What is the relationship between excessive familiarity and contempt?
Synthesized from Source
definition
"Excessive familiarity breeds contempt, but in the realm of love and meditation, the closer you come, the more mystery unfolds, transforming boredom into an endless journey of deepening attraction."
According to Osho, in the worldly realm, excessive familiarity dulls curiosity, finishes the mind's search, and ripens into boredom, what culture labels contempt. But with the Buddha, love, prayer, or meditation, familiarity never becomes excess: the closer you come, the more mystery opens. The infinite cannot be exhausted, so boredom and contempt do not arise; only deepening attraction remains, an endless journey without a last step.
With ordinary things, too much knowing makes you bored, but with the divine or true love, the more you know, the more wonder grows, so you never get tired of it.
Why this matters practically
- Helps distinguish draining attachments from relationships and practices that stay fresh.
- Shifts focus from novelty-chasing to depth (meditation, love, satsang).
- Reduces cynicism by seeking the inexhaustible in daily life.
- Shifts focus from novelty-chasing to depth (meditation, love, satsang).
- Reduces cynicism by seeking the inexhaustible in daily life.
AI Confidence Score: 78%
Read Original Discourse →