Questions_&_Answers_ at The Turiya Files

OSHO, OF THE TWO PATHS – THAT IS, BHAKTI AND YOGA – YOGA IS ARDUOUS; IT REQUIRES A GREAT PENANCE. FOR A WORLDLY MAN, IT IS A DIFFICULT TASK. THOSE WHO ATTAINED THE BRAHMAN OR MOKSHA THROUGH YOGA HAD RENOUNCED THE WORLD.

THERE ARE, ON THE OTHER HAND, INSTANCES LIKE THAT OF NARSI MEHTA OR MEERABAI WHICH SHOW THAT THROUGH BHAKTI EVEN A COMMON MAN CAN ATTAIN GYANA – SUPREME KNOWLEDGE. WILL IT NOT, THEREFORE, BE CORRECT FOR THE COMMON MAN TO CHOOSE ONLY THE PATH OF BHAKTI?

There exists no such entity as the common man. Everyone is uncommon. You may know it, you may not know it, but no one is common - that is One thing.

The Second thing: Meera, Narsi Mehta and Chaitanya have not attained their goal easily. That concept is absolutely false. Rather, on the contrary, Meera has travelled a more arduous path. That is why you can name thousands of yogis, but you cannot name thousands of Meeras. If you go on counting bhaktas of the calibre of Meera, the fingers of your two hands will be more than enough. Then count yogis: they are innumerable. Why? If the path of yoga is arduous and the path of bhakti – of love and devotion – is simple and easy, why this disparity? Because it is not easy. But do I mean that the path of bhakti is more arduous than yoga? No – it depends! It depends on you.

If your mind is of a certain type, then a particular path will be easy for you. If you are a devotional man or woman, then bhakti - surrender - will be easy for you and yoga difficult. But it depends on you. The paths are not to be compared. If I happen to be a non-devotional man, then yoga will be easy for me and bhakti arduous. So it depends on the seeker, not on the path. No path is easier, no path is harder.

But then why have there been more yogis and less bhaktas? There are many reasons. Firstly. this fallacious idea that the path of devotion is easy has created much trouble. So those who are not for the path of devotion go on it. But then they cannot become like Meera or Chaitanya; it is not for them. It is not for them! They have not chosen according to themselves. They have chosen according to the fallacious concept that is prevalent.

Really, those who choose the path of bhakti, they do not really choose it to travel it. They think that through it there is nothing to be done and you gain everything. The path of bhakti is believed to be such that you need not do anything and you attain everything – that just bhakti is enough. They say that not even bhakti, but just naarn smaran – remembering of the name – will do. And particularly for the Kaliyuga!

Really, those who do not want to do anything, they choose bhakti, and bhakti is not a promise that you will attain everything without doing anything. Bhakti demands your totality. It is not just naam smaran – you have to surrender yourself totally, but total surrender is arduous. This false belief has created so many so-called devotional people, but they are deceiving themselves.

Secondly, this concept that the path of yoga is arduous also creates problems, because those who are egoists are attracted to it. Ego needs something arduous to do. If something is simple, it is not appealing to the ego.

If there is an Everest, a Gourishankar, then it appeals to the ego. If I reach, then I can say, ”Only I have reached. It is so arduous! No one else has reached.” If it is just a small hill and any child can reach it, it is not appealing to the ego. So because of this concept that the path of yoga is durgam – very arduous, difficult, impossible – egoists are attracted toward it. And ego is a barrier!

Those who do not want to do anything, they are attracted to bhakti, and bhakti involves much doing: it is not non-doing. Those who are egoists become attracted to yoga, but they are attracted because of the ego. They become more and more egoistic. If you want to see a perfect egoist, then you do not have to go anywhere else. Go to the so-called yogi; then you will know a perfect egoist. He is doing ”the most arduous thing in the world”!

Both concepts are wrong. Choose according to you yourself; be aware of yourself first. Really, if you are aware of yourself you need not choose. You will begin to move on the path that is for you. Just be aware of yourself. Feel yourself more and more; meditate and feel yourself more and more. Then do not bother about any choice.

Meera has never chosen. It has happened! Nor has Mahavir chosen. It has happened! If you know yourself, if you feel yourself and you meditate, by and by, you will move in the direction which is for you. You will move toward your destiny. If you choose, you will disturb things – because your choice is, after all, your choice. How can you choose your destiny? You can only allow it to happen; you cannot choose it.

If you choose, then you fall into a deep fallacy. You are bound to choose wrongly. You are wrong, so you are bound to choose wrongly! Then much endeavour will be wasted, and you will go on rationalizing, ”Why am I doing so much, and such and such is not happening? If it is not happening, then there must be some reasons! My past karmas are creating a barrier. Or, I have to make a much greater effort. Or, I need much more time. Or, I started late, so in the next life I will start early.”

Mulla Nasrudin bought a donkey. The owner of the donkey told Nasrudin to give it a certain amount of food daily. Mulla thought that this was too much, so he said, ”Okay! By and by, I will reduce the food of the donkey and make him accustomed to a smaller ration.” So he reduced it.

By and by, daily, the food was reduced, the ration was reduced. Finally, the ration was almost nothing – ALMOST NOTHING! Then the donkey fell down and died. So Mulla said, ”It is a pity. If I had had a little time more, if this donkey had not died so easily, I would have made him accustomed to no diet at all. The experiment was just about to be completed, and it is a pity that the donkey has died.”

Man goes on rationalizing. Rationalizations will not help. Do not try to choose. Rather, allow! Feel your swabhav – your nature – your Tao; feel your intrinsic possibilities. Be sensitive, meditate, and do not try to choose. By and by, you will move in a particular direction. That movement will come to you; it will not be a chosen effort. It will happen to you, it will grow in you, and you will begin to move.

The Ultimate Alchemy Vol. 2
Chapter #18
Chapter title: Quesions & Answers