Relaxation

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!

Beloved Osho, relaxation has always been one of the most valuable states of being for me. "watchfulness" seems to be possible only then, or at least so much easier. Beloved master, would you like to comment on how "relaxation" is connected to "awareness"?

But beginning from awareness is far easier, and particularly for those who can understand the process of awareness, which is very simple. The whole day you are using it about things -- cars, in the traffic -- even in the Poona traffic you survive! It is absolutely mad. Just a few days ago I read about Athens. Athens is even worse than Poona. The government made a special seven day competition for the taxi drivers and they had put golden trophies for those who were the best at following traffic rules, the second and the third. But in the whole of Athens they could not find a single person. The police were getting worried; the days were almost finished, and the last day they wanted to find anyhow three -- they may not be perfect, but those prizes had to be distributed. One man they found was following the traffic…

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…