Osho is known all over the world as a mystic and a spiritual master. He is known for his approach to life, which emphasizes meditation, love and celebration. In these talks on the Gita, Osho reveals to the reader another approach which is based on self-enquiry, on questioning and pondering, but at the same time it is a non-ideological approach, not based on any fixed principle taken a priori—an approach which is rooted in Osho’s inner wisdom manifesting itself in the world of thought patterns and concepts. We may say that this approach is the birth of a new vision of sadhana, of the spiritual path. Osho does not propose a fixed path with rigid rules, nor does he propose a new paradigm. He just helps the human mind to come to its natural flowering and keeps reminding us that, in the process, the mind has to question and doubt all concepts, conditionings and a priori conclusions. Within Osho, the energy which is contained in the doubting mind, in the questioning mind, has flowered into a pure vision, which is beyond thought—what Osho calls a state of thoughtlessness. That is the state, which Osho would like every seeker to attain. Osho speaks from that dimension but his uniqueness, which differentiates him from the many enlightened souls who have walked on this earth, is his extraordinarily sophisticated and cultured mind, which enables him to be so articulate in his expression. Why should we say that Osho’s words in this series on the Bhagavad Gita give birth to a totally new vision of sadhana? Osho’s talks lead us through the labyrinth of the human mind and may become a tool, for generations to come, which can help seekers from all paths to use the mind and the thinking process in such a way that—as Osho continuously reminds us—thoughts may lead us to the edge of the abyss, where we can take the final jump into thoughtlessness. Nothing can be said about the state of thoughtlessness, but Osho has much to say about the thinking process, about man’s ability to question and enquire. In this series, Osho takes us by the hand—just like Krishna took Arjuna by the hand—and leads us through a long journey of self-enquiry, which lasts 219 discourses.
Author
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.
