Panch Mahavrat or The Perennial Path The Art of Living

SR No.: 007697
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Osho Rajnish
Publisher: Osho Rajnish
Total Pages: 96
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 1 MB

Page 14

CHAPTER 2. SOURCE OF VIOLENCE IN MAN
SUBLIMATION OF VYASANAS BY MEDITATION
The desire for violence, is not solitary. Suppression of many desires is also linked with it. The desire for violence is already there, there is a longing to commit violence, but there is no scope for it on many occasions. We wish to commit violence but are unable to do it, because our civilization, culture, way of life, circumstances and adverse situations come in our way. It is difficult to find out a person who has not, at one moment or another, thought of killing someone. It is also difficult to find a person who has not thought of at one moment or another to commit suicide. If the thought did not occur in the day time it might have occurred in a dream at the night. But all persons do not kill others and all persons do not commit suicide. They think and think, but due to adverse situations, murders and suicides do not take place. But when once the desire for violence rises in the mind and it is not possible to put it into practice, the desire persists and the force of the desire is checked outwardly. This goes on accumulating. The desire for violence remains within, and along with it, acts of violence not committed and also fresh desires to commit violence are collected together. The desires thus collected are not of one birth but of many births. We go on living, birth after birth, with this collection with us. Desires are with us, there is also a suppressed flow of longings with us.
Desire creates a new flow force on one side, on the other side, collection of old forces go on increasing and then there is a possibility of an explosion at any moment. It is therefore necessary to understand two things to be free from desire and from violence. Dissolution of desire for violence and also the dissolution of suppressed flow are equally essential. If the desire for violence goes away new forces of violence are not created in future. Mahavira has used a very fine word for catharsis. We call it purgation which is called catharsis by the western psychologists.
Mahavira has called it withering away. It is a wonderful word, means the falling of a thing. It is the scattering of a thing which has been collected. It means to separate a thing by throwing away dust particles collected on it. Many such forces of suppressed desires are lying collected within us. It is only in meditation that catharsis of these forces can be done. There is no other way for the catharsis of man's suppressed forces. How is it done in meditation?
If you perform a small experiment when there is a desire in your mind to box someone, you will be much perplexed. i am not joking about that experiment. A big science laboratory in America is working on this experiment. There is Esalen Institute in California. There is a very great sage-Rishi in America at present. His name is Pearse. He puts bandages on the eyes of those who have a strong desire to commit violence in their minds. Then he keeps pillows in front of them and asks them to go on boxing the pillows as if they are enemies. He says, 'Beat him whom you wish to beat.' At first, the man laughs and says, 'how can I beat a pillow?' But there is no difference in beating another person and a pillow. It makes no difference in the poison produced in the blood while striking any person and striking a pillow. What is more in another person than in a pillow? So Pearse would ask his violent patient to strike the pillow. At first, the patient would laugh but Pearse asks him not to laugh and start striking. The patient would ask him if he (Pearse) was making fun of him. Pearse would say 'There is a little fun in it, but go on beating'. The patient would start beating the pillow and in a short time persons standing there would be surprised to see not only his speed in beating, not only his way of thrashing it, not only showing his enmity against the pillow but his tearing it into shreds, and biting it with his mouth. He would tear the pillow into many pieces. Those who underwent this experiment say the mind became very light after the experiment. The mind was never so light before.
The Perennial Path: The Art of Living
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Osho