Energy has two dimensions: existence and nonexistence. Energy can ’be’ and it also can ’not be’. Hence Yoga’s understanding is that creation is only one side, the other side is annihilation. It is not that all this will exist for ever! It will disappear, it will be destroyed. It will go on becoming again and again. For instance, if you break a seed and look into it, there is no trace of any tree there. 

No matter how much you search, you will not find any trace of a tree. But the tree certainly comes from this small seed. You have never thought about what is not found in the seed. Where does the tree come from then? And such a huge tree was hidden in such a small seed! And then after giving birth to seeds that tree dissolves. Exactly like this, the whole existence comes into being and then dissolves. Energy comes into existence and then merges into nonexistence.

It is very difficult to catch hold of nonexistence. Existence is of course visible to us. Hence, according to Yoga, those who accept only existence, those who understand that existence is all, are seeing only the play. And to know only the play is ignorance. 

Ignorance does not mean that one does not know. Ignorance means, one knows only the play. Knowing as such is there. Even if one knows that he does not know, then too the knowing is there. So the knowing is in all of us. So, ignorance does not mean not knowing. The most ignorant of all also knows some things. The meaning of ignorance according to Yoga is to know only half. And remember, half truth is worse than untruth. Because it is possible to be free of untruth, but to be free from half truth is very difficult. It appears to be the truth and it is not. If it is wholly the untruth, purely the untruth, then it won’t take time to be free from it. But if it is a half truth, it is very difficult to be free from it.

There is one more reason, a thing like truth cannot be divided into halves. In dividing it into halves it dies. Can you divide your love into half? Can you say ”I love you half” to somebody? Either you love or you do not love, but half love is not possible. Can you say, ”I do half stealing?” Maybe you steal half a rupee, but the stealing of half a rupee is also full stealing, and the stealing of half a paisa is also full stealing. Half stealing cannot be done. Half of a thing can be stolen but the stealing cannot be half.

The very meaning of half is that you are in illusion.

The Sun of Consciousness

Osho