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                              Behold the Moon to Your Hearts Content, Today

 

                           The sixth discourse:  26th January 1979:  Osho Commune International, Pune

 

The first question:  Osho, I have taken initiation into sannyas bound in love with you.  And now I am apprehensive, I do not know what is going to happen?  Please Osho!  console me!

Love is not a bondage.  And that love which is a bondage is not love.  Love is the declaration of freedom.  Love is not prison, it is open sky.

 If you comprehend my love, it would not feel like bondage.  Although all the loves that you have experienced so far were all bondage.  They enslaved you, they crippled you, they raised walls around you, they put chains around you, they sacrificed you.  Naturally, you see an obvious connection between love and bondage in your mind.  People send wedding invitations that read, "My son (or daughter) is getting into the bondage of love ..."  Love and bondage!  What, pray, would then be liberation?  Love and bondage!  Then where on earth would you find freedom?

Eradicate this concept from the very root.  Wherever there is bondage, you must know, it may be some thing else, it is not love.  Wherever there is liberation ... when you get the taste of liberation, you must know that love is there.

Perhaps you took the initiation into sannyas to get into a bondage.  But this is from your side.  I am not responsible for something which is from your side.  A sannyas initiation was bestowed upon you from my side so that you may become totally free, so that no bondage could remain with you, so that you can proclaim your being yourself for the first time, so that you can say for the first time, "I am going to become what creator created me to be.  I will not succumb to any conditions, I will not surrender to any compromises, no matter what the consequence may be."  And perhaps you are beginning to get a wind of those consequences.  Hence the fear.

And you say, "now I am apprehensive, I do not know what is going to happen?"    Love knows no fear.  The relation between love and fear is just like relation between light and darkness.  Since you have not understood love, you will have fear.  In the moments of love even the death disappears, why fear?  Only those persons become afraid in whose hearts the energy of love does not cascade.  A frightened man does not even have a soul.  And wherever the veena of love plays, fear takes its departure automatically.

No ... perhaps you might have taken sannyas out of fear too.  In your sannyas taking there is a fundamental mistake, that is why such a question came up.  For centuries you have been taught fear in the name of religion, instead of love.  Fear has two middle names:  'heaven' and 'hell.'  Heaven is fear - concealed in jargon of greed.  And of course hell is fear - straight-forward,  obvious, naked.  People do not commit sins for the fear of hell.  And they perform good deeds - afraid that they might miss heaven.  The greed of heaven is making you do good deeds, the fear of hell is making you avoid sin.  Is this some kind of a avoidance?  Is this sin?  Is that good deed?  This perspective on life has been shaped for you for centuries.  But the ones who did the shaping were not enlightened men.  They were scholars, priests, businessmen.  And the very basis for the business of religion is to induce fear, to induce greed.  Because, the only basis for exploiting humanity is fear and greed.

I say unto you that there is neither hell nor heaven.  If there is hell it is you, if there is heaven it is you.  Hell and heaven are not geographical locations, it is your psyche.  There is a way of life that each moment, each breath becomes heaven.  And there is way of life also that each moment, each breath becomes hell.  If you live in fear then you would be living in hell.  You have been told that if you live in fear then you would go to hell.  I say unto you that one who is fearful is the hell!  You have been told that the one who does good deeds will go to heaven.  Will go!  Expectations for the future, assurances!  No, I say unto you that the one who loves lives in heaven!  This is not some kind of assurance for the future.  Flowers would blossom now and fragrance would dissipate in the future?  Fire would light up now and you would get the warmth in the future?  Thorn would prick now and you would suffer pain in the future?  These ideas of future are ways to conceal your lies.  When a thorn pierce now you suffer pain right away.  And when a flower brings fragrance to your nostrils, they are filled and thrilled with it right away.  The life is ready cash not borrowed money.  And you have been taught borrowed stuff till now.  And there is only one reason for the borrowed stuff - things can be postponed till tomorrow.  And tomorrow never comes.  They can be postponed till tomorrow and you can be exploited today.  Rewards and such are all tomorrow, exploitation right now.

Try to understand this scheme.

You might have taken sannyas according to the same old fixed ideas that you will get  liberated, will get to heaven.  'Will get,' do not even start that kind of lingo with me!  Sannyas is heaven!  You might have thought that by taking sannyas you would be prevented from going to hell, you won't have to go to hell, you would not have to suffer the pangs of sins, you would not have to burn in hell.  Drop all these stupidities.  These are all children's stories.  These are means of frightening small children, there is no more worth of them than that.  Rise above childishness, grow up!

Now you are getting scared as to who know what is going to happen?  This fear is also for the same reason that my sannyas is not the sannyas of some old fixed ideas.  If you were a Hindu sannyasin then every thing would have been well decided.  If you were a Jaina sannyasin, every thing would have been well decided.  The have chalked every little detail.  In Buddhist scriptures there are thirty-three thousand rules for a sannyasin to follow!  Can a man ever get liberated?  Can freedom ever happen?  Thirty-three thousand rules!  It would be difficult even to remember them.  And thirty-three thousand rules are affixed for every tiny little thing - how you would rise, how you would sit, what you would eat, what you would drink, where you would stay, how long you would stay - nothing is left unsaid.

Buddha has formulated these rules - that is not the case.  Buddha would not fall into the trap of such a merchandizing, there is no possibility of that.  But this is the web created by the scholars and accountants that followed Buddha, whose only desire is how to chain the entire humanity.  They formulated these thirty-three thousand chains.  The ones who have chained themselves with these have one security - they would not be afraid.  If they are fulfilling all the rules then why fear?  And this is probable that all the rules be meaningless.  Rules always are meaningless.  Because that which is not born out of the very core of your being is meaningless.  What is imposed from without is meaningless.  What you accept by some one else's opinion is not worth a clam.  Whatever is the feeling from within is a Jewel, rest every thing is dirt.

My sannyasin would have this dilemma.  Because I do not hand you a blue print of rules.  I do not make you follow a line.  "Lions do not walk in a pride."  It is said that lions do not have a crowd.  "Deviating their line walked all three:  poet, lion, good offspring."  The ones who have even a little talent do not walk lines, do not walk on a paved path.  They are not like cars of a train who keep running on fixed rails.  They are more like rivers Ganges and Yamuna which have no fixed lines.  They seek their own path.  And the interesting thing about seeking path is that only your enemies can give you lines and rules.  You friends can only give you one thing: yearning, a yearning to seek, an ecstasy of discovery, a intoxication of awareness.  And in that light of awareness ... it does not matter how dim the light may be!  A little candle light may throw light enough for four steps, but with a little candle light you can travel thousands of miles in pitch dark.  Once you traverse the four steps, the light shines on the next four; walk four steps and light shines on the next four.

I give you the candle light of meditation, I do not give the scripture of rules.  That too must be causing fear.

Now you are wishing that I should console you.  Console and me!  You are talking impossibilities!  I take away consolations.  I am not here to give you contentment but to give you truth.  And contentment clouds truth.  Console you!  Then your weakness will not go away.  To console is similar to handing crutches to a lame person.  So he begins to walk with the support of crutches.  But that does not heal his handicap does not heal, his lameness does not heal.  I want to see in your wholeness, I want to see you healthy.  I will take away the crutches from your hands too, the ones you walk with.  Because, as long as you will have these crutches in your hands, you will not even remember that you also can walk; you can walk on your own legs.  You have been handed crutches right from the childhood.  Unfortunate is the person who is walking with the support of crutches right from the childhood, because he does not trust his own legs.  And with the crutches you may be able to shop for vegetables, perhaps go to market place, earn things worth a few clams - but it would not be possible to head for divine.

                                                 Some one else had also cried out loud,

                                     A bracelet of consciousness has been put around wrist,

                                   God alone knows as to what is going to happen this time.

