Is it necessary to run in order to stop?

A friend has asked: Osho, isn’t running necessary in order to stop?

Yes, it is. But you are already running. You have run enough. The race of many lifetimes is behind you; you are its outcome. Now there is no need to run more; now stopping is needed. But our mind finds many devices to deceive itself. A religious teacher explained at length to small children: if you want to be free of sin, you must do penance, pray, confess your guilt before God, and take a vow never to repeat it. After much explaining he asked them, “What is necessary to be free of sin?” A little child said, “To sin is necessary.” Certainly, to be free of sin, sin is necessary. But by sinning alone no one becomes free. After sinning, something more must be done. Certainly, to stop, running is necessary. But by running alone, no one will stop. And the running is already on. What we call life…

One friend has asked: is it not necessary to run in order to stop?

It is necessary. But you are running already. You have run enough. There is a long history of previous births behind you where you have been running. You are the result of this. Now it is no longer necessary to run; now it is necessary to stop. But our mind finds many ways of deceiving itself. A moral teacher taught little children, "If you wish to be freed from sins, you must repent; you must pray. You should confess your sin before God and vow never to do it again." After the lesson was over he asked the children, "What must you do to liberate your selves from sin?" A little child answered, "We must commit a sin." You have to commit a sin in order to be rid of sin. But it is not enough to sin, you have to do something more. It is necessary to run in…

As the sun was setting, he tethered his horse in a garden outside a village, preparing to rest for the night. He had come a long way. Now there was no fear. The last rays were sinking. As he was tying the horse, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned—there stood the same dark shadow. “Who are you?” he asked. “Do you not recognize me?” she said. “I came in your dream last night. I am Death. And I must thank your horse. I was worried—for it was at exactly this place that you were to die. I was anxious whether you would arrive in time or not. Your horse is very fast, superb! Before the sun set it brought you to the exact place. My thanks to your horse.” The man ran all day from death—and by dusk arrived in death’s mouth.

[To a visitor who is a primal therapist.] And can you remember yourself as a small cell in the womb? [She answers: Yes.] Just close your eyes and feel that you are becoming smaller and smaller, so I can feel where you are going and what more can be done. If something happens in the body, allow it.... Very good... come back -- the energy is really moving. It is not just a memory -- you can relive it. Many times it happens that people start imagining, but you are not -- it is really happening. Much more can be done: you can go even further back. That means you can remember your past life and can move into it easily -- just a little effort is needed. The energy is already moving towards the source, towards the seed, so start helping it a little more.

A shopkeeper sits all morning at his shop, anxious to acquire money. A seeker of God sits in the temple all morning, anxious to attain God with the same intensity with which the shopkeeper longs to gain wealth. The worldly man runs around, collects, accumulates; look at the sannyasin—he too is running. Their backs are turned to each other, but there is no difference in the running: both are running. The race goes on. The worldly man dies troubled that what he wanted he did not get; and the sannyasin dies equally troubled that the vision he sought did not happen. The race goes on. I want you to understand: the real question is to be free of the race, to be released from the run. Running means my gaze is fixed on some “other.