Question 4
Beloved Osho,
After two years here, I had heard Bodhidharma’s laughter. I never heard him again. Is he still around?
He has always been around. Who do you think is sitting in this chair? But if you do not hear the laughter, that simply means you are not hearing, you are not listening; otherwise, the laughter is happening every moment.
In fact, in the whole history of humanity there has never been such a commune, with so much laughter. And a commune that is in search of truth, a commune that is in search of religiousness, a commune that wants to attain to the ultimate heights of ecstasy – no, this type of people have never before been laughing. They thought laughter was something below them.
Laughter is our
most essential quality.
My understanding is totally different. Laughter is one of the greatest religious qualities. The sense of humour has not been indicated by any religion as an essential quality for their followers. But here there are no followers, only individuals. They are together here because their search is the same. They are together here because their love is the same. They are together here because they have fallen in love with the same guide.
But the guide is nobody other than Bodhidharma; hence, laughter is our most essential quality. And a sense of humour, playfulness, fun, is something sacred – nothing profane in it. Just listen to it.
I don’t laugh, for the simple reason that if I laugh, you will stop laughing immediately. To allow you to laugh, I have to contain myself. I laugh in my room when I am alone!
-Osho, "From Bondage to Freedom, #29, Q4"