 

                                                 Some one else had also cried out loud,

                                               The mind was restrained too once before,

                                               With the kind glance of a deity, the mirror

                                                    Of desire was broken once before,

                                      With fear have I accepted the relationship of dreams,

                                      God alone knows what the world will gossip this time.

 

                                                 And again this time like the time before,

                                     There is a crowd of delights gathered in my front yard,

                                                   It seems today the life is awakening,

                                                            Again without any effort,

                                              With my eyes I have welcomed those eyes,

                                    God alone knows how much tears would flow this time.

 

                                       Just the day before this river-bank was overflowing,

                                                     I swallowed up my thirst in fright,

                                         The sleep that had died by drinking whose water,

                                            The song had burst out by drinking his water,

                                    I have given shelter to the poor unhappiness having pity,

                             God alone knows what the mind would have to tolerate this time.

It is natural, questions must be arising in mind:

                                     A bracelet of consciousness has been put around wrist,

                                   God alone knows as to what is going to happen this time.

Sannyas is the bracelet of consciousness.  Sannyas is the wedding ceremony with eternity.  Sannyas is like exchanging of wedding ring with truth.

                                           A bracelet has been put around wrist of feeling,

                                   God alone knows as to what is going to happen this time.

You must be worried because of your old habits.  Now leave it to God!  The one you have done the wedding ceremony with, leave it up to him.

                                      With fear have I accepted the relationship of dreams,

                                      God alone knows what the world will gossip this time.

I understand ... I understand your dilemma also.  I understand your dilemma with my whole heart.  Who knows what people are going to gossip?  People will laugh, people will brand you insane, people will say you have become disoriented.  But people have always said such things when you are on path to divine.  Won't you be able to pay such a small price, won't you be able to make such a small sacrifice?  Then forget about asking for infinite bliss!  You have to pay a price for every thing in life.

                                              With my eyes I have welcomed those eyes,

                                    God alone knows how much tears would flow this time.

Much will flow.  Eyes would simply stay damp with tears.  Because when the heart is damp, eyes can’t remain unaffected.  You will cry much.  But this crying would be of ecstasy.  This crying is not because of unhappiness.  Tears do not always flow because of unhappiness, keep that in mind.  Tears do not necessarily have a connection with unhappiness.  Tears can some times flow even during rage, they flow some times during unhappiness, they flow some times during happiness, they flow some times during passion, they even flow during the direct experience of beauty.  Tears do not have connection necessarily with any of things.  Tears flow at the time when some thing in your heart is so overwhelming that you can’t contain it.  Tears flow with love.  Tears flow during prayer.  Whenever some kind of flood overflows, tears flow. 

                                    I have given shelter to the poor unhappiness having pity,

                             God alone knows what the mind would have to tolerate this time.

The mind will tolerate much.  But the ones who tolerate for the sake of soul, their tolerance is meaningful.  The mind would be slashed, the mind would be toppled, the mind would die, be prepared for the demise of mind.  Sannyas is just the invitation for that.  And be aware of on thing:  as long as you do not have divine, you have nothing.  No matter where you are, you would be in hell.  The moment divine makes its appearance within you, you have the beautiful morning of paradise.

                                              When I could not even find you on the way

                                            Meaningless it is even with paradise on earth!

After burning all night the candle found in the morning

The ever-virgin dawn on the palanquin of light-beam,

After treading the burning path for the whole day

The sun kissed the lock of hair on moon's cheek at night,

In life every one always found

A soul-mate and driver on the path,

Only I am all alone who never ever found

The support of some strong arm,

Now that the life has become helpless

Meaningless it is even if the whole world walks with me!

                                              When I could not even find you on the way

                                            Meaningless it is even with paradise on earth!

The world revolves around only one axle,

The sky is tied down with only one string,

The life is imprisoned with only one breath

The shroud is weaved with only one thread,

Similarly, here in the eyes of every one

Such a silent image has imprinted,

The love of the whole world can be bestowed,

But the man has no awareness without that,

When do not even have awareness of myself today,

Meaningless it is even if I find Cleopatra blossomed as flower!

                                              When I could not even find you on the way

                                            Meaningless it is even with paradise on earth!

Only you were here in this destructive city

Whom while searching I got here,

Were you not here, I do not know

Where my body and mind would be lost,

It is you for whom I have been sobbing

For my whole life in words, in songs,

It is you without whom, like a dead body

I kept wandering to the crematorium,

But now, if you do not drink my thirst away

Meaningless it is even if Himalaya melts on my lips!

                                              When I could not even find you on the way

                                            Meaningless it is even with paradise on earth!

I was in love with flower too, for many days

The pang of heart did not ever smile,

I lost my heart to moon too, but

My inner core was not fulfilled, really,

But when you called me the other day

I was on funeral pyre, yet burst into song,

Heaven knows what magic you spelled

A tear-drop smiled within fire,

Should you not show me light now

Meaningless it is even with all the stars bright!

                                              When I could not even find you on the way

                                            Meaningless it is even with paradise on earth!

When I set out in search for you in this world

The temples misguided me quite a bit,

Good thing, in the race through out my life

I paid little attention to those stones,

Mountains bowed and kissed your feet

Flower-buds insisted on putting arms around neck,

But, I cleared my way and did escape

With one picture of you in my hand,

And even then if I do not find you,

Then pray tell me meaning of birth, of death!

                                              When I could not even find you on the way

                                            Meaningless it is even with paradise on earth!

Sannyas is the search for that one, which the moment you find the meaning in life begins to shower.  Flood-gates of eternity begins to pour in your heart.  But you have to have courage.  Bigger the thing you will seek for, more the courage you will need.  Your legs would shake - they are not used to it - the path is unknown, unacquainted - your mind would be terrified - old conditioning would pull you back like chains, this all has to be accepted, but you have to proceed after breaking them all, because until you find divine, remember -

                                              When I could not even find you on the way

                                            Meaningless it is even with paradise on earth!

As long as that much awareness keeps alive, that is enough.  And whatsoever price you have to pay for that awareness - even if you have to pay with your live, it is worth it.  Because, even otherwise death will take away your life one day.  What is the point in preserving something that is going to be taken away anyway?  Make use of it.  Why don't we make its offering in the feet of divine and receive deathlessness?  That which is going to be taken away by death anyway, becomes transformed into deathlessness once offered in the feet of divine.

 

The second question:  Osho, will you please express some of your visions about India?  -Ayub Said, Editor, "Current."

Dear Ayub Said, I am not a nationalist.  India, Pakistan, China, Japan do not sustain any significance for me.  I do not view this earth as something divided in fragments.  The only misfortune this earth has is that it is divided in fragments.  And as long as it would remain divided in fragments, this misfortune will persist.  The science has integrated the earth.  Now if the politics moves out of the way, man's misfortune would wither away.  All those means are available on earth today, that could make man happy, prosperous.  Today the earth can make deities from heaven full of jealousy, for the first time.

But politics will have to die, only then the science can be victorious.  The science actually opens the doors of good fortune.  Politics turns those doors into misfortunes.  Scientists like Albert Einstein, Lord Rutherford discovered atomic bomb.  Atomic bomb could have proven a blessing for the earth, because so much energy had come in our hands that we could have done anything we pleased.  But what happened is opposite.  Millions of people were incinerated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The science seeks energy, politics misuses that energy.  Einstein was so much troubled with this that when someone asked him in his last days if he would like to be a scientist again in his next life, he replied, "No, it is better if I become a plumber.  But I do not want to be a scientist. Because whatever we discovered all became worthless.  Not only worthless, it proved destructive, poisonous."

The discovery of atomic energy!  There is no need for a single person to go hungry any more.  Not only that, there is no need for so many people to rot with thousands of ailments; there is no need for man to live just for seventy-odd years according to the age-old notion.  Scientists say that man can easily live to be two-hundred years - very easily!  And scientists even say that human body has so much capability to revive itself that it is not necessary that death has to happen.  It can be postponed, it can be postponed for a long time.  Science has made the earth quite smaller.  It has become a small global village.  You can go around the entire earth in twenty four hours.  But the politics is proving to be devastating.

