“Have you ever watched a tightrope walker? The whole secret of life is hidden there. To maintain his balance the tightrope walker holds a bamboo pole in his hand. There is potential danger in every step. If he leans a little to the left he may fall, so he leans his bamboo pole a little to the right and thus maintains his balance. And still he is in danger, because the maintenance of balance is not a static phenomenon. Balance must be maintained every moment; it must be readjusted at every step. Suppose that now he leans to the right – there is a possibility he may fall to the right so he has to lean his pole to the left. He keeps balancing from left to right and from right to left so that he won’t fall. And so he keeps himself in the middle and is able to walk his tightrope. Happiness and misery are like right and left to the tightrope walker.

Just be still within. Just sit quietly, turning neither to the left nor to the right. Just be a witness; just keep on observing. If misery comes, just recognize it. Don’t form any judgment as to whether it is good or bad, as to whether it should have come to you or should not have come to you – just be aware that misery is present, just experience it. And do not try to create happiness either, otherwise you will tilt to the other side. If happiness comes, don’t try to cling to it or you will lean to the other side again, back toward misery.

If you just keep on watching, just keep on observing both happiness and misery, suddenly you will find one day that you are separate, that you are quite apart, quite aloof from both. Suddenly you will come to know that both things are only happening around you and that you are beyond them both. This beyondness is the universal soul.

This phenomenon of beyondness, this observing of both and yet not belonging to either, is the moment when you are neither empty nor full. You are neither empty nor full because now you realize you are neither happiness nor misery. Kabir says, this is real knowledge.”

Osho