Beloved Osho, Your words often touch upon the topic of reincarnation. However, I find myself in a position where I cannot simply believe in something without experiencing it firsthand. What am I to do in this situation?
Osho, The Master Replied
It appears there may be a lingering belief or doubt that’s causing concern. But, let’s address this directly: If you don’t believe in reincarnation, then that’s where it ends – a definitive point, and there’s no need to fret about it. Don’t feel obligated to believe in it! Instead, focus on living this incarnation, the life you are experiencing right now. As you truly immerse yourself in this present existence, you’ll come to realize that reincarnation isn’t just a theoretical concept; it’s a profound reality.
Question yourself: Do you believe in this current incarnation? You’re alive, present in this moment, and life is pulsating within you. Reincarnation, whether in the past or future, is secondary to the vibrancy of the present. I know that reincarnation holds true, but I’m not suggesting that you believe in it solely because I’m saying so. Never let anyone else’s experiences dictate your beliefs; that can be a barrier. I can only guide you to fully embrace this incarnation. By doing so, doors of understanding will open, and you’ll be able to glimpse both backward and forward. Whether you choose to believe in it is your decision. How can disbelief persist once it becomes a personal experience?
However, before embracing reincarnation as an idea, let it become a tangible experience for you. Traditional religions often rely on belief systems, but I’m offering you complete freedom to inquire and to doubt, for that is the only path to personal experience. Belief alone holds little value. You love me, and out of that love, there might be a temptation to believe in my words, including the truth of reincarnation. How could you conceive that I would share something untruthful with you? Your trust is precious, but let it be known that I do not ask for blind belief.
My words are not to be taken as mere beliefs but as gateways to experience. I provide you with the means to delve into this experience. Enhance your meditation practice. The concepts of reincarnation, God, heaven, and hell pale in comparison to the significance of becoming truly awake and aware. Meditation unveils your inner vision, and once you witness it, you cannot deny it.
In my perspective, reincarnation is a fundamental truth. In the grand tapestry of existence, nothing truly perishes. Even physicists acknowledge this about the objective world: nothing truly dies. One can unleash immense power, as exemplified by the tragedies of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but a single drop of water remains resilient. The same principle applies to the realm of consciousness and life.
Death as we commonly perceive it is but a transition from one form to another, and ultimately, from form to formlessness. This, indeed, is the pinnacle – liberation from the confinement of forms. Without form, the shackles of misery, jealousy, anger, hatred, greed, and fear dissolve, as these ailments are intrinsically tied to form. In the formless state, nothing can harm you; there is nothing to lose or gain. This is the culmination of realization. Existence, life, transcends the boundaries of death. In this realm, death is an impossibility, a mere illusion. Things change, evolve, and mature, shedding the need for further schooling. Eventually, they merge into formless life, becoming one with the boundless ocean itself.
Osho Rajneesh, your wisdom illuminates our understanding, sparking the fire of realization that, indeed, we are part of a life that knows no death.