A Master is a device where you learn how to
surrender, where you learn the joys of surrender,
where you learn the beauties of surrender. And then
more courage gathers necessarily
I try to follow religion in my own way, but nothing seems to
happen. What should I do?
Be In
A Let-go. Y
Let God
Decide
How can you follow religion in your own way?
ou have to drop yourself. Then whatever happens is religion. It is
not a question of deciding. You cannot decide. How can you
decide what is right, what is wrong? Drop yourself. Let life take
possession of you. Let life decide. Give your hand to God, or to life, or to
existence... and follow it in trust.
You must be a very clever and calculating man. You are even trying to
follow religion in your own way. And whatever you are doing, you have
been doing, is nothing but your mind game. How can you reach
anywhere? It is simple! You say: Nothing seems to happen. Now change
your approach towards religion. Religion is not a thing to be decided by
you: religion is a state of let-go.
Man's mind is so cunning -- it can always find rationalisations for
MARCH
41
whatever it wants to do. If it doesn't want to do, it
can find anti-reasons; if it wants to do, it can find all
that supports it. Just watch your mind. Your mind
decides first this has to be done, and then it gathers
arguments for it. A former secretary turned hooker
bumped into an old school friend.
"How can you go into such a profession?" asked her
friend. "Don't be silly," answered the call girl. "We
provide a vital service. We're a wife to those who have
none, and a refuge to those who do."
Even if you are doing something absolutely wrong
you can find good reasons for it. A bearded old Jew
entered a delicatessen and pointed to a slab of ham
behind the glass counter.
"A quarter pound of the corned beef, if you please."
The counter man noticed the beard and thought it his
duty to inform the old man. "I'm sorry, sir," he said
quietly, "but that's ham!"
"And who asked you?" retorted the Jew.
Mind is very clever, very cunning. It can go on doing
whatever it wants to do. And it can always find
arguments for it.
So when you say: I try to follow religion in my own
way, what is your own way? Truth cannot be according
to you. You will have to be according to truth. Truth has
no obligation to fit and adjust with you. You will have
to fit and adjust with truth.. And if you try your own
way, nothing is ever going to happen to you. And
finally you will repent.
Now, try a totally different approach. Be in a let-go.
Let God decide. Put your mind aside. Become a little
more intuitive rather than being intellectual; Don't be so
rational. Religion is available only to those who can go
deeper than reason. To go deeper than reason is to go
beyond reason. And religion is available only beyond.
What you call religion ordinarily is nothing but mind
fabrications. Nothing has happened, nothing is going
to happen... remember. And you ask: What should I do?
Drop this I. If you can find a Master, become a disciple.
You have been a disciple to yourself too long now. Find
42
OSHO WORLD
to happen... remember. And you ask: What should I
do? Drop this I. If you can find a Master, become a
disciple. You have been a disciple to yourself too long
now. Find a man whom you can trust. Find a man
whose presence soothes you, calms you, cools you. Find
a man whose presence revives hope in you, resurrects
you. Find a man whose presence becomes an
inspiration to you and again Life seems to have
meaning. Then surrender.
Be a disciple. You have been trying both things together
yourself, on your own. You are the Master and you are
the disciple. You will become increasinly confused. This
is not the way to reach. And I am not saying people
cannot reach without Masters -- once in a while it
happens, a person reaches without a Master. But for
that even more courage is needed. Because to trust a
man is not so difficult, it is human. To trust existence is
very difficult. It needs a greater heart and greater guts.
To leave oneself into the hands of existence... just as
Jesus said in the last moment: Thy will be done. If you
can do that, there is no need to have a Master. But if you
cannot even surrender to a Master, it will be impossible
to surrender to existence itself. A Master is a device
where you learn how to surrender, where you learn the
joys of surrender, where you learn the beauties of
surrender. And then more courage gathers necessarily.
And one day you can take the quantum leap and
you can start trusting existence. Then one becomes like
a dry leaf in the wind. If the wind blows north, the leaf
goes north. If the wind goes south, the leaf goes south.
If the wind stops, the leaf waits and rests on the
ground. The leaf has no idea of any destiny, no
direction, no goal, nowhere to go. That is the ultimate
surrender. Lao Tzu became enlightened watching a dry
leaf falling from a tree. He was sitting under the tree.
The leaf was ripe, a breeze came, and the leaf dropped.
It fluttered, came slowly like a feather, rested on the
ground... then a stronger wind came and it was taken
up... it moved with the wind with no resistance. And
the truth happened: Lao Tzu became enlightened. From
that moment, he became a dry leaf in the wind.
Yes, without a Master also it is possible -- but to
trust a leaf will take real courage.
- Osho
The Perfect Master, Vol 2, Ch 6
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