Materialism Vs Spirituality

So, let's deal with these two questions which have come-up in last 2 sessions -

 

 

1. Materialism Vs Spirituality.

2. Osho, Wild Wild Country and other controversies.

 

 

So, let’s begin –

 

1. Materialism Vs Spirituality – I think it was apt that while discussing Rahu-Ketu, this question of Materialism Vs Spirituality came up and it was a very valid question. Let’s understand it like this –

 

a. The biggest mistake we would do is to think that Materialism and Spirituality are separate from each other. Just understand like this that if Rahu is materialism & Ketu is spirituality and Rahu-Ketu both were one body of demon named Swarabhanu, then this point itself proves that Materialism & Spirituality can’t be separate from each other. They are part and parcel of the same organic unity. As Osho used to say – “this universe is not split between matter and spirit. Your body (matter) can’t be alive without the soul (spirit) and your soul (spirit) cannot function without the instrument called body (matter)”. So, matter and spirit both are very necessary for overall evolution of soul to the next level.

 

b. The biggest misfortune happened with humanity is when people were told to follow spiritual path directly without pursuing their materialistic desires. When people were told that materialistic pursuits are just illusion and we need to follow spirituality. And the examples given to people were of Lords Ram, Krishna, Buddha and Mahavira, as to how they left all the materialistic pleasures to follow the spiritual path.

 

c. And this is the most important point. They all left materialistic pleasures of their palaces because they have already explored that area of life. They lived the most luxurious life available to any human. Now, understand the suffering of someone like Gautam Siddhartha. He was living in palaces with all luxuries and conveniences, but still he was not finding any happiness, contentment and satisfaction. This would give birth to divine dissatisfaction and finally, person is bound to feel that true happiness is somewhere else and the spiritual journey will start. But important thing is that spiritual journey is only starting once the person has fulfilled his materialistic desires and didn’t find any contentment there.

 

d. Now, if I preach to a poor person that let-go of your desire of wealth, then how that poor fellow will believe me or do what I am saying? Because his only hope of getting some happiness in life is through money. His only hope is that if I have some money in my life tomorrow then I will be happy in my life. So, it is futile to preach such things to people who are yet to realize their materialistic pursuits. They will realize it only when they fulfil their materialistic desires and then realize the futility of those pursuits.

 

e. Else it will only lead to suppression of materialistic desires where a person would say that he had “Let-Go” of his materialistic desires to follow spirituality. None Lets-Go of anything. All your desires stay burning inside you unless and until you exhaust them. This Letting-Go of desires is nothing but suppression of desires and anything that is repressed/suppressed would come back at you with double/triple force. That’s why, we find so-called Spiritual Gurus in all types of scams/scandals because they have just wore the mask of spiritual person but their materialistic desires keep burning inside.

 

f. Hence, before following a spiritual path, exhaust all your materialistic desires. Actually, the day you truly exhaust your materialistic desires, your spiritual journey would automatically begin.

 

g. Now, someone can say what about people like Paramhansa Yogananda etc who follow spirituality from very initial life and has no desire of following materialism? It is because that soul has already accomplished all its materialistic desires and has taken this birth only to follow spiritual path. So, if there is anyone who wants to follow spiritual path from very start then it is equally wrong to push him towards materialistic path. Likewise, it is wrong to push people on spiritual path when they still want to pursue their materialistic desires.

 

h. In Bhagvad Geeta, Krishna says that even those who are not searching me consciously, even they one day find me. Osho explains that even those people who are completely drowned into following materialistic desires, even they are unconsciously moving towards spiritual path. For ex, if there is a politician who is looking to gain more and more power over people, we may feel that he is completely materialistic person but even he is following spiritual path because only after gaining extreme power over people, he will realize at the end of life that he has wasted this life and couldn’t achieve anything meaningful. Then soul can move to next level and soul can decide to live a more evolved next life. So, that power-grabbing is very much necessary for this soul to evolve to higher consciousness.

 

i. So, follow all your materialistic desires till you realize the futility which will automatically bring you on path of spirituality.

 

2. Osho, Wild Wild Country and other controversies – Someone asked if I watched Netflix Series Wild Wild Country on Osho?

 

a. I did and I loved it to the core. But my reason of loving it is completely different. My reason is my love towards Osho. When you truly love someone, you don’t judge anything. You just love that person’s company or association. For me, looking at Osho and listening to him is enough treat. So, I don’t even care what they show in documentary? I even love Maa Anand Sheela equally. She contributed a lot in Osho’s life and Rajneeshpuram. Without her efforts and contribution, it would have been impossible to establish commune there. She deserves appreciation and acclaim for that.

 

b. But I understand that questions related to Osho often come due to controversies linked with him. I will explain why it is necessary for societies to criticize Osho even after 30 years of him leaving his body. But first just think that in which country Osho was at the centre-stage of the biggest controversy? It was at Rajneeshpuram, Antelope, Oregon, USA. Now ask yourself, if Osho was really a wrong person then would USA had allowed most number of Osho Centers to function from its own land in last 30 years? I hope you got your answer.

 

c. Now, why it is necessary for societies to criticize Osho time and again? It is because if people start following Osho then your societies will collapse. Your Societies are marriage based and Osho’s heaviest blow was on institution of marriage. If youth of any society starts following Osho completely and rejects the hypocrisies created by society then how long that society can sustain itself?

 

d. Hence, it is necessary that time and again, new generation is told that Osho was bad, so that societies can sustain itself.

 

Thanks,

 

Swami Premanand Bharti