Osho - Life should not be taken as Work but as Play

Osho - Deva means divine, vilas means play; divine play. And that is one of the most fundamental secrets of the eastern teachings -- that life should not be taken as work but as play.

God has not created the world... because the word 'creation' seems to be too serious -- he is playing. It is his leela, his play. The eastern concept is very simple, non-serious, more joyous... closer to the great beauty that surrounds -- the flowers, the birds, the rivers, the ocean. Everything seems to be in tremendous play.

And god is not doing something -- it is a game... it is hide and seek. Once you take life as a play the total concept changes. Then the anxiety, the tension of reaching somewhere, is dropped.... There is nowhere to arrive. Life is not going anywhere -- it is simply here. There is no goal. It is not goal-oriented -- each moment is the goal.

The journey is the goal, and each moment is of tremendous celebration. There is no need to wait for tomorrow -- that tomorrow we will celebrate... when we have become buddhas or christs then we will celebrate -- no! Then you will never celebrate. Each moment we have to celebrate... as if we are buddhas already. In the beginning it is'as if, but soon you realise that it is not an'as if -- it is a reality. We have not recognised ourselves as we are.

'Deva vilas' means to take life as fun... divine fun, a beautiful joke! Theologians are very serious people, and seriousness is an illness -- it is a sort of neurosis. More laughter is needed, more humour is needed.
And I am trying to create here a totally new kind of religion -- where laughter is not against prayer. You can laugh and pray together. Your laughter can become prayer -- your prayer can because laughter. Then -- only then -- does each moment become luminous, glorious. Then a splendour enters your life... from very small things.

Eating can become a sacrament and taking a bath can be meditation. Just going for a morning walk is incredibly holy! And there is no need to go to the church or to the temple, because the whole existence is his temple. and there is no need to be against your body, or anti-life in any way, because your body is his temple -- he is hiding here. A great life-affirmation arises.

Serious people become negative. Serious people become so much obsessed with god that they are ready to sacrifice life for it -- but god is in life! He is as much immanent as he is transcendent. He is in life -- of course he is more than life, too, but the way goes through life. He is in love -- he is more than love too, but the way goes through love. It does not go against life, it does not go against love. So a great affirmation is needed.

.... Make yourself less serious. Think less, feel more. Do less, dance more. Act less, play more. Acting will do, but to act is not good. and once this is understood, things start changing.

Source - Osho Book "The Buddha Disease"