by Osho
Worship is true only when it is through love, otherwise it is just a dead, impotent ritual. Touch any act with love and it becomes worship. Sit in any place in love and it becomes a temple. Look in any direction with love and you will find god.
People go on asking ’Where to find god?’ Rather, they should ask ’Whereto find love? How to be more loving?’ God is revealed to the loving heart. We are blind, not because our knowledge is less but because our love is not there at all. Love is missing; that’s our blindness.
Once love starts flowing you have eyes to see, and not only eyes to see the visible but also the invisible. And that is real seeing. If you can only see the visible, it is not much of a seeing – anybody can do that. If you can only know the knowable, it is nothing – anybody can do it. When you know the unknowable, when you see the invisible, and when you hear that which cannot be heard, then for the first time you are born. Real life starts then and only then. Before that we are living in the womb, living in an eggshell. The egg has to be broken, the womb has to be renounced.
The meaning of your name is: become a lover and know that love is worship. Never get trapped in any other kind of worship. There are churches and temples and mosques, and so many kinds of prayers and worship continue around the earth, but man lacks something which no temple can provide. The heart is not throbbing with love!
And don’t wait for any special occasion to be loving – all occasions are special. The whole existence is special, because it is permeated by god through and through. So don’t miss any opportunity to love. If you see a tree with great foliage, shower your love on it. If you see a bird on the wing, send your love to it. If you see a child smiling, pour your love. Don’t miss a single opportunity to pour your love, and the more you pour, the more you will have. Slowly slowly you will see that your love is growing wings. It is turning slowly slowly into prayer.
And it matters not to whom your love is addressed – it is always addressed to god. You may love a woman, but if you really love it reaches to god. You may love music, but if you really love it reaches to god. Real love always reaches to god. It rides on all kinds of waves but its ultimate destiny is god.
One has to be certain only of one thing, that it is real. What do I mean by real love? I mean a love that asks nothing – then it is true, then it is real – a love which only gives and is grateful because its love has been accepted. A heart that goes on giving with no idea of any return is a loving heart.
If you think of something coming back to you, it is no more love; it is a bargain, it is a business. At least with love never do business. At least keep love intact, beyond business, beyond economics. At least let one thing remain virgin and pure.
(From Chapter 5, Don’t Look Before You Leap)
