7- Zorba the Buddha Osho Meditation

"Everybody is telling you to keep a low profile. Why? Such a small life, why keep a low profile? Jump as high as you can. Dance as madly as you can." ~Osho


"Zorba the Buddha", is Osho's vision of a new man who is whole, not split between materialism and spirituality - a person able to celebrate every aspect of life. Zorba the Greek, as portrayed in an old movie, is a man who embraces the pleasures of the body through all his senses. He enjoys life to the fullest. Zorba is playfulness. The other dimension of the new man is represented by 'Buddha', the embodiment of the spiritual, the silence and awareness that lie beyond the material world, or hidden in its deepest depths. For Osho, these two are complementary, not divisive. His vision is the synthesis of Zorba and Buddha.

Zorba is the foundation and Buddha is the palace. Buddha is the peak, but the foundation stones are laid by Zorba. It will be foolish to choose to be a Buddha without having the foundation stones. The Buddha is asleep in the Zorba. It has to be awakened. And nobody can awaken you except life itself. First become a Zorba, a flower of this earth, and earn the capacity through it to become a Buddha - the flower of the other world.

Thought for the day

I embrace both the Zorba and the Buddha within me

Zorba and Buddha -- polar opposites, right?

Osho says that bringing the two together you attain the greatest height possible in existence.

"...unfortunately, man has lived for centuries divided. Zorbas think they are against buddhas, and buddhas think they are against zorbas. And because of this idea of antagonism, the Zorba is repressing his Buddha: he is beautiful in his love, in his song, in his dance -- but his awareness is nil. The Buddha has repressed his Zorba: his awareness is very clear, but very dry. There is no juice in it; it is like a desert, where no roses blossom, where no greenery can be seen." 

Meditation for Today 

“Become the Taste of the Food or the Drink”   

                                      
When Osho talks about “experiencing the other world through this world,” and says that “the other world is hidden in this world, the Buddha is asleep in the Zorba” and that “the other world is not against this world, this world is a manifestation of it” – how can we experience this? How to heal this inner division between our “Zorba” and our “Buddha” so that they become one whole again?
Again, the key here has to do with “being total” in some activity in the here- and-now. Today’s method is simple, instant and enjoyable. It is called Become the taste of the food or the drink . You can practice it during a meal or a snack time. Schedule a little extra time in for that meal.  . It is easiest to practice this when you are alone, or alternatively when you can agree with your friends or family to do this along with you for an agreed 10-15 minutes, before you then go back to normal and start up your usual mealtime conversation.

The Method Explained in Osho’s words:

When eating or drinking, become the taste of the food or drink,  and be filled. We go on eating things; we cannot live without them. But we eat them very unconsciously, automatically, robot-like. If the taste is not lived, you are just stuffing. Go slowly, and be aware of the taste. And only when you go slowly can you be aware. Don’t just go on swallowing things. Taste them unhurriedly and become the taste. When you feel sweetness, become that sweetness. And then it can be felt all over the body – not just in the mouth, not just on the tongue, it can be felt all over the body! A certain sweetness – or anything else – is spreading in ripples. Whatever you are eating, feel the taste and become the taste. Taste it as much as possible; be more sensitive, alive. And not only be sensitive – become the taste. Without taste, your senses will be deadened. They will become less and less sensitive. And with less sensitivity you will not be able to feel your body, you will not be able to feel your feelings. Then you will just remain centered in the head. This being centered in the head is the split. Do not create any division within yourself. It is beautiful to taste; it is beautiful to be sensitive. And if you are more sensitive you will be more alive, and if you are more alive, then more life will enter your inner being. You will be more open.

When eating or drinking, become the taste of the food or drink, and be filled… by the taste . When drinking water, feel the coolness. Close your eyes, drink it slowly, taste it. Feel the coolness and feel that you have become that coolness, because the coolness is being transferred to you from the water; it is becoming a part of your body. Your mouth is touching, your tongue is touching, and the coolness is transferred. Allow it to happen to the whole of your body. Allow its ripples to spread, and you will feel a coolness all over your body. In this way your sensitivity can grow, and you can become more alive and more filled.”

Do this as often as you like and for as long as you like. You’ll get the taste of the “Zorba the Buddha” flavor of an enhanced pleasure of the senses accompanied by a silent awareness very easily, and you can play with this principle in other dimensions of your life as well.