Osho in this book sheds light on Tilopa, the Tantric master and comments on ‘The Song of Mahamudra.’ Osho says that nothing much is known about Tilopa and only this song exists. Tilopa had to travel a long way from India to Tibet to find his disciple Naropa and to give this song to him as a gift. Osho also says that the religion of Tilopa existed for only four generations: from Naropa to Milarepa and then it disappeared.
Tantra teaches us to reclaim respect and love for the body, to look at the body as the greatest creation of God. Tantra is all about techniques and Tilopa is talking about techniques. One of the greatest Tantra techniques is an absent look, looking and not looking together. Tantra says yes to everything. It says that everything, even sin is beautiful, that everything is good and holy.It is the loose and the natural way.
Tantra believes in remaining homeless and not abiding anywhere; remaining unidentified and not clinging to anything . It does not believe in any other life or in any other world than this. Tantra focuses attention on the person and not on the acts . Yoga focuses on the acts whereas Tantra focuses on the person. Yoga is effort, Tantra is effortlessness.Yoga is the path of will, Tantra is the path of love, the path of surrender.With Yoga, difficult is right; with Tantra , easy is right.
Tilopa says in the song, become like a hollow bamboo: nothing inside.
The void needs no reliance.
This nothingness need no support. This nothingness exists by itself. That’s why Buddha says there is no God; there is no need for a God because God is a support. Buddha says there is no creator because there is no need to create nothingness.
Mahamudra is an experience of nothingness. Mahamudra, the literal word, means the great gesture, or the ultimate gesture. Mahamudra, in Tantra means a total orgasm with the whole existence. One is making love with the whole universe. The deep intercourse, orgasmic intercourse, between lovers is also called Mahamudra.That’s why Tantra is known as the Yoga of sex, as the path of love. Tilopa says: “In Mahamudra all one’s sins are burned”. The past is thrown into the fire. It is a new birth, a rebirth.
Tilopa says, to think that someone is an enemy or someone is a friend, is to divide.Nobody is a friend and nobody is an enemy. This is the highest teaching.
One should not give or take, but remain natural;
for Mahamudra is beyond all acceptance and rejection.
Tilopa is not saying that one should not share but he is only saying that one should be concerned with taking or giving. If it happens naturally and one feels like giving, then give; but it should be a sharing, a gift. Mahamudra is a natural state, the highest peak of being natural. Tilopa doesn’t say, “Be moral,” he says, “Be natural.” The deepest message of this whole song of Mahamudra according to Osho is : “do not seek, just remain as you are, don’t go anywhere else.” Some of Osho’s observations found in this book are:
Flexibility is youth, rigidness is old age - the more flexible, the more young; more rigid, more old.
True anger is beautiful and a false smile is ugly
Thoughts are foreign, intruders, outsiders. No thought is yours.
Whenever you want to avoid something you are paying too much attention to it.
Tilopa’s ‘The Song of Mahamudra’ as well as Osho’s commentary on it is equally beautiful.
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