So the first thing I would like to say is this, Ayub Said! that if India wishes that her good fortune rises then India should become the first country on earth to proclaim herself international, who say, "We become the ground for the United Nations Organization."  The entire country!  We do not want to keep it confined.  And India is the only country that can take this first step, that is her tradition.  "The whole world is a family!"  is something we have repeated for centuries that the entire world is our family.  Till now there were no bases for that saying, hence this saying just remained limited as a seer's utterance.  Now this can be transformed into reality.  Now you can convert your seers into actual experiments.  Toward the ones who uttered, "The whole world is a family!" there could not be a more appropriate oblation than for this country, India, to be the very first.  Let not India miss this honor, let her declare, "We are international.  We relinquish narrow boundaries.  We relinquish petty national insistences.  We proclaim ourselves as international."

This is my first vision about the future.  And do remember, some or the other country will do it.  Then you will miss, then you will regret.  This historical moment and this great opportunity should not be missed.  Some or the other country is bound to do it sooner or later ... Switzerland might do it ... or some one else would do it!  But the one who does it would make history.  This would be a new beginning, a foundation for a new humanity would be laid down.

But I am not nationalist.  Nationalism is a poison!  Man has suffered much because of nationalism.  And in cahoots with nationalism are communalism, denominationism - of caste, of color or of class.  They too are the little games of politics.  I also wish that man does not keep himself limited with any boundaries - neither Hindu, nor Moslem, nor Jaina, nor Christian.  To be human is sufficient.  It does not mean that if some one relishes Bible he should not enjoy that.  But by being human you can relish Bible, being a Christian is not a prerequisite.  It does not mean that if some one gets intoxicated with Geeta, he should not do that.  But why is required to be a Hindu for that?  If it is not required to be a Hindu or to be a Christian to fly in an airplane;  if it is not required to be a Hindu or to be a Christian to get a prescription from a doctor ... now these are supreme doctors - Krishna, Nanak, Kabeera, Dariya, Mohammed, Jesus, Buddha - why is it required to be Hindu, Moslem or Christian to receive medicine for life-illness from these supreme doctors?  To impose these petty conditions on ourselves is unnecessary.  As a matter of fact, more these conditions become strong, more are our connections broken with those supreme doctors.

All these limitations must be transcended.  Human is nothing but a human; a proclamation such as that must be made.  Chandidas has said, "Above all is human truth none above that."  Human is above all, there is no truth higher than that.  Recite that proclamation, let this proclamation reverberate in each and every house, "Above all is human truth none above that!"  Human is the supreme truth, there is no truth higher than that.  Divine is also hidden within human.  Divinity is just another name of the inner most core of human, it is ensconced in his inner most cave.  Divine is not far from devotee.  The moment a devotee becomes totally engrossed in his devotion, he becomes divine.

Drop all these petty conditions so that we can claim the legacy of the entire humanity as our own.  What kind of small-mindedness is that, that because you are a Hindu therefore Koran can’t be your legacy! And Koran is so lovely!  You are small-minded for no reason, Koran can be your wealth.

Just think, while reading Shakespeare you do not have to become Christian, nor while reading Kalidas you have to become Hindu, nor while reading Omar Khaiyyam you have to become Moslem!  So, in the world of literature you regard them your own:  be it Shakespeare, Kalidas or Omar Khaiyyam.  The world of religion is even higher than that.  In that all of the Koran, Guru Granth Sahib

, Bible, Dhammapada, Geeta must be yours!  A true religious person is one who regards religious experience of the entire world as his.  You are not the sons of Rama and Krishna only, the blood of Buddha and Mahaveera also flow through your veins.  You are not just connected with Mohammed and Christ, the blood of Zarthustra and Lao Tse also flows through your veins.  This entire human-consciousness is a single ocean.  Docks have many different names but the sea is the same.  You have become marooned to docks and forgotten the sea.

I am anti-nationalism, I am anti-secularism, I am anti-denominationism, I am anti-sectarianism.  I wish that human assimilate his entire past. And keep in mind that the human who would assimilate his entire past only that can become the master of his future.  And we have to the master of our entire future.   I do not only say in reference to religion; we have to become the master of both religion and science.

Ancient man was incomplete.  There were two kinds of people among the ancient man - one was materialist and the other spiritualist; both were incomplete.  The materialist used to think, "I am just the body, so eat drink and be merry!"  And the spiritualist used to think, "I am devoid of body - so not to eat, nor drink nor to be merry; rot, lie on bed or thorns, fast, stand atop head; emaciate, because the atman is an enemy of body."  Both of these ideas are idiotic.  And both these ideas have created insanity for humanity.

My vision of the future human is:  the human would neither be a materialist nor a spiritualist.  He would be totalist; he would say, "I am atman, I am body too.  My body is an abode, atman houses in it."

Do you decorate your house or do you not?  Do you keep your house spic-and-span or do you not?  And where atman houses, that body no longer remain just a house, it becomes a temple.  To honor body is to honor the atman hidden within the body, indirectly.  So, body is not to be tortured, not to be mortified, not to be emaciated; it is to be made into a stepping stone.

This ancient human was a split human.  That split human established a world where he suffered much.  Because the one who thought to eat, drink and be merry - simply wasted away in eating, drinking and being merry; he never even glanced toward the riches of his interiority.  He did not even believe so why would he glance?  He lived an extrovert life, he died an extrovert death - he stayed a pauper inside.  And inside lives the emperor of emperors.  And the one who thought that the interiority is every thing became an introvert, he shut his eyes.  He did taste the nectar within but much pauperism spreads outside, much impoverishment spread outside.

This pauperism in India that you see today - spiritualists have much responsibility in it.  Your mind may or may not agree, your ego may get hurt - I am not concerned about that!  Your India that is so poor today, that is so hungry today - half the population is starving, no one seem to be healthy - the cause for that is your spiritualists.  They preached, "There is absolutely nothing outside.  Just close your eyes and be seated within caves."

The west has become prosperous on the surface but is poor within.  The east has become prosperous within, but has become poor outside.  This is so incomplete.  It is like you sever one wing of a bird and then tell it to take a flight.  Now, it matters not if you sever the left wing or the right.

The humanity of the East is with a single wing, and the humanity of the West too is with a single wing.  I wish for human to have both wings.  In my vision of the future would be human who would be ecstatic in the body and also would be ecstatic in the atman, who would neither be introvert nor extrovert, who would be skilful in going within as well as coming without, whose skill will lie in being a bridge between extroversion and introversion.

It is like you go outside your home.  The morning broke, the sun came out, lovely birds started to chirp, you came out.  Do you have to make much fuss about this journey to the outside?  Do you have to perform much yoga and discipline?  Do you have to first do head-stand or such?  You quietly move outside!  Later when the sun becomes hot, the body begins to get hot, you move inside seeking shade.  As you move inside when the sun is hot and move outside when it is cold - so should the human be - skilful in moving out and in.  Within and without are both ours, every thing is ours.  There is nothing here that is worth relinquishing.

I wish to give you such a gift of skill that you may go out or in with ease.  With the same ease that the breath comes out and goes in.  The East decided that they are going to hold the breath in - they died!  The West decided that they are going to hold the breath outside - they died!  Both experiments have proved unsuccessful.  The entire human history till now has been the history of failure.  I wish a new man.  Let it be born in India, and let it be born also outside India, because it has no exclusive relation with India.  A new man should manifest in every corner of the earth.  This man would be the man who would breath - he would breathe out as well as breathe in.

And consider this interesting fact - the breath would go in as deeply as itt would go out.  And it would go out as deeply as it would go in.  There would be an equilibrium between the two.  And till now you have been taught to fear breathing, living is sinful, living is punishment.  You are living because you have been sent to this earth because of your sins as a punishment.

