What happens when I deepen my meditation practice and feel more responsible for myself and the world?

Beloved Osho, the more I move into the meditation, the more I feel responsible for myself and for the situation in the whole world. How is that possible?

It is the same thing -- just the same question. The more you become yourself, the more you will feel responsible for the world because the more you are becoming part of the world -- you are not separate from it. Your being authentically yourself means a tremendous responsibility -- but it is not a burden. It is a rejoicing that you can do something for existence. Existence has done so much for you, there is no way to pay it back. But we can do something. It will be very small compared to what existence has done for us, but it will show our gratitude. It is not a question of whether it is big or small; the question is that it is our prayer, our gratitude, and our totality is involved in it. Yes, it will happen: the more you become yourself, the more you will start feeling…

My fear has been that if I follow your methods of meditation, I will be leaving my responsibilities.

You are not going to leave your responsibilities. Rather you are going to add some new responsibilities. Doing this meditation is going to make you more responsible. You are going to become more free, and a free individual is responsible. You take the whole burden for your growth on yourself; you are not throwing the burden on me. You are not becoming my follower; you are not following me. I am not promising you anything. But by following my suggestions, you may achieve something. I am saying that by doing such and such a thing, you will grow. That is not following me. By doing something you may gain much, but the whole responsibility remains with you. I am not going to feel responsible for you or anyone else. If you fall, you fall. If you rise, you rise. When you achieve something, you need not even be thankful to…

I am not saying to do anything. Meditation is not a doing at all, it is pure awareness. But a miracle happens, the greatest miracle in life. If you go on watching, tremendous and incredible things start happening. Your body becomes graceful, your body is no more restless, tense; your body starts becoming light, unburdened; you can see great weights, mountainous weights, falling from your body. Your body starts becoming pure of all kinds of toxins and poisons. You will see your mind is no more as active as before; its activity starts becoming less and less and gaps arise, gaps in which there are no thoughts. Those gaps are the most beautiful experiences because through those gaps you start seeing things as they are without any interference of the mind. Slowly slowly your moods start disappearing. You are no more very joyous and no more very sad.

Beloved master, many of us who have been with you for some time are experiencing a deepening of silence, stillness and joy within. With a tremendous gratitude to you also comes a sense of responsibility to existence to preserve this gift of life and consciousness. To realize your vision of global transformation and the new man, it seems that meditation, love, commitment and action are all necessary. Sometimes it feels difficult to move into activity while still remaining silent and meditative. Would you speak to us about wu-wei, action from inaction?

I had a very deep, intimate contact with my father. He was a rare man -- because whatever I said would have irritated any father, but he always pondered over it, contemplated it. I said, "Listen, I don't have any responsibility for you. You never asked if you could give birth to me. That was the point when we could have made a contract: `This is going to be my responsibility...' You have brought me into existence without even asking me. It is your responsibility, not mine. If something goes wrong you will be responsible for it." He said, "I never looked at it from that angle; perhaps you are right -- what kind of contact and intimacy do you have with me?" I said, "I am response-able, not responsible. I will act out of my love for you, not because you are my father. And I will act in…

The monk zuigan used to start every day by saying out loud to himself, "master, are you there?" and he would answer, "yes sir, I am." then he would say, "better sober up." and he would reply, "yes sir, I'll do that." then he would say, "look out now, don't let them fool you." and he would answer, "oh no sir, I won't, I won't."

In America, the whole market depends on how you can befool the customer, how you can create an idea in the minds of others. Now, a two-car garage is a must if you want to be happy; in America, a two-car garage is a must. Nobody asks why. If you are not happy with one car, how can you be happy with two cars? If there is fifty percent happiness with one car, how can you be happy with two cars? With one car you are unhappy; with two cars you will be doubly unhappy, that's all. The mathematics is simple. But there is advertisement, propaganda; the whole society exists by manipulating others. Happiness is something like a commodity in the market -- you go and purchase it, it has to be purchased. How can happiness be purchased? Happiness is not a commodity, it is not a thing; it is…