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Osho on Unawareness

Unawareness

Unawareness manifests as a deep identification with the mind, where thoughts and emotions obscure our true selves; yet, through the lens of awareness, we learn to witness these fleeting states with detachment, embracing the truth that this too shall pass.

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Osho's perspective on Unawareness

When Osho Spoke About Unawareness

Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.

Question: BELOVED MASTER, WHAT IS UNAWARENESS? Dinkar, to be in the mind, to be identified with the mind, is unawareness. To think that "I am the mind," is unawareness. To know that mind is only a mechanism just as the body is, to know that the mind is separate.... The night comes, the morning comes: you don't get identified with the night. You don't say, "I am night," you don't say, "I am morning." The night comes, the morning comes, the day comes, again the night comes; the wheel goes on moving, but you remain alert that you are not these things. The same is the case with the mind. Anger comes, but you forget -- you become anger. Greed comes, you forget -- you become greed. Hate comes, you forget -- you become hate. This is unawareness.
Question: BELOVED MASTER, WHAT IS UNAWARENESS? Before posting it he read the letter again. It looked too angry -- twelve hours had passed. He read the woman's letter; it was not so insulting as it had appeared at the first glance. So he changed his letter, he wrote it again. When he was writing it again he said, "Why not wait twenty-four hours more and see what happens? What is the hurry? The woman is not going to die." So he waited twenty-four hours and read his letter again. Now he was even more cool, and still the letter looked a little too strong. He changed it and thought, "Why not wait forty-eight hours? Let it be an experiment! I can always send the letter, but after twelve hours I had to change it, after twenty-four hours I had to change it much more.

Osho, please say something about this news item: the indian express of 18th august reports that the rajneesh film won't reflect the real image of india. The union information minister, l.k. Advani said in the parliament, 'foreign television and film units have been refused permission to document the activities of the rajneesh ashram, as it is felt that a film on the activities of the ashram would not reflect favourably on india's image abroad.'

If this country is going to be destroyed one day, the reason will be these people who are in power today. India cannot have one language. And if it can have one language, that language has to be neutral; either it will be English or Esperanto, but not Hindi, not Gujarati, not Marathi, not Bengali, not Tamil. It will have to be a neutral language. English is neutral; it is nobody's mother tongue in India. And English is international too, so it is perfectly good. I support a two-language formula: English as the national language, because it is also international and as the second language, the mother tongue. Each child should be taught two languages. Forget all about Hindi, and forget all about creating one monolith in this country of variety, of multiplicity. And they are trying to do the same thing with religion too, in the same way. They…

Please explain whether awareness is also one of the modifications of the mind.

No, awareness is not part of the mind. It flows through the mind, but it is not part of the mind. It is just like this bulb -- the electricity flows through it, but the electricity is not part of the bulb. If you break the bulb, you have not broken electricity. The expression will be hindered, but the potentiality remains hidden. You put another bulb, and the electricity starts flowing. Mind is just an instrument. Awareness is not part of it, but awareness flows through it. When mind is transcended, awareness remains in itself. That's why I say even a Buddha will have to use the mind if he talks to you, if he relates to you, because then he will need flow, flow of his inner pool. He will have to use instruments, mediums, and then mind will function. But mind is just a vehicle. You move in…

"Unawareness is the illusion of being your thoughts and emotions; true awareness begins when you recognize the mind as a passing phenomenon and remain a detached witness."

Unawareness is when you think you are your thoughts and feelings instead of just watching them come and go.
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