These ill-conceived notions must demolish.  Only because of these ill-conceived notions there is conflict between science and religion.  As soon as this notion demolishes and we accept the humanity in its totality - it is beautiful outside as well as inside - science and religion will  move closer.  And this would be the most fortunate hour on this earth when science and religion would be together, would dance with hand in hand!  That would be the day when there would be abundance of wealth as well as meditation!  That would be the day when the body would be healthy as well as the atman would be intoxicated.

That is my vision of the future for the humanity - naturally, India too is included in it.

The old human was either worldly or other-worldly.  Either he was atheist or theist.  And whenever some human begins to discern as such - between theist and atheist; between this world and that - he becomes split.  A split man becomes insane.  This world is ours and so is the other world.  And the other world is not any different than this world - it is just an extension of this world.  And atheism is not opposed to theism.  Atheism is a stepping stone to being theist.  Try to understand clearly, because you have been explained this thing for so long in an opposite way that it has become ingrained, you would probably say, 'atheism and a stepping stone to theism?!'  But I repeat it, atheism is a stepping stone to theism.  The man who never learnt to say 'nay' can never learn to say 'yea.'  The man who is impotent to say 'nay', his 'yea' saying is impotent also.  The man who can say 'nay', if he ever says 'yea', you can believe his 'yea.'  And the man who always says, 'yes sir, sure sir', do not ever believe him.  His 'yea' has no force.  His 'yea' is weak. His 'yea' has not energy whatsoever.  That is why your theists seem so devoid of energy.

This earth is full of theists - someone is going to a temple, someone is going to a Gurudwara, someone is going to a mosque, someone is going to a church; your earth is full or theists - but in this crowd of your theists ... and nowhere can you see the fragrance of the theistic nature!  What is the matter?  What is amiss?  What is missing is the fact that your theists are empty.  They have been forcibly made into theists.  Being theist is not their personal choice, it is not their personal determination.

You have imposed theism on children right from the childhood; 'bow before God', 'there is God', 'if you do not bow then you will rot in hell', 'if you bow then you will be rewarded in heaven.'  You have frightened them, worried them, made them afraid.  Very small, helpless children!  No one has been subjected to as much atrocities on this earth as the helpless children.  If you tried to do with someone else he may put up a little struggle, what struggle can helpless children do!  They are dependent on you, whatever you say they nod their agreement.  If you call a night a night it is alright, if you call it a day it is alright.  A child is so helpless, so dependent - for food, for expenses, for clothing, for everything - that he will say anything you want him to say.  If he is born in a Hindu family then the poor thing becomes a Hindu, if he is born in a Moslem family then he becomes a Moslem.  If you let a child born in Moslem family grow up in a Hindu family, he will become a Hindu.  He will not even remember that he once was Moslem.  This Islam, this Hinduism are all imposed.

I wish that all this imposition come to a halt, children be left alone.  Of course, they should be provided with the desire to search, they be asked to go seek in the life time.  "The life is not just what appears on the surface, it has much concealed deeper, ... do seek.  We are searching, you should also search."  Do provide them with desire to seek, but do not give them principles as to what the end result of their search would be.  Then, naturally every child will go with a 'nay.'  'Nay' saying is a way to sharpen wits.  He would at first say 'no', because what has not come to the grips of his understanding, he would not say 'yes' to that.  You may say, "There is God", he would say, "There is not, where is it, show me!"

Every person, if he has the slightest intelligence would first be atheistic.  And the very search of atheism will slowly and gradually lead him to that space ... he would begin to experience such episodes in his life that it would be difficult to deny with them.  Some day he would fall in love, he would know love and find that it does not be confined by words or principles, the life does not end with that much, there is also something else.  Some day he would see a rose in bloom and find it beautiful.  But beauty can’t be proven because it is not a matter.  Some day he would see the night sky full of stars and would be astonished, awestruck.  For one moment a silence would take over.  "This beauty of the star-studded night sky, this peace, this serenity, this grandeur ...", for the first time in his life there would appear whispering of 'yes.'  In this way, slowly and gradually while denying again and again and again and again he will arrive at the temple of 'yes' - arrive, for sure, he would.  And then there is a real pleasure in 'yes.'  Then there is an explosion in theism.

I wish to see the earth theistic, but not in opposition to atheistic.  I wish such theists who have become theists having imbibed atheism.  I wish such theists who have used atheism as a stepping stone and come to be theists.  I wish such theists who are not afraid to hear 'no', and do not plug their ears when they do.  I wish such theists who have made use of 'no' and have found 'yes' on the stream of 'no.'

Those other-worldly theists were essentially opposed to this life.  We gave an ample opportunity to them in India.  They have destroyed our entire life.  Everything is wrong.  Food is wrong, to wear clothes is wrong, to build nice house is wrong, a life is leisure is wrong - everything is wrong.  They have made us pathological.  Our entire psychology has become a long story of pathology!  They have created trouble two ways.  The one trouble they created is:  that this life is wrong, this world is sin, it is illusory.  This had two consequences.  One consequence was that the ones who did not listen to them and somehow managed to survive in this world, they developed guilt within them, 'whatever we are doing, we are doing it wrong.'  If you loved a woman it is sinful!  If you made a few clams it is sinful!  If you constructed a nice home, it is sinful!  If you wore nice garments it is sinful!  They developed guilt within them.  And because of their guilt feelings they would never be able to enjoy no matter what they would do, because they are full of guilt feelings.  They are frightened, they are shaking, 'now I will have to rot in hell - I have fallen in love with a woman!'

And those other people, who consented to their dictum became hypocrites.  Because the life is so natural that even if you repeat a million times that it is untrue or it is dream, it pulls, it attracts.  It will have to pull, because there is the attraction of divine hiding inside it.  Let your mahatmas shout all they want!

So two types of people are born.  One who are hypocrites - who are one thing outside and something else inside.  And the other type of people born are full of guilty-feelings, the poor things always carry on with a heavy burden on their hearts.  We have squashed the humanity in the worst way.

In my vision of the future the human would be such that he would neither be haunted with guilty-feelings nor would become hypocritical; who would live his life in its totality, in its richness and would surrender his life in the feet of divine; who would love as well as dance and sing; who would also become blissful.  And because of all this blissfulness he would be grateful to divine, "I am so fortunate that you have given me this unprecedented opportunity - to this wretched me, to this insignificant me!  All these beautiful trees, so much of vegetation, their flowers!  Such stars and moon, such sun, such people, such a wonderful universe you have shown me - for which I had no worthiness!  Therefore, I am grateful!"  He will enjoy bliss in this universe and the enjoyment of bliss itself would become his prayer.  I wish to see such a humanity - in India as well as outside India.

The old man was moralistic, not religious.  There is much distinction between morality and religiousness.  Morality is the name for always following according to what others impose on you.  Religiousness is the name for following according to the indications that your consciousness gives you.  And it is not necessary that religiousness and morality always have consensus - most of the time they do not have consensus.  For example, in the time of Buddha it was moralistic to sacrifice animals during sacrificial ritual.  But Buddha's inner self did not give him the dispensation.  Sacrificing animals!  It was moralistic but no dispensation came from Buddha's heart.  It was moralistic to worship statues of stones in the time of Mohammed, but it could not be dispensed in Mohammed's heart that some one can attain to divine through worshipping stone.

Morality is an arrangement consented by society.  Religiousness is feeling that arose in the soul.  Till now ... it has been arranged so that a man can live by the moral ways, because the society wants that you follow the dictums of society.  It is not a question of right or wrong.  Who are you to decide between right and wrong?

Five thousand years have elapsed since Manu wrote his Smriti, but even now Hindus follow it.  This is moral.  This is not religiousness.  Manu wrote that a shudra is untouchable, so shudra is still untouchable - they are being burnt alive even now.  Manu wrote; whatever he wrote is being believed even today.  This may be moral but it is not religiousness.

The foundation of the old world was morality, the foundation of the future will be religiousness.  The religiousness gives a man individuality, morality takes away man's individuality.  And when the individuality is taken away, the very soul is taken away!  Religiousness is that very subtle voice from every person's innermost core, wherefrom divine speaks.

That is why I do not tell my sannyasins to be moralistic.  That does not mean that I am telling to become immoral.  It only means that you dive deep into meditation and listen to the voice of your innermost core and what it says is the supreme principle.  Then you stake everything on that.  And you will never lose, you will never miss, you will arrive at destination.  The human of the future will not be moralistic, he will be religious.

A new vision of humanity ... a very new vision has become necessary.  Such a vision that would accept the life as the whole body - and with gratitude!  Such a vision that does not reject anything from minute to vast.  Because lotus' are concealed in muck.  If you reject muck then lotus' would never grow, although lotus' are not visible in muck.  And when lotus' grow it is also hard to believe that they might have grown in muck!  Muck and lotus - both ought to be accepted.

That is why I say to my sannyasins, "Do not renounce home, do not renounce means.  The market place is like muck, do not just escape, otherwise you will not be able to become lotus."  It is the first outline of vision of humanity in my sannyas, it is the first creation.  But these things, Ayub Said, I am not saying just for India.  I have no desire to present any requests in such small-mindedness.  All these things are applicable for India - just as much as it is applicable for the entire human race.

And an extreme hour of decision is approaching, when something has to be settled.  Such an hour of decision is approaching ... in the coming twenty-five years we will either see that the whole humanity has committed suicide because of its idiocy ... because so many hydrogen bombs have become stock-piled that every single man can be destroyed seven hundred times, seven hundred earths like this can be destroyed.  From the very root.  Not only the humanity will parish, animals and birds, vegetation, insects and pests - all will parish.  And the people who control such immense explosive devices are more or less insane.

Our fate is such ... I have heard that an airplane took off into sky - a huge jumbo jet - some seven hundred fifty people on the plane, and all of a sudden the pilot burst out laughing - so loudly that all passengers could hear his laughter through the inter-com.  And that laughter was a little disconcerting too, because the laughter was similar to that of insane persons.  And it was not even stopping.  At last people went to him and asked, "Why are you laughing?"  He said, "I have escaped an insane asylum.  I used to be a pilot before then ... I have just escaped the insane asylum.  They must be looking for me now! ... That is why I am laughing."

You can imagine what must have befallen over the seven hundred fifty passengers!  The pilot is insane ... what are the chances of life-span, now?

This immense energy that has accumulated in the whole world is in the hands of politicians - and where can you find more insane people than these!  There keys are in the hands of insane people.  We are decidedly passing through an intense peril.  Any one of these insane persons can trigger that total destruction!  And that total destruction will be in a chain, when one triggers, the other will have to follow.  And the destruction will be such that neither anyone would win nor lose - as all will parish.

Before this destruction takes place, humanity must lay some new foundations.  Only in meditation those foundations can be laid; because only meditation makes a human peaceful, frees him from war, frees him from hostility, frees him from the destruction of the other.  And only meditation gives the opportunity to a human to listen to the voice of his innermost core.

Therefore, my whole effort is focused only on one thing, how can maximum number of people attain to the beauty of meditation.  Meditation has the future of mankind in it.  And only with meditation there is a possibility of security.  This sannyas that I am expanding is only a gathering of people who would take the message of meditation, fragrance of meditation to the far corners of the earth.  The more the number of people who would get into meditation, the better it is; that is how many people are likely to survive.

 

The third question:  Why does life seem to be meaningless?  When I come to you here then I get glimpse of some meaning, but then that keeps vanishing.

Life is neither meaningless nor does it have any meaning.  Life is like a clean canvas, whatever you wish you can paint on it.  Life is like a blank book - if you choose you can write profanities or you can write songs.  Life in itself is nothing.  Life is an unchartered opportunity.  And most people live it with a misunderstanding that there is some meaning in life and do not understand why they are not getting it?  Life does not have a meaning, you have to give it.  You get as much as you put in.  Not more.

A flute is there and you sit in front of it and say, "Flute is there, why there is no music?"  Flute does not have music, it has to be created, it has to be invoked, it has to be put in, it has to be allowed to flow through.  Put it on you lips and play and a beautiful music would be born.  Life does not have a ready-made meaning; it is not like you can go to a garment store, and come home in ready-made clothes.  Life is just an unchartered opportunity; it will become what you wish.  That is why Buddha creates nirvana in it.  People like Hitler make the worst hell out of it.  Someone sitting next to you lives in a paradise while you live in hell.  Life is a total freedom.  Life is creativity.

You ask, "Why does life seem to be meaningless?"  Because you might not have put any meaning in it.  Why does the little garden seem barren?  You might not have planted any seed.  Why do flowers not blossom?  If you did plant seeds, you might not have watered the plants.

When you become creative a meaning would arise.  And those people who are not creative would find their lives meaningless.  But they themselves are guilty, no one else are guilty.

You also ask, "When I come to you here then I get glimpse of some meaning."  You could only find glimpse.  It is like you traverse a path in darkness and there comes a man with lantern in his hand and you start to walk with him.  As long as the man with lantern is with you, the path is  lighted.  And then comes the cross road and the man says, "Good bye, friend.  Now I go on my way."  Then the darkness is intense!  Now you are puzzled that till now there was a little glimpse and how come there is such intense darkness now?

You can walk a little in the light of my lamp.  But that is not the light of your lamp.  When you have the light of your lamp then only it will stay with you for ever.  Otherwise you will get glimpses!  When you go to garden then you will get fragrance.  Later when you return home, how would you get the fragrance!  Until such time that your home becomes garden also ... While you sit beside me for a while, my intoxication would surround you, my songs would become your singing, a connection with my energy would be formed a little, a little satsang  would happen, a little juice would flow, you would also taste a little, the rain would drizzle a little - but with this the thing to understand is that the rain can drizzle, light can happen, juice can happen.  Now, how can I produce it?  If I can produce it then you too can produce it - I am not even iota different than you,  you are not even an iota different than me.  What is possible within me is possible within you.

That is why I am really opposed to these ideas ... Hindus say that Rama is an avatar, came from above.  The very meaning of avatar is appearing from above.  I am not in favor of that.  Because if Rama is avatar and has a fragrance then what is that of any use to us!  He is an 'avatar', and has appeared from the sky, well okay.  We have not come from sky, we have just grown out of earth!  Krishna is an avatar.  No, I do not like the idea of avatar.

I like the idea of Jaina teerthankaras much better.  Teerthankara means - not avatar - ones who grew among us, people just like us, people absolutely like us; but then flowers blossomed in their life; that provides a confidence.  If flowers can blossom in the life of some person who is just like you,  a person who is made of flash and bones just like you, part of your earth itself - then the flowers can also blossom within you.

Teerthankara means the one who became 'teertha' (pilgrim place) with his own effort.  The who was just like you but one day some thing transpired within him that he became lighted.  Mahaveera, Buddha, Parshwa, Nemi - these are people just like you, they are not avatars.  They have not descended, they have arisen.  They ascended toward sky.  They were born of earth.  You too have born of earth, you too can ascend toward sky.

You say, "Why does life seem to be meaningless?"  You may have planted the seeds of meaninglessness.  People are simply planting the seeds of meaninglessness - some one is earning wealth.  Has life ever become meaningful by means of wealth!  It may become convenient, it can’t become meaningful.  Convenience is not the same as meaning.  You are sitting in your air-conditioned room, if you are meaningless you stay meaningless.  Air-conditioning can’t provide meaning.  No manufacturer of air-conditioning units make any claim to that effect either.  Of course, there would not be heat in the room, there would be coolness.  But you are the same.  If profanity is what revolves in you, then what can air-conditioning do?  They would perhaps revolve in cool surrounding with much convenience - in the hot sun you may even forget them for a while.

No matter how beautiful arrangement you make outside, until the song arises within ... what can the outside arrangement do?  And keep in mind, let me repeat it, I am not against arrangements outside.  Whatever arrangement you make outside is fine, just do not stop at that; that does not creates meaning.  For meaning you will have to do something else.

