Osho – Let cheerfulness be your prayer, let blissfulness be your meditation

Osho – Religion does not mean to belong to a particular church. It does not mean to believe in a particular dogma or belief system. It does not mean to perform a particular ritual. It does not mean being a Hindu, Mohammedan, Christian, Jew.

To be religious means to be blissful, to be cheerful: cheerful because God is, cheerful because we are in God, cheerful because we are his extensions, cheerful because to be is a great blessing. Just to be is more than one can ask for. A single moment of being is so precious that there is no way to thank God for it, but because it is given freely and we don’t have to earn it, we don’t feel grateful.

The day that Alexander was dying he wanted his physicians to let him live at least twenty-four hours more, because he had promised his mother that he would be back. The mother was very much afraid because he was going on such a long journey to strange lands and he had this mad idea to conquer the world: he may be killed, he may never be back. His mother was very worried. He had promised his mother that, ”Don’t be worried! I am a man of word – I will come back. Whatsoever happens I will be back.”

And now he was only a few miles away from the mother, he had almost arrived: just twenty-four hours more were needed and he would have reached and fulfilled his word. But the physicians said, ”It is impossible, we cannot do anything.” He was ready to give half of his kingdom, but they said, ”Even if you give the whole of your kingdom it can’t be done, it is impossible. Death has arrived, there is no more time left.”

It is said that Alexander wept and said, ”If I had known this before, that you cannot extend your life even for twenty-four hours in exchange of your whole kingdom, I would not have wasted my life in conquering the world. Rather I would have lived, loved.” But it was too late. And many people become aware when death arrives, but then it is too late. This is good, that you are becoming a sannyasin while you have enough time to live creatively, to live intensely, to live passionately.

Remember one thing: it is bliss that brings you closer to God. Misery is the distance between you and God. Bliss – and the distance disappears; you are suddenly in God. Let cheerfulness be your prayer, let blissfulness be your meditation.

Source – Osho Book “The Rainbow Bridge”