Why do I always fall asleep during discourse?

Osho, why do I always fall asleep during the discourse?

That's what happens in many car accidents. Many car accidents happen somewhere in the night nearabout between two and four, and the reason is that the driver is trying hard to keep his eyes open; by and by, he becomes capable of keeping his eyes open, and still he falls asleep. He keeps his eyes open and falls asleep with open eyes. Now this is a scientific finding. And that makes the whole problem: because he thinks he is awake he goes on driving because his eyes are open, but the sleep has taken possession of him, he is no longer aware. When you are awake, there is not much wakefulness; just a small part of you is awake. So you are not a loser, don't be worried. Whenever sannyasins come and ask me, "What should we do?" I tell them: Don't fight, otherwise you will miss me and you…

Why do I always fall asleep in discourse? Sometimes I can't help comparing myself to those people who sit absolutely still, just imbibing you, and that makes me feel like I have so far to go, especially every time when people come up to me after the lecture and say, "wasn't it amazing today?" maybe more would come through to me if I just accept that discourse is a good place for me to sleep.

It is the perfect place. Don't be worried about those people who come and tell you, they must be joking. You sleep well. They must be trying to disturb you, they must be trying to create some jealousy in you. They must be really jealous of you -- that you are sleeping so well and snoring, and those poor people are just sitting. They want to disturb you. Don't be worried. Go on sleeping. You have to go far, but in sleep, nowhere else. The game was drifting off into total boredom when a man in the crowd suddenly burst into a round of applause. The man next to him said, "Why did you do that?" "Sorry," he replied. "I was trying to keep myself awake." You don't know how much difficulty people are having in keeping themselves awake. You just go into your sleep, relax into it. If you…

Beloved Osho, each morning at discourse, as soon as I hear your voice, I begin to feel a sense of deep relaxation. I start to feel drowsy and find it difficult to stay awake. Could you explain?

That's great, because the same happens to me! The moment I start speaking I go to sleep. And by and by I have become so expert that you don't detect that I am talking in my sleep. That's perfectly good; relaxation is beautiful. And what I am saying today, tomorrow I will contradict, so no need to be bothered. Relax and go to sleep; you need it. And as far as hearing me is concerned, it is nonserious. It is not a sermon; I am not giving you a doctrine, I am not giving your principles. I am just speaking in my sleep. If you all also go to sleep and listen to me in your sleep, that will be really groovy!

Osho, during your discourse I have observed the faces of the sannyasins. It seems they slip into a deep sleep. And my own experience is the same: the kind of sweet, deep, and alluring sleep that comes during the discourse never comes at any other time. What is the reason?

If you belong to the first kind, it is better you stop coming. If you belong to the second, then struggle, because that sleep is the mind’s old habit—you will have to break it. If you belong to the third, consider yourself fortunate and do not fight this tandra; quietly let yourself be taken by it. For whatever I am saying will not miss you in tandra; it will surely reach you. It may be that later you do not remember, because memory is very superficial; it will go even deeper. If you listen in tandra, that listening is very deep. It will penetrate to the very core of your being. If your state is tandra, do not try to break it. Then close your eyes and gently sink into it. Because what I am saying to you is not just words; within these words I am also giving you…

Osho, even after a good night’s sleep, in the morning my attention often gets lost during your discourse. What can be done to prevent this?

Do nothing. If it gets lost, let it be lost. Only keep the awareness that it is lost. Turn even the state of non-attention into attention. And don’t look at the negative; look at the affirmative. You ask: even after a good night’s sleep, in the morning your attention often gets lost in the discourse. Many times it gets lost; many times it does not. Put your attention on the times it does not. Each time it does not, give thanks to the divine. As much as it settles, that much is grace. Is even that too little? If I speak for an hour and a half, and in that hour and a half even five minutes of your attention truly alight on my words, it is done. Let the remaining eighty-five minutes go. Don’t worry. Even if those five minutes come as scattered moments that add up, it is…