Reference: Osho Sannidhya
The first camp I attended in Osho’s presence was unique in itself. The name of the camp was, “Main Mrityu Sikhata Hoon” meaning “I teach death”.
The book, which contains the mysterious discussion of birth and death, is a unique gift for seekers in itself. I vaguely remember some incidents from the camp.
A friend asked a question, ‘We have come from such a distance to learn the art of life, but you are teaching the art of dying?’
Acharyashree said, ‘We have a blind attraction towards life and we forget why we want to live. A disabled old man who cannot take care of his own urine also does not want to die. Why is there so much fascination with life?’ Acharyashree’s argument was, ‘Death is a lie, there is no such thing as death. The body which is made of material matter cannot be alive and is always dead. Consciousness can never die. What we call death is only the separation of soul and body. As long as Consciousness is near, even the clay body looks alive. Be it a little, with understanding and meditation, understanding of the soul is possible. The name of this is sadhana, through which we can solve the mystery of birth and death.’
Acharyashree went on to say, “The Hindus burn everyone else except the sannyasis. This is a very scientific system. If the dead body of an ordinary person is preserved, his soul will continue to feel that he is still alive. He wonders why people are crying. ‘I am leaving it.’ In this belief, he tries to enter his body again and deal with them. Even in dreams, the soul wanders out of the body, but its soul is connected to the body by a ray of light. At death, that ray of light is broken and the re-entry of the soul into the body is not possible. That is why the Hindus have arranged to burn the body as soon as possible because the soul should realize that the old body is no longer there and now it has to find a new body.
Non-Hindus, whose religion does not have cremation rituals, have a custom of organizing a special mourning ceremony and burying their bodies in the graveyard. This is also a way to make the consciousness that is separated from the body realize that the body is dead because while it is alive, it has already understood that the place to go after death is the grave. Seeing the gathering of black-clothed mourners, the priest praying, the pit where the dead body is buried , the consciousness of the body is still wandering around the grave for a long time due to the old fascination of the body even though the journey with that body is over. Seeing this, the Hindus who have a deep and subtle vision of life passed the burning law.
We don’t burn the body of a sannyasin, we give him samadhi because he has already realized that his body is going to die. Even after death, the lifeless body becomes a holy temple due to the presence of specific consciousness. The physical body of this person, preserved in samadhi with devotion, radiates constructive energy and blessings for years. If you go to that place with faith, you will get the benefits of Sadhu satsang. Therefore, in all religions of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, the mausoleum and mazaar of enlightened persons are considered as holy and sacred places of pilgrimage.
I will never forget this talk given to a sadhak by Acharyashree in this camp. He asked, ‘Acharyashree, my mind is always restless, agitated and confused. How to calm this mind?’
Acharyashree said, ‘The mind can never be calm, its very nature is to be restless. The body is a truer, it is satisfied and calm through little needs. Atman is another supreme truth which can never be disturbed. Mind is the name of the restless and enthralled relationship between body and soul. Peace is not its nature. It is the nature of the mind to fall into doubt and be confused. Consciousness is surrounded by endless waves of desires and desires, the name of that turbulent wave is mind. These endless waves of desire and desire usually never subside. Trying to calm them down is exhausting and frustrating. The mind cannot be calmed, but it can be transcended.”
After the sermon, the sadhak would go on to hold Acharyashree’s hand and kiss him. Due to hesitation, I could never muster such courage. After the camp was over, on the day of his departure, when Acharyasree was sitting in his Ambassador car, I put both my hands on the closed glass of the car and put my head on it. Acharyashree himself opened the closed window. With great affection and love, he touched my cheek with both his hands. This was my first experience of his powerful energy touch. It felt like thousands of volts of electricity entered my body. The first realization of the outer world, which in yoga is called ‘Savikalpa Samadhi’ or ‘Satori’, happened easily. I am there for hours immersed in the joy of the world beyond time and mind.