Comedian Samay Raina is known for jokes and non-stop humour. But, he turned surprisingly serious on the DostCast podcast recently. He spoke openly about his spiritual journey and Osho's teachings.
Samay Raina said Osho's series on the Ashtavakra Gita had changed something in him. It is a playlist of around 32 videos on YouTube. He used to listen to it while working out at the gym.
The comedian called it one of the finest things he had ever come across. It gave him a lot of peace during a difficult period in his life.
He admitted that living by its wisdom every day was hard. But, he said even experiencing its essence for a few seconds felt meaningful. "It slips, but I understand the wisdom it has," he said.
According to Raina, Osho does not believe in sadness. Life, Osho says, is a celebration. Raina added that Osho was simply passing on the wisdom of Buddha and Ashtavakra to modern audiences.
The host suggested Buddha believed life was suffering. Raina gently pushed back. Buddha's message is that desire causes suffering, not life itself, he said.
When Buddha gave up everything, what remained was pure bliss. That realisation, according to Samay, is central to both Buddhism and the Ashtavakra Gita.
The idea the Still Alive star kept returning to was the self as a pure witness. Ashtavakra and Osho both say, “You are not the doer. You are simply an observer watching life play out.”
Raina went further. According to him, this applies even to your own thoughts and feelings. You are not your thoughts because you can observe them. You can watch yourself getting angry from a distance. That means you are not the anger. You are the one witnessing it.
He used anxiety as another example: “Instead of saying ‘I am anxious’, try stepping back. You will notice, ‘I am getting anxious’. That small gap is where pure awareness lives.”
Samay Raina said this understanding would naturally build compassion. Every person, at their deepest level, is just pure awareness. Their opinions, feelings and experiences cloud that awareness.
Even someone who hurts you is just ‘awareness’ on their own journey. There is no real reason to take anything personally.
He also said something profound about human connection. "You and I are the same person deep within. We are all just pure awareness talking to each other.”
He ended the thought in classic Samay Raina style. "So why take anything to your heart? So, naacho, beh*****d!"
Social media reaction
TL;DR: “This guy clearly understood Osho's words much more than nerdy YouTubers,” wrote one of them.
“This guy clearly understood Osho's words much more than nerdy YouTubers,” wrote one of them.
“This is the first time EVER in my life that I had goosebumps,” reacted one user.
Another wrote, “Samay in a parallel universe....”
One user commented, “Ashta Vakra from Samay was not expected. Damn, bro…”
“He knows what he's saying; it's not just bookish knowledge on a surface level. He understands,” came from another.
“Non-vegetarian having veg,” quipped another user, referring to Samay Raina’s comment on his YouTube special, Still
Samay said, “A bad guy can turn good; nobody will care. But, a good guy isn’t allowed to falter. A non-vegetarian can eat vegetarian food. But, if a vegetarian guy…”
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