Laziness

Osho, you said there is a path even through laziness. How so? I too am lazy; please shed a little light.

I used to think only Sheela was a Das Maluka. Are there others too! In fact, there must be many; Sheela must have a large family. But pay attention: if you are truly lazy, even laziness can become a path. The point to watch is—are you really lazy? This happened in Japan. An emperor was very lazy. Naturally he thought, “I am an emperor, I am lazy, nothing obstructs me; but those who are poor and lazy must be in great difficulty.” He thought, “If I weren’t an emperor, what trouble I would be in! I don’t earn, I can’t earn—I don’t even get up from my bed. Often I simply lie there with my eyes closed. I eat and then sleep; then get up, eat again, and sleep again.” So he thought, “I am an emperor, fine—but surely there must be other lazy people in this land; what must…

Question: BELOVED OSHO, I FEEL TOO LAZY TO THINK OF A QUESTION. WHAT TO DO? Anand Chinmaya, it cannot be true that you really feel too lazy; otherwise who has written this question? A man was lying down on the couch of a very famous psychoanalyst, and he was continuously talking about his failures in life, failures of all kinds in all directions. He was trying to prove that he was an utter failure, the ultimate in failure, that there was nobody in the world who was more of a failure than he was. The psychoanalyst listened to him silently as long as he could tolerate, and then he said, "Stop all this nonsense! You cannot be such a failure!" The man said, "Why?" The psychoanalyst said, "If you were a failure you would not be able to afford my fee!

Osho, Sheela has asked: I am lazy, and one of Buddha’s disciples was lazy—look what became of him! I am lazy; why have you accepted me? And I keep wondering, what am I doing here?

With me, it will do! On Buddha’s path there is resolve and struggle; there the lazy won’t do. My doors are open to all. Buddha’s doors are open to the select. With me, even the lazy will do—because even laziness can be used to reach the Divine. One’s very laziness can become the door to the Divine. Surrender—leave everything at His feet! Do nothing, don’t even keep the sense of doing; say, “Now whatever You make me do, I will do.” We were speaking of Baba Malukdas a few days ago— “The python does no service, the birds do no work; Servant Maluka has said, the Giver to all is Ram.” So, Sheela, become Daas Maluka! Drop worry! If it seems you cannot enter into struggle, there is no need to. The Divine belongs to all; from just where you are, a path will open. You don’t need to change…

Osho! I am supremely lazy. Can I also attain the Divine?

Yogendra! Attaining the Divine is neither a matter of action, nor of industriousness, nor of laziness. Attainment of the Divine is a matter of witnessing. The industrious person has to be a witness to his action, and the lazy person has to be a witness to his laziness. If there is action, use action as the base for becoming a witness. If there is laziness, use laziness as the base for becoming a witness. Any device will do. Become a witness, and the Divine will be found. Do not be frightened of laziness. Laziness has been condemned so much that one gets scared. So you must be worrying: “I am supremely lazy—how will I find the Divine?” First, understand: the Divine is not to be attained; the Divine is already attained. The Divine resides within you. If there is any danger in “attaining” the Divine, it is over-industriousness. The one…