OSHO
DISCOURSE
LISTEN TO TOUR OWN [TERRY
Often I have the feeling thatI am not doing something I ought to be doing,
or doing something I should not be doing; that something has to change
andfast ‐ a schooldays’ worry thatI am not going to make the grade, thatI
might beexpelled.
Krishna Prabhu, this is how we all have been brought up. Our whole edu‑
cation ‐ in the family, in the society, in the school, in the college, in the
university ~ creates tension in us. And the fundamental tension is that you
are not doing what you ought to do.
like a nightmare; it goes
on haunting you. It will never leave you at rest; it will never allow you to
relax. If you relax, it will say, "What are you doing? You are not supposed
Then it persists your whole life; it follows you
to relax; you should be doing something.” If you are doing something, it
will say, "What are you doing? You need some rest; it is a must, otherwise
you will drive yourself crazy ‐ you are already on the verge."
If you do something good, it will say, "You are a fool. Doing good is not
going to pay; people will cheat you.” If you do something bad, it will say,
"What are you doing? You are preparing the way to goto hell; you will have
to suffer for it.” It will never leave you at rest; whatsoever you do, it will
be there condemning you.
This condemner has been implanted in you. This is the greatest calamity
that has happened to humanity. And unless weget rid of this condemner
inside uswecannot betruly human, wecannot betrulyjoyous, and we
cannot participate in the celebration that Existence is. [...]
This civil war has to be dropped; otherwise you will miss the whole beauty,
the benediction of life. You will never be able to laugh to your heart’s
content; you will never be able to love; you will never be able to be total
in anything. And it is only out of totality that one blooms, that the spring
comes, and your life starts having color and music and poetry.
It is only out oftotality that suddenly you feel the presence of God all
around you. But the irony is that the split has been created by your so‑
called saints, priests, and churches. In fact the priest has been the great‑
est enemy of God on the Earth. [...]
recognize this, what the priests have done to you,
is a day of great insight. And the first day when you drop all this nonsense
is the day of the beginning of liberation.
The first day when you
Dowhat your nature wants to do; do what your intrinsic qualities hanker
to do. Don’t listen to the scriptures; listen to your own heart; that is the
only scripture I prescribe. Yes, listen very attentively, very consciously,
and you will never bewrong. And listening to your own heart you will
never be divided. Listening to your own heart you will start moving in the
right direction, without ever thinking of
what is right and what is wrong.
Sothe whole art for the new humanity will
consist in the secret of listening to the
heart consciously, alertly, attentively. And
follow it through any means, and go wher‑
ever it takes you. Yes, sometimes it will
take you into dangers ‐ but then remember,
those dangers are needed to make you ripe.
And sometimes it will take you astray ‐ but
remember again, those goings astray are
part of growth. Many times you will fall.
Rise up again, because this is how one
gathers strength ‐ by falling and rising
again. This is how one becomes integrated.
But don’t follow rules imposed from the
outside. Noimposed rule can ever be right,
because rules are invented by people who
want to rule you. Yes, sometimes there
have been great enlightened people in the
world too ‐ a Buddha, a Jesus, a Krishna,
a Mohammed. They have not given rules
to the world; they have given their love.
But sooner or later the disciples gather
together and start making codes of con‑
duct. Once the Master is gone, once the
light is gone and they are in deep darkness,
they start groping for certain rules to fol‑
low, because now the lightin which they
could have seen is no more there. Now they
will have to depend on rules.
What Jesus did was his own heart’s whis‑
pering, and what Christians go on doing is
not their own hearts’ whispering. They are
imitators ‐ and the moment you imitate,
COHTIIIBES