The opportunity of life: celebration

The opportunity of life: celebration

Experiments with the attitude of celebration

The Meditation Second for now: 

Taking the opportunity to be in a celebrative mood during the day

Benefits:

We wait for a reason to celebrate, forgetting that each moment there is the opportunity to celebrate. A celebrative attitude, the willingness to celebrate is needed to live a different life of joy and happiness. Celebration is unconditional, every moment - now - can be celebrated. Try!

Osho on the opportunity for celebration

There are no barriers to celebration

"Man is born with the capacity to celebrate. When even birds can celebrate, why not you? But you create unnecessary barriers, you create a hurdle race. There are no barriers. You put them there and then you say, “Unless we cross them and jump them, how can we dance?” You stand against yourself, you stand divided against yourself, you are an enemy to yourself. All the preachers in the world go on saying that you are ordinary, so how can you dare to celebrate? You have to wait. First be a Buddha, first be a Jesus, a Mohammed, and then you can.

Celebrating... now!

But just the opposite is the case: if you can dance, you are already the Buddha; if you can celebrate, you are already Mohammed; if you can be blissful, you are Jesus. The alternative is not true; the contrary is a false logic. It says: first be a buddha, then you can celebrate. But how will you be a buddha without celebrating? I say to you, “Celebrate, forget all buddhas!” In your very celebration you will find that you have become a buddha yourself. Zen mystics go on saying, “Buddha is a barrier; forget about him.” Bodhidharma used to say to his disciples, “Whenever you say the name of Buddha, immediately wash your mouth. It is dirty, the very word is dirty.” And Bodhidharma was a disciple of Buddha. He was right, because he knew that you can create idols, ideals, out of the very word buddha. You will then wait for lives and lives to become a buddha first, and then you will celebrate. That is not going to happen, ever."

Osho, excerpted from The Alchemy of Yoga, Chapter 2

"Whatever happens - I celebrate!" 

Osho

Celebration is unconditional

"To me, life in its totality is good. And when you understand life in its totality, only then can you celebrate; otherwise not. Celebration means: whatsoever happens is irrelevant – I celebrate. Celebration is not conditional on certain things: “When I am happy then I will celebrate,” or, “When I am unhappy I will not celebrate.” No. Celebration is unconditional; I celebrate life. It brings unhappiness – good, I celebrate it. It brings happiness – good, I celebrate it. Celebration is my attitude, unconditional to what life brings."

Osho, excerpted from The Alchemy of Yoga, Chapter 10