Does death occur in unconsciousness?

Is death also like that—does it happen in unconsciousness?

Absolutely. That is precisely why one never really experiences death. We have died many times, yet we did not experience it—because long before the actual moment of dying we had already fainted. Hence we never came to know the event of death. We have died many times, but almost as if under chloroform. And nature has made full arrangements. Nature has arranged it so that any situation beyond your capacity to endure immediately makes the body release such elements that you become unconscious. For example, if an overwhelming sorrow descends, one faints. The sorrow was so intense that, had one not fainted, one would have died. To save you from death there is a substitute: the body renders you unconscious. Then you are no longer aware of the pain. By the time you regain consciousness, time will already have healed much of the wound. And if the practice of meditation…

Beloved Osho, it is stated that man becomes unconscious at the time of death. Why is this so? Is it due to the terror of death or the process of death?

Ananda said, "But you are a little late. We have given our permission that the master can disappear into the whole, and he has already entered the first stage. So please forgive us, it is not our fault. Forty-two years you have postponed; now wait a few thousand years more. When another Buddha appears, another enlightened man, then don't be so foolish." But Buddha opened his eyes. He said, "Ananda, this will be a condemnation for me -- that a man had come thirsty, and I was still alive and I could not quench his thirst. I can delay death a little bit, but his question has to be answered; otherwise the poor fellow will feel guilty his whole life." A conscious man dies in a totally conscious way, step by step. And if he wants to return before he has taken the fourth step, he can come back. His…

Osho, to remain awake even in death—or to successfully orchestrate a conscious death in meditation—what preparations should a seeker make concerning the body-system, the breath-system, the state of the breath, the state of prana, celibacy, willpower, etc.? Kindly shed detailed light on this.

But even in a cinema hall, where it is easier because it is all shadows, we do not remain witnesses. If we inspected the handkerchiefs of those exiting, we would know how many cried. We all know nothing is on the screen—only light and shadow. Yet everything “happens” there, and we become participants. Do not be mistaken that while watching a film you are merely a viewer—you become a participant. Someone pleases you, someone repels you; you identify. If we cannot be witnesses even to a film, how will we be witnesses in life? Life, too, is not much more than a film. At depth, like the play of rays on the screen, life is the play of electrical particles. If you reduce the body or a wall to its ultimate component, you find only electric particles. The difference between the screen and this is not great—two-dimensional there, three-dimensional here.…

Osho, in the Dwarka camp you said that meditation and samadhi are a voluntary, conscious entry into the state of death, through which the illusion of death dissolves. Then the question arises: to whom does the illusion of death occur? Does it occur to the body or to consciousness? Since the body is only an instrument, it cannot have delusive awareness; and there is no reason for consciousness to be deluded. Then what is the cause and basis of this event of delusion?

They sent word. She came very annoyed. “It’s his same old habit,” she said. “He’s grown old but hasn’t dropped it. Even at death he will create mischief.” She came with a stick, banged it on the ground and said, “Stop this devilry! If you must die, die properly!” The man laughed, came down, and said, “I was only playing a little—wanted to see what they would do. Now I will die properly, conventionally.” Then he lay down and died. His sister left, saying, “Fine, now finish the rites. There is a right way for everything; do things properly.” Our illusion about death is a social delusion. It can be broken. There are methods and arrangements to break it. And even if no one else breaks it for you, anyone who has done a little meditation will break it himself at the time of death. No outside help is needed.…

A friend has asked, Osho, in the awesome, terrible cosmic form of Krishna, Arjuna sees the gods trembling and others moving toward death. But did he not see himself in that terrible form? Did he not see himself going into the jaws of death? And if he did see himself, why was it not mentioned? And if he did not, why?

Fasting is an experiment of the same kind as the experiment with sleep. Let the body feel hunger and remain inwardly without hunger—then the two functions will separate. The day it is clear to you: the body is hungry and I stand within content, without hunger—that day you will know the difference. The body has slept and you are awake—you will know the difference. And when this difference is known, then when death comes—the body will die, you will not—and you will know that difference too. Begin with sleep. Slowly, slowly the inner differentiation becomes clear; light grows within. The light is with us, but we use it outside; we never turn it within. So we see the whole world and miss ourselves. Therefore it did not appear to Arjuna—because one’s own death is never seen; only another’s is seen. Therefore do not rely much on what appears concerning others;…