OSHO bytes

When a religion is born in you

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:26:00 +0000

OSHO Dynamic Meditation

Amrit Sadhana

One of the radical contentions of Osho is that man cannot be born in a religion, the religion has to be born in the man. Certainly he is not talking about the established religions because every one is born in some religion or the other. Religions that are reduced to cults have harmed the humanity so much, it's time to drop them and graduate into a more refined quality of consciousness which is religiousness. This religiousness doesn't have a label, it is individual, intensely intimate; in fact it is like a love affair. Your own religion is born in you when your inner being goes through the agony, the fire of finding its own unique individuality. People who are born in a particular belief system follow it unconsciously, it is a childhood conditioning, but when somebody carves his own path going against the prejudices imposed on him, battling with his own darkness, the wisdom born through this search illumines his body, his intelligence.

Up untill now I understood the Osho insight only intelectually but its implication dawned on me when I came across an Australian priest called Rami. This guy was born of a Jewish mother and a Christian father in South Africa. He got attracted to Hinduism in his teens and the attraction was strong enough to motivate him to come to India and learn from the noted Hindu priests. He was ordained as Acharya Ramanujachari.And now he is the most popular Hindu priest in Australia!

Those who choose their own religion bring freshness and originality in their approach. They interpret the age-old concepts in a unique, scientific way adding their own flavour to them. Their authenticity is so powerful that those who have discarded their own religon as stale and dead, wake up to the wisdom of the enlightened ones.

If we want to stop the religious atrocities we have to pay attention to the Osho insight : "Religion is not in the tradition, not in the rituals, not Hindu, Christian, Mohammedan. Religion has no adjective to it. Religion is simply religion, as love is love. Do you call love Christian, Hindu, Mohammedan? If love is neither Christian nor Hindu nor Mohammedan, then why should god be Christian, Hindu and Mohammedan? Nobody can be born into a religion, religion has to be born into you. You have to open your soul and receive religion. It is showering all around... but you are carrying toys, substitutes, false coins in your hands, and thinking you are having religion. In the church it is not, in the mosque it is not, in the temple it is not." (The Divine Melody, #1)

Then where is it? It is in the heart of the seeker.Meditation is the key to find it. The most powerful OSHO Dynamic Meditation blasts the conditioning and is the first step to finding your own path.

A journey with no roads

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 06:12:00 +0000

Amrit Sadhana

I had just been to the blue mountains near Sydney. These ancient mountains are clad in vast forests of eucalypts which in the hot sun discharge a fine mist of eucalyptus oil from their leaves. The mist refracts light, which makes the haze look blue at a distance. They look very appealing but scary at the same time. They beckon the visitors amidst their bluish vastness. Adventure always attracts.

Blue Mountains

There was a peculiar sign put up by the government at many points :" Don't get into the forests alone, you may get lost."
This made me think, isn't it the same about life? Isn't life as mysterious as these sprawling blue mountains? Just close your eyes and ponder for a moment, isn't the thing we call life a vast expanse of wilderness ? Can anyone peep into the future? We try to create support systems, guides and safety measures but there are no road maps over here, no charted paths or signs such as: " The way to success" or "The way to fame" or "This road goes to wealth." Those who are successful never know at the beginning of their journey that they are going to reach the top. They just grope in the dark, trust their intelligence and take the jump. People walk their way and make the path by walking, it is not there already built for them. Such a path would be useless. It would be stale and borrowed.

You cannot walk on the path carved by others. It is their path made by their hard labor for themselves. Their personality, their needs and their growth was completely unique, so it will not fulfill your needs. Living means going through the pain of growing, nurturing and evolving the dormant seeds deep inside so that they can bloom into unique flowers. Unless you embark on the journey of the unknown, take risks, your blossoms will not be authentic, your hidden potential will not actualize. There are no shortcuts in life either.

This is why life is like a mountainous terrain full of adventure. Osho says, do not depend on horoscopes and astrologers, do not look for road signs and maps, they are misleading. The insecurity, the adventure is the essence of life. Only death can be secure and safe. If you have a choice between the known and the unknown, always choose the unknown. It may be risky, but the spiritual gains will be immense, for life dwells in danger. It needs rebellion, a spiritual metamorphosis.It sharpens intelligence, creates a center inside, you feel intigrated. More alive, more conscious. Getting lost in the forests may not be advisable but loosing oneself into the vastness of life would be very rewarding.

A Unique Holiday Package

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 04:46:00 +0000

Amrit Sadhana

OSHO International Meditation Resort, Pune

It is a holiday time and everyone must be looking for a good holiday package. You might have noticed that you go on a holiday with great enthusiasm and come back home more exhausted than before. Reason ? The mind had no holiday, it was working over time. While looking for a holiday package would you like to give mind a holiday, too? The mind is at rest only in meditation, so include meditation in your holiday package.

The mind is a bio-computer. Mind collects its data from the parents, from the school, from other children, neighbors, relatives, society ... all around there are sources. And then children start learning to read and write, thus more data is fed in the memory of the computer.

The current education teaches you how to use the mind, it does not teach you how to stop it so that it can relax. So the mind goes on working even when you are asleep. We have forgotten that the mind is a machine, and like any other machine and it needs rest, servicing and recycling. Most of our problems spring out of the overworked mind, and nobody knows how to give it a break.

Osho gives a simple method which can rest the overused mind and make you feel rejuvenated. He says, " It is possible to put a switch on the mind and turn it off when it is not needed. It is helpful in two ways: it will give you a peace, a silence, which you have never known before, and an acquaintance of yourself which has not been possible, because the chattering mind has always kept you engaged. Use the mind when it is needed, after the use put it aside just as you take off your shoes or formal clothes."Beyond Psychology

The method is: introduce silence in your daily schedule. Find time to be silent. Let the mind be unoccupied for a while, which means no TV, no reading, no cell phone or talking of any kind. If you make it a habit, the mind will be restful and relaxed; then it is fresh, young, full of energy and juice. Then whatever you say is full of life, full of authority, full of truth, sincerity, and has tremendous meaning.

What is known in the world as charisma is simply a mind which knows how to relax and let energy collect, so when it speaks it is poetry. But in this society, silence does not pay; words pay, and the more articulate you are, the more you will be paid.

Detach yourself from your thoughts, emotions . Watch them like waves on the sea. This gap is very healthy and restful for the mind. The mind will certainly enjoy this holiday.

Sound: a passage to feeling

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 06:30:00 +0000

Amrit Sadhana

In this environment full of noise polution and artificially produced eletronic sounds we have forgotten the value of natural sounds which can be used as a direct passage to deep feelings and to the silent spaces of the heart. Natural sounds have a calming effect on the mind, the nervous system and the body. Any sound uttered with feeling can lead one to the silent harmony of the heart.