The outer arrangement grows out of science, meaning is a happening within; grows out of religion.  Arrangement grows out of science, meaning grows out of knowing.  Convenience is produced by outer organization, peace and bliss is produced by inner organization.  What have you done for the inner?  You earned wealth, constructed a house, you have children, you have family - everything is fine - and I am opposed to none of them - but what have you done for the inner?  Have you celebrated wedding of the inner?  Has the wedding flute reverberated inside?  Have you sought the beloved inside?  Have you encircled Him seven times inside?

You see, a wedding couple has to encircle fire seven times.  These are just the image of the seven encircles within.  Because there are seven chakras inside human life and if you encircle each of the chakras then you get to sahastrar, the crown chakra.  Seven chakras of within have symbolically  become the seven encircling outside.  And seven encircling has to be conducted all around fire.  Seven encircling within also have to be conducted after igniting fire within.  And the fire within is ignited with the thirst of divine, with the thirst of divine like fire!  For example, if someone lost in desert is thirsty - his thirst is not an ordinary thirst - it is fire!  Similarly when a thirst for divine arises within you such that without Him you can’t possibly live even for a moment, then a fire is generated within you, fire becomes ignited.  That is the real yajna.  And when you encircle around that yajna seven times then the thousand petal lotus blossoms with meaning.

You ask, "Why is there no meaning in life?"  Because you have not produced it.  "And when I come to you here then I get glimpse of some meaning."  You can only get glimpse.  That too is not small.  When you get a glimpse a confidence arises that the meaning can happen.  Later you will have to generated meaning, do not just rely on glimpse.  It is like you will become intoxicated by listening to a veena player.  Do not go home and assume that you have become a veena player.  Then you will have to learn to play veena.  That intoxication reminded you of one thing, really, and that intoxication told you that veena can have such a miracle ... and you have a veena at home and you also have digits just like the veena player has.  But you will have to practice a little in order to synchronize between fingers and strings of veena.  That practice is the discipline.

                                                 When you quit, the entire gathering quit

                                                      Only the temple kept trembling!

 

Lifting a palanquin of dreams walked tears

Dust became the youth for flowers,

Darkness of evening became happiness of day

Tower of body changed to water,

Alas! with your departure a cloud

Kept dripping tears out of season!

                                                 When you quit, the entire gathering quit

                                                      Only the temple kept trembling!

 

When you were standing by me holding hand

The world was kissing my feet,

Every eye was eager to watch me

Every flower was a garland for my neck,

Without you a childhood kept crying

For a few measly toys!

                                                 When you quit, the entire gathering quit

                                                      Only the temple kept trembling!

 

The world loved me very much

But the craze for you never diminished,

I donned many red diamonds, but

Could not ever let your image go,

How  can I explain?  Why did I kept

Flashing your face to every mirror!

                                                 When you quit, the entire gathering quit

                                                      Only the temple kept trembling!

If only you have divine in your heart then the temple is fulfilled.  And if you do not have divine in it then there is nothing, it is an empty dark night - without meaning, without flower, without light.  "O master, do lead me from darkness to light; O master, do lead me from non-truth to truth; O master, do lead me from death to deathlessness."

Without master you are death.  Without master you are non-truth.  Without master you are darkness.

                                                 When you quit, the entire gathering quit

                                                      Only the temple kept trembling!

 

Without Him, you are but a trembling temple - a temple without deity, what meaning is in it?  Where is the melody there, where is the ceremony there?  Call for deity of the temple!  And it is not that deity of the temple is far away.  He is closer than close.  He is closer than how close you are to yourself.  Just call him.  That very call is named prayer.

Prayer will give meaning in your life.  And it will not only give you glimpse, it will give you experience.  And experience like that would become your wealth.

Satsang is only for the purpose of providing you confidence.  Satsang is for the purpose that you may begin search within.  Satsang is not the end.  How can there be an end without being truth?

 

The fourth question:  You have ignited the fire of love for master in my heart.  I am now burning.  Osho, please pacify this fire!

The fire of love for master is not started for pacifying.  The fire of love for master is a kind  of fire that can give you peace only when you would have burnt to ashes.  It is not by putting out the fire but by putting you out that peace is attained.  You are fortunate if the fire has started!  You are lucky!  Dance!  Celebrate!  Why are you asking me to pacify it!  If I am to pacify it, then why would I have started it?  This is not the kind of fire that goes out.  It is not the kind of fire that can be put out.  This fire is fortune, good fortune.  It will burn your ego, not you.  All the worthless dirt and rubbish that you carry will burn, not you.  This is the kind of fire wherein we put gold, dirt and rubbish burns away and gold comes out purified - it becomes pure gold.

No, do not rush so much.

                            You have made such mighty claims, then do sustain - says Hasarat.

                                      What is this that you got scared in the very beginning!

This is just the beginning!

And when you have claimed having loved ... "You have made such mighty claims, then do sustain - says Hasarat" ... then sustain, "What is this that you got scared in the very beginning! ... what kind of thing is this, what kind of question?  Will you become frightened so quickly!  This is just the beginning, till now only much smoke is rising, the flames have not gotten hold of it fully!  That hour is yet to come when not a trace of smoke will be left behind, only the flames - it would be a smokeless flame!  And I know, it does hurt; because what we had known so far:  "this is me"; when we see it disintegrating - it is natural to get hurt.  The ego which we always worshipped, which we decorated, adorned - to see it demolish will make our heart cry bitterly.  Seed might be crying too when it sprouts.  But how can the poor seed know that in that sprouting is the birth of a tree!  And drop might be crying too when it drops into the ocean.  But how can that drop know that the only way to become ocean is to fall into the ocean!  You also do not know.  But you are a little more conscious than a drop.  And you are more intelligent than a seed.  Use a little intelligence.

Imbibe this fire with a calm silence.  Do not announce it every place.  Because in this announcing every where a new ego may arise:  "I have become a devotee!  I am all afire!"  Let it not happen that you start exaggerating - man is very peculiar, he exaggerates every thing!

                           I have a pang, the kind of pang which I can’t possibly utter from lips.

                            I have a wound, the wound of heart which I can’t possibly show it.

Neither bring it to your lips nor show it to any one.  Do take care of it within.  It is a wealth!  It is a diamond!  "Found a diamond, pocketed in the pocket - why let it out again and again?"  This is not fire, it is the brilliance of diamond.  Do conceal it in the core of your being.  Do not even whisper to any one!  The deeper you conceal it within, the quicker the revolution will happen.

You will feel like asking.  You would want to understand as to what is going on?  But there are a few things that are destroyed by understanding.  There are a few things, it is better if they are mysterious.  For example if you go and fall in love with some one and you ask a scientist as to what is love?  Now you will be in trouble.  Because he will say, "There is no such thing as love, it is just body-chemistry.  When there is imbalance in hormones in the body, love happens.  It is nothing special.  I will administer hormones with an injection and all this love-thing will vanish!  This is simply body-chemistry."

It is good that Majnoon did not meet a scientist, otherwise he would have destroyed Majnoon with an injection of hormones.  The kid would have come to senses!  He would have forgotten "Laila!  Laila!"

However, the world would have been deprived of an unprecedented love-relationship, from an unprecedented love story.

Do not ask.  There are a few things which are best mysterious.  The dignity and grandeur lies only on those mysteries.  Do not ask a scientist about a lotus blossoming in a lake as to what is its beauty?  Because he would say, "There is no such thing as beauty, its your delusion, it is your imagination.  You have been taught from your childhood that there is beauty.  Where is beauty?

He will take lotus to science laboratory and dissect every thing and tell you, "This much dirt, this much water, this much mineral, this much this-and-that."  But he will not find beauty any where.  And once you fall into his whirlwind, you too would begin to doubt the very existence of beauty.  If it were there then you must have found it.  That is the dilemma of science!  You may take an alive man and ask if there is a soul in him?  He will cut and dissect and after having done his examination tell you that there is no such thing as soul, it is an effigy made out of bones, flash and marrow.

