Panch Mahavrat or The Perennial Path The Art of Living

Author(s): Osho Rajnish
Publisher: Osho Rajnish

Page 60

CHAPTER 6. SELF ENERGY FROM SEX ENERGY
is the least amount of difficulty. When an immature mind enters the World of sex, the life energy, according to the rule of least resistance, show eagerness to flow on that path. And it experiences pain and uneasiness in the mind as long as it does not flow away. When it flows out, the mind is relaxed. It feels as if it has become light and has been freed from a burden. But once the path to take us up is obtained, then we experience this freedom constantly. It is necessary to understand three things in relation to how the mind can divert the sex energy upwards.
The first thing to understand is that anything which can go down can also go up. A scientific principle can explain this. In fact the thing which has a possibility to go down, will certainly also have the possibility to go up. The road by which we travel down can also take us up. The road is the same. Simply the direction is changed. Life expands on two dimensions. If water flows down from a mountain, it can also be sent to the height of the mountain, because the water can be lifted up by performing contrary experiments of the rule by which it flows downwards. The sex energy goes down. It is natural. If any person wants to take it upwards, it will not be easy or natural. This will not be done naturally, it will be done by firm resolve. It will be done by man's efforts, his keen desire, his longing and labour. Man will have to labour hard in this case, because he will have to swim against the natural current. It is not at all necessary to swim if you wish to go down the river, towards the sea. All you have to do is to float keeping your hands and legs still. The river itself will take you towards the sea. But if you wish to go to the source of the river, to the place of its birth, you will have to swim, to work hard. Because now there will be a conflict with the natural flow of the river.
Those who wish to go up, lead a higher life, should understand the next point. They will need a firm resolve and the way will be full of conflicts. One can go up and the joys of the journey are beyond words. The happiness one gets on the downward journey is momentary. While flowing downwards what the sex energy brings is happiness, pleasure, while what it brings moving upwards is extreme joy. You collect energy in going up. You make a reservoir. The reservoir can be infinite. It goes on increasing everyday. When happiness begins to decrease, unhappiness begins to increase. Therefore, there is always a black shadow of unhappiness standing behind every happiness, and there is the bright world of joy progressing towards joy behind every joy. There is no shadow of unhappiness behind joy. Joy accumulates because it increases every day, and there is the possibility of its infinite storage.
Another point I told you about is resolve and conflict. Here it will be useful to understand what resolve means and how that energy can rise up with resolve. I shall give two or three illustrations by which you can understand it fully.
The Musalmans observe Roja fast, the Jains and the Hindus and the Christians also observe fast. Yesterday a friend was asking me the meaning of observing fasts. What happens by remaining hungry? The people who started these practices were not fools. The necessity of food in a man s life is the greatest of all needs, it is the most necessary thing for survival. To get food a man can give up love, or a mother can cut her child. During the Bengal famine many mothers sold their children. A husband can kill his wife, can sell her, and a wife can throw away her husband. At the time of death when the last moment comes to save oneself, the instinct for survival is very forceful because everything can be done again, but not the saving of one's life. A woman can find a second husband, a son can be born again, but one cannot get oneself again. Therefore to get food is the greatest desire for survival.
Suppose a man is kept hungry, he will think of food all the twenty-four hours. Every small hair on his
The Perennial Path: The Art of Living
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Osho