Niralamban — When All Support Falls Away
Those who set out in search of the Divine must become niralamban — without support.
They must lose every refuge they have relied upon, for only then does the true refuge appear.
They must become utterly helpless — asahay — because only in helplessness does real help descend.
as long as one believes, “I am capable, I have resources, I have support,”
one remains deprived of divine grace.
As long as one feels, “I will manage,” helplessness remains impossible.
When effort drops and one stands empty, even sound begins to dissolve into silence.
Helplessness as the Doorway to Grace
Grace is like rain.
It falls on the mountains as well, yet the mountains remain untouched.
They are already so full of themselves that there is no space left within them.
The rain also falls into the valleys — and the valleys fill up,
because they are empty.
That which is empty gets filled.
That which is full remains empty.
Niralamb peethah.
To be without support, without refuge —
this is their way of being, this is their posture, this is their asana.
No crutch.
No protection.
No safety net.
Let this word insecurity be contemplated deeply, for it points toward a state of choiceless awareness, where nothing is held onto and nothing is resisted.
The Illusion of Security and the Ego’s Shelter
When there is wealth, one feels, “I have something.”
When there is position, one feels, “I have something.”
When there is knowledge, one feels, “I have something.”
These are all supports.
These are all shelters upon which the ego strengthens itself.
And “having nothing” does not mean standing naked without clothes.
Because even nakedness can become a possession.
And the moment one says “I have,” support has returned.
A subtle stiffness, an inner arrogance, still remains.
He called them bhikshu — beggar.
One who is only a begging bowl.
He said: Know yourself also as a begging bowl — nothing more.
Only then can the ultimate truth be realized.
The mind insists: “Some support, some shelter, something must remain in my hands!”
“Let me not be alone, let me not be unsafe, let there be some arrangement against danger.”
Not one who lives in a house, but one who continuously searches for security.
One who cannot tolerate insecurity anywhere.
These are all means.
Niralamb peethah.
A true renunciate is one who has no means, who has nothing.
One may say, “I have renunciation. I have nakedness. I have asceticism.”
And when something is possessed, one cannot stand at the door of the Divine as a total beggar.
That is why Buddha did not call his renunciates swami — master.
A most beautiful word.
One who has nothing.
The begging bowl Buddha placed in the hands of his monks was not merely for asking food.
To become niralamban is extremely difficult.
So we all make arrangements.
That is the meaning of the householder — grihasth.
Not one who lives in a house, but one who continuously searches for security.
One who cannot tolerate insecurity anywhere.
~ From the Nirvan Upanishad by Osho (Hindi Discourse), Discourse 4 – Translated
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