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Ancient Music in the Pines
Today, humanity is caught up in the mad complexity of the mind, and as never before, there is an urgent need to rediscover simplicity and innocence. Osho brings to life the inherent and timeless wisdom of traditional Zen stories.
He shows us that Zen is a way of dissolving philosophical problems, not of solving them. It is a way of getting rid of philosophy, because philosophy is a sort of neurosis. Zen is for those intelligent enough to understand the limitations of the intellect and ready to recognize the significance of intuition in the world of mysticism.
He shows us that Zen is a way of dissolving philosophical problems, not of solving them. It is a way of getting rid of philosophy, because philosophy is a sort of neurosis. Zen is for those intelligent enough to understand the limitations of the intellect and ready to recognize the significance of intuition in the world of mysticism.
280 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1977
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117 people want to read
About the author
Osho
4,354 books6,782 followersRajneesh (born Chandra Mohan Jain, 11 December 1931 – 19 January 1990) and latter rebranded as Osho was leader of the Rajneesh movement. During his lifetime he was viewed as a controversial new religious movement leader and mystic.
In the 1960s he traveled throughout India as a public speaker and was a vocal critic of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and Hindu religious orthodoxy.
Rajneesh emphasized the importance of meditation, mindfulness, love, celebration, courage, creativity and humor—qualities that he viewed as being suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialization.
In advocating a more open attitude to human sexuality he caused controversy in India during the late 1960s and became known as "the sex guru".
In 1970, Rajneesh spent time in Mumbai initiating followers known as "neo-sannyasins". During this period he expanded his spiritual teachings and commented extensively in discourses on the writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world. In 1974 Rajneesh relocated to Pune, where an ashram was established and a variety of therapies, incorporating methods first developed by the Human Potential Movement, were offered to a growing Western following. By the late 1970s, the tension between the ruling Janata Party government of Morarji Desai and the movement led to a curbing of the ashram's development and a back taxes claim estimated at $5 million.
In 1981, the Rajneesh movement's efforts refocused on activities in the United States and Rajneesh relocated to a facility known as Rajneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon. Almost immediately the movement ran into conflict with county residents and the state government, and a succession of legal battles concerning the ashram's construction and continued development curtailed its success.
In 1985, in the wake of a series of serious crimes by his followers, including a mass food poisoning attack with Salmonella bacteria and an aborted assassination plot to murder U.S. Attorney Charles H. Turner, Rajneesh alleged that his personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela and her close supporters had been responsible. He was later deported from the United States in accordance with an Alford plea bargain.[
After his deportation, 21 countries denied him entry. He ultimately returned to India and a revived Pune ashram, where he died in 1990. Rajneesh's ashram, now known as OSHO International Meditation Resort and all associated intellectual property, is managed by the Zurich registered Osho International Foundation (formerly Rajneesh International Foundation). Rajneesh's teachings have had a notable impact on Western New Age thought, and their popularity has increased markedly since his death.
In the 1960s he traveled throughout India as a public speaker and was a vocal critic of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and Hindu religious orthodoxy.
Rajneesh emphasized the importance of meditation, mindfulness, love, celebration, courage, creativity and humor—qualities that he viewed as being suppressed by adherence to static belief systems, religious tradition and socialization.
In advocating a more open attitude to human sexuality he caused controversy in India during the late 1960s and became known as "the sex guru".
In 1970, Rajneesh spent time in Mumbai initiating followers known as "neo-sannyasins". During this period he expanded his spiritual teachings and commented extensively in discourses on the writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world. In 1974 Rajneesh relocated to Pune, where an ashram was established and a variety of therapies, incorporating methods first developed by the Human Potential Movement, were offered to a growing Western following. By the late 1970s, the tension between the ruling Janata Party government of Morarji Desai and the movement led to a curbing of the ashram's development and a back taxes claim estimated at $5 million.
In 1981, the Rajneesh movement's efforts refocused on activities in the United States and Rajneesh relocated to a facility known as Rajneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon. Almost immediately the movement ran into conflict with county residents and the state government, and a succession of legal battles concerning the ashram's construction and continued development curtailed its success.
In 1985, in the wake of a series of serious crimes by his followers, including a mass food poisoning attack with Salmonella bacteria and an aborted assassination plot to murder U.S. Attorney Charles H. Turner, Rajneesh alleged that his personal secretary Ma Anand Sheela and her close supporters had been responsible. He was later deported from the United States in accordance with an Alford plea bargain.[
After his deportation, 21 countries denied him entry. He ultimately returned to India and a revived Pune ashram, where he died in 1990. Rajneesh's ashram, now known as OSHO International Meditation Resort and all associated intellectual property, is managed by the Zurich registered Osho International Foundation (formerly Rajneesh International Foundation). Rajneesh's teachings have had a notable impact on Western New Age thought, and their popularity has increased markedly since his death.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 14, 2020
Osho is one of the great minds of Eastern teachings. His far reaching knowledge of his Indian ancestors combined with his awareness of various religious approaches across the world makes him one of the more accessible people to go to if you’re looking for an informative introduction on Zen Buddhism. But not just that. Even if you’re already deep into the subject of this ancient religion and somehow didn’t come across Osho’s name you will not regret to open one of his books or listen to some of his discourses.
The one main thing I really liked about this piece of literature is its cohesiveness. Each chapter is the equivalent of a complete thought that serves as somewhat of a foundation for the subsequent one. His ability to combine ancient Zen stories with his own outlook on life and his vast amount of always fitting anecdotes really left an impression on me that made me put down the book several times in order to let his effortless way of teaching the deep but yet so simple understanding of Zen Buddhism sink in.
I’m really just at the beginning of getting to know Eastern philosophy but books like this one provide an enormous help to broaden my world view. And not just in a religious way, the mere methods of Osho’s teachings are pleasantly different from everything else I’ve read so far.
And how could it be different? It’s the silence out of which Osho is speaking.
The one main thing I really liked about this piece of literature is its cohesiveness. Each chapter is the equivalent of a complete thought that serves as somewhat of a foundation for the subsequent one. His ability to combine ancient Zen stories with his own outlook on life and his vast amount of always fitting anecdotes really left an impression on me that made me put down the book several times in order to let his effortless way of teaching the deep but yet so simple understanding of Zen Buddhism sink in.
I’m really just at the beginning of getting to know Eastern philosophy but books like this one provide an enormous help to broaden my world view. And not just in a religious way, the mere methods of Osho’s teachings are pleasantly different from everything else I’ve read so far.
And how could it be different? It’s the silence out of which Osho is speaking.
July 24, 2020
Zen is not a philosophy at all. To approach Zen as if it is a philosophy is to begin in a wrong way from the very beginning. A philosophy is something of the mind; Zen is totally beyond the mind. Zen is the process of going above the mind, far away from the mind; it is the process of transcendence, of surpassing the mind. You cannot understand it by the mind, mind has no function in it. Zen is a state of no-mind, that has to be remembered.
To understand Zen, you need not make a philosophical effort; you have to go deep into meditation. And what is meditation all about? Meditation is a jump from the mind into no-mind, from thoughts to no-thought. Mind means thinking, no-mind means pure awareness. One simply is aware. Only then will you be able to understand Zen – through experience, not through any intellectual effort.
And mind consists of past and future; mind knows nothing of the present. Mind is always occupied, it is never unoccupied. And whenever the mind is unoccupied, utterly without any thought, just watchful, alert, conscious -- there arises a great presence.
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To understand Zen, you need not make a philosophical effort; you have to go deep into meditation. And what is meditation all about? Meditation is a jump from the mind into no-mind, from thoughts to no-thought. Mind means thinking, no-mind means pure awareness. One simply is aware. Only then will you be able to understand Zen – through experience, not through any intellectual effort.
And mind consists of past and future; mind knows nothing of the present. Mind is always occupied, it is never unoccupied. And whenever the mind is unoccupied, utterly without any thought, just watchful, alert, conscious -- there arises a great presence.
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December 9, 2018
Osho... Refreshing as always...
February 14, 2019
The Sound of the Wind in the trees. The Sound of Music. The Sound of Silence. All is one is all. Awareness.Zen mind, beginners’ mind. Knowledge. Truth. Freedom. Power. “Enough for today”.
May 4, 2020
يمكن لأوشو دائماً أن يفاجئك بأفكار ومفاهيم جديدة..
لظيفة هي القصص التي يذكرها عن الـ Zen..
وكالعادة يدفعك أوشو لتغير الكثير في العالم الداخلي عله ينفتح على أفق أوسع..
لظيفة هي القصص التي يذكرها عن الـ Zen..
وكالعادة يدفعك أوشو لتغير الكثير في العالم الداخلي عله ينفتح على أفق أوسع..
September 12, 2020
If you have experience meditation in a deeper level, this talks will help you to expand your knowledge about those experiences.
September 29, 2016
Osho’s talks on Zen are some of his most illuminating and entertaining, and Ancient Music in the Pines is another nice addition to the series. Looking at a handful of Zen parables, Osho elucidates the subtle qualities of Zen that lead to a state of no-mind and emptiness.
Of note were his discussions of the left and right brain, meditation, and paravritti, a sort of inward turning of energy that helps one to achieve insight and clarity. The parables included are short yet entertaining, including a nice story about Bodhidharma.
All in all, this was a pleasure to read because you have both the Zen stories and Osho's interpretation of them. As Osho notes: “Zen people talk through stories. They have to talk through stories because they cannot create theories or doctrines, they can only tell stories. They are great storytellers.”
Of note were his discussions of the left and right brain, meditation, and paravritti, a sort of inward turning of energy that helps one to achieve insight and clarity. The parables included are short yet entertaining, including a nice story about Bodhidharma.
All in all, this was a pleasure to read because you have both the Zen stories and Osho's interpretation of them. As Osho notes: “Zen people talk through stories. They have to talk through stories because they cannot create theories or doctrines, they can only tell stories. They are great storytellers.”
November 24, 2015
Of the few philosophical books i hv read , this was not boring enough to be completed! osho keeps stressing on the need to be aware and present in life & not to be ruled over by mind ! i am trying to practice a few but it involves tremendous effort with the kind of chaotic mind we humans have these days! A good soothing read !
September 24, 2015
Osho hints that being aware and living with spontaneity and totality is enlightenment. There are some outstanding anecdotes and career related advice given so that even a layman reading the book can perfectly comprehend the message. A blissful read :)
September 28, 2021
Osho is one of the greatest masters to walk this planet. His lessons and methods are useful even today. Whenever I feel depressed and low I read Osho.
September 22, 2014
It is beautiful how Osho explain the things using anecdotes. Perfect way of teaching !
September 9, 2014
its one of the most profound books i have read from OSHO , brilliant
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews