Osho analyses the function of the human mind in connection with meditation. Responding here to a question related to a space of 'no-mind' or mindfulness he says: "meditation covers a very long pilgrimage. When I say "meditation is witnessing", it is the beginning of meditation. And when I say "meditation is no-mind," it is the completion of the pilgrimage. Witnessing is the beginning, and no-mind is the fulfillment. Witnessing is the method to reach the no-mind. Naturally you will feel witnessing is easier. It is close to you. But witnessing is only like seeds, and then is the long waiting period.
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.
In fact, in Tibet for centuries there has been a strange tradition that whenever a child is born, he is immediately dipped into ice-cold water nine times –a newborn child! Nine children out of ten die, but the reasoning behind such an act is out of a deep understanding of Tibet. If a child is not strong enough to survive those nine dips in the ice-cold water it is better for him to die, because he will remain sick, unhealthy, miserable his whole life.
There is a lot of explanation like this in this book with easy understanding.
The single starts off very well. Suddenly Osho loses focus. The end of the Amazon ebook looks weird. Some other matter creeps in and makes the whole topic go down the gutter drain.
Anyone taking their first steps towards the world of meditaion and spirituality must give this book a try. A short basic read in which Osho talks about the mind, its miraculous powers and the technique to reach a stage where you control the mind and not the opposite. Reaching the "no mind" state.
It is brief but profound read in mind. It changed my perspective on perceiving mind. Will definitely try methods to reach no mind. He conveyed profound phenomena in simple words.
Good read. Short and precise. My first read of this type. Achieving no mind looks a herculean task with the kind of life we all lead but would be worth a try
It is easy to be distracted by memories of the past and dreams of the future. The mind likes to wander in and out of created scenarios that lead it away from the living and existing in the physical moment. What is past and future anyway for it to be so important to continually focus on?
Past is the ordered sequence of events that you want to remember, which is choice based depending on what you wish to determine as important to revisit in your mind. Future is the moments that we would like to live out and the possible sequences that we wish to proceed to. The most important however is the now moment. That is where all is lived out and understood. Without the now moment there is no past or future, and without many now moments, there is no time or meaning to the lives that we live.
If you have to live an experience out anyway, why live in past and future, why not experience life in the moment. Now is where it starts, it is what will define you and make you. The now moment is the most important place to be, it is where you truly exist.
Pricey compared to other full books, for its short length. Otherwise great for inspiration for taming the mind, especially if you are keen for your first glimpse of no-mind or already had one.
This book was a quick read,My first introduction to osho's philosophy,Concept and examples given the book are very relatable and makes you contemplate your own behaviours and habits,Looking forward to read more from him :)
I appreciate the wit and wisdom of this booklet. I think I was hoping for a bit more, whatever that could mean. Maybe as I reread this a few more times I will give a full 5. I'm not disappointed, just wanting more.
Short book. contains one of my all time favorite quotes about the mind. This is worth reading. The last part of the book is less helpful than the rest. The whole book took me 30 mins to read.