Osho – This is a very important sutra: “Union with the divine happens through self study.” One has to study oneself — that is the only way to reach the divine. Patanjali does not say, “Go to the temple.” He does not say, “Go to the church.” He does not say, “Do the rituals.” No, that is not the way to be one with the divine.
Go into yourself — swadhyaya, self study — because he is hidden behind you, within you. He is your withinmost core. You are the temple; go within. Study yourself. You are a tremendous phenomenon — study yourself. Study all that you are. And the day you have studied yourself completely, he will be revealed. He is hidden behind you, within you. He is you in your deepest being. So study yourself.
This “study” means actually what Gurdjieff means by “self-remembering.” Patanjali’s swadhyaya is exactly what Gurdjieff means by “self-remembering.” Remember yourself and just go on watching. How you relate with people — watch. Relationship is a mirror. How you relate with strangers, how you relate with people who are known to you, how you relate with your servant, how you relate with your boss — just go on watching.
Let every relationship be a mirror, a reflection, and watch how you change your mask. Look at your greed, look at your jealousies, look at your fear, look at your anxieties, possessiveness — go on looking and watching.
There is no need to do anything! That’s the beauty of the sutra. Patanjali does not say, “Do something!” He says, “Study yourself.” The very study, the very awareness will do. A transformation will happen when you come face to face to know your whole being.
In different moods: when you are sad — watch; when you are happy — watch; when you are indifferent — watch; when you are feeling hopeless — watch; when you are filled with hope so much — watch; in desire, in frustration…. There are millions of moods around you — go on watching. Let every mood be a window to look within yourself. From all colors of the rainbow, watch yourself. When you are alone — watch. When you are not alone — watch. Move to the mountains, isolated — watch. Go to the factory, to the office — watch how you change, where you change.
If you go on watching…. Never relax this watching for a single moment. Buddha has said, “Then when you go to your bed — go on watching. When you go on, falling into sleep — go on watching how you fall asleep.” Go on watching. Don’t allow anything to pass without watching. Just this self remembering, this self-study, will do all. You need not ask, “What do I do after I have watched” Nothing is needed. Once you watch your hatred totally, it disappears.
And this is the criterion: that which disappears by watching is sin, and that which grows by watching is virtue. That’s the only definition I can give to you. I don’t say that “this is sin and that is virtue.” No, sin and virtue cannot be objectified. That which grows by watching is virtue; that which disappears by watching is sin. Anger will disappear by watching; love will grow.
Hatred will disappear; compassion will grow. Violence will disappear; prayer will grow, gratitude will grow. So whatsoever disappears through watching is sin. Nothing else is needed to be done with it. Just watch it and it disappears. It disappears just as when you bring light to a dark room the darkness disappears. The room does not disappear; the darkness disappears.
You will not disappear by watching. In fact by watching, you will be revealed. Only darkness will disappear: the darkness of anger, the darkness of possessiveness, the darkness of jealousy — all that will disappear. Only you will be left in your pristine purity. Only your inner space will be left — empty, void. “Union with the divine happens through self-study.” Nothing else is needed — awareness.
Source: from Osho Book “Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, Vol 6”