You say, "Love is happening in my heart."  Scientist smiles, he says, "What are you talking about; there is nothing there just a lung; the action of pumping is going on to purify blood.  Where is the love-thing?  This can be accomplished even with a plastic heart."  Now-a-days plastic hearts are being manufactured, if an owner happens to be in love, where would he place his hand?  Because if he placed his hand on top of a plastic heart then people would say, "Are you deceiving, love made of plastic!"  It would become very difficult.  And one of these days, the entire state of body can be altered.  The whole body can be scientifically made with plastic and synthetic materials.  And in a way it would be convenient.  If hand becomes problematic, you go to a 'garage' and have it replaced!  It is just a matter of loosening screw and tightening.  It would become much easier.  But 'the man' will die.  His soul would die.  There are a few things in life which can never come in the folds of science.  So, do not look for definition of every thing.

                                         You are so wise, o counselor!  you explain to me,

                                            What thing pulls my heart toward the beloved.

Who is drawing me toward that beloved?  O wise man, o scholar, o preacher, you are quite astute!

                                         You are so wise, o counselor!  you explain to me,

                                            What thing pulls my heart toward the beloved.

Who is drawing me toward the abode of that beloved?  But never ask knowledgeable people this question.  They neither have an inkling of the beloved nor do they have any inkling of the abode of the beloved.  If you have to ask this question, ask mad men.  But mad men would not answer.  Mad men will grab hold of your hand and say, "Let us go, we too are going in that very direction - beloved - you too come along!"

There are few things that do not belong to knowledge.  There are few things that are only available to the ones who are able to dive into mysterious.

                         I am so devoted to my feeling that there are intoxications without wine,

                           Neither there is a large jar of wine in sight, nor a pitcher nor a goblet.

And there are intoxications where there is neither a large container nor the drinking cups nor wine and even then the intoxication is such that no wine can provide.

            I am so devoted to my feeling that there are intoxications without wine ...

There is absolutely no wine and intoxications are showering ...

                         I am so devoted to my feeling that there are intoxications without wine,

                           Neither there is a large jar of wine in sight, nor a pitcher nor a goblet.

Religion is the name for that intoxication - nor a pitcher nor a goblet.  Religion is the name for that intoxication - there are intoxications without wine.

You say, ' You have ignited the fire of love for master in my heart.  I am now burning.  Osho, please pacify this fire!'

I will ignite this fire even more intensely.  This fire ignites rather with difficulty.  And if it ignites, if it catches fire then know that it is the reward of good deeds of many life-times.  I also comprehend your problem, because when the fire lights then the difficulty starts, uneasiness starts, pain starts.

                           Either put me in prison, or else, O unkind! let me free - says Saiyad.

                            How long shall I be in your fragile trap of danger of hope, after all?

Much difficulty happens.  Either put me in prison ... Either decidedly imprison me, put me in prison.  Or else, O unkind! let me free ... Or else let me out of the prison.

                          How long shall I be in your fragile trap of danger of hope, after all? ...

How long will you keep me entangled between hope and hopelessness?  And when fire ignites, similar condition occurs.  You are neither here nor there.  Market place appear to be meaningless and divine is yet away ... far away in the sky like a star;  shall we ever get to it or not?  What we had captured is about to slip away and what we are to capture seem to be far away.

The difficulty happens during this hour.  However, to bear that difficulty is called austerity.  I do not call lying on bed of thorns as austerity, nor do I call rigorous fasting as austerity, nor do I call standing on top of head as austerity.  I call austerity as that hour when what was all-too-familiar begins to slip away from grasp and a clear well-defined edge of what is unfamiliar, unknown does not come to grasp.  That occurrence in the middle, that void in the middle is the austerity.

                                       In separation from beloved, I lie around corpse-like.

                                  Spirit is not in the body, the gross-body alone is remaining.

And there is no awareness of the atman, it has not been experienced yet - just the body remains and that too is burning with crackling sound.

But do not fret.  Love with Him is a dear bargain.  His finding is only possible after having lost every thing.  And far from love, even if you have a relationship with Him as an enemy, you are fortunate!  What beautiful it is to have the relationship of love!

                       Let it begin with Beloved; if not of connection, let it be of grief, says Asad.

                      Do not severe relationship with me; if it is not of love, let it be of animosity.

What to say if a friendship begins with that Beloved!  Even if the animosity begins, it is alright.  Because even in animosity his thoughts will pervade.  A friend may perhaps be forgotten, but an enmity is never forgotten.

                      Do not severe relationship with me; if it is not of love, let it be of animosity.

Worry not, if You do not see me worthy that you can love, if You do not find me so capable, then it is okay.  Then You let there be animosity, let there enmity - but let Your thought pervade.

                       Let it begin with Beloved; if not of connection, let it be of grief, says Asad.

If a meeting does not take place, not to worry, let grief begin for lack of meeting, let a fire begin for the want!  That is the fire you have caught.  Dance, sing and enjoy your intoxication.

                         I am so devoted to my feeling that there are intoxications without wine,

                           Neither there is a large jar of wine in sight, nor a pitcher nor a goblet.

 

                         I am happy with your thought having turned my back on every one else,

                              In that, besides comfort there is also a grandeur of total freedom.

                             Whether it be dusk or early dawn, only Him I have to think about,

                                   Whether it be day or night, only Him I have to talk about.

Now that the fire is lit, blow it into a blaze.  I will not spray water on it, I will throw gasoline on it.

                         I am happy with your thought having turned my back on every one else,

                              In that, besides comfort there is also a grandeur of total freedom.

There is a grandeur, a dignity!  There is not only comfort in it, there is a glory in it.  To be afire in love of Master is the greatest happening in this world.  You have gotten your hands on a diamond like Koh-i-noor and you say, "Its weight is heavy!  O God, please rid me of this weight."

                             Whether it be dusk or early dawn, only Him I have to think about,

                                   Whether it be day or night, only Him I have to talk about.

Now only His thoughts, His mention.  Breaths are His and so are the pulsations of heart.  Burn, burn profusely, so much so that only ashes remain behind and nothing else!  Burn, burn profusely, so much so that even the ashes are blown away by winds, even ashes do not remain behind!  And only then there is the union!  And only then there is that wonderful union!  You may call it nirvana; that is what Dariya is talking about - Dariya speaks of nirvana.

Do you know the meaning of nirvana?

It has exactly the same meaning as 'fana' of Sufis.  The dictionary meaning of nirvana is extinguishing of a candle light.  It is like you blow and a candle goes out.  You extinguish like that, you become 'fana' like that, you efface yourself like that.  The moment you efface yourself, He happens.  The moment human departs, divine appears.  Make room!  Empty the throne!

                                 Allah, you know my friend deprives, Allah is without desire.

                                              When I loved Him, I found the futility of it.

                                       Because of this activity, my eyes have no time at all.

                                                What is it in crying that I saw relief in it?

If you have much difficulty:  can’t sing, can’t dance then at least cry.  And remember, by crying the fire will not extinguish, if will become ablaze.

                                       Because of this activity, my eyes have no time at all.

                                                What is it in crying that I saw relief in it?

But you will see relief for sure.  There is only one remedy for devotees - to cry.  When the fire becomes really ablaze, nothing you do seem to help, no resolution can be see - cry much, cry to your hearts content!  You will become light, you will become weightless.

 

The last question:  I definitely want to take sannyas, but not now.  I will come back later after thinking.  What is your instruction?

Is there any surety for tomorrow?  Has tomorrow ever come?  You want to take sannyas, you will come some time later!  Will the life be at hand after one moment?  It is at this moment, will it be at the next moment?  You are so reassured!  You have so much confidence in the life that flows like water!