Recently I came across a wonderful sutra, a meditation technique from The Book of Secrets, the ancient treatise of Tantra.

The technique goes like this: Intone a sound audibly and then less and less audibly as feeling deepens into this silent harmony.

It may sound like a scientific formula, difficult to solve. It indeed is a formula. And it needs an enlightened one like Osho to unravel the mystery of this ambiguous sutra. You will come to know the secret if you practise it.

There are some sounds we have a feeling for. For instance the names of our loved ones, or a certain art-form, maybe our birthplace or our mother tounge. When we utter these names which are essentially sounds a deep feeling of love, pride, gratitude or joy wells up. These feelings stem from the heart. Normally we are not aware of them while uttering the sound hence we don't separate the sound from the feeling. But Tantra shows us the way of intoning the sound, and by repeating it continuously we can intensify the feeling hidden in the sound.

Osho gives the clue: " Intone one sound. Go on intoning it, first audibly so that you can hear it, and then by and by, inaudibly. No one else can hear it then, but you can hear it inside. Make it more quiet, make it less and less audible, and then suddenly drop it. There will be silence, an explosion of silence -- but feeling will be there. Now there will be no thought, but simply feeling will be there."

In this way the name you love becomes a mantra. Even your own name can become your mantra. This sound can be used as a passage toward feeling. The mind cannot reach the heart directly, it needs a passage. Repeating a sound creates vibrations and these sound vibrations reach the core of the heart.

Go on dropping the audible sound, make it more subtle and you will feel the change. The more sound will drop, the more you will be filled with feeling. It is like peelingoff the skin of a fruit. When sound disappears, only feeling remains. This feeling cannot be named. It is a deep love, but not towards anyone . It is unaddressed. It is the inner sky-- a cloudless, blue presence.

Corruption: a play of greed and power

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:18:00 +0000

Amrit Sadhana

The report released by Transparency International ranks India as one of the most corrupt nations. No Indian is surprised. Because it doesn't need an international agency to show us the mirror of our own reality. We are living with this pain.

It is said that one of the biggest causes of corruption is greed and power. It normally thrives in societies where ethical and moral standards are weak and where punishment is lenient, because even the punishing authorities play an important role in perpetuating corruption. We can't get rid of this monster because we don't have a clear vision. We are only treating the symptoms without going to its causes. Poverty may be one of the causes but not the only cause. What compels the rich people to amass money by foul means?

You can go down the history and come across stories of corruption at the highest level of power. Basically corruption is an ingredient of the unevolved human mind.

Can corruption be eradicated? Yes, if the mind is more evolved, more mature than it is right now.

Look deeply into this phenomenon: in every dishonest deal there are two parties involved –– the giver and the receiver.Who is more punishable?

If we ask the enlightened masters, they have a different take on it. Osho cites a story of the Chinese master Lao Tzu, the founder of Taoism

Lao Tzu was made the chief justice of the Supreme Court of China. He pleaded with the emperor that he is not the right man. But the emperor knew that LaoTzu was the wisest man alive, so he wanted to benefit from his consciousness.

Lao Tzu said, " My judgement will come from my wisdom. And your judgements cannot be adjusted to my judgements." But the emperor was stubborn.

The first case came: a thief was caught red-handed in the richest man's house. Lao Tzu listened to both the sides, pondered for a moment and gave his verdict, "Both of you, you and the man whose house you have been stealing from, are criminals. The rich man has collected so much money, that almost fifty percent of the wealth of the city is in his possession. This situation creates the possibility of stealing. This thief is a victim; in fact you are the criminal. But I will be very equal: six months of jail for both."

The emperor said, "This is a very strange judgement."

Lao Tzu said, "It is not. If people were living in harmony with nature, if people were compassionate to each other, if they felt a certain brotherhood with each other, how could there be rich people and poor people? There should only be people."

One Less, One More

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 06:18:00 +0000

Robbie Vorhaus is a favorite blogger of a popular American newspaper The Huffington Post. While working with his clients he found that everyone is stressed in todays world. He has floated a new idea to de-stress his clients which can become a lifestyle. It is : One less, one more. It means, one less worry, one more happiness. Osho often jokes about it. "What is your worry?" he asks, " Your worry is, what has happened should not happen, and what is not happening should happen."
This is exactly what everyone is doing. They don't count their blessings, they just go on complaining about things they could not get. If you implement the proposal of 'one less, one more' it will add to your happiness and subtract unhappiness. For example, when you wake up in the morning and start preparing for the day, decide to have one less complaint, and try to have one more gratitude. If the road is jammed with vehicles, don't start swearing or complaining, be grateful that inspite of this jam you reach safely to your office. There may be lots of problems at work or at home, but decide to have one less frown on your forehead, have one more smile on your lips.
An Osho tip could help you change your gestalt: do not call problem a 'problem,' call it a situation. Every problem is a situation, isn't it? If you agree with thi, immediately your attitude will change. Your mind will not be closed to it, on the contray it will be open to look at it and resolve it.
And it is not that you have to do it all at once, things change bit by bit. Add more drops of the positive and less drops of the negative, and soon your cup will overflow with joy, and peace.
Osho suggests very simple steps to achieve this : "Nothing is to be done, just a simple feeling -- allow nature. In the beginning it will be difficult because you have always been jumping in the way, always interfering. For just three weeks allow nature. When you feel hungry, eat; when you feel sleepy, go to sleep. When you don't feel hungry, don't eat. Allow your inner being, give it a chance. Just allow nature."
Excerpted from A Bird On The Wing

Possessed by the devil? Blame the Christian god, says Osho

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 05:10:00 +0000

The New York Times reports that the American bishops held a conference recently to prepare more priests and bishops to respond to the demand of exorcism. They say, "They are overwhelmed with requests from people who fear they are possessed by the Devil."
It's hard to believe that in the twenty first century people from an advanced country like America feel that they are possessed by the devil. Who is this devil, by the way? And why does he possess people? Isn't it another of those trappings being pulled out of the past? Just to prove that they are special, they deal with the supernatural.

Here is Osho's take on this.

" The devil is nothing but the other side of god. The religions have been praising god and condemning the devil, and the devil is the other side of god. The word 'devil' is beautiful; it comes from a Sanskrit root which means divine. 'Divine' and 'devil' both come from the same root, dev. The devil and the divine, both are the same -- but if you repress one part of god, one aspect of his being, sooner or later it is going to assert itself.

