Beware of Extremes

[Guest guest]

Humanity is split. The very human mind is split because of two extremist life

philosophies. Both are exaggerations; both are extremes:

 

1. THE MATERIALIST STANDPOINT

 

One is what people call the philosophy of "eat, drink and be merry," the

materialist standpoint that life is just an accident. It is not going anywhere.

There is no meaning in it, no significance, no coherence. You are not preparing

for something. Nothing is going to happen, so you are left in the moment; make

the most of it. Death is going to destroy utterly, nothing will survive, so

don't be bothered about the other shore. Don't think in terms of goals. Don't

think that God, truth, liberation, moksha, nirvana have to be achieved. These

are all just illusions; they don't exist -- empty, dreams of the human mind.

They are not substantial, so squeeze out of the moment whatsoever you can. But

there is no undercurrent of meaning in life. Life is accidental: you are not

created for any purpose.

 

Many live that way and miss much -- because there is purpose, because life is

not an accident, because there is a running thread in each moment of eternity,

because life is an unfoldment. Something is going to happen. The future is not

barren, it is going to be creative. Preparation is needed so that you can

unfold, so that your seed can become manifested, so that your essence is

achieved, so you can know who you are and what this existence is.

 

Life is not just a madman's thought. It is very systematic. It is not chaos, it

is a cosmos. There is order. Even behind disorder there is order; only eyes are

needed to penetrate to that depth. On the surface maybe you can see only a

sequence of moments and you cannot see eternity. On the surface maybe you can

see only the body and nothing more. Just as when you go to the ocean, standing

on the beach you cannot see the depth of the ocean, only the waves. But the

ocean is not just waves. In fact, waves cannot exist without the ocean; the

ocean can exist without the waves. Waves are not separate from the ocean. Waves

are nothing but ocean waving, and ocean has tremendous depth. But to know that

depth one has to go into that depth, one has to dive deep.

 

The materialist standpoint makes life absolutely empty of meaning ...

 

2. THE SPIRITUALIST STANDPOINT

 

The other extreme is that of the spiritualist. He says, "This moment is useless.

Time is useless, only eternity has meaning. So don't waste this moment in

rejoicing, delighting. Don't waste this moment, prepare for the future.

Sacrifice the present for the future. Sacrifice all that you have for that which

the future holds in itself as a promise. Make life a constant approach towards

truth. Make life a constant effort to realize oneself, or God, or nirvana. This

is not significant, but that.

 

Here is not significant, but there. The other shore is significant. This shore

is to be used only as a jumping board. But you have to go to the other shore.

Real life is on the other shore. On this shore there is only illusion, maya, so

don't waste your time in anything that keeps you on this shore. Don't be happy

on this shore, because if you are happy on this shore, how will you be able to

leave it? Become sad, become serious. This shore is the shore of sorrow. This

shore is not the shore of life, but death. This shore is nothing but accumulated

sin, so be sad that you are here, be indifferent to whatsoever this shore can

give to you. Don't be attached to anything here. Don't fall in love with

someone. Don't fall in love with the beauty of this shore. Be alert and remember

the other shore, keep your eyes on the other shore."

 

This too, is another extreme. It also carries half of the truth, and is as

dangerous as the first extreme ...

 

Osho: The Beloved, Vol 2