There is a tale in Mahabharata, Pandavas are spending their exile-to-jungle time ... spending the time of their secretive living.  A beggar has come for alms.  Yudhishthira is seated at the door of hut, engrossed in some thoughts.  The beggar said, "If I may get a handful of flour!"  Yudhishthira said, "I am busy at the moment, come back tomorrow."  Bhima is seated right next to him.  He burst out laughing.  Not only did he laugh, he started striking a gong lying nearby.  Yudhishthira asked, "Bhima!  What has come over you?"  Bhima said, "I wish to go and announce this news through out the village with sound of gong that my older brother has conquered time.  He has told a beggar to come back tomorrow.  With this, one thing is certain that he is totally confident that he will live tomorrow, the beggar too will live tomorrow and we will have a handful of flour to give tomorrow also.  So, I will just be back after informing village-people that what could not be accomplished any one else ever has been accomplished by my older brother."

This was rather a sharp sarcasm.  Yudhishthira ran after the beggar, brought him back home, whatever he wanted to give him, he gave and said, "Forgive me!  What is sure about tomorrow?  I may not exist tomorrow.  You may not exist tomorrow.  I may exist and you too may exist tomorrow but there may not be any flour left at home.  I may exist, you may exist, there may be flour at home tomorrow but you may longer remain a beggar.  What is sure about tomorrow?"

There is ancient fable in China.

An emperor became cross with his minister and gave him death penalty.  Tradition was that the emperor would go to visit the convict a night before his execution.  Even so his minister had served him for life.  So he went.  He tied his horse in front of the jail while the minister is watching him through the prison bars, he came in, the gate opened, tears started to roll down the minister's eyes in continuous drops.  The emperor said, "Crying?!  You!  You cry fearing death!  I always knew you as a brave man, you fought so many wars, life and death were always plays for you.  You cry?!  I can’t believe my eyes that there are tears in your eyes!"  The minister said, "I am not crying for my death penalty, I am crying because of some thing else - but now what is the use in telling you?  Forget it!  You have been very kind, than you for that!"  The emperor said, "I won't let go like that, I want to know why are you crying?  You have aroused my curiosity.  I have never seen you crying."

The minister said, "There never was a reason to cry, today there is.  Since you insist, I tell you the reason.  After working hard for my entire life I learnt this skill to make horse fly in the sky, but the breed of horse I needed, I never could find in my life.  And the horse that you came riding on is the breed of horse I have been looking for.  I am crying because the hard work of the entire life time is gone down the drain, I have to die in the morning and this horse has come into sight, today.

The emperor's greed became active.  A horse that flies in the sky!  The emperor's fame would spread world wide:  he has a horse which no one else in the world has.  He said, "How long will it take for the horse to fly?"  The minister replied, an year.  The emperor said, "You quit worrying, you come out.  If the horse does fly then I will reward you with half my kingdom and give you my daughter in marriage.  If the horse did not fly, then no problem.  You will be hanged after an year.

The minister reached his home riding on the horse.  The wife and children were weeping beating their breast because the hanging was scheduled for the next day.  The could not believe - they squinted their eyes to make sure that they were not seeing a dream.  They said, "You are back!"  He said, "I am back."  "How did you manage?"  He told them every thing.  Hearing this his wife started to bawl beating her breast more rigorously saying, "You have created a bigger trouble!  I know for a fact that you have never learnt any such skill.  And if you really had to deceive then you should have at the minimum asked for ten years.  One year!  This one year would be even a heavier burden on our hearts - each day passing.  Your death will approach with each day passing.  The horse is not going to fly."  The minister said, "You do not fret.  Silly!  what reliance can you put on one year's time?  I may die, the king may die, the horse may die - is there any thing certain about the year?  If I would have asked for ten years, he might not have ventured to allow me the time.  That is why I asked for one.  But one year is sufficient, any thing can happen!"

And the strange part of the story is that during that year all three died - the king, the horse and the minister as well.

Now, you ask me:  "I definitely want to take sannyas ... "  What kind of 'definitely' is it?  'Definitely' does not know how to wait.  What kind of sannyas is it that you will take tomorrow?  The king may die, the minister may die, the horse - all three may die!  Who knows?

Nothing is known of tomorrow for certain.  When you came here yesterday, you did not have the inclination to take sannyas, today you have it, tomorrow it may again be naught.  "but not now", you say.  If not now, then never - keep in mind.  Whatever is to be done, has to be done now.  "I will come back later after thinking."  Has any one ever taken sannyas after thinking about it?  Thinking is the only barrier.  Sannyas is jumping out of the process of thinking.  This is ventures only for mad-men!  This is the courage taken by mad people!  This is daring of intoxicants, of drunkards.  This is not a process of thinking that you sit down, you are pondering over it, writing an account book - so many pros, so many cons - when you are certain that there are more pros than cans then some day you will take it.  Death will come before then.  Process of thinking will never conclude.  Process of thinking never ever concludes.  From one thought another thought takes hold.  As leaves in a tree sprout, similarly thoughts grow within thoughts.

And you ask for my instructions.  I never give instructions to any one.  Instructions mean you have to do like this and this.  Instructions are imparted in army not in sannyas.  "Right turn, left turn", these are instructions!

I do not give instructions to any one.  Sat Gurus have never given instructions to any one, they have given discourses!

Do understand the distinction between discourse and instruction.

Instruction means you have to do it.  I am the master, you are slave, you will have to obey order; if not you will be punished.  Discourse means request.  This what I feel, so I mention it to you.  Then it is up to you.  If you take it I am happy, if you do not take it I am happy.

That is the basic difference between a soldier and a sannyasin.  A soldier is obedient, a sannyasin has soul.  He listens to discourse.  He listens, he ponders, he meditates, then he goes along with his inner self.

But, do not talk about tomorrow.  Tomorrow is a big lie.

                                           Behold the moon to your hearts content, today

                                   Who knows, this night may or may not come back again.

 

Dreams present fire to my damp eyes

Like festival of lights is around corner,

A few lines of song are on my lips

As if the morning starts laughing at autumn,

But this season may last for too long

I am being summoned every hour,

It won't be a surprise if tomorrow

The world may or may not even find my trace!

                                           Behold the moon to your hearts content, today

                                   Who knows, this night may or may not come back again.

What is right who knows when steps may happen

Caravan may depart from this village,

Who knows when the dawn may ask for light

From dusk to get rid of tiredness,

On the lips of Death rests

This flute made of life's hide

Who knows, tomorrow the flute-player of breath

May or may not like notes nor the instrument.

                                           Behold the moon to your hearts content, today

                                   Who knows, this night may or may not come back again.

 

If this vast blue city studded with stars

Is just a play for the morning sun,

This seemingly big smiling moon

Is just a morsel in the soup for Time,

No one is free here, no one

Every one wears chain around his ankle

Breath that belongs to other from the very birth

Is unreliable, it may or not sing any moment.

                                           Behold the moon to your hearts content, today

                                   Who knows, this night may or may not come back again.

 

This virgin sleep is groggy-eyed

Who knows the morning may or may not happen tomorrow,

This brilliance that lies on this lamp's lap

My or may not take abode like this again,

The earth is moving below the feet

And the sky revolves up above

Clay is rather unattached to the universe

Who knows it may or may not bond hut-walls

                                           Behold the moon to your hearts content, today

                                   Who knows, this night may or may not come back again.

 

A Jewel of mind lies amidst market of body

When and at what price it sells, is not known,

What star may cast its evil eye on whom?

Is not a thing known to any one in this world

Every moment of every day is uncertain

Only the uncertainty here is certain

Therefore, Love! it is quite possible that tomorrow

The moon may come; the moon-light may or may not.

                                           Behold the moon to your hearts content, today

                                   Who knows, this night may or may not come back again.

 

Enough for today.

 

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Translated Discourses on Dariya:*  Sanskrit Words Defined  *     1   *   2   *   3   *   4&5   *   6   *   7   *   8   *   9   *   10   *   11