"What is in your mind will sooner or later manifest in your life."

Once upon a time, there was a traveler who accidentally found himself in paradise. In the Indian paradise, there were trees that granted wishes. If you sat beneath them and desired something, it would be granted instantly.

The man fell asleep under one such tree, and upon waking up, he thought, "I wish I had something to eat." Abracadabra! A delicious meal appeared from the sky at his feet. He ate to his heart's content and thought, "If only I had something to drink." And poof, a cup of heavenly wine appeared before him.

Then, the traveler began to ponder. What was happening here? Was it a nightmare, or were mischievous spirits playing tricks on him? Whoosh! The air around him seemed filled with malevolent spirits. Now, he became fearful, thinking they might kill him. And he died.

This story was told by Osho, and he shares the following insight: "That tree is your own mind. What is in your mind will sooner or later manifest in your life. Sometimes, there's so much time in between that you forget, and if you look deep enough, you'll see that your own thoughts create you and your life.

You create your own paradise and your own hell. We are all magicians, weaving a web around ourselves in which we can become trapped. Once you realize this, everything changes. Then, you can transform your own hell into a paradise. It's (almost) entirely your responsibility. And then, he says, a new possibility arises—to stop creating. There is no longer a need to manifest anything. The magician or creator can relax. The withdrawal of the mind is meditation."

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