The Zen monk Zuigan used to start his day by saying out loud to himself, “Master, are you there?” and he himself would answer, “Yes sir, I am.” Then he would say, “Better sober up,” and he would reply, “Yes sir, I’ll do that.” He would also say, “Look out now, don’t let them fool you,” and he would answer, “Oh no sir, I won’t, I won’t.” This Zen anecdote looks absurd but it is very meaningful. Zen meditators create very strange practices so as to startle the mind and stop its chattering.
The monk is calling himself to check whether he is present or not. In fact, all of us have to do this exercise several times in a day for we work continuously, always focused on outside, completely forgetting about ourselves. We think we are awake but we live in a hypnotic trance and the mind takes control of our actions. This diffused awareness is not enough to live life to the fullest. Life is an intense flame, it is stormy and chaotic, if we have to live it fully, we have to be equally intense and sharp. But most people are bored and their body translates the boredom as tiredness.
We really have to wake ourselves like this Zen monk. And how can we do it? There are small Osho keys that can help in awakening. The first and foremost is: Remember yourself often. Usually we get lost in the outside world and forget ourselves. We have coffee breaks, cigarette or pee breaks, in the same way try to have an awareness break. Whatever you are doing, stop for a moment and remember, “I am,” it will immediately change your energy. You will get disconnected with the outer and will connect with the inner. This shift is very important because constant focus on the outside depletes energy. One of the reasons why people get exhausted at the end of the day is that they disconnect themselves.
These reminders of “I am” will keep you fresh and energetic. Another Osho key is: Stop verbalising experiences all the time. Feel more, think less. Someone touches you, or a breeze comes in, or fragrance is wafting in, don’t think, feel it. This way your heart will start functioning more. You are walking under the trees: feel the greenery, the touch of breeze on your skin and the freshness in the air. This is the world around you, be aware. Stand for a moment and suddenly remember that you are. Just feel that you are. This non-verbal feeling, even if for only a single moment, will give you a glimpse of the real. For a single moment you are thrown back to the centre of your being.
Osho says, “Meditation cannot be a fragmented, it should be a continuous effort. Every moment one has to be alert, aware and meditative. But you meditate in the morning and then you put it aside; or you pray in the temple and then forget it. Then you come back to the world, completely unmeditative, unconscious, as if walking in a hypnotic sleep. This fragmented effort won’t do much. Consciousness is a continuum; it is like a river, flowing constantly.”
