Absurd means the most important things—like love and meditation—don’t follow neat reasons; they just happen, and living them may look strange but is true to life.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Beloved Osho you have been called "the genius of the absurd." your way in this world seems so relentlessly wild and crazy that many people -- perhaps all people -- are filled with wonder, or confusion; and sometimes, even anger. But the european parliament, gathering votes to ban you from europe forever seems also absurd and crazy. I wonder who is more absurd: you or them? What can we discover about truth in your absurdity?
They are not absurd; they are functioning very logically. They can see the potential danger that I can bring to the younger generation, and which can destroy their centuries of vested interests. They are not absurd. It may look absurd -- the whole world against one single man -- but it is very logical. They can see that what I am saying is true, and they have no way to defend their morality, their marriage, their family, their social structure. Naturally, they would not like me to come in contact with their youth, because their youth is going to be powerful tomorrow; and if their youth becomes aflame with my ideas, tomorrow the old world will have completely collapsed. To save the old and to prevent the new, they are taking every measure -- and it is logical. I am certainly absurd. You have to understand the meaning of absurd.…
Beloved master, whenever one comes to the absurd, something inside simply explodes and the whole world looks anew. Is it when the absurd becomes overwhelming that one gets an insight into the gestalt of everything?
For a buddha, life is a continuous revelation, unending revelation. There is no beginning to it and no end to it. It is a mystery; unfathomable, immeasurable, unknown and not only unknown but unknowable too. You can only taste it, feel it, see it, touch it, but you cannot KNOW it. You cannot reduce it to a theorem, to a hypothesis; that is not possible. Prabhati, you are right: if you can have a contact with the absurdity of it all, with the irrationality of existence, you are moving into a totally different dimension -- moving from mind to no-mind, moving from mind to meditation. That's what meditation is all about: taking you out of the prison of the mind, the prison of the past. And there is no other prison; that past is the only prison. The man of awareness -- the meditator -- goes on dying every moment…
Mamiya later became a well-known teacher, but while he was studying under a master he was asked to explain the sound of one hand clapping.
ALTHOUGH MAMIYA WORKED HARD AT IT HIS MASTER SAID TO HIM ONE DAY, "YOU ARE NOT WORKING HARD ENOUGH. YOU ARE TOO ATTACHED TO FOOD, WEALTH, THINGS -- AND THAT SOUND. IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU DIED." THE NEXT TIME MAMIYA CAME BEFORE THE MASTER, HE WAS AGAIN ASKED WHAT HE HAD TO SHOW REGARDING THE SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING. MAMIYA AT ONCE FELL OVER AS IF HE WAS DEAD. "YOU ARE DEAD ALL RIGHT," SAID THE MASTER, "BUT HOW ABOUT THAT SOUND?" LOOKING UP MAMIYA REPLIED, "OH, I HAVEN'T SOLVED THAT ONE YET." "WHAT?" ROARED THE MASTER, "DEAD MEN DON'T SPEAK. GET OUT!" Once you are awake and out of the vicious circle, God is there, nothing else exists. Then there is no need to believe. Then you know. But before that knowing happens, faith will be needed. And all those philosophers who have been trying for…
Beloved master, you are the greatest. You are like the music of mozart, vivaldi and bach and more. You make me laugh, and always at a time when I need it most. You tell us that you felt hurt at the enthusiasm with which people dropped the mala, etcetera. The rajneesh times called it a stunning statement. That made me laugh even more. I have not been with a zen master -- at least in this life. But I recognize one when I see one, and you are absolutely the top -- hitting people when they need it, and in the manner most appropriate. Of course, I'm waiting for my comeuppance -- it's bound to happe
Life is certainly meaningless, but tremendously joyful, hilarious... a dance, a song, a beauty. But you will have to change your gears from the head to the heart. Look at small children -- how excited they are in your bored world! You are sitting there completely bored, and your child is so excited. And you think you are right and the child is a fool. He does not know anything about life, that's why he is so excited about any absurd thing -- butterflies, flowers, colored stones, seashells, anything! And you can't see any meaning in them. But the child is right, you are wrong. The criterion is boredom: who is bored? Whoever is bored is wrong. Whoever is dancing, singing, having a good belly laughter is right! But one has to change. It is not a very big change -- your heart and your head are not very far…
Sometimes listening to you, an overwhelming feeling comes over me of how absurd and ridiculous we all are and yet at the same time how incredibly beautiful life is. If eel there is so much I want to say to you, but it can't be put into words, and I would like to just run up and hug you.
Good idea -- but don't do it. Because even then you will not be able to say what you want to say, even with a hug. You will be able to show your helplessness, but nothing will be said. When something overwhelming is happening, it cannot be expressed. It is inexpressible by its very nature. It is intrinsically inexpressible, ineffable. So whenever it happens a very deep helplessness arises. Words seem to be futile, meaningless, trivial, and then one would like to say it in some other way -- one would like to hug or kiss or hold the hand -- but even then nothing is said. Only your helplessness is shown. One would like to cry or weep, but then too nothing is said. Only your helplessness is expressed. Rather than trying to express it, my suggestion is, when this happens, remain with it. Don't make any effort to…