The following excerpt is from Osho’s discourses on The Dhammapada, Volume 1, discourse number 3. He speaks about Buddha exhorting us to follow our nature. Osho is a Master of Masters and listening to him speak on The Dhammapada is like listening to Buddha himself. What a privilege for those of us who probably didn’t have the sense to go and listen to Gautam, The Buddha in our then lifetime.
To read the entire transcript, click here – True or False.
Aes Dhammo Sanantano
“……… One of the most significant statements ever: LOOK INTO YOUR HEART. FOLLOW YOUR NATURE. He is not saying follow scriptures. He is not saying follow me. He is not saying follow certain rules of conduct. He is not teaching you any morality. He is not trying to create a certain character around you, because all characters are beautiful prison cells. He is not giving you a certain way of life. Rather he is giving you courage, encouragement, to follow your own nature. He wants you to be brave enough to listen to your own heart and go accordingly.
“Follow your nature” means flow with yourself. You are the scripture…and hidden deep down within you is a still, small voice. If you become silent you will be guided from there.
The master has only to make you aware of your inner master. Then his function is fulfilled. Then he can leave you to yourself; he can throw you back upon yourself. A master is not to enslave the disciple; a master is to free him, to give him total freedom.
And this is the only possibility of attaining total freedom: FOLLOW YOUR NATURE.
By “nature” Buddha means dhamma. Just as it is the nature of water to flow downwards and it is the nature of fire to rise upwards, so there is a certain nature hidden in you. If all the conditionings that have been put around you by the society are removed, suddenly you will discover your nature. Your nature has become God. Aes dhammo sanantano – this is the eternal, inexhaustible law: your nature is to become God.
Man is a potential god – a bodhisattva. Man is meant to become a god. Less than that won’t satisfy you, less than that is of no use. You can have all the money in the world, all the power, all the prestige possible, and still you will remain empty – unless your divine nature flowers, opens its buds, unless you become a lotus, a one-thousand- petaled lotus, unless your divinity is revealed to you, you can never be contented.
The ordinary religious person is told to remain satisfied, contented, with whatsoever is the case. The so-called religious saints go on teaching people: Be satisfied. Satisfaction is one of their fundamental teachings. That is not the way of the true masters.
The true master creates discontent in you – and such a discontent that nothing of this world can ever satisfy it. He creates such a longing in you, that unless you attain to the ultimate you will remain aflame, afire. He creates pain in your heart, he creates anguish…because life is slipping by every moment, and each moment gone is gone forever, and you have not attained to God yet, and one day is over.
He creates such a deep longing in you, such pain in the heart! He creates tears in your eyes, because only through such divine discontent will you move, will you take the quantum leap, the ultimate jump into the unknown. It is only through such divine discontent that you will gather together all your energies, and you will risk, and you will go on the ultimate adventure of finding who you are.
Follow your own nature. Your nature is consciousness. But you have been told by the priests: follow certain rules of conduct, the ten commandments, follow certain principles – not your nature. Priests are very much afraid of your nature, because if you follow your nature you will get out of their grip, you will be a slave no more. You won’t go to the churches and the temples and the mosques, and you won’t listen to your stupid priests, politicians, the so-called leaders. I call them “so-called leaders” because what is actually happening is that blind people are leading other blind people.
You won’t listen to them anymore if you listen to your own nature. If you know your own inner voice you will become free. Your inner voice has to be crushed, destroyed, utterly destroyed – at least distorted so much that even if you hear it you can’t understand it. And they have succeeded. Unless you struggle hard against them there is no possibility of succeeding. Their exploitation is so old, their oppression is so ancient, their strategies are so cunning…and they have infinite power in their hands. And what are you against them as an individual?
But if you go in, if you listen to your heart, you will attain to such power that no power on the earth can enslave you again.
FOLLOW YOUR NATURE…. But how to follow your nature if you don’t know what it is? And you are not allowed to know it! You are given precise instructions as to what to do: what to eat, when to get up in the morning, when to go to bed. You have been given precise instructions. Those instructions, if followed, make you a slave. If not followed, they make you a criminal. If followed, you become a saint – but a slave. People will worship you, respect you, but all that respect is a mutual understanding: “If you follow our instructions, we will respect you. If you don’t follow, you will be thrown into jail.”
Either you are made a slave spiritually or a prisoner physically: these are the two alternatives the society gives to you. And it never lets you become aware that there is a source of infinite guidance within you, from where God speaks….”
“…..To become available to your inner nature is what I call meditation.
Remember these two words. ‘Character’ is an invention of the politicians and the priests; it is a conspiracy against you. Consciousness is your nature. Yes, a man of consciousness has a certain character, but that character follows his consciousness. It is not imposed by anybody else on him; it is his own decision. And he is not encaged in it; he is totally free to change it any moment. As circumstances change, his consciousness gives him different directions and he changes his character.
The man of character – the so-called man of character – is encaged. Even if circumstances change he goes on repeating the same character, although it is no longer relevant, it does not fit. The context in which it was meaningful has disappeared, but he goes on repeating the same nonsense. He is like a parrot. He is a machine: he does not respond, he only reacts.
A man of consciousness responds, and his responses are spontaneous. He is mirror like : he reflects whatsoever confronts him. And out of this spontaneity, out of this consciousness, a new kind of action is born. That action never creates any bondage, any karma. That action frees you. You remain a freedom if you listen to your nature.”
Every discourse in The Dhammapada series has to be listened to several times… it’s a treasure trove for the seeker. And hearing Osho’s voice is meditation.
What more can I say? We are so afraid of following our nature because we always seek approval… approval from parents, friends, co-workers etc. Approval makes us feel we are loved and appreciated. Following your Nature means being comfortable with dislike and standing out.
Do read this book – The Courage to be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga. If you want to read the summary, click here – The Courage to Be Disliked Summary. This book helps us get over our fear of standing out.
Disclaimer – I post excerpts from Osho’s books and discourses and sometimes share his quotes. In most of the posts, the link to the full audio or full transcript is given. Osho is the Master, and to understand him, please listen to him or read his books. These excerpts are my limited interpretations with my limited understanding. Nothing original and I could be totally off the mark. The highlights and italics/bold font is also done by me.
Thank you for shared it mam. We are indebted for your efforts
You are welcome Gopinath. Glad you liked what Osho said. 🙏