For centuries they have been repressing god's aspects. You cannot repress anything forever; sooner or later it will assert itself.

The Christian concept of god as creator makes it a very limited one. Then whose responsibility is it to destroy things? -- because there is destruction too, and no creation is possible without destruction. god gives life -- and who gives death? Somebody has to be responsible for death too, but god cannot be responsible for death.

Christians are so afraid; their god is partial

The devil aspect of god has been completely denied. Now after twenty centuries of repression it has become very strong, it has gathered too much energy -- it is exploding all over the place. It is certainly becoming more and more attractive. God seems to be poor compared to the devil.

Christians, particularly the priests, have been talking so much about god that they have made the word almost sickening, nauseating. They have talked so much about god and their god is so sweet, their god has no salt; it is pure white sugar, which is another name for poison. So the Christian god has created a kind of diabetes all over the world. It is false because it is partial, and the other part will take revenge.

God has to be accepted in its totality. This whole existence is divine: don't reject anything. Salt is needed as much as sweetness. Even bitterness has its own place, its own joy, its own taste. The thorn on the rosebush has its own function; it is a bodyguard to the rose, it protects the rose. Don't deny it, don't prune all the thorns, otherwise the roses will die.

The West will have to change its idea of god. And the Western idea is no longer Western -- it has spread all over the world. Christian missionaries have done such mischief; they have drowned all other kinds of religion; almost half the earth they have changed into Christianity. They have destroyed all variety. They have given a very singular, one-dimensional idea of god to humanity. And their idea of god is very juvenile, it is not even mature. And their idea of god is anthropocentric, it is made in the image of man. And they have been trying hard to make god a great saint. Their whole effort has created this situation: the denied part is ready now to explode. Denial is always dangerous; repression is dangerous. We have to pay tremendously for it.

Accept both the polarities. The negative and the positive are both needed for the electricity to happen; the good and bad are both needed for the world to go on; they are like the two wheels of a bullock cart. The sinner and the saint are both needed. That's my approach .

Excerpted from Be Still And Know, # 6, Q 6

Osho: To Give Birth To A Child Now Is Almost A Crime

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 09:31:00 +0000

When experts talk about the environmental crisis the issue that is a major threat to it is rarely mentioned. As if everybody is embarrassed to touch the subject namely the absurd growth of population. The human population is far higher than any other primate at any time in history.

"This is a topic that has gone to and fro in the last few decades, and appears to be moving back up the political agenda now," Nobel laureate Sir John Sulston told BBC News.

"So it seems a good moment for the Royal Society of UK to launch a study that looks objectively at the scientific basis for changes in population, for the different regional and cultural factors that may affect that, and at the effects that population changes will have on our future in term of sustainable development."

The society acknowledges it is delving into a hugely controversial area, but it has to be dealt with firmly. The birth of children is considered one of the basic human rights so everybody, for different reasons, was afraid to deal with it but now it is no more a personal decision to produce children, the survival of the planet depends on it.

Osho has always been a fiery crusader of the birth control. Here is an excerpt from one of his books:

"No religion wants to use methods of birth control for the simple reason that that reduces their numbers. Catholics are against it, Mohammedans are against it, Hindus are against it. Everybody is against birth control for the simple reason that it will reduce their numbers -- and numbers are power. The more people follow your church, the more powerful you are. This is part of politics, power politics. They are not concerned about the future of humanity, they are not concerned with the misery of people, they are not concerned with poverty.

"To give birth to a child now is almost a crime, because the world is already overpopulated. Half of humanity is starving, and by the end of this century the starvation is going to be so acute, so intolerable, that the earth is going to become a mad planet. Either suicide or murder will be the only possible ways for people to exist, and both are wrong.

"And the Catholic pope and the Hindu shankaracharya and the Hindu priests, these will be the responsible persons, because they are all against birth control. They talk beautifully, they rationalize beautifully, that they are against birth control because birth control is against nature. If birth control is against nature then the pope of the Vatican should be against medicine, because that too is against nature. If a person is dying of cancer, let him die, don't give him medicine. On that point the pope is absolutely silent.

"If birth is natural, then death is natural. If you have disturbed the balance by preventing people from dying, then you have to accept the other part of it also. Allow people to die naturally; then let them give birth to as many children as they can. Then there will be no imbalance; nature balances itself."

The Dhammapada : The Way of the Buddha Vol 6

Osho On Human Sex Life

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:25:00 +0000

While browsing Osho's wonderful book The Dhammapada : The Way of the Buddha, Vol 6, I came across this remarkable joke. Thought of sharing it with you.

Osho says:
" It seems that when the creator was making the world, he called man aside and bestowed upon him twenty years of normal sex life. Man was horrified: "Only twenty years?" But the creator did not budge. That was all he would give him.
Then he called the monkey and gave him twenty years.

"But I don't need twenty years," the monkey protested. "Ten is plenty!"

Man spoke up and said, "Can I have the other ten years?"
The monkey graciously agreed.

Then he called the lion and gave him twenty years. The lion too needed only ten. Again man said, "Can I have the other ten years?"
The lion roared, "Of course."

Then came the donkey. He was given twenty years, but like the others, ten years was enough for him. Man asked for the spare ten years and got them.

This explains why man has twenty years of normal sex life, ten years monkeying around, ten years of lion about it, and ten years of making an ass of himself."
After telling this joke Osho extracts the essense of it :

"Man seems to be the most stupid animal out of all of these. They say, "Ten is more than enough." Man seems to be the most in the grip of desire: more and more.... Whatsoever he has is not enough, is never enough. This creates his sorrow, this makes him a slave. The "more" is your master.

To be aware of the trap that is created by this constant desire for more is to take a very necessary step towards self-mastery."

Courtesy Osho International Foundation/www.osho.com

OSHO Monsoon Festival: August 11-15 , 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 08:52:00 +0000

Announcing the OSHO Monsoon Festival and a Grand Opening of the NEW Basho "Club Meditation" facilities.

Nothing ever stopped Osho, and the same energy still rolls on at the OSHO International Meditation Resort.

A timely arrival of the magical monsoon in Pune has bathed the green around the newly renovated Basho area, which now houses a state-of-the-art sauna, jacuzzi and gym area. Amidst a starkly beautiful garden setting, this new facility is your instant doorway to Zorba bliss.

To celebrate the new and the changes, A Monsoon Festival is being organized for August 11―15th, 2010. This is a great opportunity for visitors around the world to gather in Pune and participate in the intense energy-field created by the presence of so many meditators.

Some of the star attractions:

* A bouquet of revolutionary Osho meditation techniques and self-development programs of the OSHO Multiversity during the daytime.

* Many exciting night events filled with music, dance, painting, Karaoke and Variety Show.

*An International food festival to tingle your taste buds.

* Some specially designed Multiversity courses and unique meditations for daily life in Chuang Tzu hall.

* A morning music concert is surely a "don't miss."

* Osho Art Exhibition silent walk through.

* Fashion Show during lunch.

Allow yourself the luxury of being yourself.

Osho Speaks On The Politics Of Population

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:58:00 +0000

The eco friendly environment of OSHO International Meditation Resort, Pune, India

Is producing children everybody's birthright? The answer would be a blind, "Yes!" Or maybe a shocked, " Of course!" But think again, give a break to the age-old conditioning of automatically producing children. Looking at this planet, the world that we have created, is it worth adding few more humans to already existing seven billion people here? What do we have to offer the new generation?

We spend most of our lives with unfulfilled desires, and the occasional satisfactions that most of us can achieve are insufficient to outweigh the prolonged negative feelings of depression, meaninglessness and so on. And still do we want to bring a child in this life?

It is time every conscious, intelligent man and woman asks this question to himself/herself. And mind you, the politicians or the religious leaders are not going to support this radical thinking. They certainly want the earth to be more and more populated. They definitely want the poverty and misery to continue so that they can control humanity.

Peter Singer, the Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University has raised a thought - provoking question in his recent article in The New York Times: " Why don’t we make ourselves the last generation on earth? If we would all agree to have ourselves sterilized then no sacrifices would be required — we could party our way into extinction! If there were to be no future generations, there would be much less for us to feel guilty about."

Osho says that producing children should not be left to the men and women. A benevolent body of experts should decide about it.
"It is not your birthright to go on giving birth to as many children as you want, because those children are going to live on this earth, and they will do something or other.

"Only a medical board should decide about a couple. Unless you have a clearance from the medical board, you cannot produce a child. And since the pill it is so simple. Nobody is preventing you from making love; make love as much as you want, or as much as you can manage! But as far as children are concerned, you are doing something to the whole world. Making love you are not doing anything to anybody -- just a little fun between two individuals; the world is not involved in it.

"Children should be born only if a couple gets permission from the medical board. Still, that is not the best way to do it, because while he is making love a man releases millions of living beings, millions of living cells; and it is just a chance in that race who will reach the female egg first. You cannot decide it, you cannot even know it. So this is not the best way. The medical board may feel that the woman is healthy, the man is healthy; they can look at your heritage -- three, four generations back -- and they can allow you. "
God is Dead, Now Zen is the Only Living Truth #1

Moreover Osho gives tremendous importance to meditation because he says in his book (Bodhidharma : The Greatest Zen master # 11) "A man of meditation functions with awareness. If he sees that the world is overpopulated, he cannot produce children. Nobody has to tell him. Why should he bring his children into a world which is going down every day towards a disaster? Who wants his children to go through a third world war? Who wants his children to die hungry and starving on the streets? "

Osho: A Real Old Man Is Ripe and Joyous

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:28:00 +0000

It seems happiness, like wine matures with age.
Look what a research report published in The New York Times says.
"The results, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, were good news for old people, and for those who are getting old. On the global measure, people start out at age 18 feeling pretty good about themselves, and then, apparently, life begins to throw curve balls. They feel worse and worse until they hit 50. At that point, there is a sharp reversal, and people keep getting happier as they age. By the time they are 85, they are even more satisfied with themselves than they were at 18."
And it’s not being driven predominantly by things that happen in life. It is something very deep and quite human that seems to be driving this. Other researchers of psychology wonder why at age 50 does something seem to start to change?

The eastern wisdom has answered this question. The ancient sages have divided life in four stages based on the physical and psychological state of human growth. They have looked at life vertically, not horizontally, namely the evolution of the consciousness.

Osho has talked about a seven-year cycle of change. If we say, life moves in a cycle of seven years, the age 42 is the turning point when a person changes from being materialistic, his need for meditation becomes stronger and if he finds the right doorway he starts growing up instead of growing old.

What Osho has explained in his book The Wisdom of the Sands, Vol 1 # 5 explains the enigma why the old age seems to be happier than the youth.

" Youth cannot have depth, and youth cannot have calm understanding. Youth is feverish, it is a tumultuous time. I'm not saying it is wrong: it creates the possibility to grow. You have to pass through many experiences, sweet and bitter. You have to pass through many stages of feverishness, of ecstasy, of excitement; only then a moment comes when you start understanding. Those experiences prepare you, they cleanse you. You have to pass through the fire of youth to become the pure gold of old age. A really old man is wise, he has some light in him. He has lived his life, he has become ripe. He knows what life is: he knows its joys, its sorrows, its ups and downs, he knows its hells and its heavens. He has seen all. Seeing all, a great understanding has arisen in him, and a compassion and a love."

For mystics like Osho life doesn't end with the old age, it spreads beyond death, it includes death as well.

"When you are becoming old joyously, old age has a beauty of its own, a grandeur of its own, a ripeness, a maturity, a centering. Young people have nothing compared to the experienced, who have lived life and who know it is all just a game.

"The moment a person comes to the point where the whole life is just a game, his old age is so beautiful, so graceful; no young person can be compared to it. His white hair will look like white snow -- just on the highest peak of the mountains. He will die with joy. He has lived his life, now he is entering into a new phase -- death. He will not be reluctant. If he accepted old age joyously, he will accept death also dancingly. He will go with death dancing."

Christianity:The Deadliest Poison and Zen: Antidote to All Poisons

" The Whole World Is Sad Because Of Marriage" : Osho

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Thu, 27 May 2010 07:31:00 +0000

There is an interesting research on the fidelity of marriage published in The New York Times, ' The most consistent data on infidelity come from the General Social Survey, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and based at the University of Chicago, which has used a national representative sample to track the opinions and social behaviors of Americans since 1972. The survey data show that in any given year, about 10 percent of married people — 12 percent of men and 7 percent of women — say they have had sex outside their marriage.'

The researchers also see big changes in relatively new marriages. About 20 percent of men and 15 percent of women under 35 say they have ever been unfaithful, up from about 15 and 12 percent respectively.

But I think this is a very low percentage compared to the actual cheating game played by husbands and wives. Both the partners go on cheating and want that the other should not know about it. Can't blame them. The way marriage is structured, is stifling and everyone wants to breathe fresh air once in a while. Not a big crime for sure!

Osho hammers the outdated institution of marriage which has an inherent scope for infidelity.

