Thursday, December 07, 2006

Dancing with the Wind

Dancing with the Wind, Sydney Harbor, Sydney, Australia, October 2006, HP Photosmart R817, Exposure 1/680 sec @ f5.0, ISO 95, no flash © Steven Crisp [Click on the photo to enlarge]

It was a very windy day. Just take a look at the size of that sailboat, and its angle to the water. The crew have all hiked to the windward side, to counteract the heeling of the boat. Wind and waves were battering the many sailboats in the harbor -- it looked scarey to me, but clearly this was an exciting day for the sailors. One thing is for certain, these folks were fully engrossed in their task, and giving their all to avoid capsizing.
Divided You Suffer, United You Dance -- Osho

Do things with your whole heart, with as much intensity as you are capable of.

Anything done halfheartedly never brings joy to life. It only brings misery, anxiety, torture, and tension, because whenever you do anything halfheartedly you are dividing yourself into two parts, and that is one of the greatest calamities that has happened to human beings -- they are all split. The misery in the world is not surprising; it is a natural outcome of living halfheartedly, doing everything only with one part of our being while the other part is resisting, opposing, fighting.

And whatever you do with half of your being is going to bring you repentance, misery, and a feeling that perhaps the other part that was not participating was right -- because following this part, you have attained nothing but a miserable state. But I say to you: If you had followed the other part, the result would have been the same. It is not a question of which part you follow, it is a question of whether you go totally into it or not. To be total in your action brings joy. Even an ordinary, trivial action done with total intensity brings a glow to your being, a fulfillment, a fullness, a deep contentment. And anything done halfheartedly, however good the thing may be, is going to bring misery.

Misery does not come from your actions, neither does joy come from your actions. Joy comes when you are total. It does not matter what action you are involved in, misery is the outcome when you are partial. [...]

When your mind, when your heart, when your being is pulled in two directions simultaneously, you are creating hell. And when you are total, one, an organic unity...in that very organic unity, the flowers of heaven start blossoming in you.

People have remained concerned about their acts: Which act is right and which act is wrong? What is good and what is evil? My own understanding is that it is not a question of any particular act. The question is about your psychology.

When you are total, it is good; and when you are divided, it is evil. Divided you suffer; united, you dance, you sing, you celebrate.

--Osho
What the heck does he really mean?

In the end, I think he means to trust your heart. Don't 'analyze', 'rationalize', or 'keep your options open'. Give all of yourself to whatever your endeavor. Remove self-doubt, break through the façade of indifference, and commit in spite of the risk.

Live as though today is the only day, and love as though you have found your true one, because indeed everyday and everyone should be just that. Give yourself entirely to the Now.

8 comments:

Pat said...

Simply, yes.
good quotes
good thoughts

Steven Crisp said...

Pat, your encouragement is always appreciated. As is your participation in the dance. Thanks for the visit.

Anonymous said...

As the Buddha said:"Never do anything half assed." A least I think he said it.

Grasshopper

Steven Crisp said...

"Fully-assed, or not at all", I believe is the direct translation from Pali (or whatever language it is that he spoke).

Appreciate your insightful research, Grasshopper.

S-

Anonymous said...

Ah yes! The virtue of Full-Assedness! Or, of Full-heartedness. Or, of being undivided. Whatever you call it...This quote from Osho (whoever he/she is) is such a nice description that it easily reminds us of times we were "in the Zone" of Full-Heartedness.

Remember those weeks one summer that you and your best friends spent in that cabin on the lake in Vermont just living day after in Full-Heartedness? Or do you remember the state you attained with that special Lover, swimming together in that amazing river of Full-Heartedness that you created together? Or how about that time you spent Spring Break on a retreat in a monastery in Kentucky?

We all have these memories of periods of Full-Heartedness. The question is how do we get back there? Isn't that one of the most important things we should be working on?

Steven Crisp said...

I agree with you Anon.

However, I believe we do know how to get back there. It is simply asking us for our full and complete attention to the moment.

When you give that, this is your experience. You can't be fully committed to the moment, and also plagued by fear or worries or guilt or shame. And to that moment, or person, you are totally devoted. Fully-assed, as it were.

It's so simple, but it's not easy. I've probably only been there a few times in my life. But that was enough of a taste to know how to get there again.

You've obviously been there. Just go home again. As often as possible.

H0n3yb33 said...

I would like to know where that passage came from (book, etc.) as I would like to read more from Osho (the friend). Very nice passage and beautiful picture!

Steven Crisp said...

Honeybee,

I received this passage, as I have some others used in my blogs, from a Thought-of-the-Week e-mail mediation reminder from Nipun Mehta, who created charityfocus.org.

So I do not have any source material either. But I recommend you check out their site, and signup for one or more of their inspirational e-mail deliveries.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas.