Laughter is one of the most divine experiences,
but very few people really laugh.
Their laughter is shallow.
Either it is just intellectual or just a facade
or just a formality or just a mannerism,
but it is never total.
If a man can laugh totally, wholeheartedly,
not holding anything back at all,
in that very moment something tremendous can happen –
because laughter, when it is total,
is absolutely egoless
and that is the only condition
in which to know god, to be egoless.
There are many ways to be egoless
but laughter is the most beautiful way.
Laughter needs no talent.
In fact children laugh more beautifully more totally.
As they grow up, their laughter becomes shallow;
they start holding back,
they start thinking whether to laugh or not to laugh,
or whether it is right in this situation to laugh.
Learn the laughter of small children again
laugh consciously and totally –
and not only at others, at yourself too.
One should never miss an opportunity to laugh.
Laughter is prayer.
—— o 0 o ——
From the book:
“Osho, A Must for Morning Contemplation”
A collection of extracts from talks by Osho
compiled at Osho’s suggestion
Copyright Osho International Foundation,
Published by Rebel Publishing House, Germany
All the priests around the world have been trying to make man serious, sad, sombre, a long face. They are all afraid of laughter — laughter is really dangerous, it is almost like a dynamite. If the world, even for twenty-four hours decides that “We will laugh at everything” (laughter) — just twenty-four hours — and all your politicians will commit suicide, and all your priests will jump into the ocean, and all your saints will hang themselves. Just within twenty-four hours there will be such a great revolution in the world. It will be such a deep cleansing phenomenon, it will clean all dirt. But people have completely forgotten low to laugh; in fact they think to laugh is profane: one has to be serious, when you enter the church even if you are laughing, you become serious, you become stiff, you become uptight.
Church should be a place of dancing and singing, rejoicing. One should invite Jesus also to participate, and call god the father also, but “Have a little fun! Why you are hanging above the clouds so long? Come down!” But all the religious places have become sad. They are in the hands of ill people, sick people.
Laughter is tremendously healthy. Playfulness is as sacred as any prayer or maybe more sacred than any prayer, because playfulness, laughter, singing, dancing, will relax you. And only the truth is possible in a relaxed state of being. When you are totally relaxed, in a state of let-go, the impossible starts happening, the miracle starts happening. Let-go is the secret of meditation.
– Osho – Darshan Diaries, Nirvana now or never, chapter 15