Osho asks a pertinent question in his book The Messiah Vol #8

" What goes wrong between husbands and wives, even after a love marriage? It is not love, and everybody has accepted it as if he knows what love is. It is pure lust. Soon you are fed up with each other. Biology has tricked you for reproduction and soon there is nothing new -- the same face, the same geography, the same topography. How many times have you explored it?

The whole world is sad because of marriage, and the world still remains unaware of the cause.

" When you live together, the husband comes home late; there is no need, no necessity for the wife to inquire where he has been, why he's late. He has his own space, he's a free individual. Two free individuals are living together and nobody encroaches on each others' spaces. If the wife comes late, there is no need to ask "Where have you been?" Who are you? -- she has her own space, her own freedom.

But this is happening every day, in every home. Over small matters they are fighting, but deep down the question is that they are not ready to allow the other to have his own space.

"Likings are different. Your husband may like something, you may not like it. That does not mean that it is the beginning of a fight, that because you are husband and wife, your likings should also be the same. And all these questions... every husband returning home goes on in his mind, "What is she going to ask? How am I going to answer?" And the woman knows what she's going to ask and what he's going to answer, and all those answers are fake, fictitious. He's cheating her.

"What kind of love is this that is always suspicious, always afraid of jealousies? If the wife sees you with some other woman -- just laughing, talking -- that's enough to destroy your whole night. If the husband sees the wife with another man and she seems to be more joyous, more happy, this is enough to create a turmoil.

" People are unaware that they don't know what love is. Love never suspects, love is never jealous. Love never interferes in the other's freedom. Love never imposes on the other. Love gives freedom, and the freedom is possible only if there is space in your togetherness."

And to end this write up on a playful note here is an Osho joke:

Paddy's wife Maureen has had it. She goes to see her attorney, Abraham Babblebrain, and tells him she wants a divorce.

"Very well, Mrs O'Grady," says Babblebrain, "what are your grounds?
You have to have a reason for getting a divorce."

"Reason?" says Maureen. "Really? What sort of reason?"

"Well," says Babblebrain patiently, "for example, one reason would be if your husband does not give you enough money."

"Pah," snorts Maureen, "give me money? I give him money."

"Okay," says Babblebrain, "what about cruelty then? Does he beat you?"

"Pah," snorts Maureen again, "beat me? I beat him."

"Ah," says the lawyer, "so what about infidelity? Is he faithful to you in love?"

"That's it!" cries Maureen. "That's how we get him. I know for a fact that he is not the father of our third child."

From the book : Zen: The Diamond Thunderbolt # 1/courtesy Osho International Foundation/www.osho.com/library

Open Access To OSHO Books On Online Library

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Wed, 12 May 2010 07:14:00 +0000

226 books of wisdom and humor at your fingertips.

Did you know? Osho never "wrote" any books. Over a thirty-five year period, hundreds of thousands of people from every walk of life were drawn to Osho. They asked questions, he answered. From the meaning of life and death to the struggles of power and politics, from the challenges of love and creativity to the significance of science and education. They read sutras to him, and he talked about them. The talks were recorded, and later filmed on video; they were transcribed into hundreds of books and translated into dozens of languages.
* Each talk is given extemporaneously, spoken spontaneously, in the moment, without advance preparation. Each talk is presented as a separate chapter in a book, and most often also as a separate audio book. About half of these talks are also available on video. These can be found in the shop at www.osho.com/shop. And each talk was given to a different audience often in different places around the world and are "complete in themselves.”

* The library contains 226 Osho books which you can read or search. These books were mostly spoken originally in English, and there are a further 200 titles which are currently being translated from the original Hindi and will be added as they are ready. At present, there is only an English Library, and a Hindi Library will be added very soon, as will libraries for every language in which Osho has been translated. About 60 languages to date.

* When answering questions, Osho's primary purpose is always to answer the questioner rather than the question. It is the individual and his or her transformation that is important, not just the words.

* It is also important to appreciate that Osho is using words to convey silence. A paradox that lies at the heart of understanding this library.
"My message is not a doctrine, not a philosophy. My message is a certain alchemy, a science of transformation." Osho

Watch this video on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_edit?ns=1&video_id=G2Qd92LBa2I&next=%2Fmy_videos

Osho International Meditation Resort: A Rejuvenating Green Space

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:56:00 +0000

Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health, researchers claim. There is growing evidence that combining activities such as walking or cycling with nature boosts well-being.

In the latest analysis, UK researchers looked at evidence from 1,250 people in 10 studies and found fast improvements in mood and self-esteem.
This latest research is published on the online edition of The BBC News.

What the researchers have found anew is an age-old secret. It's no wonder, visitors coming to the Osho International Meditation Resort immediately feel relaxed and rejuvenated when they step in the greenery enhanced by running water falls and singing birds.

The lush 28-acre campus is a tropical oasis where nature and the 21st Century blend seamlessly, both within and without. With its white marble pathways, elegant black buildings, abundant foliage and Olympic-sized swimming pool, it is the perfect setting to take time out for yourself.

This emerald paradise is inspired by The Osho insights of creating a natural environment where people experience meditation the moment they come in.
Osho says: " Receptive people, sensitive people, are imaginative people. Those who can see the greenery of the trees, just without any aggression on their part, not even a subtle aggression on their part, who can just drink the greenery of the trees, who can simply absorb it as if they are sponges -- they become very creative, they become very imaginative. These are the poets, the painters, the dancers, the musicians -- they absorb the universe in deep receptivity, and then they pour whatsoever they have absorbed into their imagination."

A Sudden Clash of Thunder # 5

Osho Praises Laziness

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 10:04:00 +0000

Lazy people of the world, rejoice! Now you are not in the black list. Osho is all praise of lazy people for they have not harmed the world. They can't as much as raise their finger to hurt anybody because that is too much of a work!
Enjoy this delightful Osho excerpt in praise of lazy people.
Osho says in his book The Osho Upanishad,

"Lazy people have never done any harm to anybody -- they cannot. They will not go through that much trouble. It is the active people who are the real problems.
"So don't be worried about your laziness. It is totally acceptable as far as I am concerned. I want the world to become less active, more enjoying laziness: relaxing on the beaches, taking sunbaths, playing on their guitars... doing everything that is allowable to a lazy person, and not doing anything that only active people have been doing up to now. The active people have created Nadirshah and Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin and Mussolini and Ronald Reagan. The world needs to get rid of these active people. And nobody writes about the lazy people, there is no history about them. There must have been lazy people in the world, but nobody writes any history about them. And they are the very salt of the earth."

Harmonious Couples and Enlightened Children

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 06:25:00 +0000

I watched a beautiful Osho video in which he describes the new humanity and shares his insight on how the children can be born out of harmonious and loving couples. Couldn't help sharing with you all.

Osho says:
"The old idea of enlightenment was partial. It was partial in the sense that all the religions of the world have emphasized the fact that the man has to renounce the woman, to renounce the world, renounce all the pleasures of the world. He has to become an ascetic -- in reality he has to become a self-torturer, because to cut man from woman is the beginning of torture.
"Man and woman are part of one whole; they are not opposites, they are complementaries.
"My emphasis is: no more renunciation, no more self-torture, no need to create a painful, miserable life for yourself. The woman is not against the man.
"The new humanity has to create the right atmosphere where men and women are friends, fellow travelers, making each other whole. The journey becomes a joy, the journey becomes a song, the journey becomes a dance.
"And if men and women in total harmony can give birth to children, those children will be the `superman' we have been dreaming about for thousands of years. But the superman can be created only out of the harmonious whole of man's and woman's energy. Then he will be born enlightened.
"In the past, people had to seek enlightenment. But if a child is born out of a couple who are in total harmony, in absolute love, he will be born enlightened. It cannot be otherwise. Enlightenment will be his beginning; he will go beyond enlightenment from the very first step. He will seek new spaces, new skies. "

The Osho Upanishad # 41

Know Your Sexuality

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 09:10:00 +0000

There are so many sex abuse scandals by so called religious men, and sexual adventures by ' celebate' sadhus and swamis that one wonders why they opt for religious dsciplines if they have not fulfilled their sexual desires first. So much hypocrisy! The disciples feel let down and betrayed when their guru's one scandal after another is exposed.

One remembers the enlightened Osho insight on understanding sex and transforming it. So simple, so profound. Every word of it is a diamond.
Osho says in his book I Say Unto You,

" Freedom from sex is not repression of sex, it is the understanding of sex. And through understanding one goes beyond it. But that does not mean that you will be angry and against and antagonistic. You will be blissful, you will have a blessing for everybody. And you will bless with the hope that some day they will also go beyond it.

" Real religion has to be rooted in the earth. Yes, real religion also has to rise towards the sun. It is like a lotus flower -- rooted in the mud and rising towards the sun. The lotus has to be freed from the mud, but the mud has not to be condemned at all, because the mud is the nourishment. Your sex energy is the nourishment for your samadhi. It is out of the mud of sex that the lotus of samadhi is going to bloom. Never repress it! Never be against it; rather, go deep into it with great clarity, with great love. Go like an explorer. Search all the nooks and corners of your sexuality, and you will be surprised and enriched and benefitted.

"Knowing your sexuality, one day you will stumble upon your spirituality. Then you become free. Your energy has risen high. Now sex is just like a toy. But you are not angry with other people who are still playing with the toy. You will understand them too, you will have compassion for them. You would like to help them go beyond, but you will not condemn them and you will not want to throw them to hell to be punished. They are not doing anything wrong.

"Sex is not a sin. Nobody is ever punished for sex. Nobody ever goes to hell for sex; otherwise God would be responsible, not you. He has given it to you, you are born with it; you have not created it. It is nothing like your invention, it is not like an atom bomb, it is not like a bayonet, it is not like a sword, it is not like money, it is not like politics -- these are inventions of man, of the ugly human mind. These people will go to hell, certainly.

"But sex is a God-given gift, and it is a great seed. Once it starts sprouting and finds the right soil, it will become a big tree. Millions of flowers will come to it.

"It is not only a child that is born out of sex, it is out of sex that you will be reborn too! Sex is the generating force, sex is the very source of creativity. It is out of sex that new life is born. You will give birth to a child -- this is new life. Just watch it. Sex must be immensely valuable -- God has chosen it to be the passage for life.

"What is more valuable than life? What can be more valuable than life? God has chosen sex as the vehicle for life. Life comes through sex, in sex, out of sex. And those who know, those who have gone beyond say that another life, spiritual life, also comes through it. Not only your child is born through it, you will be reborn through it: you will become twice-born through it, you will resurrect out of it. It is life-giving energy.

"Sex has to be respected. Sex is sacred. Sex is the very temple of God.

"So I cannot say the man who is free from sex has no interest, because sex is life. And sex is potential spirituality. How can he be disinterested in it? Yes, he has no personal interest in it. he has gone beyond it; but he is immensely interested. In fact for a man who is free from sex his interest becomes very very great. Now, he is interested in everything.

"When you are obsessed with sex you are not interested in anything. You are not interested in poetry, you are not interested in music, you are not interested in beauty, you are only interested in sex. And if sometimes you show interest in music, poetry, beauty, art, you show interest only because some sexuality is there. You become interested in poetry if it is sexual. You become interested in a picture, in a painting if it is nude, pornographic. You become interested in the music if it excites you sexually; otherwise you are not interested.

"This is not interest in music -and painting, this is interest in sex. That's why ninety-nine percent of poetry, music, painting and sculpture is sex-based, because ninety-nine per cent of people don't want anything other than sex. Your films, your novels, your books -- even your so-called religious books -- are all full of sexuality. Sometimes it is in the name of condemnation, but they go on talking about the physical, the sexual. Sometimes they are obscene.

:The man who is free of sex, his interest is also free of sex. His interest spreads to the whole of life."

Excerpted from I Say Unto You, Vol 2/ Courtesy Osho International Foundation/www.osho.com

To Be Whole Is To Be Healthy

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 06:22:00 +0000

Osho's message on the World Health Day.

This year's theme for the World Health Day is ' Urbanization and public health.'
Urbanization is associated with many health challenges related to water, environment, violence and injury, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol as well as the risks associated with disease outbreaks. The WHO is pledged to work in these areas in the year 2010.

It is very significant that the definition of health has expanded much beyond the physical state of not being ill. Now it includes the psychological components as well.

For Osho, health has a very wide scope -- much more than mere physical or mental. I am happy to share the Osho insight on this day.

"Whenever your heart falls out of line with the whole you are in trouble, you are ill; whenever the heart is in rhythm with the whole you are healthy.
Let this be the definition of health.
Whenever there is no conflict between you and the whole, not even a rumor of conflict, you are healthy. To be whole is to be healthy. To be whole is to be holy. And what is the way to be holy, healthy, whole? Your heart should beat in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole. You should not fall out of line, out of step. It is a great cosmic dance. It is a great harmony. When you sit still, silent, not doing anything, meditative, prayerful, suddenly you start merging into the whole. You come closer and closer and closer and your steps are no longer heard as separate from the whole. You become part of this great symphony. Suddenly you are healthy, holy, whole.

How to come to this tuning with the whole? Why are you missing it?

