[A visitor said he was experiencing difficulty in getting into the meditations.
Osho said this was a problem of the modern mind – to become involved in anything. We are spectator-oriented, and we have become like voyeurs]
Then everything is just there outside – nothing touches you. This is very dangerous. That means that life will pass by and you will remain untouched by it You will live and yet you will not live you will simply think you lived. There will be no difference between whether you really lived or you dreamed about it There will be no difference between whether you really lived or you read about it in a novel or saw it in a movie.
One has to get out of this frozen state of being a spectator. Start moving, because that will bring life to you. Life is only for those who are committed, involved. So start doing small things. In the beginning it will be difficult just because of the old habit But nothing is a problem. Create a new discipline. When people are dancing here, dance; don’t watch. When they are singing, sing; don’t watch. Go swimming, go for a long walk or run, but get involved in something. Be active! When you are active, energy flows, your frozenness disappears, your blocks melt – you start vibrating. That is the difference between a corpse and an alive man; a corpse cannot do anything.
So do! And the only way is to start doing it – there is no other way to learn. That idea that you have to learn how to do, may be again a postponement, may be again a trick of the same mind. The mind says, ‘First I have to learn – then I can do.’ But I’m telling you that you can start right now. Maybe your dance will not be very perfect, but there is no need. Your singing may not be of a great singer, but there is no need. Go swimming – your strokes may not be perfect, but there is no need. And the river doesn’t bother whether your strokes are perfect or not. Start moving into life.
And it is just a question of courage. Certainly when you get into things, you get into troubles also. It is very easy to sit before the TV and see people loving each other; nothing is at stake. You can turn it off any moment But if you fall in love with a woman you cannot turn it off so easily. There will be anxiety and turmoil and conflict and struggle, but that is beautiful – that is what life is! It will create many troubles but it will bring many pleasures also. There will be many ups and many downs. Those downs are worthwhile because they are what life is all about.
Even if you can have a few moments of love with a woman and days of conflict and fighting and nagging, it is worth it; then too, it is worth it. One has to pay for everything. So just start getting into it. Tomorrow morning, start dancing, do the meditation, and just try!
In the beginning you will feel a little hesitant, apprehensive. Again and again the old habit will take possession of you. Force yourself a little into it! And do a few groups.
[The visitor answers: I do many things, I’m always moving in action, but I take nothing seriously and that seems more the problem than finding things to do.]
No, as I see it, that is the problem. You may be acting too much, and that may again be a way to escape from real action. You can be occupied in many things; that may be again a trick to avoid real situations in life. A person can do many things, because one has to do, otherwise what to do for twenty-four hours? I am not talking about that I am talking about involvement I am talking about commitment And remember, seriousness is not needed – sincerity is enough. When you become serious, there is sincerity plus sadness. Sincerity is enough. And when I use the word sincerity, I mean that it you are authentically interested in something, then on4 go into n, otherwise there is no need.
If you are not interested in anything authentically then wait No need to go into anything. But I have never found a person who is not authentically interested in something or other. It is impossible. You will immediately drop dead if you are not interested in something or other. If you are interested in love move into love. If you are interested in meditation move into meditation. If you are interested in prayer move into prayer…. Whatsoever it is, but go into it And by being sincere is meant that you go totally into it; that you don’t hold anything. You simply allow your total being to go into it. You take the risk and you don’t move cunningly, cleverly, calculatingly. You go like a fool – that’s what I mean. Whatsoever the consequence, without any consideration for the consequence, if you love the thing, you go into it. If it brings suffering, one suffers. If it brings death, one dies. But one tries to live through one’s authentic passions, desires.
The first thing in life is to find out what your authentic passion is, what you would really like to be, so that you can feel fulfilled, so that you can feel that you have arrived, so that life can be felt as a blessing and not as a curse. Many people avoid being sincere and take things what you call non-seriously, just so that nothing gets too much. They always keep the door open to escape so that if some problem arises and they are moving into deeper waters they can always escape. They always keep an emergency escape available. A really sincere person has no emergency escapes. In fact there is no way back. You can only go ahead.
You may be doing many things, but as I see it that is more in order to avoid the real situations of life than to do.
Try with sannyas! Take a risk and become a sannyasin – or would you like to think about it first?
… Good! This will be your name: Swami Deva Ashawa. Deva means divine and ashawa means wine. That’s what I would like you to be – a divine drunkard. And the possibility is there (laughter), so don’t get scared! You are ready for many things, you just have to take courage. Your energy is very innocent and pure, but you have been avoiding. Now this becomes your first commitment, involvement.
Now your bogie is hitched with my bogie (laughter). It is a sort of hitch-hiking, mm? And change to orange!
