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Yoga: the path to liberation

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Liberation,' says Osho, 'means coming back home.' According to Osho, 'Life is nothing but an expression of silence.' We come out of silence, but then lose our way. In order to experience this silence again and attain liberation, we need to rediscover the path back to our pure being. Only then can the cycle be complete; then will we be able to reach kaivalya, a state which Osho tells us is higher than either moksha or nirvana. The key is simple: we must not identify with our bodies and minds, as all identification is outwards, and we are going on an inner journey. And Osho emphasizes, as always, the importance of combining intelligence, awareness and humour on this journey. In addition to speaking on the Yoga sutras of Patanjali, Osho addresses questions about life and how to live it without fear of pain, old age or death. Osho's answers are never the same, for he doesn't answer-he responds. As he has often said himself, 'Your questions may be the same, but the answers of a Buddha always have a new nuance to them, a new flavour, a new fragrance.

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 26, 2005

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About the author

Osho

4,294 books6,795 followers
Rajneesh (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.

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10 reviews
January 21, 2020
A simple and straight explanation of the fundamentals of life! But I felt the language and the connection of concepts could have been better.
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