Freedom ! Freedom!

A man, a great man, a fighter for freedom was traveling in the mountains. He stayed in a caravanserai for the night. He was amazed that in the caravanserai there was a beautiful parrot in a golden cage, continually repeating, “Freedom! Freedom!” And it was such a place that when the parrot repeated the word “Freedom!” it would go on echoing in the valleys, in the mountains. No animal feels the anguish; all animals are utterly satisfied as they are. Man is the only animal who is intrinsically discontented; hence, the feeling of shame because he knows, “I can be free.”

Continue reading

Thought of the Week – 17th April 2023

In China a revolutionary step was taken two thousand years ago. Under the new system the doctor had to be paid by the patient as long as the patient remained healthy. If the patient fell sick, then the doctor was not to be paid. That seems very strange. We pay the doctor when we are sick, and he makes us healthy again. But this is dangerous, because you are making the doctor dependent on your sickness. Sickness becomes his interest: the more people fall sick, the more he can earn. His interest becomes not health but sickness……

Ayurveda is future, but budget allocation is stuck in past
Continue reading

Ordinarily, we are walking bundles of solutions to problems that no longer exist..

Photo by Matus Hatala on Unsplash

Ordinarily, we are walking bundles of solutions to problems that no longer exist. Everybody is so. You are carrying thousands of solutions for problems which are no more existent – and you call it knowledge. It is hindering your capacity to know. It is not knowledge.

Drop all the solutions that you are carrying. Drop all the answers that you are carrying. Just remain silent. And whenever a question arises, out of that silence you will hear the answer – and that will be THE answer. It will not come from you, it will not come from scriptures, it will not come from anywhere – it will come from nowhere and it will come from nobody. It will come from your innermost nothingness.

-Osho

If you want a good life…..

The story of two Farmers:

Once upon a time,.in a small village lived two poor farmers. They had small piece of land on which they worked hard to take care of their own and their family’s needs.

Suddenly, both of them died on the same day. Yamraj (God of Death) took both of them together to God.

God asked them, ‘What was missing in your life?’

One of the farmers said angrily, ‘You gave me nothing and I lived a very painful life. I had to work in the fields like a bull all my life & whatever I earned had to be spent on just feeding myself & my family. I couldn’t wear good clothes or feed my family good food & whenever I was able to make some extra income, someone would come & take away all. I had nothing left with me.’

After listening to him God again asked, ‘What do you want now? What should I make you in your next life?’

The farmer replied, “God, do something so that I never have to give anything to anyone. I only receive money and things from all sides.’

God said, ‘Ok. You can go now. I will give you the life you have asked for.’

He left.

Now, it was the turn of the other farmer. God asked him, ‘What was missing in your life?’

The farmer, with folded hands said ‘God, You have already given me everything. A good family, some land, plenty of food to eat. I and my family never slept hungry. 

There was only one shortcoming in my life which I regretted my whole life & still do today. Sometimes, hungry or thirsty people used to come to my door, to ask for food but I was not able to give them anything as I didn’t have enough to give & they had to return from my door, hungry.’

God asked him, ‘What do you want now? What do you want to be in your next life?’

The farmer pleaded with God, ‘God, do something so that no one will ever go away from my door, thirsty or hungry.’

God said, ‘Ok. You can leave now. You will be given what you asked for.’

Both the farmers were born in the same village on the same day. The farmer who asked only to recieve money from all sides but not give anything to anyone – he became a beggar in the village. Now he didn’t have to give anything to anyone. Anyone who passed by him, used to give him money & things.

Moral: It is often seen that, mostly people always like others’ things more & because of this they are not able to live their life well & are never happy. If you want to live a good life, think good. Do not count just the shortcomings of your life, rather be grateful & enjoy what God has given & serve others, you’ll never lack anything & will ways be happy.

On the other hand, the farmer who didn’t ask God for anything except that there would be never a day when anyone has to leave his house thirsty and hungry – became the richest man of that village.

-Osho

( contributed by Mr Balasunder)

Storm gives new life to the smaller plants, but it destroys the trees that are stubborn and proud

Lao Tzu used to say that in a storm big trees stand rigidly and so they are uprooted. Small plants bend with the winds ; the storm blows over them . The roots of big trees are overturned , they laid flat on the ground; but small plants stand as straight as they did before. The storm gives new life to the plants, but it destroys the trees which are stubborn and proud. It is the same storm ! The weak are saved and the mighty are destroyed……..

……What we call strength in the language of this world is weakness in the language of spirituality. And that which we call weakness in the language of this world is strength in the language of spirituality. To bow down is weakness in this world : “Come what may , do not bow down to anything”. In the language of spirituality, bowing down is an invitation for the energy of strength to fill you.

And one who bows down is filled from all sides: energy from the whole universe starts flowing towards him. He becomes like a vessel . His invitation is heard everywhere.

Osho from The Voice of Silence

Life as a Movie

“Take this whole life as a myth, as a story. It is one, but once you take it this way you will not be unhappy. Unhappiness comes out of too much seriousness. Try for seven days; for seven days remember only one thing – that the whole world is just a drama – and you will not be the same again. Just for seven days! You are not going to lose much because you don’t have anything to lose.

“You can try it. For seven days take everything as a drama, just as a show.

“These seven days will give you many glimpses of your buddha nature, of your inner purity. And once you have the glimpse you cannot be the same again. You will be happy, and you cannot conceive of what type of happiness can happen to you because you have not known any happiness. You have known only degrees of unhappiness: sometimes you were more unhappy, sometimes less unhappy, and when you were less unhappy you called it happiness.

“You don’t know what happiness is because you cannot know. When you have a concept of the world in which you are taking it very seriously, you cannot know what happiness is. Happiness happens only when you are grounded in this attitude, that the world is just a play.

Continue reading

Thought for the Week – 1st March 2021 (2)

The Japanese master Nan-in gave audience to a professor of philosophy. Serving tea, Nan-in filled his visitor’s cup, and kept pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he could restrain himself no longer: “Stop! The cup is overfull, no more will go in.” Nan-in said, “Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

-Osho