You are constantly in discord, you have many contradictions within you. Those contradictions go on like a tug of war within continuously, day and night, awake and asleep. You are constantly pulled into opposite directions. This tense state of affairs does not allow you to listen.

Even when you are in love you go on fighting. Even in love, you don't fall into step with the whole. Even lovers go on fighting with each other; otherwise love can become a door to the ancient music. If you love somebody at least drop all conflict with him, or with her, with your child, with your wife, with your brother, friend -- drop!
But even there conflict continues; a subtle way of fight continues. Because you are constantly in conflict within yourself, whatsoever you do is going to be an extension of the same conflict, a reflection of the same disharmony. "

Ancient Music In The Pines # 9

The Religion Is Founded On A Dirty Joke

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:04:00 +0000

Up until now we all knew only one Murphy, the legendry Murphy who floated famous laws like : "If anything has to go wrong, it will." The wisdom of ages is packed in these funny and profound sayings.

But nobody knows who this person was. The fact is that these laws have been around for years, slowly they were collected and given a name : Murphy's law.
But now you have to forget about this wise, practical smart Murphy as another Mr Mrphy, sorry, Rev. Murphy or his ghost has loomed up on the horizon. Yes, I am referring to The Predator Priest who was sexually abusing deaf boys for 22 years. Victims tried for more than three decades to bring him to justice, but documents show that the church neither defrocked him nor referred him for prosecution.

Cardinal Levada said that although Father Murphy never faced judgment in a criminal or canonical court, the priest had not evaded it altogether.

“As a believer,” he wrote in his statement, “I have no doubt that Murphy will face the One who judges both the living and the dead.”

Ho! Ho! Anyone up there?
The clergymen did not dare to judge the criminal priest down here and now they are leaving it to the mythical almighty who will punish him for his crimes on earth.
When Osho ruthlessly hammers the organized religions and their hypocrisy, one doesn't understand the deeper significance of it, but when such incidents are exposed one feels, it serves them right.

Here is one Osho joke for Cardinal Levada. It will be handy when he will face the "One" on the judgment day.

" Finally, the Polack pope died and went to heaven with pomp and circumstance. At the pearly gates, Saint Peter stopped him and said, "Hey, you can't walk in just like that. Who are you?"

The pope answered, "Well, I am your very own representative on earth. I am the pope."

Saint Peter said, "Pope? My representative? I have never heard of you."

The pope, puzzled, said, "Ah, just tell God I am here. He will tell you to let me in."

Saint Peter yelled, "Hey, boss, a guy here says he is the pope. Do you know him?"

God answered, "Never heard of him." The pope said, "Strange, but ask Jesus. He knows me."

Saint Peter yelled, "Hey, sonny. There is a guy here says he is the pope. You know him?" Jesus answered, "No."
Saint Peter said, "Sorry, I can't let you in. Nobody around here knows you."

The pope said, "You can't turn me away like this. I am the pope himself. Ask the Holy Ghost. He knows me for sure."
Saint Peter yelled again, "Hey, spook! A guy here claims you know him. Says he is the pope."

And the Holy Ghost shouted, "The pope, sure I know him. He is the guy that spread those dirty rumors about me and Mary. Kick him out of here."

The whole religion is founded on a dirty joke."

The Hidden Splendor

An Osho Solution To Avoid Sex Perversion.

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0000

When we come across the cases of sex abuse by religious people like Christian priests or Hindu monks we desperately look for a solution. We don't want our next generation to be afflicted by the same disease, do we? Every parent must be anxious that their kids should not inherit this religious poison.

Who can guide us?

Osho has a very simple solution : teach children meditation. Childhood is the foundation of life, make it stonger and healthy. This Osho insight will be go a long way to make it happen.

"The first step towards the transformation of sex is to begin meditation in small children -- to coach them to be calm and to keep their own counsel, to teach them to be silent and to enlighten them about the state of no-mind. Although children are already calm and peaceful by adult standards, if they were guided in the right direction and taught to practice reticence and serenity even for a little while each day, a new door would open before they were fourteen years of age."

" Then, when sex rears its head, when the energy wells up and is about to spill over, it would flow through the new door that has already been opened. They would already have realized the serenity, the bliss, the joy, the timelessness and egolessness of meditation long before the experience of sex. This familiarity would prevent their energy from moving into wrong channels; it would divert it onto the right path."

From Sex to Superconsciousness/

The Fruits of Unnatural Celibacy

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:17:00 +0000

You must have read about the latest news of sex abuse by Christian priests, making headlines.

You may feel , what's new in this? I could almost hear Osho chuckle. For Osho always ridiculed the perverted priesthood and the doctrine of celibacy forced on them.

Priests and clergymen, down the centuries, have been indulging in sexual abuse in the monasteries. What else would they do? If natural sexuality is denied, and they are asked to observe forced celibacy, and go on speaking against sex, this is bound to happen.

Now these incidents come to the fore thanks to the super active media who gleefully exposes them and asks for an action.
The New York Times reports on March 24th, Arthur Budzinski says he was first molested in 1960 at a cemetery behind St. John's School for the Deaf, when he went to Father Murphy for confession. But it is only one of thousands of cases forwarded over decades by bishops to the Vatican office.

Vatican’s insistence on secrecy has often impeded cooperation to discipline the offenders. At the same time, the officials’ reluctance to defrock a sex abuser shows that on a doctrinal level, the Vatican has tended to view the matter in terms of sin and repentance more than crime and punishment.

How long are we going to put up with this? Osho has raised his voice against this in no uncertain terms.

"Christian theologians are very clever in finding ways. Just a few days ago, the third man in the Church of England has come out with the statement that, "Taking the vow of celibacy does not include homosexuality." You can be celibate and you can be homosexual; it simply prevents you from heterosexuality. A new definition! They have to find such a definition, because almost fifty percent of Christian monks are homosexuals. The remaining ones may be masturbating, but nobody, unless he is born impotent, can be celibate by nature.
"These people go on teaching unnatural things. And when people cannot cope with unnaturalness, and they are drawn to their nature, it becomes sin. Then they have to be condemned to hellfire. To be natural is a sin, according to Christianity -- and according to other religions too. To be unnatural and abnormal -- to be perverted -- is to be saintly."

Christianity: The Deadliest Poison and Zen: The Antidote to All Poisons

"The Earth Was Shaking, We Were Meditating."

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 06:35:00 +0000

Meditators running in

Believe it or not, this is what Osho meditators have reported from Chile. On February 28th the terrible earthquake that shook Chile was 700 times stronger than that of the Haiti earthquake. Now everybody knows that Chile is quake- prone but every new earthquake shatters and devastates the citizens anew.

