Want to Live Forever? No Way! - Osho World

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20 have heard about Alexander the Great, that when he was approaching India, passing the big desert of Saudi Arabia, he was informed that there was a.
Want to Live Forever? No Way! Alexander the Great Wanted to become immortal

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have heard about Alexander the Great, that when he was approaching India, passing the big desert of Saudi Arabia, he was informed that there was a well in Saudi Arabia -- if you drank out of that well you became immortal. Naturally, anybody would have been attracted, and particularly a man like Alexander the Great, who was nothing but a big ego. He wanted to conquer the whole earth, and he was afraid -- is there time enough or not? The earth is so big.... He wanted to become the first man in history to conquer the whole earth.

This was a good chance; if he is immortal, then there is no problem. And if somebody is immortal, is not going to die, he is not going to be sick either, because sickness, illness, disease -- they are just steps towards death. The immortal man will be young, healthy, with no possibility of any sickness or disease. And Alexander was only thirty-three years old; this was a good time to become immortal. He was healthy, beautiful, strong -- this was a good time to become immortal, that meant he would remain thirty-three forever. 20

He stopped his armies and said, "I am going to the well. Nobody comes with me." He did not want anybody else to become immortal. If others also become immortal, his immortality would no longer be unique. He went to the well -- it is a beautiful story. In the East there are wells made in two ways. One is the ordinary way, a hole in the earth. To reach water level... you have to pull the water up in a bucket. There is also another type of well; only very rich people can afford it. On one side there is an arrangement where you can pull the water up in a bucket. On the side opposite to it there are steps going to the water itself. It is really cool there, silent. I have been into many wells. When you sit there for hours, time seems to stop, the whole world seems to be so far away. The noise of the market, the people -nothing reaches there. Sixty feet deep in the earth, it is dark, cool, yet very fresh. The well where Alexander went was this type of well. So he went in, step by step, immensely excited. And just as he was making a cup out of his hands, and

filling his hands with the water to drink, a crow who was sitting just nearby on a tree by the side of the well, said, "Wait! Wait a minute!" Alexander looked back. He could not believe that a crow -- because there was nobody else -- could speak, but he was speaking. The crow said, "Wait." Alexander said, "Why did you stop me? Don't you know I am Alexander the Great? Nobody can stop me! And you are just a crow." The crow said, "First listen to what I have to say to you, then do whatever you want. I have drunk from this well and I have become immortal. Now, for hundreds of years I have been trying to commit suicide -- in this way, in that way. Nothing succeeds, and I am tired, utterly tired. And the very idea that I am going to live forever in this despair, in this anguish... even death is not going to relieve me.

You say death creates the illusion of life, love? No. It is death that makes you aware that if you want to live, live now, because tomorrow is uncertain. If you want to love, love now, because you may be in the crematorium and sannyasins will be dancing, celebrating. Death is a great reminder. If there are no deaths in the world, it would be just hell. Just think: all those people who have died and are sleeping peacefully in the graveyard, all those people who have been burned in crematoriums and have been freed completely, have evaporated into thin air.... Just think, if all those people -- your father, your father's father, and so on up to Adam and Eve -- for millions of years, and nobody is dying.... Poison is useless, bullets are meaningless, swords cannot cut heads: what will be the situation? Do you think it will be very pleasant? It will be the worst that can happen.

Death makes life beautiful, because it makes you alert: don't miss the train, don't miss anything. Enjoy, relish everything possible to you, because tomorrow is "I have known everything, I have experienced death. Death is not your enemy, death is your greatest everything. Now there is nothing in the future but a friend. Without death you will be just dead bodies painful, miserable existence. That's why I said, wait a moving around moment. Now, with no think it over, and purpose, with then if you feel like You say death creates the illusion of life, no meaning, and drinking, drink. love? No. It is death that makes you aware no exit. If there But I am sitting can be any hell, here only to that if you want to live, live now, because its name will be prevent people, tomorrow is uncertain. If you want to love, "No exit." Jeanbecause I am Paul Sartre has suffering so much." love now, because you may be in the written a play crematorium and sannyasins will be titled No Exit, A moment of dancing, celebrating. and it is the silence... description of Alexander's hands hell. The only dropped the water problem is there is no way out. And according to back into the well, and he said to the crow, "Thank you, Christianity, you have to be there forever. my friend. I am immensely grateful. I had never thought about it, that I would have to live forever and Death is your great friend, companion, which makes forever. My friends will be dying, my beloved will be you love intensely, which makes you not want to miss dying, my parents will be dying, my teachers will be anything. Religions have not told you the truth. They dying, my contemporaries will be dying -- and I will have been lying to you, telling you that beyond death remain stuck forever. No, I cannot drink this water, and there is paradise: all beautiful things, joys, blessings, I pray to you, please remain sitting here, because there freely available. These people are criminals, because are many fools like me. If they come to know about the they are destroying your present. well, stop them. It will be one of the greatest acts of compassion." They are giving you a hope of a better, far more fulfilling life... after death, so why be bothered about

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fulfilling life... after death, so why be bothered and keep you in an illusion which will happen after about this small time? Why be bothered about living death. I say to you, never forget death. It is always there intensely, totally? Just wait for death to come. by your side. Before it grips you, do whatever you feel Meanwhile, you go on praying in like doing. Dance, have a little the church, in the mosque, in the champagne. Love, and don't be synagogue. You go on listening to bothered about death, because that And if you look deep into all kinds of superstitions and will be destroying your present. the word "sin," you will be stupidities -- they call them When it comes, if we have lived surprised. It means no joy, sermons -- and go on believing our life totally and intensely, we no laughter, no celebration, whatever the priest says to you. will be able to live our death too, This is all that you have to do in with the same intensity, with the no love. Anything that life. And don't commit a sin; same totality. makes you happy is otherwise you may miss paradise. condemned as sin by some And if you look deep into the Yes, in fact death is only a religion or other. Remain word "sin," you will be surprised. It transmigration -- changing your serious, with long faces, means no joy, no laughter, no house which has become celebration, no love. Anything that dilapidated, is almost in ruins, and dull, avoid living. Renounce makes you happy is condemned as moving into a new house, fresh, life, love -- renounce the sin by some religion or other. just made, made for you. Death is world and move into some Remain serious, with long faces, only a change. ugly caves in the mountains, dull, avoid living. Renounce life, You have changed many and wait there chanting love -- renounce the world and houses, many bodies, and you are move into some ugly caves in the still here. Only when you become some mantra -mountains, and wait there chanting enlightened, then the work of transcendental meditation, some mantra -- transcendental death is finished, because after or "Ave maria, Ave maria." meditation, or "Ave maria, Ave enlightenment you will not be maria." changing your house, you will not be entering into another body. These religions have crippled you, destroyed you. After enlightenment you will be entering into absolute They are really messengers of the devil. All the freedom, you will be becoming one with the whole religions of the world are messengers of the devil, not existence. You will be in the flowers, in the birds, in the of God. There is no God, but about the devil I am sun, in the moon, in the rain, in the wind. You will be all doubtful. Perhaps he exists; otherwise from where do over the place. all these theologians, religious preachers, monks, nuns, To become enlightened means to live this moment Mother Teresa, Pope the Polack -- from where do all without any hesitation, without being half-hearted. Put these people come? Who sent them? There must be a everything at stake. Be a gambler! Risk everything, devil. Or perhaps there is not a devil, but these people because the next moment is not certain. So why bother? are in a conspiracy against human joy, pleasure, Why be concerned? comfort, luxury. Live dangerously! Live joyously! There is no possibility of a devil. Without God, the Live without fear, live without guilt; live without devil cannot exist; he is only the shadow of God. The any fear of hell or any greed for heaven. Just live! Death day I said to you, "There is no God," his shadow also is not creating any illusion for you, it is your mind. Put disappeared. So it is a committee, not a devil, a this mind aside, so that it cannot disturb your dance, committee of all your prophets, messengers, messiahs your song, your music. - all cheating, deceiving you, destroying your life in every possible way. -Osho, From the False to the Truth It is not death that destroys your life and keeps you in illusion. It is your religions that destroy your life 22

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