The Foundation of Meditation

Initially, I would like to welcome you, because you have an aspiration for the divine, because you desire to go beyond the ordinary life towards the life of a seeker, and because, despite your worldly desires, you have a thirst for the truth.

People who feel the thirst for truth are fortunate. Among millions of people who are born, only a few feel the aspiration for truth. Knowing the truth is a great blessing, but even the aspiration for it is a great blessing. Even if you don't reach it, it's ok; but never to have experienced thirst is a great misfortune.

I would like to say that it is not important to know the truth. What is important is to aspire to it, to make every effort to experience it, to work hard for it and long for it, to be determined and do everything possible to that end. If, despite this, you don't achieve it, it doesn't matter. But having never experienced this thirst, this is the greatest tragedy.

Knowing the truth is not as important as having an authentic longing for it. Such longing is a joy in itself. If the desire is for something insignificant, there will be no joy even if it is obtained; but if you long for something significant, for the sublime, even if you do not achieve it, you will be filled with joy. I repeat: if you desire a small thing and obtain it, you will not be as happy as if you aspire to the sublime even if you do not achieve it... Still, you will be filled with joy and happiness.

The divine will be born in you according to the intensity with which you seek it. This does not mean that some supreme soul or energy will come from outside and penetrate your being. The seed is already present within you and it will begin to grow. But it will grow only if you are able to give some affection, some warmth and some fire to its thirst.

The more you aspire for the divine, the greater the possibility of growth of the seed that is hidden within your heart, the greater the possibility that it will germinate and become divine, that it will open and blossom.

If you have ever thought about experiencing the divine, if you have ever experienced a desire for silence, for truth, then you know that the seed within you is yearning to germinate. This means that some hidden thirst inside you wants to be quenched. Try to understand that a fight is going on inside you, and you will have to help in this fight, provide support. You will have to provide support because it is not enough for the seed to have germinated, it also requires a more nutritious environment. And even if the seed has germinated, this does not mean that it will blossom into flowers. For this, much more will be needed.

Of the many seeds scattered on the ground, only a few will grow and become trees. The possibility exists in all of them: they could all germinate and grow, becoming trees and producing many more seeds. A small seed has the power, the potential to produce an entire forest, it contains the potential to cover the entire earth with trees. But it is also possible that the seed with this immense power and potential will be destroyed and nothing will emerge from it.

And this is just the capacity of a seed. Man is capable of much, much more than this. A seed can create something so vast... If a small stone can be used to create an atomic explosion... Immense energy can be produced from it. When one experiences this fusion internally with their being, with their consciousness, this blossoming, this explosion, the energy and light is the experience of the divine. We do not experience the divine from the outside. The energy that we produce through this explosion of consciousness, the growth and flowering of our being, such energy, is itself the divine. And you have a thirst for this energy. That's why I welcome you.

But this doesn't mean that just because you came here, you have this thirst. It is possible that you are here merely as a spectator. It's possible that you're here out of vague curiosity. But no door can be opened through superficial curiosity, and no secret will be revealed to mere spectators. In life, you pay for everything you get, and a lot has to be sacrificed.

Curiosity has no value, it doesn't take you anywhere. Curiosity does not help you to enter into meditation. What is needed is an essential thirst for freedom, not curiosity.

If you carry this intense longing and hope within you, then under this tremendous pressure the seed within you will blossom and begin to grow. The seed will not germinate on its own, it needs certain conditions. It needs a lot of pressure, a lot of heat for its outer skin to break and the delicate inner bud to grow. Each of us has this rigid cover, and if we want to get out of it, it won't be out of simple curiosity. So remember: if you are here just out of curiosity, you will leave with that curiosity and nothing can be done to help you. And if you are here as a spectator, you will leave the same way and nothing can be done for you.

Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to look inside themselves and see whether or not there is an authentic yearning for the divine. Everyone must ask themselves: 'Do I want to know the truth?' And let it be clear whether your thirst for the divine is authentic, whether you have a yearning for truth, for silence, for happiness. If not, then understand that what you do here will have no meaning, it will be meaningless, without any purpose. If your meaningless efforts do not bear fruit, meditation will not be responsible; you will be responsible.

So, to begin with, you need to look for an authentic seeker within yourself. And let something be clear: are you really looking for something? If you search, then there is a way to find it. (...)

If your search is for the truth, there is no power on earth that can stop you. But if you do not long for the truth, then there is no power on earth that can give it to you either.

So, first you need to ask yourself if your thirst is true. If so, be assured that a path is available. If it is not, then there is no way. Your thirst will be your path to the truth.

The second thing I would like to say in this introduction is that you often thirst for something, but don't have much hope that you will get what you want. You have a desire, but you are not optimistic about it. There is desire, but with a feeling of hopelessness.
If the first step is taken with optimism, the last step will also end with optimism. And this must also be understood: if the first step is taken without any optimism, then the last one will also end in hopelessness. If you want the last step to be satisfying and successful, then the first step must be taken with optimism.
I will be saying this during these three days, and I will continue to say it as long as I am alive: you must have a very optimistic attitude. When it comes to your state of consciousness, can you see that a lot depends on whether your actions are rooted in positivity or negativity? If you are a pessimist, it is as if you are sitting on a tree branch and at the same time you are cutting off that branch.
So I tell you that being open is very important in this search. Being optimistic means you realize that if there is just one person on this earth who has understood the truth, if there is just one person in the history of humanity who has experienced divine happiness and peace, then there is no reason why you cannot too. experience.
Don't look at the millions of people whose lives are filled with darkness, whose hopes never see the light of day. Look at the people in history who have experienced the truth. Don't look at the seeds that didn't grow into trees, that rotted and were wasted. Look at those few who have been successful and experienced the divine. And remember: what was possible for those few seeds is possible for all seeds. What one man can experience, any other man can also experience.
Its capacity as a seed is the same as that of Buddha, Mahavira, Krishna or Christ. When it comes to enlightenment, nature has no favoritism, all men have equal possibilities. But this doesn't seem to be the case because many among us have never even tried to turn that possibility into reality.
Therefore, being optimistic is a basic need. Carry this certainty with you that if someone has experienced peace, if someone has experienced happiness, then this is possible for you too. Don't humiliate yourself by being pessimistic. Being pessimistic is insulting yourself. This means that you do not see yourself as worthy of experiencing the truth. And I tell you: you are worthy and will certainly achieve it.
Try and see! You have lived your entire life with a feeling of hopelessness. Now, in these three days of Meditation Camp, nurture a feeling of optimism. Be as optimistic as possible that the sublime will happen, that it will definitely happen. Why? In the outside world it is possible to approach something with optimism and not be successful. But in the inner world, optimism is a very useful device. When you are filled with optimism, every cell in your body is filled with optimism, every pore in your skin is filled with optimism, every breath is filled with optimism, every thought is highlighted with optimism, your entire life energy pulses with optimism. optimism and the beat of your heart spreads optimism. When your entire Being is filled with optimism, it creates a climate within you in which the sublime can happen.
Pessimism also creates a personality, a character in which every cell is crying, is sad, is tired, is in despair, lifeless, as if it were living only in appearance but was dead in spirit. If this person sets out on the journey to look for something... And the spiritual journey is the greatest of journeys. No man has ever climbed a mountain peak higher than this, and no man has ever dived into a deeper ocean. The depth of Being is the deepest and its height is the highest. Someone who wants to follow this path has to be very optimistic.
So I tell you, for these three days maintain a very optimistic state of mind. At night, when you go to bed, fall asleep, full of optimism. And sleep with the certainty that tomorrow morning when you get up, something will happen, something can happen, something can be done.
Have an optimistic attitude and, in parallel with this, I would also like to say that, after many years of experience, I have come to the conclusion that man's negativity can be so strong that even if he starts to achieve something, it is possible that he not be able to see, due to your negativity. (...)
In addition to having a positive attitude, I also suggest that during these three days you just think about what is happening to you. Don't think about what isn't happening. In these three days, whatever happens, observe. And forget what doesn't happen, what can't happen. Just remember what you experience. Even if you just have a taste of peace and quiet, nurture it. It will give you hope, it will push you forward. Because if you feed something that didn't happen, its momentum will be lost, and what actually happened will also be destroyed.
So, in these three days, in your meditation experiments, pay attention to every little thing you experience, and make this the basis of your progress. Don't give any energy to what doesn't happen.
Man has always been unhappy because he forgets what he has and tries to have what he cannot get. Having this kind of life is absolutely wrong. Be someone who understands what they have and lives based on it. (...)
If you experience even the smallest ray of silence, consider that you have seen the entire sun, for even the smallest experience of light will help you reach the sun. If I'm sitting in a dark room and I see a thin ray of light, there are two ways I can relate to it. I can say, 'What is this little ray of light compared to the deep darkness that surrounds me? What can a small ray of light do? There is a lot of darkness all around me.'
The other way would be to think, 'Despite all this darkness, there is at least one ray of light available to me and if I walk towards it, I can get to where the sun is.' This is why I am telling you not to think about the darkness. If there is even the faintest, tiniest ray of light, concentrate on it. This will grow a positive outlook within you. (...)

The third thing is that during these three days of meditation, you will not be living in the same way that you have been living. Man is a robot, full of habits, and if he lives confined to his habits, the new path of meditation will be very difficult. That's why I suggest you make some changes.
One of the changes during these three days will be to speak as little as possible. Talking is one of the greatest evils of this century. And you are not even aware of how much you talk. From morning until night, until you sleep, you keep talking. Either you are talking to someone, or when there is no one to talk to, you talk to yourself.
During these three days, be conscious about stopping your habit of talking continuously. And this is just a habit. For a meditator, this is vital. During these three days I would like you to talk as little as possible, and when you do talk, it should be a pure conversation, not the ordinary chat you have every day. What do you actually talk about every day? Does this conversation have any value? Would it hurt you if you didn't talk? You are simply blabbering, it is not of much value. And if you don't speak up, will it be harmful to others? Would others feel like something is missing because they don't listen to what you have to tell them?
During these three days remember that you should not talk too much to other people. This will be tremendously helpful. And if you have to talk, it would be better if it is something connected to meditation and nothing else. But it would be much better if you didn't talk at all. Be silent as much as possible. I don't want to say that this has to be so rigid that you force yourself to be silent, to write down what you want to say. You are free to talk, but don't stay in the chat. Speak consciously and only when necessary.
This will help you in two ways. One benefit is that you will save all the energy that is wasted on conversation. And this energy can be used in meditation. And the second benefit is that you will disconnect from other people and be alone during this time. We came to this place on the mountain and it would be a waste if all the two hundred people who are gathered here were talking to each other, chattering away. Then, you would still be in the crowd, as you were before, and you would not be able to experience the silence.
To experience silence, it is not enough to simply be in the mountains. It is also necessary for you to separate yourself from others and be alone. You should only make contact if absolutely necessary. Imagine that you are the only person on this mountain, and that there is no one else around you. You have to live as if you were coming here, alone, you are alone and moving without anyone else. Sit under a tree alone. Don't go into groups of people. Live separately and alone these three days. The truth of life has never been known through crowd living, it cannot be experienced in such a way. No experience of any significance has ever taken place in the crowd. Anyone who has had a taste of silence has had this experience in absolute solitude, alone.
When you stop talking to others, when all your internal and external chatter stops, nature begins to communicate with you in a mysterious way. Nature is continually communicating with you, but you are so absorbed in its chatter that you don't hear its gentle voice. You will have to quiet down to be able to hear the voice that is speaking inside you.

So, in these three days, the conversation has to be consciously reduced. If you forget and go back to the habit of talking and remember again, stop exactly at that point and apologize. Be alone. You will be experiencing this here, and you will have to try it yourself.
Go anywhere you want, sit under a tree, you have completely forgotten that you are part of nature. You also don't know that being close to nature makes it easier to experience the sublime; nowhere else is easier.
Make the most of these three incredible days. Be isolated, in solitude, and do not speak unless necessary. And even if everyone is quiet, continue to be alone. There are many people here and when we sit for meditation, it can feel like a gathering of people meditating. But all meditation is individual, a group cannot meditate. Sitting here, you're in a big group, but when you go inside, you're totally alone.
When you close your eyes, you will feel alone, and when you are silent, there will be no group left. There will be

two hundred people here, but each one will be only with themselves and not with the other one hundred and ninety-nine meditators. Meditation cannot be done collectively. Every prayer, every meditation is individual, private.
Here, be alone, and also when you leave. Spend most of your time in silence. Do not talk. But it won't be enough to just stop talking; you will also need to make a conscious effort to stop the constant chatter that goes on inside you. You are always talking to yourself and responding. Calm down and stop this talk too. It's hard to stop this internal chatter, but tell yourself firmly to stop the noise, tell yourself you don't like the noise.
Talk to your inner being. Being a meditator, it is important to give yourself suggestions. Try this every now and then. Sit alone somewhere, tell your mind to stop chattering, tell your mind that you don't like this, and you will be surprised to see that for a moment your internal chatter has stopped.
For three days give yourself the suggestion not to talk. In three days you will notice the difference... Little by little, the chatter will subside.

The fourth point: you may have some complaints, some problems – don't pay attention to them. If you face a small problem or difficulty, do not give it any attention. We are not here for entertainment. (...)
You must have already felt a lot of annoyance, a lot of anger at the people who closed their doors to you, and perhaps you haven't noticed the flowers blooming on a cherry tree, or you haven't seen the moon rising. You haven't allowed yourself to have a feeling of gratitude. If I had allowed it, I would not have experienced those things.
There is another way to relate to life, that is when you are filled with gratitude for everything. And during these three days you must remember to feel gratitude for everything. Feel gratitude for what you receive and don't worry about what you don't receive. This is the basis of gratitude. It is on this basis that carefreeness and simplicity are born within you.

To summarize, I would like to say that in these three days you will try firmly to go within, meditate and enter into silence. In this journey, a very firm resolve is necessary. The conscious mind where all thought processes take place is just a small part. The rest of the mind is even deeper. If we divide the mind into ten parts, the conscious mind would be just one part; the other nine parts would be the unconscious mind. Our thoughts and reasoning happen in just one part, but the rest of the brain is not aware of it. The rest of the brain has no awareness of this. When we make a conscious resolution to meditate, to enter into samadhi, into sublime bliss, most of our brain remains ignorant of that resolution. This unconscious part does not support us in this resolution. But if we don't get her support we won't be successful. To have this support, a determined conscious effort is necessary. I will now explain how to make this conscious effort.
When you wake up, be with determination, and at night when you go to bed, as you lie in bed, think about your resolution for five minutes and repeat this to yourself when you go to sleep.
I will explain this exercise to become determined and you will practice it here and also in your everyday life. As I explained, with this resolution, your entire mind, conscious and unconscious, will both decide that 'I will be silent, I am determined to experience meditation.'
On the night that Goutama Buddha achieved enlightenment, he was sitting under his bodhi tree and he said, 'I will not rise from this place until I am enlightened.'
You might think, 'But what's the relationship? How did not getting up from your seat help you achieve enlightenment?' The resolve, 'I will not rise...' spread throughout his body and he did not rise until he became enlightened. Surprisingly, he became enlightened that very night. And he had been trying for six years, but never before with such intensity.
I will give you a little exercise to intensify your resolve. We will do this exercise here and also at night before bed.
If you exhale completely and then stop inhaling, what will happen? If I exhale completely and then hold my nose closed and don't inhale, what will happen? Before long my entire being will struggle to inhale. Won't all the pores of my body and the millions of cells scream for air? The longer I hold my breath, the deeper the urge to breathe will spread into my unconscious mind. The longer I hold my breath, the more the inner part of my being will ask for air. And if I hold on until the last moment, my entire being will demand air. Now it is no longer a simple desire, it is not just the top layer that is affected. Now it will have become a matter of life and death; now the deeper layers, the layers below will also require more air.
At such a time, when you reach the state where your whole being is starving for air, you must repeat to yourself. 'I will experience meditation'. At that moment, when your life is demanding air, you must repeat the thought, 'I will enter the state of silence. This is my resolution: I will experience meditation.' In this state, your mind must repeat this thought; your body will ask for air and your mind will repeat this thought. The stronger the demand for air, the deeper your resolve will enter within you. And if your whole being is fighting and you are repeating the sentence, then the strength of your resolve will grow many times more. This way you will reach your unconscious mind.
You will make this resolution every day before your daily meditations, and at night you will do it before going to sleep. Repeat the sentence and then go to sleep. When you are falling asleep, at that moment, let this also be constantly drumming in your mind: 'I am going to experience meditation. This is my resolution. I will enter the silence.'
This resolution should keep ringing in your mind so that you don't even notice when you fall asleep. During sleep, your conscious mind is inactive, but the doors are open to the unconscious mind. If your mind keeps repeating this idea over and over while the conscious mind is inactive, it can then enter the subconscious mind. And over time you will observe a significant change, you will see it even in these three days.
So try now to understand the method by which you can strengthen your resolve.
Here's the way to do it: First breathe slowly and deeply, filling the upper part of your lung as deeply as you can. When you inhale as much as you can, continue to hold the thought, 'I am going to experience meditation', and continue repeating this phrase. Then exhale until a point where you realize there is no more air to exhale. But it still exists. Then let the rest of the air out and repeat the phrase. Now you will notice that there is absolutely no air left. But it still exists. So put it out. Don't be afraid, you will never exhale completely. This is why when you realize that there is no more exhalation to be done, there is always still one. Then try to exhale this as well. Exhale fully, as much as you can, and keep repeating, 'I will experience meditation.'
It's a strange phenomenon: through this, a thought process is triggered in your unconscious mind. An intense resolution will emerge and you will see its effects as early as tomorrow. For this reason you have to make your resolution very strongly. We will begin the experiment before leaving this location tonight. You must do it five times, that is, inhale and exhale five times and repeat the thought internally five times. If someone has a heart problem or other problem, don't do it with too much effort, do it in a gentle way. Do it as gently as possible, don't feel uncomfortable.
I talked about the desire to experience. You should practice this every night for these three days, before going to sleep. When you lie down in bed, repeat the phrase as you gradually fall asleep. If you follow this process diligently and your voices reach the unconscious, the result will be easily induced and unmistakable. (...)
You have to keep your attention focused. And then, starting tomorrow we will start with what has to be done; we will begin the real work tomorrow.”

OSHO – The Path of Meditation – Chapter 1