Osho has quoted almost infinite number of saints and philosophers in his discourses. Apart from that, his readers can find many beautiful proverbs scattered in his discourses. Nothing remains in our hands other than wondering about his infinite stock of proverbs. More surprising is his selection of right proverbs at right moments. I remember many such proverbs, found in his discourses, which describe that particular given situation in the best possible way.
Today, I have one more such striking proverb for all the readers of this website. As Osho says, this is an Arabic proverb. The proverb is as follows-
Never wake up a slave, he might be enjoying freedom in his dreams.
What makes this proverb very special is its relevance in today’s times. This Arabic proverb, though was commonly used in Arab regions, as I feel, is apt for all- on a global level. It stands out like a universal truth in any part of the world. Sadly, we are free only in our dreams. When we are awake, we are slaves- of our mind, of other people’s minds, of our desires and what not.
Giving this proverb a bit of thought will take us to this realization- we are slaves when we are awake. The thing is, we are not aware when we are awake. Just open eyes do not make someone awake. To be awake, one has to be aware. And as Osho says, only the aware ones can be free. Awareness brings freedom, everything else is slavery.
But, he also goes beyond this proverb. He says, it is absolutely important to get up. Freedom in dreams is not the freedom, it is phony and unreal. It is better to be an awake slave than a free person in the dreams. I agree with Osho entirely. Are we all free or slaves? Ask yourself. Yes, we know the answer!
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Osho Zen- Do not wait for right time
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