Can one who practices witnessing or tathata have the subtle body separate without resolve?

Osho, you have spoken of separating from the subtle body by resolve. Can one who practices witnessing, or one who practices tathata, have the subtle body separate without resolve?

In truth, practicing witnessing is itself a very great resolve, and practicing tathata is an even greater resolve—this is the great resolve. When a man decides, “I will live as a witness,” there is no bigger resolve than that. For example, one man decides, “Today I will not eat,” he resolves to fast. Another decides, “I will eat, but I will not see myself as the eater; I will see the seeing.” This second one is the tougher resolve. Not eating is not such a big difficulty. In fact, for people who get proper food, not eating for a day or two in a month is quite easy. That is why whenever a society begins to have adequate food, the cult of fasting starts to spread. As in America these days, fasting is a strong trend. Naturopathy quickly catches on when people are well-fed. And it even feels right—sometimes stay…

You have talked about how the subtle body can be separated from the physical body using one's willpower. Can the subtle body of a seeker who follows the discipline of witnessing, or that of a seeker who follows the discipline of tathata, suchness, be separated without exercising the will?

After having chained him firmly, they said, "What sort of a man are you? We are putting you in chains and you are helping us! We were afraid this might lead to some fighting and trouble." Diogenes said, "You are having fun chaining me, I am having fun in being chained. Where is the need for any trouble? It's great! Now tell me, where do we go from here?" The men said, "We feel very embarrassed in telling you that we are in the business of slavery. We'll now take you to the marketplace and put you up for sale." Diogenes said, "Good, let's go." He took off with great excitement and began walking even faster than the captors. They said, "Please slow down a little. What's the hurry?" Diogenes said, "Now that we are going to the marketplace, why not reach in time?" So finally they reached the marketplace.…

Osho, in the context of the practice of heedfulness (apramad), please explain the similarities and differences among the practices of witnessing, awareness, and tathata.

One more thought on tathata. A Zen fakir wrote a small song: “The geese fly across the sky. They have no desire that their reflections be formed in the still lake below. Yet the reflections form. The blue lake has no desire to catch the reflections of the geese. Yet the reflections are caught. Then the geese fly on and the reflections also fly away. The geese do not know they were caught in the lake; the lake does not know that the reflections aroused any curiosity, any stir, any disturbance in its bosom.” Tathata means such a being. Things happen. He is ready for all—wants to do nothing and has no complaint. That is why one of Buddha’s names is Tathagata. He loved that name. Even speaking of himself he would say, “The Tathagata passed through a certain village.” Tathagata means one who has attained tathata—thus come, thus gone.…

Osho, what I am doing in this carries a kind of sense of awakening—I am trying, making an effort; whether it will happen or not, I don’t know. Yet it is happening—like when I do some work with my hand, I keep remembering that the hand is doing it; the legs are doing it; when I am walking, the legs are walking. This feeling is arising. In this, I separate myself, so from this that nonattachment...

Yes, this is the witness-attitude. This is exactly the third thing I have been speaking about—the witnessing. This witnessing means living each act totally, and keeping the sense of suchness (tathata), that things are as they are. There is simply no reason in anything for us to move into turmoil; there is no reason at all. If these three come together and are cared for, then slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly the present by itself... and nothing else will remain; the present will arrive of its own accord. There is no reason for anything else to remain; there is no way for it. And about suchness, what I said today needs much attention. It is very basic.

Drik swaroop awasthanam akshataha to be established in one's own witnessing nature is akshat -- the unpolished and unbroken rice used for the worship.

Breathe, be aware. And if you are trying to be aware of your breathing, you cannot think, because the mind cannot do two things simultaneously -- thinking and witnessing. The very phenomenon of witnessing is absolutely, diametrically opposite to thinking, so you cannot do both. Just as you cannot be both alive and dead, as you cannot be both asleep and awake, you cannot be both thinking and witnessing. Witness anything, and thinking will stop. Thinking comes in, and witnessing disappears. Witnessing is a passive awareness with no action inside. Awareness itself is not an action. One day Mulla Nasrudin was very much worried, in deep brooding. Anyone could look at his face and feel that he was lost somewhere in thoughts, very tense, in anguish. His wife became alarmed. She asked, "What are you doing, Nasrudin? What are you thinking? What is the problem? Why are you so worried?"…