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Part V : Ranakpur Meditation Camp, June 1964
Ranakpur Meditation Camp becomes a landmark in Osho's work because,
for the first time, his discourses and meditations are recorded
and published in a book, Path to Self-Realization, which is widely
acclaimed in India. Osho later said that this book contains his
whole teaching which have never altered. (It is reprinted as The
Perfect Way).
Here Osho introduces his camp:
I see man engulfed in deep darkness. He has become like a house
whose lamp has been snuffed out on a dark night. Something in
him has been extinguished. But a lamp that has been extinguished
can be relit.
I see as well that man has lost all direction. He has become
like a boat that has lost its way on the high seas. He has forgotten
where he wants to go and what he wants to be. But the memory of
what has been forgotten can be re-awakened in him.
Although there is darkness there is no cause for despair. The
deeper the darkness, the closer the dawn. In the offing I see
a spiritual regeneration for the whole world. A new man is about
to be born and we are in the throes of his birth. But this regeneration
needs the cooperation of each of us. It is to happen through us
and through us alone. We cannot afford to be mere spectators.
We must all prepare for this rebirth within ourselves.
The approach of that new day, of that dawning, will only happen
if we fill ourselves with light. It is up to us to turn that possibility
into a reality. We are all bricks of the edifice of tomorrow and
we are the rays of light out of which the future sun will be born.
We are creators not just spectators. The need, however, is not
only for the creation of the future, it is for the creation of
the present itself, it is for the creation of ourselves. It is
by creating himself that man creates humanity. The individual
is the component of society and both evolution and revolution
can take place through him. You are that component. This is why
I want to call you. I want to awaken you from your slumber. Don't
you see that your lives have become quite meaningless and useless,
totally boring? Life has lost all meaning, all purpose. But this
is natural. Without light in man's heart there cannot be any meaning
in his life. There cannot be any joy in his life when there is
no light in his inner being.
The fact that we find ourselves superfluous and overburdened
today is not because life in itself is useless. Life is one endless
fulfillment. But we have forgotten the path that leads to that
destination, to that fulfillment. We simply exist and have nothing
to do with life. This is not living, it is just waiting for death.
And how can waiting for death be anything but boring? How can
it be a joy?
I have come here to tell you this: there is a way to awaken
from this bad dream you have mistaken for life. The path has always
been there. The path that leads from darkness into light is eternal.
It is there for certain, but we have turned our faces from it.
I want you to turn your faces towards it. This path is dharma,
religion. It is the means of rekindling the light in man; it is
giving direction to man's drifting boat. Mahavira has said for
those being swept away by the rapid current of the world, with
its old age and its death, that religion is the only island of
safety, the anchor, the destination and the refuge.
Are you thirsty for the light that fills life with joy? Do you
want to attain the truth that gives man immortality? If so, I
invite you. Accept my invitation - for joy, for light, for deathlessness.
It is simply a matter of opening your eyes. And then you will
inhabit a new world of light. You don't have to do anything else,
you just have to open your eyes. You just have to wake up and
look.
Nothing in man has really been extinguished nor has he really
lost direction, but if his eyes are closed the darkness spreads
everywhere and all sense of direction is lost. By shutting his
eyes a man loses everything; by opening them he becomes a king.
I am calling to awaken you from your dream of downfall to the
majesty of an emperor. I wish to transform your defeat into victory,
your darkness into light, your death into immortality. Are you
ready to embark upon this voyage with me.?
Before we begin our work please accept my love. It is the only
thing with which I can welcome you to the loneliness and seclusion
of these hills. I have nothing else to give you. I want to share
with you the infinite love the presence of God has created in
me. I wish to distribute it. And the wonder of it is that the
more I share it, the more it grows! Real wealth increases with
distribution but the wealth that decreases by sharing is not real
wealth at all. Will you then accept my love? I see acceptance
in your eyes and that they are overflowing with love in response.
Love begets love and hate begets hate. Whatever we give, it is
returned in kind. This is an eternal law. So whatever you desire
is what you should give unto the world. You cannot receive flowers
in exchange for thorns.
I see flowers of love and peace blooming in your eyes, and I am
deeply gratified. Now there are not so many different people here.
Love unites and transforms the many into one. Physical bodies
are separate and will continue to be so, but there is something
behind these bodies that brings people together and unites them
in love. It is only when this unity is attained that anything
can be said and that anything can be understood. Communication
is only possible in love and in love alone.
We have gathered in this lonely place so that I can tell you something
and so that you can listen to me. This telling and this listening
are only possible on the level of love. The doors of the heart
open only to love. And remember it is only when you hear with
the heart and not with the head that you can really hear anything.
You may ask, "Does the heart hear as well?" but I say
that whenever there is hearing it is the heart alone that hears.
So far the head has never heard anything. The head is stone deaf.
And this is also true of speaking. Only when words come from the
heart are they meaningful. Only words that come from the heart
have the fragrance of fresh flowers; otherwise they are not only
stale and faded but are like artificial flowers, made of paper.
I shall pour out my heart to you and if your hearts allow me to
enter there will be meeting and communication. It is at this moment
of communion that the thing words are powerless to express is
communicated. Many unsaid things can also be heard like this,
and that which cannot be put into words, that which is between
the lines can also be communicated. Words are very impotent symbols
but if listened to in total peace of mind and in silence they
become powerful. This is what I call hearing with the heart.
But even when we are listening to someone we are full of thoughts
about ourselves. And that is false listening. Then you are not
true listeners. You are under the illusion you are hearing but
as a matter of fact you are not. For right-hearing it is necessary
for the mind to be in a state of perfect, silent watchfulness.
You should simply listen and not do anything else. Only then can
you hear and understand. And that understanding becomes a light
and brings about a transformation in you....
I expect this kind of hearing from you during the period of this
Sadhana Camp. Once you have mastered the art it becomes your lifelong
companion. It alone can rid you of trivial preoccupation. It can
awaken you to the great, mysterious world outside and you will
begin to experience the eternal light of consciousness. That is
what is behind the tumult of the mind.
Right-seeing and right-hearing are not only a necessity for this
Sadhana Camp but are the foundation of all right-living. Just
as everything is clearly reflected in a lake that is totally calm,
without ripples, that which is the truth, that which is God will
be reflected in you when you become calm and still like the lake.
I see such silence and calm coming to you and I see your eyes
inviting me to say what it is I wish to say. They are urging me
to share the truths I have seen that have moved my soul. Your
hearts are eager and impatient to hear about them. Seeing that
you are so willing and ready to hear me, my heart is impelled
to pour itself out to you. In these peaceful surroundings, when
your minds are perfectly calm as well, I shall certainly be able
to say what it is I wish to say to all of you. It often happens
that I must refrain from speaking when I see deaf hearts before
me. Doesn't light remain outside when it find the doors of your
house closed? In the same way I often stand outside many a house.
But it is a good sign that your doors are open. It is a good beginning.
pway01
We shall start the five-day program of this Sadhana Camp tomorrow
morning and by way of introduction I would now like to say a few
things.
For one's sadhana, for the realization of truth, the mind has
to be prepared in the way one prepares the soil for the cultivation
of flowers. And so, I would like you to bear a few maxims in mind.
The first maxim is: live in the present. During the Camp do not
be carried away by your habit of thinking about the past and the
future. If you allow yourself to be carried away, the living moment,
the really important thing will be wasted and will pass away uselessly.
Neither the past nor the future exists. The past in only memory;
the future, imagination. Only the present is real and alive. And
if the truth is to be known it can only be known through the present.
During the Camp, please keep yourselves aloof from the past as
well as from the future. Accept that they do not exist. Only the
moment you are in exists. Only the moment in which you are exists
and nothing else. You have to live in it and to live it completely.
Sleep as soundly tonight as if your whole past has been cut adrift.
Die to the past. And in the morning get up as a new man, because
it is a new morning. Let him who went to bed not awaken. Let him
go to sleep for good. Let him who is ever-new and ever-fresh arise.
To live in the present, keep remembering - and stay on guard
twenty-four hours every day to see that mechanical thinking about
the past and future does not start up again. Watching is enough.
If you watch, it won't start up again. Watching and awareness
break the habit.
The second maxim is: live naturally. Man's entire behavior is
artificial and the result of conditioning. We always wrap ourselves
in a phony mantle and because of this covering we gradually forget
our real being. Shed this false skin and throw it away. We have
not gathered here to stage a drama but to know and to see ourselves
as we really are. Just as actors in a play remove their costumes
and make up and put them aside after the performance, in these
five days, you must remove your false masks and set them aside.
Let that which is fundamental and natural in you come out - and
live in it. One's sadhana, one's path, develops only through simple
and natural living. During the days of this Sadhana Camp be aware
that you hold no position, have no profession, have no status.
Divest yourself of all these masks. You are simply you, quite
an ordinary human being with no name, no status, no class, no
family, no caste - a nameless person, a very ordinary individual.
You have to learn to live like this because in reality this is
what you are.
The third maxim is: live alone. One's sadhana is born in complete
aloneness, when one is all alone. But generally man is never alone.
He is always surrounded by others. And if there is no crowd around
him on the outside, he is in the midst of a crowd inside. This
crowd has to be dispersed.
Inside, do not allow things to crowd in on you. And the same is
true for the outside - live by yourself as if you are all
alone at this Camp. You don't have to maintain relations with
anyone else. In the midst of these countless relationships you
have forgotten yourselves. All these relationships - enemy
or friend, father or son, wife or husband - have so engulfed
you that within yourself you can neither find nor know your own
being.
Have you ever tried to imagine what you are, away from these relationships
of yours? Have you ever discarded the garb of these relationships
and seen yourself quite separate from them? Remove yourself from
all these relationships and know that you are not the son of your
father and mother, not the husband of your wife, not the father
of your children, not the friend of your friends, not the enemy
of your enemies - and what remains is your real being. What
remains in you is your self. During these days you have to live
alone in that being.
By following these maxims you will be able to reach the state
of mind that is an absolute necessity for carrying on your sadhana
and for attaining peace and the realization of truth. pway01
As well as these three maxims, I wish to explain to you the two
kinds of meditation we will begin tomorrow.
The first meditation is for the morning. During this meditation
you must hold your spine erect, close your eyes and keep your
neck straight. Your lips should be closed and your tongue should
touch the upper palate. Breathe slowly but deeply. Concentrate
your attention on the navel. Be aware of the tremor felt at the
navel because of the breathing. This is all you have to do. This
calms the mind and stills thoughts. From this emptiness you ultimately
go inside. pway01
The second meditation is for the night. Spread your body on the
floor and let the limbs relax completely. Close your eyes and
for about two minutes suggest to yourself that the body is relaxing.
Gradually the body will become relaxed. Then for two minutes suggest
that your breathing is becoming tranquil. The breathing will become
quiet. Finally, for another two minutes suggest that thoughts
are coming to a halt. This willed auto-suggestion leads to complete
relaxation and emptiness. When the mind has become perfectly calm,
be totally awake in your inner being and be a witness to the tranquility.
This witnessing will lead you to your self. pway01
You must practice these two meditations. But as a matter of fact
they are really artificial devices and you are not to stick to
them. With their help the mind's restlessness dissolves. And just
as we no longer need a ladder after climbing, one day we have
to give up these devices as well. Meditation attains perfection
the moment it becomes unnecessary. This very stage is samadhi.
pway01
Now the night is well advanced and the sky is filled with stars.
The trees and the valleys have gone to sleep. Let us also go to
sleep now. How quiet and silent it all is! Let us also merge into
this peacefulness. In deep sleep, in dreamless sleep we go to
the very place where God dwells. This is the spontaneous, non-conscious
samadhi that nature has bestowed upon us. With the help of this
Sadhana Camp we can also reach the same destination. But then
we will be conscious and aware. This is the difference and it
is a great difference indeed. In the former we are asleep; in
the latter we are wide awake.
Let us now retire into sleep with the hope that we will attain
samadhi. When our hopes are accompanied by determination and right-endeavor
they are bound to be fulfilled.
May God guide us along the path. This is my only prayer. pway01
In this Sadhana Camp we must make this one experiment - and
that is not to allow our vision to be smothered by words. I call
this the experiment of right-mindfulness. You must remember, you
must stay aware so that words are not formulated. It is possible
to stop words evolving because they are just a habit of ours after
all. A newborn child views the world without the intermediary
of words. This is pure, direct vision. Later he gradually forms
the habit of using words because words are helpful and useful
in his external life and in the world outside. But what is useful
in the outer life becomes an impediment in knowing the inner life.
It is because of this that even the old must reawaken in themselves
a child's capacity of pure vision in order that they may know
their selves. They knew the world with the help of words and now
they must come to know their selves with the help of the void,
of emptiness.
What are we to do in this experiment? We will sit quietly, keeping
the body relaxed and the spine erect. We will stop all movement
of the body. We will breathe slowly and deeply and without any
excitement. We will silently observe our own breathing and we
will listen to any sounds falling on our ears from outside. We
will not react in any way; we will not give them a second's thought.
We will let go into a state of mind where, without the interference
of words, we will simply be a witness. We will stand at a distance
and watch whatever is taking place. Don't try to concentrate at
all. Simply be quiet and watch whatever is happening. Listen.
Just close your eyes and listen. Listen quietly in silence. Listen
to the chirping of the sparrows, to the swaying of the trees in
the wind, to the cry of a child, to the sound of the water wheel
at the well. Simply listen. And do nothing else.
First, within yourself, you will experience a throbbing of the
breath and a beating of the heart - and then a new kind of
quiet and peace will descend upon you. You will find that although
there is noise outside there is silence inside. You will find
you have entered a new dimension of peace. Then you will find
that there are no thoughts, that only pure consciousness remains.
And in this medium of emptiness your attention turns towards the
place that is your real abode. From the outside you turn towards
your home.
Your vision has led you inwards. Simply keep watching. Watch
your thoughts, your breath and the movement at the navel. No reaction.
The result will be something that is not a creation of the mind,
that is not of your creation at all. This is in fact your being,
your existence. This is the cohesion that sustains us all. It
reveals itself unto us and then one's own self, the biggest surprise
of all, appears....
We have to exist this simply. We have to do nothing. We have
to give up everything and just be. Then something that cannot
be put into words will happen. The experience that will come to
pass cannot be expressed in words. It is the epitome of experiences.
It is the realization of the truth, of one's self, of God. pway02
While I come and go, no one should touch my feet. I am not a
holy man, saint or a mahatma either. According to me, to try to
be a holy man, saint or mahatma is childish. There is no need
to offer me any respect. That much respect is enough for me that
you listen to what I am saying. There is no need to even believe
in it. Think about it, experiment, if it is right, it will remain
with you and if it is wrong, it will drop. amrav01
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