Depression

 

 

One of the most basic laws of life has to be understood. Life is based on polarity; everything exists with its polar opposite. Otherwise is not possible. Mind exists because of matter; mind is the polar opposite. Consciousness exists because of unconsciousness, the day exists because of the night, life exists because of death, happiness exists because of unhappiness, and so on and so forth. Everything exists because of its polar opposite. You cannot experience happiness unless you have deeply experienced unhappiness, and you cannot come to the ultimate ecstasy if you have not been thrown into ultimate agony. Hence the meaning of the world, hence this whole suffering. It is not meaningless. [....]

 

Remember this: Whenever you are depressed, wait for the moment that the depression goes. Nothing lasts forever; the depression will go. And when it leaves you, wait - be aware and alert - because after the depression, after the night, there will be a dawn and the sun will rise. If you can be alert in that moment. you will he happy that you were depressed. You will be grateful that you are depressed because only through your depression was this mint of happiness possible

 

But what do we do? We move in an infinite regression. We get depressed. Then we get depressed because of the depression: a second depression follows. If you are depressed, that’s okay! — nothing is wrong in it. It is beautiful because through it you will learn and mature. But then you feel badly. “Why do I get depressed? I should not get depressed.” Then you start fighting with the depression. The first depression is good, but the second depression is unreal. And this unreal depression will cloud your mind. You will miss the moment that would have followed the real depression.

 

When depressed, be depressed. Simply be depressed. Don't get depressed about your depression. When depressed, simply be depressed. Don't fight it, don't create any diversion, don't force it to go. Just allow it to happen; it will go by itself. Life is a flux; nothing remains the same. You are not needed; the river moves by itself, you don't have to push it. If you are trying to push it, you are simply foolish. The river flows by itself. Allow it to flow.

When depression is there, allow it to be. Don't get depressed about it. If you want to remove it sooner, you will get depressed. If you fight it, you will create a secondary depression that is dangerous. The first depression is beautiful, God-given. The second depression is your own. It is not God-given; it is mental. Then you will move in mental grooves. They are infinite.

If you get depressed, be happy that you are depressed and allow the depression to be. Then suddenly the depression will disappear and there will be a breakthrough. No clouds will be there and the sky will be clear. For a single moment, heaven opens for you. If you are not depressed about your depression you can contact, you can commune, you can enter this heavenly gate. And once you know it, you have learned one of the ultimate laws of life: that life uses the opposite as a teacher, as a back-ground.

Nothing is wrong; everything is for the good. This is what I call a religious attitude. You may not believe in God -- that makes no difference. Buddha never believed in God. Mahavir never believed in God but they were religious. There is no need to believe in an afterlife no need. You can still be religious. There is no need even to believe in a soul. You can be religious without believing in it.

Then what is religion? Religion means this trust: that everything is for the good. This trust that everything is for the good is a religious mind; this is religiousness.

And if you trust that everything is for the good, you will come to realize the divine. The divine can be realized through such trust. Even the storm is for the sake of the silence. Evil exists for the sake of good; death exists for the sake of life; suffering and agony are just situations in which ecstasy can happen.

Look at life in this way and the moment will not be far off when suffering will disappear completely, when pain will disappear completely, when death will disappear completely. One who knows that agony exists for the sake of ecstasy cannot be agonized. One who knows and feels and realizes that suffering exists for the sake of happiness cannot be made to suffer. It is impossible. He is using suffering itself to be more happy, he is using agony itself as a step toward ecstasy. He has gone beyond the clutches of the world, he has taken a jump out of the wheel of sansar.

 

-Osho, "The New Alchemy : To Turn You On, #8"