’t start fighting them. Otherwise you will miss again. Because if you start fighting with your desires, that means you have created a new desire — to be desireless. Now this desire will clash with other desires. This is changing the language; you remain the same.

Don’t start fighting with the desires. Because you can fight only if there is a prize, if you are going to attain something. Then again a desire has arisen — a new shape, a new form, but the same old desire. Don’t fight, just be aware.

Be Watchful

Beware of desires. Become more watchful, more alert. And you will see — the more alert you are, the less desires are there. Ripples start subsiding, waves start disappearing. And one day, suddenly... any moment it (enlightenment) can happen, because all moments are as potential as any other.

There is no auspicious moment for it to happen. It can happen in any ordinary moment, because all ordinary moments are auspicious. There is no need for it to happen under a Bodhi tree. It can happen under any tree, or even without a tree. It can happen under the roof of your house. It can happen anywhere.

Never Give Up

One day I decided to quit. I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality...
I wanted to quit my life.
I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

"God", I said. "Can you give me one good reason not to quit?"

His answer surprised me...

"Look around", He said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?"

"Yes", I replied.

"When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them Water.

The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.

But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.

And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. He said.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit.

In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo see.
I would not quit." He said.

"Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.

Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant...But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.

It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive.

I would not give any of my creations a challenge it/they can not handle.

He said to me. "Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots"

"I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you."

"Don't compare yourself to others." He said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful."

"Your time will come", God said to me. "You will rise high"

"How high should I rise" I asked.

"How high will the bamboo rise" He asked in return.

"As high as it can" I questioned.

"Yes." He said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."

I hope these words can help you see that God will never
give up on you.

Never Give up.

SMS Chat With God

God: Hello, you called me.

I, Me, Myself: Called you? No, who is this?

G: This is God. I heard your prayers. So thought I will chat with you.

IMM: Sure, I pray. Just makes me feel good. Actually am busy now. In the midst of something, you know.

G: What are you busy with? Ants are busy too.

IMM: Don’t know but I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic. It’s rush hour all the time.

G: Sure activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it.

IMM: But I still can’t figure it out. By the way I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat.

G: Well, I wanted to help you resolve your fight for time by giving you some clarity. I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.

IMM: Tell me, why has life become so complicated?

G: Stop analysing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.

IMM: Why are we then constantly unhappy?

G: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because the act of worrying has become a habit. That’s why you are not happy.

IMM: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?

G: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.

IMM: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty.

G: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.

IMM: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?

G: Diamonds cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials. With that experience their life becomes better not bitter.

IMM: You mean to say such experience is useful?

G: Yes. Experience is a hard teacher, though. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.

IMM: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can’t we be free from problems?

G: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons to Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you are free from problems.

IMM: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don’t know where we are heading.

G: If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight.

IMM: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction.

G: Success is relative, quantified by others. Satisfaction is absolute, quantified by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you rode ahead.

IMM: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here? I don’t know the answers.

G: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.

IMM: How can I get the best out of life?

G: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

IMM: Sometimes my prayers are not answered.

G: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.

IMM: Thankyou for this wonderful chat. I’ll try to be less fearful.

G: Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.

Mindless

From Lower Mind To Higher Mind To The State Of No-Mind

According to Upanishad mind is twofold, while one is higher filled with purity, the other is the lower filled with passion, emotion and desires. Spirituality is one of the means to make this twofold into one Sattvic mind so that it will let us have peace and allow us to meditate. It is through the higher mind that we will be able to control the lower mind which is engrossed with passion, emotion and desires.

Lower mind that is filled with desire, passion and emotion creates irrational resolve, impractical sense and ego and all these three forms a triangle and work in collaboration. Mind is just a flow of uninterrupted thoughts and of all these thoughts “I” ness is the source and it if the first to develop in the mind. While the intellect is the one which forces us to identify our mind with our physical body.

Higher mind is one which is essentially very simple, bright, aware and enthusiastic. It usually observes and gives a response free from conditioning with truthfulness and frankness. By this approach it indicates that it is immense with peace within itself. Thus this mind enjoys the splendor & harmony of nature and goes deep into the problems of life and solves them.

Once our higher mind is awake then alone it can understand our problem and then it becomes easy for it to work and discover that the basic problem is baseless presumptions about oneself. It clearly visualises that due to the ignorance of self there is presumptions about oneself & the world at large. This presumption in turn focuses to the single most effective cause to bring about various expectations and all the connected problems that we may experience in making a success or failure in the venture. True knowledge of oneself from the higher mind reveals that it is important to achieve something which is steady and not to go behind some transitory success which is subject to change at different time & place.

Higher mind brings bliss by making others happy without distinguishing between man and animals. It boosts the person not to miss any opportunity to serve others and rebukes him on transgressing the freedom of others and imposes his ideologies on others. The mind which works in this manner is called as a pure mind. It is indeed a great advantage to have such a mind as knowledge comes easily with least possible efforts to those who posses it. And also it is indeed a joy to tell or teach about any subject or topic to those people as they will pay their entire attention to the subject and would love to go deep & unfold the mysteries of the subject.

Just as a diamond cuts a diamond the higher mind of a person which is immersed in the virtuous path should correct and mould the lower mind. Lower mind can be rendered pure through right virtues, pure actions and constant association of the wise. Being truthful and practice of pure compassion work in purification of our lower mind.

Higher mind is always inclined to virtues, and crave for knowledge and is dispassionate towards unwanted and unrelated subjects. With these attributes it is plentiful, has sovereignty and freedom hence it has mastery over all.

Spirituality helps us to excel our mind from the lower to higher level. Staying in this higher mind will take us nowhere; hence we have to advance from this higher mind state to No-mind state. This No-mind state is a state which is experienced as inner peacefulness in stillness, eternal blissfulness that cannot be put in words. This stillness is achieved through meditation.

Meditation is not an act of sitting in a particular pose with eyes closed, but it is the feel of no-mind state. In this state the present attitudes and past tendencies of our mind are cleansed. This is a state which is similar to that is in our Deep Sleep State but we are unaware of it due to ignorance, but becoming aware of this state is the purpose of meditation.

The purpose of meditation is to get aware of “I am not Mind” state. When this awareness goes deep in us then a moment arrives where it is silence, mind is not stirring, a moment of stillness. This stillness will let us understand our existence and the purpose of our existence. This is the state when we are aligned with Divine Consciousness.

As long as we are identified with the mind we are far away from the Absolute which is one and only one without a second. The very moment we detach our self from the mind we are aligned with Absolute and this is what is explained in Upanishad as “TAT TVAM ASI”. To achieve this state we have to get the permission of none. It is our right, privilege and healthy choice. If we are not ready to surpass the mind, no amount of study of the scriptures, hearing to discourse, and spiritual practices will be of help, because we will still be following our own mind. “Never follow me with your mind”, say ancient sages.

The direct experience of that Truth which goes beyond everything is more than the known and the unknown. As long as our mind is functioning the direct realization of Truth is not possible. Still the mind's functioning and we become aware of THAT Absolute. This stage of mind transcending is the highest form of evolution.

With the help of spirituality we excel from lower mind to higher mind and once we are in the state of higher mind we have to evolve to the state of No-mind. This can be understood in this analogy, suppose a person is walking barefoot on the road. He steps on the broken glass and a small piece of glass gets pierced in his foot. Now he looks for the means to get the glass piece out of his foot isn’t it??? He fortunately finds a thorn with a pointed end. He succeeds in getting the glass piece that had pierced. Obviously he throws away the glass piece. Now what does the person do with the thorn???? Will he keep it with him or will he discard the thorn also???? Yes after the task of getting the glass piece out is accomplished there is no use of the thorn. So it makes sense for the person to discard the thorn also, isn’t it????

Likewise we use the higher mind to correct and mould the lower mind and once this task is accomplished this higher mind has to advance towards No-mind state for eternal Bliss.