Unlock the Secret to Happiness: Osho’s Ruminations

Spiritual Living
Aug 27, 2017 · 3 min read

As adults, one of the most frequent questions that plaques the mind is how to seek happiness in life. While material gains like career success and wealth may seem like the most immediate answers, we eventually realize that they are not. This fundamental query has the potential to disillusion the notion of life, and make you question your very existence.

Acharya Rajneesh, or Osho; an Indian spiritual thinker of modern times, has the answer. He believes that happiness can never be chased or sought. Instead of being an object to be obtained, it is more of a natural consequence. Thought and contemplation about happiness won’t do you any good either. If anything, it will take you further away from it.

Happiness emanates from the work you do. He says that happiness will come to you if you are very absorbed in what you do. It is a by-product of the thing that you are focussing on.

To emphasize his point and make it clearer, Osho narrates a small story. The story involves a young dog, who keeps chasing his tail. On being asked why he is doing so by an elder dog, he justifies his action by saying that he has a deep knowledge of philosophy, and knows that happiness lies in his tail. Even after knowing the source of happiness, the younger dog fails to catch his tail, and hence, gain happiness. The elder dog, more experienced than the younger one, then tells the latter that his tail, which symbolizes happiness, follows him when he goes through life.

Osho feels that one must totally get involved in the task at hand, however trivial or mundane it may seem. Only when you do so, the ego within you vanishes, and you welcome true happiness.

However, Ego negates the presence of happiness. In the words of Osho, “Ego is misery, no ego is happiness.”

Osho familiarizes us with the idea that forgetfulness is the key to happiness. As vague and misleading it sounds at first sound, it makes perfect sense as you know more about the theory. Osho advises you to remove from your memory trivialities of your health, or questions about happiness, and solely focus on what is being done by you at the current moment. The thing being done by you isn’t necessarily something active but could also be passive. Only then can a Connect with happiness be experienced. Be cautious though; as, the moment you realize or hold the thought that you have happiness, it will no longer be in your hold.

The idea of what you have, or what constitutes you raises your self-consciousness. This, according to Osho can only make you narrow. However, when this notion disappears, you are vast like the sky.

Into this scheme of things, Osho also brings the idea of leaving aside procrastination, something that makes you put off things for later that you can accomplish presently. To put more weight on this idea, Osho tells us the story of the Rabbi who asked his followers to repent for their sins the day before their demise. Confused, the followers asked the Rabbi how that can be, for the time of one’s death is not known to the person. The Rabbi said, then, repent today, NOW.

Osho leaves us on this important matter with a statement that will enlighten your being and open your eyes-

”Happiness will always follow you. It is in the tail. Wherever you go, it will follow you.”


Originally published at www.spiritualliving.co on August 27, 2017.

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Spiritual Living

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India’s first digital realm to untangle the negative threads of our mind & body, helping you to transcend towards what lies beyond. www.spiritualliving.co

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