about
the book
A
mystifying title sets the tone for a book which
unveils a world of mystery. “…And
Nothing Has Ever Happened” is a
compilation of talks given during two meditation
retreats by Osho's enlightened disciple Swami
Chaitanya Bharti, now affectionately called Gurudev.
The talks cover a range of subjects from true
love to Divine Pain; from the mysterious functioning
of a Master to the inner resistance of a disciple;
from the path of meditation to the way of devotion.
But the focus remains clearly on leading the reader
step-by-step to the Ultimate Truth that –
as Ramana Maharshi put it – “
NOTHING HAS EVER HAPPENED.”
The
path to reach that goal which Gurudev advocates
is Self-knowledge and Self-remembrance. As He
says: “Learn to be - just to “Be.”
Discover your being and you will realize that
you are eternal: You were, you are and you will
be.
“Passivity”
is a word which recurs often. Passivity, He explains,
is the only way out of our mess because it does
not strengthen the “doer” illusion.
Other paths give you something to do in order
to conquer “negative” emotions. And
they work at times – the emotion temporarily
subsides. But simultaneously, the “I”
which has done the conquering gathers power. And
that ego is the deep-rooted source of the “negative”
emotion in the first place. Passivity is a fire
which allows the emotion to burn itself out and
finally burns the “I” behind the emotion.
Although
the subject of the talks is serious, the tone of
the book is amazingly light because Gurudev strongly
believes that “seriousness is a disease worse
than cancer”. Thanks to His laughing-mantra
“Ho Jaaye!” the pages of book echo with
laughter and humour, often pointed at Gurudev himself.
The
most heart-warming aspect of the book is that Gurudev
presents himself as an equal, as a friend. He does
not talk only about highest truths, but also brings
himself down to the level of the listener’s
life. The chapter “Are you Ready to Eat Chicken”
takes a humorous look at vegetarian conditioning
and beliefs in day-to-day life. Here again, although
Gurudev may be dissecting earthy matters, He slowly,
slowly leads the reader to look up to the stars.
This is His greatest gift: He effortlessly fuses
the mundane with the magnificent.
|
quotes
from the book
•
The real communication happens in silence. When you become
silent, God talks to you… without words. Silence
is His language.
•
You cannot tolerate yourself. All the time you escape
from yourself – finding things to do. All the time,
our attention is on the other. But when this attention
is not on the other, when it does not move, but just remains
– unmoved – only then can you know what-you-are.
Then there is pure “am-ness”, pure “being-ness”.
Call it God, or whatsoever you like.
•
We go on using this word “I” but the “I”
is nowhere! “I” is functional; it is not there;
it is not real. “I” is the problem –
it is nothing but a shadow! The shadow cannot claim anything;
it can only know its nature. That much is enough and in
this search “I” disappears…
•
I am neither small nor big. I am what I Am. You can call
me small, it is your problem. You can call me big, it
is your problem. You can call me Guru, it is your problem.
I am what I am, and if you ask me “who are you”,
my answer will be “I don’t know”. I
Am…just “I Am”.
•
Consciousness is the dynamic principle of existence; it
cannot stand still. But the beauty is: When it is conscious
of itself, it becomes still. And that stillness is peace,
is harmony, is joy, is happiness, is Moksha.
•
“I” refers to the body, “am-ness”
refers to the essence – what I really am. This am-ness
is all. This “am-ness” is the very centre
of life. This “am-ness” is in everything…
in every living and non-living being as well. Forgetfulness
of “am-ness” is the root of all delusion,
which causes all kinds of suffering.
