It is one of the greatest mysteries of life that we are born with perfect bliss in our being and we remain beggars because we never look into ourselves. We take ourselves for granted, as if we already know all that is within. That is a very idiotic idea, but it prevails all over the world. We are ready to go to the moon to search for bliss, but we are not ready to go inside ourselves for the simple reason that we already think we know. And we don't know ourselves at all.

Socrates is right when he says, 'Know thyself.' In those two words the whole wisdom of all the sages is condensed, because in knowing thyself all is known and all is fulfilled and all is achieved.

We don't have to become perfect – we are born perfect. And we don't have to invent bliss, we only have to discover it. It is not such a difficult matter as people think; it is a very simple process of relaxing, resting and slowly getting centred.

The day you stumble upon your centre, suddenly there is light all around; you have found the switch. It is just like groping in the dark room – you go on groping and then you find the switch and light is all around. But you can sit in darkness for the whole night, crying and weeping just underneath the light switch. And that's actually the situation; we are crying and weeping unnecessarily.

So those who have known have a very strange feeling about people. They feel great compassion but they laugh too. They can see the absurdity of it all – that you have it already but you are running hither and thither for no reason at all. And because of your running, you go on missing it. And they have great compassion also, because you are suffering – that is true, although your suffering is simply foolish.

This absurd, ridiculous life pattern has to be changed completely. Look within, and if you cannot find anything there, then look outside. But I say categorically that if you look within you will find it – find the Kingdom of God, the perfect bliss, the absolute truth. Nobody is an exception, it is an absolute law. Look within and you will find it. And with it comes freedom and great fragrance. Life becomes a dance, a poem, a constant ecstasy; moment to moment it goes on growing.

-- OSHO