How can one come to know that neither he nor anybody else dies?

How can one come to know that neither he nor anybody else dies?

There is no other way except to die. One Zen Master was asked -- a great emperor came to enquire; he was afraid of death, as everybody is, and of course an emperor has more to lose than a beggar so an emperor is bound to be more afraid of death than a beggar; death will take more from an emperor than from a beggar and so of course obviously he is more afraid. He became old and he came to the Zen Master and he asked: Tell me something about death, Master. The Master said, How am I to know about it? The emperor said, But you are an enlightened Master. He said: Yes, but -- an alive one, not dead, how am I to know about it? This moment life is there -- live it. That is the training for death. Otherwise when you are dead you will…

Osho, to remain awake to life, is the fear of death necessary?

I did not speak of fearing death, because what does fear of death even mean? It is essential to know that death is. The one who does not know this is the one who is afraid. To be afraid means we carry the notion that someday we will die—that what we presently take to be life will be snatched away. So the fear is that death might take away our life. That is what the fear is. But if you come to know that you are already dead, what is there to fear? If you come to see that every day you are dying, that much of you has already died, what is there to fear? As long as what you take to be life appears to you as life, the fear of death appears. And if this very thing begins to be seen as death, what fear of death…

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;…

Someone asked Osho's views on death and dying.

There is nothing as sure as death. Where there is life, there is bound to be death. He who bears not this fact in mind, wastes life, whereas he who knows this truth, obtains that which is immortal. I do not feel depressed at anybody's death, because there is no need to feel anything about it. However, it is a matter of sorrow, no doubt, if I see a life wasted. We have not to grieve after a dead body, but over a wasted life. You know, King Janak was called 'videh', i.e., without or beyond the body. Once, a young minister of his asked him, 'Your Excellency! How can you be considered without a body, when you do have a physical body? The king smiled but said nothing. After a few days, however, the king invited the minister for lunch. Such an invitation from the king himself was a…

Osho, what is the essence of Gorakhnath’s teaching?

Very small, concise— Laugh, play, live in color. Do not keep company with lust and anger. Laugh, play, sing songs. Keep your heart-mind steady and firm. This is my teaching too: Laugh, play, live in color. Live in color! In delight, in merriment, in joy. So much has the Divine given—dance, hum, sing! A song of gratitude should rise from your heart; that is prayer. Laugh, play, live in color. Laugh. If you cannot laugh, understand that you can never be religious. Your so‑called sadhus and saints have forgotten how to laugh. They simply cannot; to laugh is a sin, a transgression. That’s why you can’t stay long with them. You go, quickly touch their feet, bow, and leave. If you stay a full day, you’ll see the difficulty—your own laughter will be snatched away. People become grave around sadhus and saints. They stiffen up—dry, solemn, ultra‑serious! Laughter will feel…