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The Book of Man
The Book of Man, written by spiritual guru Osho describes and takes a look at what it is like to be a human being. The book takes a pragmatic outlook on the male psyche and tries to explore what it is like to be able to reason. The book takes a look at the masculine nature of humans along the course of evolution. The book covers a variety of topics like love, sexuality, work and politics. The book is a compilation of Osho's sermons recorded by his followers.
The book is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the idea of Adam, the first man. This part talks in great detail about the idea of the evolution of humanity. Osho speaks of rebels and how their lives are different from others who conform to the societal norms. This book evaluates various types of men and also the personalities of Zorba and Buddha.
The second part deals with the various roles that men play as a partner, a father, a spouse, a brother and their various duties towards their feminine counterparts. The third part deals with the various interests and activities that men undertake to make ends meet like politics, business, science, religion and how each one differs from the other.
Lastly, Osho speaks about his vision of a new man. He envisages a man whose feet are firmly on the ground and whose arms reach the stars. Throughout the course of the book, Osho uses humor to drive his point home. The Book of Man was published by Penguin India and is available in paperback.
The book is divided into four parts. The first part deals with the idea of Adam, the first man. This part talks in great detail about the idea of the evolution of humanity. Osho speaks of rebels and how their lives are different from others who conform to the societal norms. This book evaluates various types of men and also the personalities of Zorba and Buddha.
The second part deals with the various roles that men play as a partner, a father, a spouse, a brother and their various duties towards their feminine counterparts. The third part deals with the various interests and activities that men undertake to make ends meet like politics, business, science, religion and how each one differs from the other.
Lastly, Osho speaks about his vision of a new man. He envisages a man whose feet are firmly on the ground and whose arms reach the stars. Throughout the course of the book, Osho uses humor to drive his point home. The Book of Man was published by Penguin India and is available in paperback.
300 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2013
About the author
Osho
4,376 books6,899 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 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 3, 2026
The Book of Man, Osho, has been an entire experience and journey. The book fell into my hands and an entirely, and strangely prolific time. As of recently I have been entering new depths in my questions of the philosophies of the world, seeking a purpose, fulfilment, higher spiritual alignment. I’ve been using my Kindle since the start of April but as my Kindle Unlimited had ran out, and I hadn’t yet started a family plan with my mum, I looked around on the boat for something to read. Two books caught my eye, The Book of Man and another in which I can’t remember the name of. The other book was based around spiritual guidance, astral projection and more. I don’t feel it left that much of a mark on me. First and foremost there was something I didn’t trust in the authors face (may he rest in peace) and I didn’t enjoy the way he narrated as though he had more value and was better than others. I don’t feel that’s a spiritually divine way to communicate your philosophies. But, The Book of Man resonated with me on an intrinsically deep level. It is the closest thing I’ve ever read or learnt that could be a true and profound message on the ‘purpose of life’, (which is essentially no purpose-just to be), it I’ll let you learn about that for yourself. Of course I’m not naive enough to say ‘this is the way!’ because it could be any way, we will never know. But to me, it is a philosophy that has made complete sense. Half way through reading the book I began to look up Osho, the author. To my shock, ‘Osho’ is the same man as ‘Bhagwan’ the cult leader of the Sannyasins. Last winter I read ‘My Life in Orange’, a book written by a man whose mother joined the cult and so I know a fair amount about it. Everything I heard about Bhagwan was of course negative, and so I couldn’t believe that his philosophies, that I’d just read, had been so beautiful and profound. And I also thought “wow, I understand why so many people wanted to follow him in his way of life!” So now I’m left wondering why Bhagwan became who he became, soon after writing The Book of Man and gaining followers and essentially becoming a leader. I can only think that because of his divine prophecies, and then power he gained, the power and money became too much for him to continue on his divine spiritual journey, and so he began to forget or disregard everything he was on the path to finding beforehand. I still believe that there was once a time where he was very close to divine spirituality and fulfilment, but this was however, lost. I am not supportive of who he became, of course, but I am interested in who he was, before he became Bhagwan. I would still recommend this book to everyone, and I am looking forward to reading his other books.
September 5, 2025
“Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does.” — Jean-Paul Sartre
This book is a must-read—I repeat, a MUST read—for all adults. I know Osho always has some surprising elements to talk about, but this one really stands out.
There is a lot in this book.. It talks about suppression and repression of emotions. Osho declares, “There is no God!” and insists that priests are at the core of all problems. Families are another problem; they always want to control the emotions of children: don’t love, marry at this age, have children at that age, pray to this god, don’t do this, do that, and so on. There are plenty of rules set by families, those are all absurd and only do harm than good to the society.
The rest of the book challenges the masks we wear, the repression of natural instincts, and the burden of societal “shoulds.” Osho speaks candidly about sex, intimacy, celibacy, Tantra, marriage, family, politics, and religion, showing how suppression creates hypocrisy and suffering. He reminds us that every child is born innocent, but society imposes ideals that divide us from our true selves. His message is simple yet profound: love yourself, live authentically, rebel against false authorities, and embrace life fully in the present moment.
“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. The moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep; you become a lion.” — Osho
This book is a must-read—I repeat, a MUST read—for all adults. I know Osho always has some surprising elements to talk about, but this one really stands out.
There is a lot in this book.. It talks about suppression and repression of emotions. Osho declares, “There is no God!” and insists that priests are at the core of all problems. Families are another problem; they always want to control the emotions of children: don’t love, marry at this age, have children at that age, pray to this god, don’t do this, do that, and so on. There are plenty of rules set by families, those are all absurd and only do harm than good to the society.
The rest of the book challenges the masks we wear, the repression of natural instincts, and the burden of societal “shoulds.” Osho speaks candidly about sex, intimacy, celibacy, Tantra, marriage, family, politics, and religion, showing how suppression creates hypocrisy and suffering. He reminds us that every child is born innocent, but society imposes ideals that divide us from our true selves. His message is simple yet profound: love yourself, live authentically, rebel against false authorities, and embrace life fully in the present moment.
“The greatest fear in the world is of the opinions of others. The moment you are unafraid of the crowd, you are no longer a sheep; you become a lion.” — Osho
February 8, 2025
A wonderful book which was a good addition to the J Krishnamurti book I read before this. Before I discuss the similarities let me tell about the best parts. The best thing I liked is that the language is very easy and relatable. It tells us to be present in the moment and see things from own pov rather than ones driven by beliefs trained by others because this kills our creativity more and more. For this reason being the rebel is the best solution but you still need to be self aware so you do not dance to the tunes of anyone else. Osho really discusses different aspects of being a man. But yeah personally I think it is more so about being an individual than a man and yeah many examples and roles we must or we already do play in our lives as men. Coming to the cons; it was not a difficult read at all. It seemed to lack the depth J Krishnamurti's book had. But the message was somewhat the same. Be mindful of yourself and the choices you make. Of course from his point of view complicating things is thinking and we are trying not to think at all and be present. J Krishnamurti also had a similar philosophy albeit a bit more logical and having depth. Overall still a wonderful book.
February 22, 2025
My mind is blown by the contrarian wisdom contained within these pages. I had to read it twice in a row to bring clarity to any fuzzy understandings. I am looking forward to read more of his other books, next one will be The Book of Women.
If I have to choose the 3 main lessons for me from the book, below would be it:
1. Meditation is transformative. You do not need established religions as mediator between you and your self-actualisation. In fact, they only slow you down.
2. There is no God, except your consciousness. The heart is the midway between your head and your being.
3. Be both Zorba and the Buddha, where you live life to the fullest with materialism as well as deep spiritualism and contentment. All spiritual leaders have taught to live with only one or the other, but not Osho.
Be a rebel with a vision.
If I have to choose the 3 main lessons for me from the book, below would be it:
1. Meditation is transformative. You do not need established religions as mediator between you and your self-actualisation. In fact, they only slow you down.
2. There is no God, except your consciousness. The heart is the midway between your head and your being.
3. Be both Zorba and the Buddha, where you live life to the fullest with materialism as well as deep spiritualism and contentment. All spiritual leaders have taught to live with only one or the other, but not Osho.
Be a rebel with a vision.
February 5, 2026
★★☆☆☆ I now get it, I understand why he was and continues to be so popular. He’s smart and eloquent, very rich and decadent, and encouraged all sorts of violence. His wish from the world was to follow the big power that was him.
April 19, 2026
Mind opening , it takes you to a different dimension thinking about the stereotypes and all superstitious beliefs that were set in our life.You would get detached from all your attachments to the beliefs and every thing you thought was true . It gives you the power to ask questions like We should not eat meat, But why and who told us not to eat? Like this you get a new way of living the life and promoting individuality rather than other religious aspects. And many more things are there which really is one of the greatest books by OSHO .
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews