Seeking

Osho, I am always seeking the new. Whatever is new appeals to me. Is there something wrong in this?

A mistake, certainly. Not a small one—a big mistake. Because this is precisely the way the mind lives. The mind is always in search of the new. The mind is an itch for the new. The old wife doesn’t appeal; a new wife is wanted. The old house doesn’t appeal; a new house is wanted. The old clothes don’t appeal; new clothes are wanted. Always the new. This is what the mind is—it keeps you running. From this craving for the new, ambition is born. And you remain restless. After all, every new thing will soon become old, and the restlessness will only go on increasing. There is so much restlessness in the West because there is a mad race for the new. Everything must be new. It’s not even a question of utility; it’s a question of newness. It may be that the old thing is better, stronger, more…

Osho, why are there so many confusions in philosophy?

There is no confusion in darshan; in shastra there will be confusion. Shastra itself means confusion. Shastra means: doctrines, arguments, words. Darshan is simple and direct. Darshan means vision—the capacity to see—the eye. When the eye is empty, void of ego, free of thought, when the mind does not interfere, what happens then is darshan. To see what is, just as it is—that is darshan. Remember the difference between darshan and darshan-shastra. Darshan-shastra is not darshan; darshan-shastra is speculation, intellectual tussle. Darshan is vision, experience. In philosophy there will be entanglement. In philosophy a single question will carry a thousand questions, and from each answer a thousand more will arise. And in philosophy no question ever gets resolved. In five thousand years of history, philosophers have not solved a single question. For five thousand years they have asked many questions, but not given a single answer. They cannot. A philosopher…

Osho, it is frightening to think that a seeker, even after reaching close to the goal, can, due to a slight lapse, be thrown so far back that he has to begin all over again from the very start. Then has so much labor gone to waste for a tiny mistake?

Understand this well: the greater your possibility, the more you will be tested. The smaller the possibility, the sooner you will be let go. As the hour of God’s arrival approaches, the tightening increases; you are gripped more and more firmly. Because now you are approaching your ultimate possibility. Now all the examinations must be completed. You are reaching that beyond which there is no further going. You are reaching that beyond which there is no further growth. You are reaching the supreme peak, the summit of Kailash. Now every test must be passed. Now every fiber of your being must be tried. Now only pure gold must remain. Let no drowsiness remain in you; remain pure and aware. Let no trash remain in you. Now it is necessary to throw you into the final fire. Therefore, if you miss even a little at the last stage, you are thrown…

Beloved Osho, enjoying life seems to be the only thing I do, and I forget that I am a seeker. But when I think about it, a question arises: what am I seeking for?

Deva Charu, enjoying life is in itself a beautiful experience, but it is not enough. All the religions of the world have condemned it. Their condemnation has created a guilt feeling. So even though people are enjoying life, deep down they are feeling that they are doing something wrong, something they should not do. So their enjoyment remains halfhearted. They are in a deep split, a kind of schizophrenia. Part of them is pulling them away from the enjoyment and part of them is pulling them towards it. It becomes a very subtle tension. But according to me enjoying life in its totality and intensity is the very foundation of finding the higher and the ultimate significance of life. Enjoyment is blind, hence even if you are enjoying life, deep down a question remains: What is the significance of all this enjoyment? That's from where seeking arises: a desire to…