From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 6. RENUNCIATION: MORTGAGE TODAY FOR A TOMORROW THAT NEVER COMES
chair. It was a common room and all the professors could use any chair they wanted, and they were
using them.
Just that chair was mine because people were somehow afraid of me because I was not interested in
their gossips, I was not interested in the movies, I was not interested in their politics, not interested in
who was going to win the election for dean or who was going to win the election for vice-chancellor,
and this and that. And they were completely clear that I thought it was all crap. So not only my
chair, but two chairs on this side and two chairs on that side – I had five reserved chairs. Only once
in a while would somebody come, very afraid, and ask, ”Can I sit?” And I would say, ”There is no
problem.”
This man came one day and almost shaking, with his cigarette in his hand, trembling. I can still
visualize him... his fingers were burned, his lips were burned. I said, ”Yes, you can sit. Can I be of
any help? – because nobody comes unless he feels I can be of some help.”
He said, ”Only one thing: I want to drop smoking. My doctors are after me, my family is after me,
my friends are after me – everybody is angry. And it is not that I don’t want to stop – I have tried in
every possible way, but I cannot exist without cigarettes. Even for a few moments I cannot sit without
cigarettes. And it is sure that I am going to die from them. Can you help me?”
I said, ”Yes, I can help you. The first thing is, you tell all your friends, doctors, your wife, your parents,
your children,’I am going to smoke and you have to stop telling me about it. I have heard enough
about it, and if you don’t stop, I will disappear from the house.’ And,” I said, ”you can come to my
house, and that will do; that threat will be enough. Tell them,’I will never come back to this house
if anyone mentions cigarettes.”’ And I told him, ”Tell them,’If it is possible, now I am going to start
smoking even in my sleep’ – but make it absolutely clear.”
”But,” he said, ” How am I going to stop?”
I said, ”You don’t have to stop, you just do what I say. Stop the very idea of stopping it, this is the
first step. The second step is: smoke, but be conscious.”
He said, ”What do you mean?”
I said, ”When you take your packet, take the packet from your pocket consciously.” I told him, ”Show
me how you do it.
He simply took it out.... I said, ”That is unconscious. You were not alert that you were doing a
certain action: your hand, the packet, the weight of the packet, the feel of the packet, the texture of
the packet – you have to be alert to it. Try it in front of me.”
He tried. He said, ”It seems to be different.”
I said, ”That’s okay. Now take a cigarette out – not the way you usually do. Be alert. And not the
way you go on tapping it on the packet, but consciously. If you usually tap it three times, tap it six
times, there is no harm – but be conscious. Put it in your mouth... wait a little, there is no hurry. And
start carrying a lighter with you. Wait, be alert, then do the same with the lighter. Light the cigarette,
but continue to be alert.
From Ignorance to Innocence 82 Osho