The real observer observes nothing — Acharya Prashant on Osho

Following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Questioner: Acharya Ji, in one discourse Osho has said that inner strength is a result of inner stillness. What does he mean?

Acharya Prashant:

Something that remains untouched, unmoved, only that is something that can really look at what is trying to move it.

You have CCTV Cameras. The camera shows a person coming towards the camera, and a camera is able to show that. That camera shows that person pulling out his gun, even that the camera can show. Next the camera shows that the person is taking aim at the camera, even that the camera can show. Next the camera captures the gun, shooting a bullet towards the camera. Even that the camera can show. And after this, the camera shows nothing. Why?

Q: It has moved now.

AP: Because the camera itself has moved. The camera itself is no more there. It is gone.

You will be able to see nothing, if that which you are seeing moves you.

What was the camera looking at? The man with the gun. But the man with the gun succeeded in displacing the camera itself. So the camera is now worthless.

That which you are seeing, must not be able to move you. Otherwise, your seeing will stop.

You do not merely see something.

You allow the thing to influence you.

You become the influenced one.

You forget that the seen thing, and the seer of the thing are both not you.

You become one with the seer.

The seer is bound to get influenced, that cannot be avoided.

What can be avoided is, that ‘you’ do not become the seer.

This is the thing in the market, a chocolate cake (pointing to one side). This is the seer (pointing to the opposite side). It is…