Osho – Attachment, clinging, possessiveness are like rocks, hindering the path of your inner spring. But these are big rocks and they go on becoming bigger with every day. As time passes, the rocks go on becoming heavier and heavier.
The child knows, without knowing, what love is. Without being aware of what love is he knows, he knows love. Of course he does not know that he knows. That’s the difference between a sage and a child. The child knows love but knows not what love is; the sage knows love and also knows that he knows. That is the only difference, otherwise the sage has become a child again.
Sannyas has to be a second birth. And all that you have accumulated around the idea of attachment, clinging, possessiveness, domination, has to be dropped. These are the poisons. Love people but love unconditionally. Love people but don’t expect anything in return. Love people for the sheer joy of loving. And don’t bother about whether tomorrow the same is going to continue or not.
Don’t sacrifice today for any tomorrow because tomorrow exists not. Don’t try to make your love permanent in any way because love is not plastic, it cannot be permanent. It is like a rose flower: it opens in the morning and in the evening the petals disappear. Tomorrow there will be another rose and the day after tomorrow, another rose. Roses will go on coming, but there is no need to cling to this rose. That is stupidity.
If you cling to this rose you may destroy even the possibility of another rose coming on your rose bush tomorrow, because you will be constantly pouring your energy around that which is no more. It is really sad to see people when their love dies and they go on clinging — very sad — because now nothing can come out of it any more, but they go on hoping against all hope. It is a sheer wastage of energy. But we have been taught for centuries that love is permanent if it is real — and that is nonsense.
If it is real it cannot be permanent. If it is unreal maybe it can be permanent. Reality is momentary, it changes, it is a constant flux. You cannot step in the same river twice. It is a river, constantly moving. A lover has to be aware of this dynamic process of life, so he loves but he is not worried about the past or the future. If the next moment the flower is still flowering, the perfume is still there, good. If it has gone, then say goodbye and move, with no complaint, with no grudge, with no anger, with no sadness, because once you understand the nature of life you will not have any of these problems.
And then love goes on growing in you. Lovers may change but the river of love goes on becoming bigger and bigger. Or they may not change. I am not saying to change them, I am simply saying if it changes, accept it with joy. If it does not change, accept that too with joy. That is non-attachment, that is love without attachment. Whatsoever happens one is blissful about it, one is thankful for it, one is always grateful for it. Then slowly slowly love is no more a relationship, it becomes a state of your being — you are simply love. And that is how it should be. When one is love, one is god.
Source – Osho Book “Just Is It”