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Osho Insights for a new way of living
Mut: Lebe wild und gefährlich
Sprich nicht von Unsicherheit, nenne es Freiheit
Mut bedeutet nicht, frei zu sein von Angst, sondern vielmehr, sich im vollen Bewusstsein seiner Ängste mit ihnen zu konfrontieren. Mut ist die Bereitschaft, der fundamentalen Unsicherheit des Lebens zu begegnen und sie als das grundlegende Mysterium unserer Existenz zu achten. Osho, der provokantespirituelle Lehrer, der seine Schüler und Anhänger stets radikal mit der existenziellen Ungewissheit des Lebens konfrontierte, beantwortet hier alle Fragen rund um das Thema Mut und Ängste. Er fordert dazu auf, jeden Augenblick des Lebens in all seiner Schönheit und Freude wie auch in seinem Schrecken und Schmerz bewusst zu erfahren – denn es gibt nichts zu fürchten!
Mut bedeutet nicht, frei zu sein von Angst, sondern vielmehr, sich im vollen Bewusstsein seiner Ängste mit ihnen zu konfrontieren. Mut ist die Bereitschaft, der fundamentalen Unsicherheit des Lebens zu begegnen und sie als das grundlegende Mysterium unserer Existenz zu achten. Osho, der provokantespirituelle Lehrer, der seine Schüler und Anhänger stets radikal mit der existenziellen Ungewissheit des Lebens konfrontierte, beantwortet hier alle Fragen rund um das Thema Mut und Ängste. Er fordert dazu auf, jeden Augenblick des Lebens in all seiner Schönheit und Freude wie auch in seinem Schrecken und Schmerz bewusst zu erfahren – denn es gibt nichts zu fürchten!
228 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1977
1286 people are currently reading
18166 people want to read
About the author
Osho
4,353 books6,775 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 - 30 of 476 reviews
February 14, 2008
Ive read this book twice, and each time afterward felt the need to purchase 20 copies and give them to total strangers. Osho's approach to religion/spirituality is simple, he uses common sense and fearless boldness to knock down our preconcieved notions of our approach to life. This is an amazing, easy read, and should be required reading for all.
April 27, 2015
The comments below are the result of only a few hours of research on Osho (aka Rajneesh). Like other serious readers, I routinely try to find out more about the authors of books I read.
These comments present information and links that some Osho fans may find disturbing, but that presumably any past, current or future reader of Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously and his other books would want to know about.
Rajneesh/Osho was at the center of many controversies for his entire adult life -- for good reason, it seems. The examples below, taken from among hundreds of Rajneesh/Osho's statements and exposés about him, should support this statement.
Rajneesh/Osho described Mahatma Gandhi as "a masochist reactionary who worshipped poverty". The Indian press began calling him the "sex guru" because of the indulgent attitude he took toward followers of both sexes, who were sometimes encouraged to have nude group encounters as he looked on. Rajneesh/Osho also advocated euthanasia for children born with birth defects.
Rajneesh/Osho voiced openly anti-Semitic opinions and blamed the AIDS epidemic on gays, whom he considered "not even a human being". He believed that "it was going to be necessary to kill people to stay in Oregon" and that "Hitler had great vision".
In 1981 Rajneesh/Osho and his staff fled India, where authorities had begun questioning his practices. He set up a new headquarters on a 64,000 acre ranch in rural Oregon (USA). There he acquired a large following and also, by the time he was deported and fined $400,000 in 1984 for felony convictions, a fleet of 93 Rolls Royces.
According to the Wikipedia article about her, in 1985 his secretary and chief assistant in Oregon "pleaded guilty of attempted murder, assault, telephone tapping, immigration fraud, and product tampering as the main planner of the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack in Wasco County, in which hundreds of people were made ill by salmonella poisoning. It was the first act of mass bioterrorism in the United States."
Many other instances of behaviors and acts that don't seem consistent with Rajneesh/Osho's writings may be found at the links above. Yet the sect's followers remain numerous today, over two decades after his death in 1990.
The results of even brief research will call into question Osho's status as a legitimate guru. Potential readers might do well to evaluate him in light of the criteria usually applied to awakened masters, asking themselves:
• Is this the kind of attitude and behavior I associate with realized beings?
• Could a teacher who claims, or is said, to have attained union with the Cosmos and all life forms deliberately cause distress to them?
• How does Osho's conduct compare with the conduct of teachers widely admired for their integrity and wisdom (like the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ayya Khema, Sadhguru, Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Ajahn Brahmavamso, Robina Courtin, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhante Gunaratana, Pema Chödrön, Joseph Goldstein, S.N. Goenka, among others)?
• Do recommended teachings and practices deepen experiences of peace, well-being, independence and insight among students? Or do they impose belief systems, build personality cults, restrict freedom and undermine self-image and mental health?
These comments present information and links that some Osho fans may find disturbing, but that presumably any past, current or future reader of Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously and his other books would want to know about.
Rajneesh/Osho was at the center of many controversies for his entire adult life -- for good reason, it seems. The examples below, taken from among hundreds of Rajneesh/Osho's statements and exposés about him, should support this statement.
Rajneesh/Osho described Mahatma Gandhi as "a masochist reactionary who worshipped poverty". The Indian press began calling him the "sex guru" because of the indulgent attitude he took toward followers of both sexes, who were sometimes encouraged to have nude group encounters as he looked on. Rajneesh/Osho also advocated euthanasia for children born with birth defects.
Rajneesh/Osho voiced openly anti-Semitic opinions and blamed the AIDS epidemic on gays, whom he considered "not even a human being". He believed that "it was going to be necessary to kill people to stay in Oregon" and that "Hitler had great vision".
In 1981 Rajneesh/Osho and his staff fled India, where authorities had begun questioning his practices. He set up a new headquarters on a 64,000 acre ranch in rural Oregon (USA). There he acquired a large following and also, by the time he was deported and fined $400,000 in 1984 for felony convictions, a fleet of 93 Rolls Royces.
According to the Wikipedia article about her, in 1985 his secretary and chief assistant in Oregon "pleaded guilty of attempted murder, assault, telephone tapping, immigration fraud, and product tampering as the main planner of the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack in Wasco County, in which hundreds of people were made ill by salmonella poisoning. It was the first act of mass bioterrorism in the United States."
Many other instances of behaviors and acts that don't seem consistent with Rajneesh/Osho's writings may be found at the links above. Yet the sect's followers remain numerous today, over two decades after his death in 1990.
The results of even brief research will call into question Osho's status as a legitimate guru. Potential readers might do well to evaluate him in light of the criteria usually applied to awakened masters, asking themselves:
• Is this the kind of attitude and behavior I associate with realized beings?
• Could a teacher who claims, or is said, to have attained union with the Cosmos and all life forms deliberately cause distress to them?
• How does Osho's conduct compare with the conduct of teachers widely admired for their integrity and wisdom (like the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, Ayya Khema, Sadhguru, Krishnamurti, Ramana Maharshi, Thanissaro Bhikkhu, Ajahn Brahmavamso, Robina Courtin, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Bhante Gunaratana, Pema Chödrön, Joseph Goldstein, S.N. Goenka, among others)?
• Do recommended teachings and practices deepen experiences of peace, well-being, independence and insight among students? Or do they impose belief systems, build personality cults, restrict freedom and undermine self-image and mental health?
September 30, 2009
'Life is an adventure or it's nothing'. Who said that? I thoroughly agree. There are always obstacles and fears at every point, and the danger is always to give up and lose sight of one's dream. The dream is what gives life it's freshness. Even if it is lost sight of on occasion, the high peak is still there, beckoning you on, obscured often by mist and lower peaks. As Goethe said, 'Whosoever continually strives upward - him can we save'. I have always continually strived towards the object of my desire, though the road has often been perilous and obstructions have often been placed in my path. If there is something you want badly enough nothing can discourage you. The trick lies in living with fear and accepting it as a green light rather than a red one. There are always bright new horizons of hope if the fear is pushed through. The fear itself is a positive thing, inviting one to unknown lands and wonderful new experiences. Fortune favours the brave.
February 6, 2017
اشو یك متفكر، یك روشنگر است با افكار منحصر به فرد خود كه به نظر .من تعدادیشون بسیار جالب و تامل برانگیزه
"عشق مسموم شده، اما هنوز تخریب نشده است. میشود سم را از درونتاندور كرد. شست و شو داد. تو میتوانی همه ی انچه جامعه به زور به خوردت داده بالا بیاوری. میتوانی تمام عقاید، تمام مسائل شرطی شده را دور بریزی و آزاد شوی"
"عشق مسموم شده، اما هنوز تخریب نشده است. میشود سم را از درونتاندور كرد. شست و شو داد. تو میتوانی همه ی انچه جامعه به زور به خوردت داده بالا بیاوری. میتوانی تمام عقاید، تمام مسائل شرطی شده را دور بریزی و آزاد شوی"
May 18, 2012
Churches, religions, organized sects-they teach you to pray. But in fact they hinder you from praying because prayer is a spontaneous phenomenon, it cannot be taught. If you have been taught a prayer in your childhood, you have been prevented from a beautiful experience that could have happened. Pg 71
If you talk to a rose, which is more alive than any stone image, which is more divine than any stone image...If you talk to a tree, which is more deeply rooted in God than any cross because no cross has roots, it is a dead thing-that's why it kills...A tree is alive, with roots deep into the earth, branches high into the sky, connected with the whole, with the rays of the sun, with the stars- talk to the trees! That can be a contact point with the divine. Pg 74
It is your fear that makes you a slave - it is your fear. When you are fearless you are no longer a slave; in fact, it is your fear that forces you to make others slaves before they can try to make a slave out of you. Pg 6
The whole are for the new humanity will consist in the secret of listening to the heart consciously, alertly, attentively. And follow it, go wherever it takes you. Yes, sometimes it will take you into dangers- but remember, those dangers are needed to make you ripe. Sometimes it will take you astray- but remember again, those goings astray are part of growth. Many times you will fall- rise up again, because this is how one gathers strength, by falling and rising again. This is how one becomes integrated.
But don't follow rules imposed from the outside. No imposed rule can ever be right- because rules are invented by people who want to rule you! Yes, sometimes there have been great enlightened people in the world, too- a Buddha, a Jesus, a Krishna, A Mohammed. They have NOT given rules to the world- they have given their love. But sooner or later the disciples gather together and start making codes of conduct. Once the Master is gone, once the light is gone and they are in deep darkness, they start groping for certain rules to follow, because now the light in which they could have seen is no longer there. Now they will have to depend on rules.
What Jesus did was his own heart's whispering, and what Christians go on doing is not their own heart's whispering. They are IMITATORS- and the moment you imitate you insult your humanity, you insult you God.
Never be an imitator, be always original. Don't become a carbon copy. But that's what is happening all over the world- carbon copies and carbon copies. Pg 10
The Ten Commandments- so simple! - you know what is right and what is wrong. But life goes on changing continuously. If Moses comes back, I don't think he will give you the same ten commandments- he cannot. After three thousand years, how can he give you the same commandments? He will have to invent something new.
But my own understanding is this: whenever commandments are given, they create difficulties for people because by the time they are given they already out of date. Life moves so fast; it is a dynamism, it is not static. It is not a stagnant pool, it is a Ganges, it goes on flowing. It is never the same for two consecutive moments. So one thing may be right this moment and may not be right the next. Pg 13
Existence precedes thinking. So existence is not a state of mind, it is a state beyond. To be, not to think, is the way to know the fundamental. Science means thinking, philosophy means thinking, theology means thinking. Religiousness does not mean thinking. The religious approach is a nonthinking approach. It is more intimate, it brings you closer to reality. Pg 17
Thinking can think only about the known- it can chew the already chewed. Thinking can never be original. How can you think about the unknown? At the most, thinking can create new combinations. You can think about a horse who flies in the sky, who is made of gold, but nothing is new. You know birds who fly in the sky, you know gold, you know horses; you combine the three together. So thinking goes in a circle, goes on knowing the known again and again. It goes on chewing the chewed. Thinking is never original. Pg 18
Science is the murderer of mystery. Pg 20
THE WHOLE WORLD IS FULL OF PSEUDORELIGIOUS PEOPLE- churches, temples, gurudwaras, mosques, full of religious people. And can't you see that the world is absolutely irreligious? With so many religious people, the world is so irreligious- how is this miracle happening? Everybody is religious and the total is irreligiousness. The religion is false. People have "cultivated" trust. Trust has become a belief, not an experience. They have been taught to believe, they have not been taught to know- that's where humanity has missed.
NEVER BELIEVE. If you cannot trust it is better to doubt, because through doubt, someday or other the possibility of trust will arise. You cannot live with doubt eternally. Doubt is disease; it is an illness. In doubt you never feel fulfilled; in doubt you will always tremble; in doubt you will always remain in anguish and divided and indecisive. Pg 24
You have been taught to believe- from the very childhood, everybody's mind has been conditioned to believe; believe in God, believe in the soul, believe in this and believe in that. Now that belief has entered into your bones and your blood, but it remains a belief- you have not known. And unless you know you cannot be liberated. Knowledge liberates, only knowing liberates. All beliefs are borrowed; others have given them to you, they are not your flowerings. And how can a borrowed thing lead you toward the real, the absolutely real? Pg 25
So remember, there is a great difference between trust and belief. Trust is personal; belief is social. Trust you have to grow in; belief you can remain in, whatsoever you are, and belief can be imposed on you. Drop beliefs. The fear will be there- because if you drop belief, doubt arises. Each belief is forcing doubt into hiding somewhere, repressing doubt. Don't be worried about it; let doubt come. Trust cannot be "cultivated"- and never try to cultivate it; that is what has been done by the whole of humanity. Cultivated trust becomes belief. Discover trust within yourself, don't cultivate it. Go deeper into your being, to the very source of your being, and discover it. Pg 26
A man of little trust can only doubt a little. A man of no trust can only pretend that he doubts. Pg 27
When I say the word trust I mean the eyes of the heart. And when I say doubt I mean the legs of your intellect. Pg 31
In a better world, every family will learn from children. You are in such a hurry to teach them. Nobody seems to learn from them, and they have much to teach you. And you have nothing to teach them. Pg 49
Mind thinks it is mad. Mind thinks it is not rational to leave the old. But God is always the new. That's why we cannot use past tense or future tense for God. We cannot say "God was," we cannot say "God will be." We can only use the present: "God is." It is always fresh, virgin. Pg 55
Courage is not the absence of fear, says Osho. It is, rather, the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it. This book provides a bird's-eye view of the whole terrain--where fears originate, how to understand them, and how to find the courage to face them. In the process, Osho proposes that whenever we are faced with uncertainty and change in our lives, it is actually a cause for celebration. Instead of trying to hang on to the familiar and the known, we can learn to enjoy these situations as opportunities for adventure and for deepening our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Pg 1
If you talk to a rose, which is more alive than any stone image, which is more divine than any stone image...If you talk to a tree, which is more deeply rooted in God than any cross because no cross has roots, it is a dead thing-that's why it kills...A tree is alive, with roots deep into the earth, branches high into the sky, connected with the whole, with the rays of the sun, with the stars- talk to the trees! That can be a contact point with the divine. Pg 74
It is your fear that makes you a slave - it is your fear. When you are fearless you are no longer a slave; in fact, it is your fear that forces you to make others slaves before they can try to make a slave out of you. Pg 6
The whole are for the new humanity will consist in the secret of listening to the heart consciously, alertly, attentively. And follow it, go wherever it takes you. Yes, sometimes it will take you into dangers- but remember, those dangers are needed to make you ripe. Sometimes it will take you astray- but remember again, those goings astray are part of growth. Many times you will fall- rise up again, because this is how one gathers strength, by falling and rising again. This is how one becomes integrated.
But don't follow rules imposed from the outside. No imposed rule can ever be right- because rules are invented by people who want to rule you! Yes, sometimes there have been great enlightened people in the world, too- a Buddha, a Jesus, a Krishna, A Mohammed. They have NOT given rules to the world- they have given their love. But sooner or later the disciples gather together and start making codes of conduct. Once the Master is gone, once the light is gone and they are in deep darkness, they start groping for certain rules to follow, because now the light in which they could have seen is no longer there. Now they will have to depend on rules.
What Jesus did was his own heart's whispering, and what Christians go on doing is not their own heart's whispering. They are IMITATORS- and the moment you imitate you insult your humanity, you insult you God.
Never be an imitator, be always original. Don't become a carbon copy. But that's what is happening all over the world- carbon copies and carbon copies. Pg 10
The Ten Commandments- so simple! - you know what is right and what is wrong. But life goes on changing continuously. If Moses comes back, I don't think he will give you the same ten commandments- he cannot. After three thousand years, how can he give you the same commandments? He will have to invent something new.
But my own understanding is this: whenever commandments are given, they create difficulties for people because by the time they are given they already out of date. Life moves so fast; it is a dynamism, it is not static. It is not a stagnant pool, it is a Ganges, it goes on flowing. It is never the same for two consecutive moments. So one thing may be right this moment and may not be right the next. Pg 13
Existence precedes thinking. So existence is not a state of mind, it is a state beyond. To be, not to think, is the way to know the fundamental. Science means thinking, philosophy means thinking, theology means thinking. Religiousness does not mean thinking. The religious approach is a nonthinking approach. It is more intimate, it brings you closer to reality. Pg 17
Thinking can think only about the known- it can chew the already chewed. Thinking can never be original. How can you think about the unknown? At the most, thinking can create new combinations. You can think about a horse who flies in the sky, who is made of gold, but nothing is new. You know birds who fly in the sky, you know gold, you know horses; you combine the three together. So thinking goes in a circle, goes on knowing the known again and again. It goes on chewing the chewed. Thinking is never original. Pg 18
Science is the murderer of mystery. Pg 20
THE WHOLE WORLD IS FULL OF PSEUDORELIGIOUS PEOPLE- churches, temples, gurudwaras, mosques, full of religious people. And can't you see that the world is absolutely irreligious? With so many religious people, the world is so irreligious- how is this miracle happening? Everybody is religious and the total is irreligiousness. The religion is false. People have "cultivated" trust. Trust has become a belief, not an experience. They have been taught to believe, they have not been taught to know- that's where humanity has missed.
NEVER BELIEVE. If you cannot trust it is better to doubt, because through doubt, someday or other the possibility of trust will arise. You cannot live with doubt eternally. Doubt is disease; it is an illness. In doubt you never feel fulfilled; in doubt you will always tremble; in doubt you will always remain in anguish and divided and indecisive. Pg 24
You have been taught to believe- from the very childhood, everybody's mind has been conditioned to believe; believe in God, believe in the soul, believe in this and believe in that. Now that belief has entered into your bones and your blood, but it remains a belief- you have not known. And unless you know you cannot be liberated. Knowledge liberates, only knowing liberates. All beliefs are borrowed; others have given them to you, they are not your flowerings. And how can a borrowed thing lead you toward the real, the absolutely real? Pg 25
So remember, there is a great difference between trust and belief. Trust is personal; belief is social. Trust you have to grow in; belief you can remain in, whatsoever you are, and belief can be imposed on you. Drop beliefs. The fear will be there- because if you drop belief, doubt arises. Each belief is forcing doubt into hiding somewhere, repressing doubt. Don't be worried about it; let doubt come. Trust cannot be "cultivated"- and never try to cultivate it; that is what has been done by the whole of humanity. Cultivated trust becomes belief. Discover trust within yourself, don't cultivate it. Go deeper into your being, to the very source of your being, and discover it. Pg 26
A man of little trust can only doubt a little. A man of no trust can only pretend that he doubts. Pg 27
When I say the word trust I mean the eyes of the heart. And when I say doubt I mean the legs of your intellect. Pg 31
In a better world, every family will learn from children. You are in such a hurry to teach them. Nobody seems to learn from them, and they have much to teach you. And you have nothing to teach them. Pg 49
Mind thinks it is mad. Mind thinks it is not rational to leave the old. But God is always the new. That's why we cannot use past tense or future tense for God. We cannot say "God was," we cannot say "God will be." We can only use the present: "God is." It is always fresh, virgin. Pg 55
Courage is not the absence of fear, says Osho. It is, rather, the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it. This book provides a bird's-eye view of the whole terrain--where fears originate, how to understand them, and how to find the courage to face them. In the process, Osho proposes that whenever we are faced with uncertainty and change in our lives, it is actually a cause for celebration. Instead of trying to hang on to the familiar and the known, we can learn to enjoy these situations as opportunities for adventure and for deepening our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Pg 1
February 10, 2009
i'm on a whole OSHO trip as of late. I am totally digging on this guy.
tim robbins says of him-"were enough americans to heed the brilliantly provocative words in this book, we might actually become "the land of the free and the home of the brave. 'imagine that!"
if i was taught this stuff instead of that other mumbo jumbo in catechism, i might have enjoyed my mistakes more. but i'm glad it came along when it did. (thanks AGAIN trevor, my literary guide!)
tim robbins says of him-"were enough americans to heed the brilliantly provocative words in this book, we might actually become "the land of the free and the home of the brave. 'imagine that!"
if i was taught this stuff instead of that other mumbo jumbo in catechism, i might have enjoyed my mistakes more. but i'm glad it came along when it did. (thanks AGAIN trevor, my literary guide!)
July 27, 2017
اولین کتابی بود که از 'اشو' خواندم...مملو از ایدههای عجیب و غریب و بعضا دلچسب در مورد مسائل مختلف نظیر اعتقاد ب خدا، اعتماد، عشق، مراقبه و و و.
شاید اندکی ترغیب شدم بیشتر از او بخوانم : )
از پایان کتاب:
"اکنون ما در این سمت هستیم و از طرف دیگر خبری نداریم. در مورد آن سمت تنها میشود تخیل کرد. به همین خاطر است که بهشت و جهنم و هر نوع تجسمی بکر و بدوی است. ما در این سمت هستیم و مردی در حال مرگ است. از نظر ما او در حال مرگ است ولی شاید در حال تولد باشد."
شاید اندکی ترغیب شدم بیشتر از او بخوانم : )
از پایان کتاب:
"اکنون ما در این سمت هستیم و از طرف دیگر خبری نداریم. در مورد آن سمت تنها میشود تخیل کرد. به همین خاطر است که بهشت و جهنم و هر نوع تجسمی بکر و بدوی است. ما در این سمت هستیم و مردی در حال مرگ است. از نظر ما او در حال مرگ است ولی شاید در حال تولد باشد."
December 25, 2017
I would have given this a 4.5 option if I could. I thought this was brilliant in places but I have to admit that at times I thought he had taken a bagful of profound sounding words like destiny and inner peace and love and perception and the ego and fearlessness and just decided he would bung them into vaguely profound sounding sentences and see how they come out. Sententious? Is that the word I’m looking for? Well overall, if that’s the method he chose, they came out very well. One of the interesting points that Osho makes is about illness in that we are used to pouring and inundating a weak child with adoration and sympathy the first moment he shows signs of illness and general weakness or disease. Osho says that we carry that thinking onto our adulthood and are very comfortable in our mental / physical illnesses because we know that society and our loved ones around us are programmed to respond with smiles and assurances, but most important of all with attention, when we are ill. When we are better this attention may dissipate so why not carry on playing this hypochondriac role if it anchors us to the sympathy of our friends and loved ones? The book is essentially about courage and about the need to recognise that we are creatures of fear and that is an admission we should try to make ourselves for that is the only way we can eventually be courageous – by being fearful and recognising that state but carrying on regardless (as in the words of the Beautiful South) . Osho also talks about the courage of love, listening to your inner self vis-à-vis listening to the dictations of the crowd and ultimately realising that this world is a transient state and that there will be either a afterlife or an hereafter (think of the lips that long to laugh but can only kiss the laughter)
June 7, 2020
”Zanimljivo je da engleska riječ za hrabrost, courage, potječe od latinskog korijena cor-, što znači "srce". Dakle, biti hrabar znači živjeti srcem. A slabići, samo slabići , žive glavom. Uplašeni, oni oko sebe stvaraju sigurnost logike. Zbog straha oni zatvaraju svaki prozor i svaka vrata - teologijom, konceptima, riječima, teorijama - i skrivaju se iza tih zatvorenih vrata i prozora."
"Riječ "ekstaza" vrlo je značajna. Grčkog je porijekla i doslovno znači "istupiti". Ekstaza znači "izaći", izvan svih školjki, svih zaštita, izvan svakog ega i svake utjehe, svih zidova nalik smrti. Biti ekstatičan znači izaći van,biti slobodan, kretati se, biti u procesu, biti tako ranjiv da vjetrovi mogu puhati kroz vas."
Ova knjiga koju nije napisao Osho (njegove govore su u knjige pretvorili oni najbliži suradnici što su ga slušali) nije knjiga koju bi neko promovirao u showprogramu tipa Oprah show, gdje bi nezadovoljna kućanica doživjela "životnu promjenu", a sve ostale gošće u studiju bi na kraju emisije ispod sjedala pronašle zlatni dildo i živjele zadovoljene do kraja života.
Ovo je vrijedna knjiga puna dubokih uvida o unutarnjem životu čovjeka, značenju života i postojanja.
"Riječ "ekstaza" vrlo je značajna. Grčkog je porijekla i doslovno znači "istupiti". Ekstaza znači "izaći", izvan svih školjki, svih zaštita, izvan svakog ega i svake utjehe, svih zidova nalik smrti. Biti ekstatičan znači izaći van,biti slobodan, kretati se, biti u procesu, biti tako ranjiv da vjetrovi mogu puhati kroz vas."
Ova knjiga koju nije napisao Osho (njegove govore su u knjige pretvorili oni najbliži suradnici što su ga slušali) nije knjiga koju bi neko promovirao u showprogramu tipa Oprah show, gdje bi nezadovoljna kućanica doživjela "životnu promjenu", a sve ostale gošće u studiju bi na kraju emisije ispod sjedala pronašle zlatni dildo i živjele zadovoljene do kraja života.
Ovo je vrijedna knjiga puna dubokih uvida o unutarnjem životu čovjeka, značenju života i postojanja.
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February 8, 2011If you have not read or listen Osho, one of the Great Spiritual Masters of our time...he was the great motivator of mankind...you must read his works.
This work is one his great works. In this book Osho says: whenever we are faced with uncertainty and change in our lives, it is actually a cause for celebration. Instead of trying to hang on to the familiar and the known, we can learn to enjoy these situations as opportunities for adventure and for deepening our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
This work is one his great works. In this book Osho says: whenever we are faced with uncertainty and change in our lives, it is actually a cause for celebration. Instead of trying to hang on to the familiar and the known, we can learn to enjoy these situations as opportunities for adventure and for deepening our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
March 8, 2020
تكرار كثير لنفس الفكرة.
July 12, 2015
This is a book of spiritual insight by the famous Osho. Every New Age bookstore has a large section devoted to him, so I thought I would give him a go. There is some good stuff here - for example, he encourages readers to get to know themselves, to do their own thing rather than what everyone else wants you to do, to meditate and be still on a daily basis (which science is now showing to be of both physical and psychological benefit) and to put aside fear, which unfortunately dominates much of our human behaviour. I like how he recognises that religions are all fiction, about control, and he's not afraid to say it. These are all great.
However, there is nothing original or new in his message. You will find identical thoughts in the writing of many of the New Age gurus. This book has a very sloppy structure and style: in less than two hundred pages, it needlessly repeats concepts, with no reference to previous mention of those concepts. Some of the parables seem to be randomly chosen, having little to do with the ideas they are supposed to illustrate. And some of his ideas are just ridiculous - for example, he belittles education. But if we were not educated, we would not be able to read his books, or think critically about what he is saying. The meditation techniques he describes are unclear, particularly to a novice. He mixes a lot of pop psychology with his spirtualist ramblings, and some passages were nearly incomprehensible - not showing any esoteric wisdom, but just babbling.
Many people will remember Osho from the 1980s as the guru Shree Rajneesh, the leader of a famous cult, the owner of 93 Rolls Royces, and a criminal convicted of several crimes in the United States, all of which make his supposed spirituality a bit difficult to take seriously. Materialism and arrogance do not really suit a spiritual leader. This writing shows very little by way of humility.
Although there are some good bits and pieces here, there's nothing unique or special about them, and I'm afraid I did not find it particularly inspiring. I won't be reading any more of Osho's writing.
However, there is nothing original or new in his message. You will find identical thoughts in the writing of many of the New Age gurus. This book has a very sloppy structure and style: in less than two hundred pages, it needlessly repeats concepts, with no reference to previous mention of those concepts. Some of the parables seem to be randomly chosen, having little to do with the ideas they are supposed to illustrate. And some of his ideas are just ridiculous - for example, he belittles education. But if we were not educated, we would not be able to read his books, or think critically about what he is saying. The meditation techniques he describes are unclear, particularly to a novice. He mixes a lot of pop psychology with his spirtualist ramblings, and some passages were nearly incomprehensible - not showing any esoteric wisdom, but just babbling.
Many people will remember Osho from the 1980s as the guru Shree Rajneesh, the leader of a famous cult, the owner of 93 Rolls Royces, and a criminal convicted of several crimes in the United States, all of which make his supposed spirituality a bit difficult to take seriously. Materialism and arrogance do not really suit a spiritual leader. This writing shows very little by way of humility.
Although there are some good bits and pieces here, there's nothing unique or special about them, and I'm afraid I did not find it particularly inspiring. I won't be reading any more of Osho's writing.
April 4, 2020
با اينكه كتاب نيروى حال از اكهارت تولى خيلى شبيه اين كتاب بود
ولى با اين يكى خيلى بيشتر ارتباط برقرار كردم
در اينجا به اين نتيجه رسيدم كه جملات يك فرد شرقى خيلى خيلى خيلى بيشتر رو من اثرگذاره تا يك فرد غربى
جملات اشو رو تونستم عميقا درك كنم
و هميشه در برابر جملاتى مانند اينكه بدون قيد و شرط عشق بورز گارد مى گرفتم
ولى اينبار از اين گارد خبرى نبود
اشو خيلى ساده گفت اين دنيا راز خاصى نداره
قرار هم نيست آينده به فرض خيلى روشن يا خيلى تاريك باشه
ترس رو كنار بذار و اماده ى رويارويى با هرچيزى تو زندگيت باش
وقتى واسه هر چيزى در زندگى اماده اى چه خوب چه بد ديگه كمتر ضربه ميخورى و رنج كمترى ميكشى
بدون قيد و شرط بدون توقع به تمام موجودات هستى اعم از حيوان و انسان عشق بورز و انتظار هم نداشته باش كه حتما برگشتى داشته باشه
يعنى قلبت بايد خيلى مهربون باشه
ترس رو كنار بذار و خطر كن
مثل آب راكد نباش
ولى با اين يكى خيلى بيشتر ارتباط برقرار كردم
در اينجا به اين نتيجه رسيدم كه جملات يك فرد شرقى خيلى خيلى خيلى بيشتر رو من اثرگذاره تا يك فرد غربى
جملات اشو رو تونستم عميقا درك كنم
و هميشه در برابر جملاتى مانند اينكه بدون قيد و شرط عشق بورز گارد مى گرفتم
ولى اينبار از اين گارد خبرى نبود
اشو خيلى ساده گفت اين دنيا راز خاصى نداره
قرار هم نيست آينده به فرض خيلى روشن يا خيلى تاريك باشه
ترس رو كنار بذار و اماده ى رويارويى با هرچيزى تو زندگيت باش
وقتى واسه هر چيزى در زندگى اماده اى چه خوب چه بد ديگه كمتر ضربه ميخورى و رنج كمترى ميكشى
بدون قيد و شرط بدون توقع به تمام موجودات هستى اعم از حيوان و انسان عشق بورز و انتظار هم نداشته باش كه حتما برگشتى داشته باشه
يعنى قلبت بايد خيلى مهربون باشه
ترس رو كنار بذار و خطر كن
مثل آب راكد نباش
October 26, 2012
Although this book gave insight into the condition of fear I felt the author's own bias and agenda affected the book in a negative way. Osho seemed less like a sage and more like a bitter, self-righteous person through the examples he gave and the way he presented the information. Still, there were some moments of unbiased clarity and I did gain insight from those sections of the book.
February 6, 2017
I was indecisive whether to give four of five stars but who cares, it was a great book anyway. I'm into these stuff and appreciate a lot when someone gives you some theoretical insight into spiritual development and how to work on ourselves in a deeper sense. Osho is very provocative as a person and uses plain speech while touching the human nature, primarily inner side. I like him. There are some wonderful sentences in the book which really can make a man start to think more thoroughly about himself and his actions in life. And maybe the most important thing is that Osho, like many Eastern philosophers provide us with some lessons which we should not take for granted but try to test. That's the beauty in it. When you try to do some of that in the book you will know it for sure. Also, you can't lose anything. All in all, it was worth it. Great read!
January 13, 2008
Never has a book effected my life so profoundly. It saved me at a time when I was hanging by a string and consumed by blackness. Its wisdom on love and forgiveness are the best advice I have ever read. His ideas on religion helped me realize my own beliefs.
September 7, 2009
Osho repeats himself quite a bit, but all the better to get a point across. If you are afraid of anything, Osho will make all your fears and anxiety melt away.
This is my second time reading this.
This is my second time reading this.
August 8, 2012
Even if you're not a follower of eastern philosophy, this book is an inspiration. It encourages the reader to live outside of the confines of their own ideals, to take chances in all areas of life, and to be comfortable with those choices.
January 31, 2014
الكتاب جميل ومفيد رغم أنف الترجمة السيئة، والعبارات المكررة والأفكار.
ربما هناك رسالة ما من تكرارها، لم التفت إليها بعد.
بشكل عام جيّد.
ربما هناك رسالة ما من تكرارها، لم التفت إليها بعد.
بشكل عام جيّد.
January 17, 2024
This book should be read by everyone at least once in their lifetime. The author speaks about peace of mind, ego, love, and courage, etc. He clearly states the real existence of people in life.
The short stories in the middle were my favorite part. If one starts to read this book, it could change the person's perspective about life.
This book was so interesting to read, and I enjoyed reading it. It would be a great book if you are new to nonfiction.
Happy reading! ❤️
The short stories in the middle were my favorite part. If one starts to read this book, it could change the person's perspective about life.
This book was so interesting to read, and I enjoyed reading it. It would be a great book if you are new to nonfiction.
Happy reading! ❤️
March 9, 2017
This started out really good but it just got more tedious and repetitive as it went along. I also found that Osho contradicts himself constantly. Some of the stuff is just flat out wrong like this:
You cannot depend on ready-made answers for what is right and what is wrong. Only stupid people depend on ready-made answers because then they need not be intelligent, there is no need.
No, Osho, raping an infant is always wrong.
Some of the stuff was good but obvious if you've done any sort of reading or thinking before. A lot of it came off as like a 16 year olds tumblr post about life.
Best part of the book:
Alexander went to see him with a naked sword in his hand. Dandamis laughed and said, “Put down your sword, it is useless here. Put it back in the sheath; it is useless here because you can cut only my body, and that I left long ago. Your sword cannot cut me, so put it back; don’t be childish.” And it is said that this was the first time Alexander followed somebody else’s order; just because of the very presence of the man, he couldn’t remember who he was. He put his sword back in the sheath and said, “I have never come across such a beautiful man.” And when he was back in his camp he said, “It is difficult to kill a man who is ready to die, it is meaningless to kill him. You can kill a person who fights, then there is some meaning in killing; but you can’t kill a man who is ready and who is saying, ‘This is my head, you can cut it off.’” And Dandamis actually said, “This is my head, you can cut it off. When the head falls, you will see it falling on the sand and I will also see it falling on the sand, because I am not my body. I am a witness.” Alexander had to report to his friends, “There were sannyasins that I could have brought, but they were not sannyasins. Then I came across a man who was really something rare—and you have heard rightly, this flower is rare, but nobody can force him because he is not afraid of death. When a person is not afraid of death, how can you force him to do anything?”
You cannot depend on ready-made answers for what is right and what is wrong. Only stupid people depend on ready-made answers because then they need not be intelligent, there is no need.
No, Osho, raping an infant is always wrong.
Some of the stuff was good but obvious if you've done any sort of reading or thinking before. A lot of it came off as like a 16 year olds tumblr post about life.
Best part of the book:
Alexander went to see him with a naked sword in his hand. Dandamis laughed and said, “Put down your sword, it is useless here. Put it back in the sheath; it is useless here because you can cut only my body, and that I left long ago. Your sword cannot cut me, so put it back; don’t be childish.” And it is said that this was the first time Alexander followed somebody else’s order; just because of the very presence of the man, he couldn’t remember who he was. He put his sword back in the sheath and said, “I have never come across such a beautiful man.” And when he was back in his camp he said, “It is difficult to kill a man who is ready to die, it is meaningless to kill him. You can kill a person who fights, then there is some meaning in killing; but you can’t kill a man who is ready and who is saying, ‘This is my head, you can cut it off.’” And Dandamis actually said, “This is my head, you can cut it off. When the head falls, you will see it falling on the sand and I will also see it falling on the sand, because I am not my body. I am a witness.” Alexander had to report to his friends, “There were sannyasins that I could have brought, but they were not sannyasins. Then I came across a man who was really something rare—and you have heard rightly, this flower is rare, but nobody can force him because he is not afraid of death. When a person is not afraid of death, how can you force him to do anything?”
January 18, 2018
Fear as Osho describes, is simply a landscape within which we move, within which we live... We can't avoid it, we can only either reject it, or accept it...
Fear is everywhere - it can only be created by doubt... Osho explains that 'awareness' and 'doubt' are like two parallel lines that never cross... For when we are aware of something, there is no room for doubt to exist, or fear for that matter... Doubt can only exist with unawareness... Doubt is created by unawareness...
Courage is a means of accepting life, by enduring with life in all its totality... When we accept the whole we accept all its parts... Including fear.... Acceptance of this totality, gives room for courage as also a means of accepting fear... To live with it... By not being controlled by it...
Acceptance is the ability to watch/hear/feel something without judgment...
The problem arises when one becomes brave instead of courageous... Bravery is like creating a shell around us, where we repel all we deny... It's like picking and choosing what we want, and what we don't want... But who does this choosing? Is this choosing done with judgement?
I'm not sure how we can dissect the totality of life into compartments that we choose to keep, leaving all else we discard...
Courage is the ability to accept all that is, by simply becoming aware of all that is, without losing the courage to become affected by all that isn't...
And to live dangerously is to live with awareness, as it takes the greatest courage... As this is how life is mean't to be lived...
Fear is everywhere - it can only be created by doubt... Osho explains that 'awareness' and 'doubt' are like two parallel lines that never cross... For when we are aware of something, there is no room for doubt to exist, or fear for that matter... Doubt can only exist with unawareness... Doubt is created by unawareness...
Courage is a means of accepting life, by enduring with life in all its totality... When we accept the whole we accept all its parts... Including fear.... Acceptance of this totality, gives room for courage as also a means of accepting fear... To live with it... By not being controlled by it...
Acceptance is the ability to watch/hear/feel something without judgment...
The problem arises when one becomes brave instead of courageous... Bravery is like creating a shell around us, where we repel all we deny... It's like picking and choosing what we want, and what we don't want... But who does this choosing? Is this choosing done with judgement?
I'm not sure how we can dissect the totality of life into compartments that we choose to keep, leaving all else we discard...
Courage is the ability to accept all that is, by simply becoming aware of all that is, without losing the courage to become affected by all that isn't...
And to live dangerously is to live with awareness, as it takes the greatest courage... As this is how life is mean't to be lived...
May 8, 2020
الكتاب رائع لأنه عميق وبسيط بنفس الوقت ، اذهلني قدرته على التعبير بكل بساطه وجاذبية كبيره رغم تحفظاتي لمعتقداته عن الله الا انه قال الكثير من الاشياء الصحيحه والكثير من الاشياء الخاطئه ، قضيت معه يومين في تأمل لعمق تلك المعاني التي كان يحكي عنها عن الوعي والشجاعه والخوف والانا .. كتاب جذاب للغايه لكن لايؤخذ بكل مافيه بالطبع ..
January 27, 2015
الكتاب و على الغم من التكرارات فيه الا أنه رائع لفت انتباهي الى اشياء كثيرة لم تخطر على بالي
December 8, 2015
يحكى أن رجلا كان يمشي في الليل فسقط عن صخرة ، وخوفا من أن يسقط آلاف الأقدام لأنه يعلم بأن التلة عميقة جدا ، التقط غصنا كان متدليا فوق الصخرة ، ورأى هوة عميقة في عتمة الليل فصرخ حتى سمع صراخه مع الصدى ، إلا أن أحدا ، لم يسمعه .
أخي هل تستطيع تخيل خوف الرجل وعذابه طوال الليل ، لقد شعر بالموت في كل دقيقة وأحس بالبرد حتى أطراف يديه ، وأخذت قبضته تهن . وعندما بزغت الشمس ونظر تحته ضحك ، لم ير هوة ، رأى صخرة تبعد عنه ست بوصات فقط وكان بإمكانه الاستلقاء عليها طوال الليل لأن الصخرة كانت كبيرة كفاية . ولكنه قضى الليل وكأنه كابوس .
إن الخوف هو 6 بوصات من العمق فقط .. ولكن الخيار في أن تقضو حياتكم في كابوس متعلقين بغضن شجرة أو أن تتركوا الشجرة وتقفوا على رجليكم .
أخي هل تستطيع تخيل خوف الرجل وعذابه طوال الليل ، لقد شعر بالموت في كل دقيقة وأحس بالبرد حتى أطراف يديه ، وأخذت قبضته تهن . وعندما بزغت الشمس ونظر تحته ضحك ، لم ير هوة ، رأى صخرة تبعد عنه ست بوصات فقط وكان بإمكانه الاستلقاء عليها طوال الليل لأن الصخرة كانت كبيرة كفاية . ولكنه قضى الليل وكأنه كابوس .
إن الخوف هو 6 بوصات من العمق فقط .. ولكن الخيار في أن تقضو حياتكم في كابوس متعلقين بغضن شجرة أو أن تتركوا الشجرة وتقفوا على رجليكم .
October 27, 2016
I'm sure I'd read this book again.. Intense, shocking, and very insightful.
I got it from the airport when i was leaving from Lebanon on a short trip to Istanbul. I got it without giving much thought, it kind of felt like i picked it randomly. But as soon as I started reading on the plane i realized it was the right book for this exact phase of my life.
As usual with Osho's books, you don't have to agree with all what he is saying but his writing make you ask yourself questions that wouldn't have occurred to you if not triggered by his ideas. You start to re-assess your whole life and belief system.
I got it from the airport when i was leaving from Lebanon on a short trip to Istanbul. I got it without giving much thought, it kind of felt like i picked it randomly. But as soon as I started reading on the plane i realized it was the right book for this exact phase of my life.
As usual with Osho's books, you don't have to agree with all what he is saying but his writing make you ask yourself questions that wouldn't have occurred to you if not triggered by his ideas. You start to re-assess your whole life and belief system.
June 4, 2017
I feel like this is the kind of book that would be maligned as a hippie Bible, because it totally is, but it's also a lovely, sincerely meditative book if you allow it to be. Produced a lot of thoughts that came to me at the right time.
Only criticism is that the cadence of the writing is difficult to get past. Every sentence sounds exactly the same, which made reading it a little harder than it should have been. Not sure if this was translated and that's the problem, but it required a mental slog at times.
Only criticism is that the cadence of the writing is difficult to get past. Every sentence sounds exactly the same, which made reading it a little harder than it should have been. Not sure if this was translated and that's the problem, but it required a mental slog at times.
December 30, 2015
What a book! I'm so glad i discovered Osho and his amazing books. He is really an inspiration to me, i like so much his simple style.
This book is about how to conquer your fear and accept it how it is, accept yourself exactly how you are, love yourself no matter what! Its such a must read for everyone!
This book is about how to conquer your fear and accept it how it is, accept yourself exactly how you are, love yourself no matter what! Its such a must read for everyone!
March 26, 2017
Fading into a haze of unified consciousness, my perceptions melt, my feelings melt, my thoughts melt, and only the "I" remained—reading this book felt like taking a perpetual plunge into a vastness, an openness, a oneness that literally took my ego away—a head trip with no head—a fall that never ends.
April 27, 2009
So perfect. I don't know if I could ever move this over onto the "read" shelf, cause it just sits on my table and I pick it up and reread pages at a time. It's like wholesome snackfood for your heart.
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