The first time ever I even heard of the name of Osho was when I saw this book called “மனதின் இயல்பும் அதைக்கடந்த நிலைகளும்” (The nature of mind and going beyond it). This was almost 10 years ago. The title was interesting, and so was the preface. I immediately decided to buy it. Soon after, I was known as an “Osho fan” among my friends, and I managed to read several books of his.
Soon I realised something: irrespective of how many ever books I read, I know what Osho is going to say: “mediate”. That’s his primary (and arguably only) advice to people. I tried sitting with my eyes closed and watching my mind. It wasn’t easy... I just couldn’t stop the wandering mind. As a believer of “if it’s too hard, you’re doing it wrong” theory, I stopped trying. Though the desire to experience mediation never died down in me.
One thing Osho often repeats is “When I am pointing at the moon, don’t look at my fingers. You’ll then mistake the pointing finger for the moon.” I thought to myself that sitting with your eyes closed cannot be the only form of meditation. I’ll find my own way... I’ll discover the meditation that works for me.
Last week I happened to listen to a neuroscience professor’s lecture. He was talking about how regulating your breath, being conscious of what you’re doing right now (precisely what Osho recommends you to do), etc. That’s when I decided I’d try to regulate my breathing. Anyone who have tried to regulate their breathing would know that you cannot really do anything else when you’re concentrating on your breath. Someone in the crowd asked him how to effectively do your work and regulate your breathing. The professor gave a tip: make it a habit that whenever you’re walking, you’d breath deeply; when you’re sitting on a chair working, you’d let yourself breath like you always do.
That was a very good tip... and it has been useful to me from the next day. I practice deep breathing when I am walking to work. First day was hard (obviously!) and my whole mind was occupied with breathing. Within a few days it become easier... I can listen to music, think about random stuff while still breathing well. I’m guessing this is going to be an interesting experiment :)
There’s a lot of online resources for learning deep breathing, if you’re interested. Try Authentic Breathing or Wikipedia, for instance.
Soon I realised something: irrespective of how many ever books I read, I know what Osho is going to say: “mediate”. That’s his primary (and arguably only) advice to people. I tried sitting with my eyes closed and watching my mind. It wasn’t easy... I just couldn’t stop the wandering mind. As a believer of “if it’s too hard, you’re doing it wrong” theory, I stopped trying. Though the desire to experience mediation never died down in me.
One thing Osho often repeats is “When I am pointing at the moon, don’t look at my fingers. You’ll then mistake the pointing finger for the moon.” I thought to myself that sitting with your eyes closed cannot be the only form of meditation. I’ll find my own way... I’ll discover the meditation that works for me.
•••
In the last two years, I have been catching myself doing stupid things. Being angry with people who are helping me. Expecting a fight and arguing with someone in my mind. Thinking about some pointless loss and worrying about it for no reason. And more stupid things like these. Good thing is, once you have seen this stupidity, it’s easy to get rid of them. This was probably the beginning of bringing in more consciousness into my day-to-day life.Last week I happened to listen to a neuroscience professor’s lecture. He was talking about how regulating your breath, being conscious of what you’re doing right now (precisely what Osho recommends you to do), etc. That’s when I decided I’d try to regulate my breathing. Anyone who have tried to regulate their breathing would know that you cannot really do anything else when you’re concentrating on your breath. Someone in the crowd asked him how to effectively do your work and regulate your breathing. The professor gave a tip: make it a habit that whenever you’re walking, you’d breath deeply; when you’re sitting on a chair working, you’d let yourself breath like you always do.
That was a very good tip... and it has been useful to me from the next day. I practice deep breathing when I am walking to work. First day was hard (obviously!) and my whole mind was occupied with breathing. Within a few days it become easier... I can listen to music, think about random stuff while still breathing well. I’m guessing this is going to be an interesting experiment :)
There’s a lot of online resources for learning deep breathing, if you’re interested. Try Authentic Breathing or Wikipedia, for instance.
Breath watching has long been considered one of the best ways to fall into meditation. And it works! I've heard that if you can watch it to such an extent that you are aware of your last breath before you fall asleep, you're very close to self-realization. Needless to say, I've tried many times but sleep is just too sneaky :D
ReplyDeleteWow, that's interesting to think about. If you can watch yourself till your last breath before falling asleep, you're essentially falling asleep consciously. Thanks for the comment; I'll try it too :D
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