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existence as much as the greatest emperor, the president of a country or the richest man. All are needed equally. Existence is immense equality. There is no higher and no lower; there is no hierarchy at all. The smallest grass flower and the biggest one-thousand-petalled lotus are the same. God showers on both equally. For god, the sinner and the saint are not separate; there is no distinction. When the sun shines, it shines on both, and when the moon is there in its utter beauty, it is for both.
Once this idea sinks deep into the heart -- that one is not unessential -- a great respect for oneself arises, and not only for oneself: a great respect for all too. That's what Albert Schweitzer used to call 'reverence for life'. And reverence for life is real religion -- when you respect all and everything, with no idea about who is lower, who is higher, who is great, who is small, with no idea about who is needed, who is not needed. When you respect all with any conditions, that's what love is, what religion is, what prayer is.
Chinta means awareness, contemplation; mani means diamond -- a diamond of awareness. And that is the only diamond there is, because that is the only treasure. All else is just illusion, because death will take everything away -- it is momentary. One can brag about one's riches, power, prestige, but then death comes and in one stroke all is destroyed. The whole edifice disappears in a single moment and all the great castles that you had made in the air and for which you had sacrificed your whole life are gone forever.
The only real wealth is that of awareness because death cannot take it away. And that is the only thing that death cannot take away, because one can be aware even while one is dying. Dying, one can remain aware. Hence in the East awareness is called the real diamond: chintamani. One who has this diamond is rich. One who has not this diamond is poor, is a pauper.
[A sannyasin, returning to the West, asks if she should take a three year course to be a handicraft teacher. Osho checks her energy.]
If you can manage three years training, it is perfectly good, but my feeling is three years will be too
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