two desire worlds

Enlightenment can happen anywhere

"All moments are as potent as any other. There is no auspicious moment for it to happen. It can happen in any ordinary moment because all ordinary moments are auspicious." - Osho

Whatsoever meaning we give to life, we give it to life. And the Buddha says, if you want to know the real meaning of life, then you have to drop giving all meanings to it. Then life opens its mysterious doors. You stop giving meaning to it—your desires are giving meaning to it; they are defining the undefinable. And if you remain clouded with your desires, whatsoever you know is nothing but your own dreaming. That’s why we say in India that this life, this so-called life lived through desires, is maya, it is a magical thing. You create it, you are the magician. It is your maya, your magic.

We don’t live in the same world, remember. We live in separate worlds because we don’t live in the same desires. You project your desires; your neighbour is projecting his desires. That’s why when you meet a person and you want to live with a person, with a woman or with a man or with a friend, difficulties arise. That is a clash of two worlds.

Everybody is good alone. Together, something goes wrong. I have never come across a wrong person, but every day I come across, I have to watch, see, and observe wrong relationships. It seems almost all relationships are wrong. Because two people live in two desire worlds, they have their own magical worlds. When they come together, those worlds clash.

Tie two people together—that’s what a marriage is—and see what happens. Suddenly two worlds… It seems almost impossible to understand the woman you love. It should not be so—you love her—but it seems impossible to understand. It is impossible to understand the man you love. It should not be so—you love him—but it seems impossible to understand.

It is very easy to understand strangers; it is very difficult to understand people who are very close. To understand your mother, father, brother, sister, friend, is very difficult. The closer you are, the more difficult—because the worlds are clashing.

There is no need for it to happen under a Bodhi tree. It can happen under any tree, or even without a tree.

These worlds surround you like a subtle aura. Unless you drop this magical creation that you go on feeding, you will remain in conflict. You have to drop your private mentation. Dropping mentation is what meditation is all about. You have to drop your thinking, desiring. You have to be just, and suddenly everything falls into an organic whole, becomes a harmony. And these desires are the root of the darkness that is surrounding you. These desires are the support, the foundation of the darkness that surrounds you. These desires are the hindrances that don’t allow you to become alert.

Beware of these desires. And remember—the word ‘beware’ means to be aware. That is the only way. If you really want to get rid of these desires, don’t start fighting them. Otherwise, you will miss again. Because if you start fighting with your desires, that means you have created a new desire—to be desireless. Now this desire will clash against other desires. This is changing the language; you remain the same.

Don’t start fighting with your desires. Because you can fight only if there is a prize if you are going to attain something. Then again a desire has arisen—a new shape, a new form, but the same old desire. Don’t fight, just be aware.

Beware of desires. Become more watchful, more alert. And you will see—the more alert you are, the fewer desires are there. Ripples start subsiding, waves start disappearing. And one day, suddenly… any moment it can happen because all moments are as potent as any other. There is no auspicious moment for it to happen. It can happen in any ordinary moment because all ordinary moments are auspicious. There is no need for it to happen under a Bodhi tree. It can happen under any tree, or even without a tree. It can happen under the roof of your house. It can happen anywhere.

Excerpted from The Discipline Of Transcendence by Osho

Osho is known for his revolutionary contribution to the science of inner transformation, with an approach to meditation that acknowledges the accelerated pace of contemporary life.

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