Osho on Joy

Osho – One can have pleasures without meditation because pleasures are of the body, but one cannot have joy without meditation. Joy belongs to the spirit. Pleasures belong to the body, happiness to the mind and joy to
the soul.

For pleasures everybody is equipped by nature, because it is our animal heritage, it is our past, it is instinct — it is already there, fully developed. For happiness you have to do something. Happiness is human, a little bit above the anima. Pleasure con-sists of only two things, food and see — those are the two polarities of pleasure. Happiness consists of many things, but for happiness one has to grow sensitivity and creativity. To be happy is an art.

One has to learn music, then one can be happy with it. One can learn painting, poetry, sculpture, gardening . there are thousands of possibilities. As you rise above the mind and you start becoming a little artful and alert about the dimensions available and you start using all those doors, you learn something more than any animal can ever do. No animal can enjoy painting, no animal can enjoy poetry; it is not possible. And no animal can be condemned for that. If it is not possible what can animals do? But if man is not able to enjoy music then he should be condemned; he is living lower than he is capable of.

Joy comes at the ultimate peak. It belongs to the soul. For that you have to learn to be meditative. Pleasure is dual; sex and food are the two polarities. Happiness is multi-dimensional. Joy is one; it is neither two nor many. Joy has simply one taste — the taste of silence, the taste of no-mind.

If one wants to be full of joy one has to nut both body and mind behind one, one has to transcend both. Meditation is the transcendence of the body-mind structure, it is to become aware of both body and mind. The moment you are aware of both you are separate; the moment you are aware of both you are above both. That quality of beyondness is joy.

Source – Osho Book “I Am Not As Thunk As You Drink I Am”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *