“In Life, Nothing Is Certain Except Death

“Death is not going to happen in the end; it is already happening. It is a process. Just as life is a process, death is a process. We create the now, but life and death are just like your two feet, your two legs. Life and death are both one process. You are dying every moment.

“Let me put it in this way: whenever you inhale, it is life, and whenever you exhale, it is death.

“For fifteen minutes, exhale deeply. Sit in a chair or on the ground, exhale deeply, and while exhaling close the eyes. When the air goes out, you go in. And then allow the body to inhale, and when the air goes in, open the eyes and you go out. It is just the opposite: when the air goes out, you go in; when the air goes in, you go out.

When you exhale, space is created within, because breath is life. When you exhale deeply, you are vacant, life has gone out. In a way you are dead, for a moment you are dead. In that silence of death, enter within.

“Air is moving out: you close your eyes and move within. The space is there and you can move easily. Within fifteen minutes you will feel so deeply relaxed, and you will be ready to do the technique.

“Lie down. First, conceive of yourself as dead; the body is just like a corpse. Lie down, and then bring your attention to the toes. With closed eyes move inwards. Bring your attention to the toes and feel that the fire is rising from there upwards, everything is being burned. As the fire rises, your body is disappearing. Start from the toes and move upwards.

“Why start from the toes? It will be easier, because the toes are very far away from your I, from your ego. Your ego exists in the head. You cannot start from the head, it will be very difficult, so start from the far away point. The toes are the most far away point from the ego. Start the fire from there. Feel that the toes are burned, only ashes remain, and then move slowly, burning everything that the fire comes across. Every part – the legs, the thighs – will disappear.

“And just go on seeing that they have become ashes. The fire is rising upwards, and the parts it has passed are no more there; they have become ashes. Go on upwards, and lastly the head disappears. Everything has become… the dust has fallen unto dust…

You will remain just a watcher on the hill. The body will be there – dead, burned, ashes – and you will be the watcher, you will be the witness. This witness has no ego.

“This technique will take at least three months. Go on doing it. It is not going to happen in one day, but someday you will actually see the body gone to ashes. Then you can watch.”

To continue reading and see all available formats of this talk:
Osho, The Book of Secrets, Talk #53 – From Death to Deathlessness