What can one do in this situation? Nothing can be done outwardly for sure, but much can be done inwardly. And that's what the Osho meditators in Chile do.
There are four Osho Meditation Centers in Chile , so when we heard about the terrible earthquake we sent worried emails to them asking about their welfare.
Their answers reflect their spirit--

One of the center co-ordinators Aseema wrote : "The earth keeps shaking and thanks to Osho... we run in! "

Mukti is another lady who facilitates Osho meditations in a high rise building. She informed with a Spanish flavor, " Me and my family very ok--- but many people with many problems…. My flat is on the 11th floor but I’m ok—I’m not afraid of quake and I feel we need to continue living life as it is now. Many things happen in the world right now, and I feel it is moment to just go in---- and as Osho says 'meditation the only way, and the real home is inside.'

Easier said than done. Right? But these guys are saying this in the midst of the destruction all around. This is the strength of meditation.

No quake inside

This reminds me of a story Osho tells; it's about a Zen master whose unique behavior in face of death is a great learning for all.
" It happened that a Zen master was invited as a guest. A few friends had gathered and they were eating and talking when suddenly there was an earthquake. The building that they were sitting in was a seven storey building and they were on the seventh storey, so life was in danger. Everybody tried to escape. The host, running by, looked to see what had happened to the master. He was there with not even a ripple of anxiety on his face. With closed eyes he was sitting on his chair as he had been sitting before.

The host felt a little guilty, he felt a bit of a coward, and it did not look good that
a guest was sitting there and the host was running away. The others, the other twenty guests, had already gone down the stairs but he stopped himself although he was trembling with fear, and he sat down by the side of the master.

The earthquake came and went, the master opened the eyes and started his conversation which because of the earthquake he had had to stop. He continued again at exactly the same sentence -- as if the earthquake had not happened at all.

The host was now in no mood to listen, he was in no mood to understand because his whole being was so troubled and he was so afraid. Even though the earthquake had gone, the fear was still there.

He said: Now don't say anything because I will not be able to grasp it, I'm not myself anymore. The earthquake has disturbed me too much. But there is one question I would like to ask. All other guests had escaped, I was also on the stairs, almost running, when suddenly I remembered you. Seeing you sitting here with closed eyes, sitting so undisturbed, so unperturbed, I felt a bit of a coward -- I am the host, I should not run. So I came back and I have been sitting by your side. I would like to ask one question. We all tried to escape. What happened to you? What do you say about the earthquake?

The master said: "I also escaped, but you escaped outwardly, I escaped inwardly. Your escape is useless because wherever you are going there too is an earthquake, so it is meaningless, it makes no sense. You may reach the sixth storey or the fifth or the fourth, but there too is an earthquake. I escaped to a point within me where no earthquake ever reaches, cannot reach. I entered my center."

Excerpted from Tao : The Three Treasures, Vol 2

The Soft Power of Touching

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:41:00 +0000

When visitors come to Osho International Meditation Resort, they comment, "People look so happy and relaxed here. They touch so easily."

Yes, it is one of the Osho tools for relaxation.

Touch is the first language we learn. If you have forgotten it, go and watch a new born being caressed and cuddled by its mother. The infant has yet to enter the complex world of words, so the first communication it receives through all senses is by touch. And that remains with all of us throughout our lives -- an undercurrent of nonverbal transmition of love and support.

A touch speaks more than a thousand words. A pat on the back, a caress on the cheek, or the warmth of a hug carries the bioelectric energy of humanness.

In the brain, prefrontal areas, which help regulate emotion, can relax, freeing them for another of their primary purposes: problem solving. In effect, the body interprets a supportive touch as “I’ll share the load.”

“We think that humans build relationships precisely for this reason, to distribute problem solving across brains,” said James A. Coan, a a psychologist at the University of Virginia. “We are wired to literally share the processing load, and this is the signal we’re getting when we receive support through touch.”

At the Osho International Meditation Resort this happens so naturally, almost unknowningly. Hugs and embraces flow as freely as the brookes and waterfalls here. This may be the reason why people look so relaxed, so happy. There is a sharing of energy all around, a kind of melting. By touching they participate in each other's being.

www.osho.com/meditationresort

Jesus In The Jar Of Marmite?

noreply@blogger.com (Sadhana) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:35:00 +0000

It's a BBC news guys : "Family see Jesus image in Marmite "
It may not be immediately obvious to everyone, but one family are convinced they can see the face of Jesus on the lid of a jar of Marmite. The family said they found the image comforting . Claire Allen, the housewife said she was the first to notice the image on the underside of the lid as she was putting the yeast spread on her son's toast.

Now one can understand the need for a saviour or a caretaker for people who are treated roughly by life. In this case Clair Allen admitted that they had a tough couple of months; her mum's been really ill and " it's comforting to think that if Jesus is there, he's watching over us."

That's the crux of the matter. People are desperate for a support, and they let their mind project anything that could give them solace. Since this was a Christian family they projected Jesus, a Hindu family would not have seen anything like this because Hindu gods are all decked up with ornaments and luxurious hairdo.

A Buddhist may project something else.

Osho warns people, particulalry spiritual seekers against falling into this trap as it only weakens the person. The real strength comes out of meditation.

While talking to a man wha had visions Osho said, " The mind starts playing tricks. Somebody will see lights, somebody will start hearing sounds, somebody will start experiencing something else, and the ego says 'This is something great -- it is only happening to you. It is rare. You are special, that's why it is happening to you' and you start cooperating.

My suggestion is: simply disconnect yourself from all this. Whenever anything like this arises just have a good laugh!

And don't pay much attention to it -- just neglect it! One has to become utterly empty. The only spiritual experience worth calling spiritual is the experience of nothingness, of emptiness... what sufis call 'fana', the disappearance of the ego. That is the only spiritual experience -- all else is just mind games. And the mind can create many things. The mind can start hallucinating; it can see visions, Christ and Buddha... The mind has the capacity to dream -- even with open eyes it can dream. When you see Jesus standing in front of you, how not to believe? And there is no Jesus standing before you -- it is your projection.

"That's why Zen masters say 'If you meet the Buddha on the way, kill him!' They are right... absolutely right. It looks sacrilegious, very disrespectful to say that if you meet Buddha on the way, kill him... but it is very true. You will meet the Buddha on the way or Jesus or Mohammed -- that is not the point. You will come across anything that you had been conditioned for in your childhood.

My work is hard because I cannot support any illusions of your mind, I cannot support any hallucinations. I have to cut all kinds of hallucinations."

Excerpted from The Tounge-Tip Taste of Tao