Excerpt from Osho discourse on Science of Astrology

[Guest guest]

Osho - When a person finds himself connected with this inner unity of past and

future he will be able to understand astrology. Then astrology becomes a

religion, then astrology becomes spiritual. Otherwise, by becoming related with

the nonessential astrology becomes merely a subject for pseudo fortune-tellers

on the roadside, and then it is of no value. Even the highest science is just

dust in the hands of those who are ignorant.

 

Its value is determined by the use to which we are able to put the knowledge.

Hence I am trying to push you from many doors so you might understand that

everything is joined together, interconnected. This universe is like a family,

like one organic body. When I am breathing, my whole body is affected; likewise,

when the sun breathes, the earth is affected. The earth is even affected by what

remote suns do.

 

Even the smallest cell vibrates in unity with those giant suns. If you can

understand this, we shall be able to enter into essential astrology, and then we

shall be spared the uselessness of the nonessential. We have associated the most

trivial matters with astrology. Those matters have no value, and because of our

connecting them with astrology, difficulties have arisen.

 

For example, we have connected the matter of a person being born into a poor

family or a rich family with astrology. If you do not understand that such

things are nonessential, astrology will remain connected with them. Astrology

can become a tool in your hands only if you distinguish the essential from the

nonessential.

 

I will tell you a very interesting story so that you may understand.... Mohammed

had a disciple named Ali. Ali once asked Mohammed's opinion about whether a man

is independent and free to do what he wants, or whether he is bound by his

destiny in everything he does.

 

Ali asked, " Can one do as one wants or not? " – and man has been asking this

question for a long, long time. " If a man is not able to do as he desires, "

Ali said, " then it is useless and foolish to preach to him not to steal, not to

tell lies, not to be dishonest. Or is it destiny that one man should always be

there to preach to others not to steal or not to do this or that, knowing full

well that it is also destiny for a dishonest man to remain dishonest, for a

thief to remain a thief, for a murderer to remain a murderer?

 

All this appears absurd. If everything is predestined, all education is useless

– all prophets, all saints and all teachers are useless. "

 

People have asked such questions to Mahavira and to Buddha also. If what is

going to happen is predestined, why should Mahavira or Buddha take so much

trouble to explain what is right and what is wrong? So, Ali asked Mohammed what

he thought about this controversial matter. If such a question was asked to

Mahavira or Buddha, they would have given a very complicated and deep reply, but

Mohammed gave a reply which Ali could understand.

 

Many of Mohammed's replies were direct and straightforward. Ordinarily, answers

given by people who are uneducated or less educated, or who are simple

villagers, are direct and frank. People like Kabir, Nanak, Mohammed and Jesus

were simple in that way. Answers by people like Buddha, Mahavira and Krishna

were complex – Buddha and Mahavira were the cream of a rich and highly developed

civilization.

 

The words of Jesus were direct, like a blow on the head. Kabir has actually

sung: " Kabir is standing in the open market with a hammer in his hand to hit

you! " If anyone came near him he would, so to speak, break open his head to

remove all the rubbish that was lying inside. Mohammed did not give any

metaphysical reply. He asked Ali to lift one leg and stand on it. Ali had asked

a question about whether a man is free to do what he wants.

 

Why should Ali stand on one leg? Mohammed said, " First lift one leg. "

Poor Ali lifted his left leg and stood there on one leg. Mohammed then asked

him, " Now lift the right leg also. "

 

Ali was puzzled and asked how it was possible. Then Mohammed said, " If you had

wanted to, you could have lifted the right leg first, but now you cannot.... A

man is always free to lift the first leg – it can be whichever he wants – but no

sooner has the first been lifted when the other becomes bound to the earth. "

 

With regard to the nonessential part of life, we are always free to lift the

first leg. But once that is done it becomes a bondage for the essential part. We

take steps that are nonessential, become entangled, and then we are not able to

do the essential. So Mohammed said to Ali that he had all the freedom to lift

the right or the left leg first. But once he exercised that freedom and lifted

one left leg, he was incapable of lifting the other leg. So freedom is there

within certain limits, but beyond those limits there is bondage.

 

This is an old conflict for the human mind. If man is a slave of his destiny –

as the astrologers seem to assert – if everything is predestined and happens

inevitably, then all the religions are of no use. If a man is free to do

everything, as all so-called rationalists say, and if nothing is predetermined

or inevitable, then life will become just a chaos and an anarchy. Then it is

also possible that a man may steal and still attain liberation, that he may

murder people and still realize the divine.

 

When nothing is related, when one step is not related to the other, then there

are no laws and nothing is binding anywhere. I remember a story about Mulla

Nasruddin.... Mulla was passing by a mosque, when suddenly someone fell down

from the minaret of the mosque where he had climbed to say his prayers. The man

fell right onto the shoulders of Mulla, and Mulla's spine was broken. So Mulla

was taken to a hospital for treatment.

 

 

http://www.messagefrommasters.com/Science-of-Astrology.htm

 

Regards

Amit

[Guest guest]

I didn't realize that The Great Osho earlier known as Rajneesh was an astrologer

or knowledgeable about astrology!

 

Was he?

 

 

 

, " amit " <amittre wrote:

>

> Osho - When a person finds himself connected with this inner unity of past and

future he will be able to understand astrology. Then astrology becomes a

religion, then astrology becomes spiritual. Otherwise, by becoming related with

the nonessential astrology becomes merely a subject for pseudo fortune-tellers

on the roadside, and then it is of no value. Even the highest science is just

dust in the hands of those who are ignorant.

>

> Its value is determined by the use to which we are able to put the knowledge.

Hence I am trying to push you from many doors so you might understand that

everything is joined together, interconnected. This universe is like a family,

like one organic body. When I am breathing, my whole body is affected; likewise,

when the sun breathes, the earth is affected. The earth is even affected by what

remote suns do.

>

> Even the smallest cell vibrates in unity with those giant suns. If you can

understand this, we shall be able to enter into essential astrology, and then we

shall be spared the uselessness of the nonessential. We have associated the most

trivial matters with astrology. Those matters have no value, and because of our

connecting them with astrology, difficulties have arisen.

>

> For example, we have connected the matter of a person being born into a poor

family or a rich family with astrology. If you do not understand that such

things are nonessential, astrology will remain connected with them. Astrology

can become a tool in your hands only if you distinguish the essential from the

nonessential.

>

> I will tell you a very interesting story so that you may understand....

Mohammed had a disciple named Ali. Ali once asked Mohammed's opinion about

whether a man is independent and free to do what he wants, or whether he is

bound by his destiny in everything he does.

>

> Ali asked, " Can one do as one wants or not? " – and man has been asking this

question for a long, long time. " If a man is not able to do as he desires, "

> Ali said, " then it is useless and foolish to preach to him not to steal, not

to tell lies, not to be dishonest. Or is it destiny that one man should always

be there to preach to others not to steal or not to do this or that, knowing

full well that it is also destiny for a dishonest man to remain dishonest, for a

thief to remain a thief, for a murderer to remain a murderer?

>

> All this appears absurd. If everything is predestined, all education is

useless – all prophets, all saints and all teachers are useless. "

>

> People have asked such questions to Mahavira and to Buddha also. If what is

going to happen is predestined, why should Mahavira or Buddha take so much

trouble to explain what is right and what is wrong? So, Ali asked Mohammed what

he thought about this controversial matter. If such a question was asked to

Mahavira or Buddha, they would have given a very complicated and deep reply, but

Mohammed gave a reply which Ali could understand.

>

> Many of Mohammed's replies were direct and straightforward. Ordinarily,

answers given by people who are uneducated or less educated, or who are simple

villagers, are direct and frank. People like Kabir, Nanak, Mohammed and Jesus

were simple in that way. Answers by people like Buddha, Mahavira and Krishna

were complex – Buddha and Mahavira were the cream of a rich and highly developed

civilization.

>

> The words of Jesus were direct, like a blow on the head. Kabir has actually

sung: " Kabir is standing in the open market with a hammer in his hand to hit

you! " If anyone came near him he would, so to speak, break open his head to

remove all the rubbish that was lying inside. Mohammed did not give any

metaphysical reply. He asked Ali to lift one leg and stand on it. Ali had asked

a question about whether a man is free to do what he wants.

>

> Why should Ali stand on one leg? Mohammed said, " First lift one leg. "

> Poor Ali lifted his left leg and stood there on one leg. Mohammed then asked

him, " Now lift the right leg also. "

>

> Ali was puzzled and asked how it was possible. Then Mohammed said, " If you had

wanted to, you could have lifted the right leg first, but now you cannot.... A

man is always free to lift the first leg – it can be whichever he wants – but no

sooner has the first been lifted when the other becomes bound to the earth. "

>

> With regard to the nonessential part of life, we are always free to lift the

first leg. But once that is done it becomes a bondage for the essential part. We

take steps that are nonessential, become entangled, and then we are not able to

do the essential. So Mohammed said to Ali that he had all the freedom to lift

the right or the left leg first. But once he exercised that freedom and lifted

one left leg, he was incapable of lifting the other leg. So freedom is there

within certain limits, but beyond those limits there is bondage.

>

> This is an old conflict for the human mind. If man is a slave of his destiny –

as the astrologers seem to assert – if everything is predestined and happens

inevitably, then all the religions are of no use. If a man is free to do

everything, as all so-called rationalists say, and if nothing is predetermined

or inevitable, then life will become just a chaos and an anarchy. Then it is

also possible that a man may steal and still attain liberation, that he may

murder people and still realize the divine.

>

> When nothing is related, when one step is not related to the other, then there

are no laws and nothing is binding anywhere. I remember a story about Mulla

Nasruddin.... Mulla was passing by a mosque, when suddenly someone fell down

from the minaret of the mosque where he had climbed to say his prayers. The man

fell right onto the shoulders of Mulla, and Mulla's spine was broken. So Mulla

was taken to a hospital for treatment.

>

>

> http://www.messagefrommasters.com/Science-of-Astrology.htm

>

> Regards

> Amit

>