“You can move into meditation only by being indifferent, just a watcher.”
You can move into meditation only by being indifferent, just a watcher. Whether it comes or not makes no difference; just let the thoughts flow on their own accord and you stand aloof, just watching. The word `watching’ simply means being a mirror, reflecting and not making any commentary. No mirror makes any commentary. No mirror says to you, “Aha, how beautiful!” It is not interested in whether you are beautiful or weird, sane or insane, standing on your feet or on your head. It makes no difference to the mirror, the mirror simply reflects.
The watcher is a mirror. It simply watches and remains empty. No content is caught by the mirror. Things come and go, the mirror does not cling to anything. The mirror is not in favor of something or against it. It has no notions about what passes before it.
I have heard about a Hassid rabbi… Hassidism comes closest to Zen. It is a small branch of rebellious Jews. They are not accepted by the orthodox, by the organized religion, but they have a small lineage of very beautiful people. If Judaism has contributed anything to humanity, it is Hassidism – although they will not accept it. They condemn the Hassids because they are doing everything unorthodox, untraditional – not conforming to the organized religion, being independent and rebellious.
This Hassid mystic was walking in the middle of the night towards the river, just to sit silently there. A watchman of a great palace used to see him come every night at midnight. Finally it became impossible to resist, and the watchman stopped the Hassid and asked him, “I have been watching for months. Not even a single night have you missed; you go every night at midnight towards the river. What are you doing? I have seen you, I have followed you, because it is my work to keep watch around the palace and at first I was suspicious. This man comes every night, passes by the palace… so I have followed you, but you simply don’t take any note of the palace or anybody following you. You simply go to the river and sit on the bank for hours. What are you doing there?”
The Hassid said, “I am also a watchman. Just as you are watching the palace, I am watching my own mind.”
Osho, The Buddha: The Emptiness of the Heart – Talks on Zen, Ch 3
Series compiled by Shanti
All excerpts of this series can be found in: 1001 Tales
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