The question arises in the minds of many. If holiness had anything to do with our clothing and external appearance, the very question would not have arisen. Certainly holiness is not an external reality, it is some internal reality.

What is this internal reality?

Holiness is being in oneself. Ordinarily, man is outside himself, not even for a moment is he in himself. He is with everyone, but not with himself. This very separation from the self is unholiness.

Coming back to the self—being rooted in one’s own self, becoming healthy, is holiness. Spiritual unhealth is unholiness, spiritual health is holiness.

If I am outside myself, I am asleep. The external is the ‘other’, it is unconsciousness. Mahavira has said, “He who sleeps is the non-sage. To wake up from the dependence of the ‘other’ into the freedom of the ‘self’ is to be holy.”

How is this holiness recognised?

This holiness is recognised by peace, by bliss, by wholeness. There was a saint—Saint Francis. He was on a pilgrimage with his disciple Leo. They were on their way to San Marino when they were caught up in a rainstorm. They got completely soaked and covered with mud. Night was setting in, and the day-long hunger and travel-weariness had overwhelmed them. The village was still far off and it was not possible for them to reach there before midnight.

Suddenly Saint Francis said “Leo, who is the real sage? Not he who can give eyes to the blind, who can give health to the sick and can even raise up the dead—he is not the real saint.”

There was silence for a while. Then Francis spoke again: “Leo, the real sage is not the one who can understand the language of the animals, trees, stones and rocks. Not even he who has acquired the knowledge of the whole world is a real saint.”

There was silence again for a while. They kept on moving in the middle of the rainstorm. Now the lights of San Marino were visible. Saint Francis spoke again: “… Nor is the one who has renounced all a real sage.”

Now Leo could not remain silent anymore. He asked, “Then who is the true sage?”

Seeing only divine

Saint Francis replied, “We are about to reach San Marino and will knock at the outer door of the inn. The watchman will ask, “Who is there?” We will reply, “Your own two brothers—two ascetics.” If he were to say then, “You beggars, wretched mendicants, lazy parasites—away, get away! There is no place for you here!” And if he refuses to open the door, and hungry, tired, covered with mud we continue to stay in the middle of the night out there in the open. Should we knock at the door again and if at this time he were to come out, hit us with a baton and say, “You scoundrels, do not disturb us!”, if nothing moves within us on this occasion too, if everything within remains peaceful, calm and empty, and in that innkeeper we continue to see nothing but the divine—then this is real holiness.”

Certainly, to attain the state of undisturbed peace, simplicity and equanimity under all circumstances is holiness.

Excerpted from Seeds of Wisdom Courtesy: Osho International Foundation • osho.com

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One day, a young friend paid a visit to the prominent British philosopher Bertrand Russell, and found him in a contemplative mood. “Why so meditative?” he enquired. “Because I’ve made an odd discovery,” replied Russell. “Every time I talk to a savant I feel quite sure that happiness is no longer a possibility. Yet when I talk with my gardener, I’m convinced of the opposite.”

That’s a profound observation by the Nobel Prize recipient. When it comes to pursuit of happiness, the more learned we are, the more illusive it seems. If only we could sit back and relax, and resist the charm of the storylines in our heads, we would realise that life is quite simple. This is what the great Chinese philosopher pointed to when he said, “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Yes, we make it complicated by thinking and analysing too much. We mix up our priorities, then wonder why life is not working out for us; we live a life fabricated out of mistaken ideals, then complain about the lack of fulfilment; we chase worthless objects in the hope that they will bring happiness, then the illusion breaks apart.

But life need not be so full of complications. That’s why, on the occasion of our 9th anniversary, we decided to turn our attention to the basics—the stuff that true happiness is made of. Susan Biali, an internationally recognised medical doctor who is also a life coach, gently reminds us of the nine elementary factors of happiness and wellbeing that we tend to overlook in our busy everyday living. These “building blocks” as we like to call them, don’t come as a revelation. In fact, we miss them only because they are so obvious. And yet, mull over them calmly and you will discover that maybe you need to revisit the priorities in your life and make some much needed changes.

While explaining the need to cultivate emotional resilience, Susan highlights the importance of conscious commitment to live in a balanced, mentally healthy place. “As soon as life gets crowded, most people push sleep, good nutrition and exercise out of the way, to make room for what we think is ‘more important’. We’ve got it backwards! We should see these good health basics as the foundation of our day, the non-negotiable framework of balance in our lives, rather than considering them as disposable options,” she says.

Of the nine building blocks, you may discover that you have a few of them already in place—these are the aspects of your life that are going well. You now need to make a conscious effort to get the remaining blocks to interlock and fit with the existing ones. The changes may not happen overnight but once you are committed to the new blueprint of your life, it’s only a matter of time when the structure of your life will become sturdy and durable—with the wherewithal to resist small and big tremors that will strike from time to time.

Happy Diwali!

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