Osho's perspective on Expression
When Osho Spoke About Expression
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Swami Anand Maitreya has asked: “Jagjivan was a shepherd, uneducated—then where did he find such lovely words? How could such precious expression happen?”
Your beauty fills my gaze as I rise— the whole atmosphere shines like your raiment. The dawn breeze has passed through your bedchamber— my morning is fragrant with your very body. Then everywhere is his feel. The breeze becomes his touch; the sun, his spread; the rainbow, his bow; the waves, his resonance; the mountains, his uplifted head. Recognize once—and the path to recognition is love, not knowledge. Those lost in knowledge remained ignorant. Those who acknowledged their ignorance bowed at his feet and said: “I will grasp his feet and cajole him. I tell you: whom else do I know? I have come to your refuge. The love I have joined I will never break; this image I will not forget. I will grasp his feet and cajole him.” One who can say this—not on the surface but from the whole being—does not take long. He leaps onto the…
Question: Third question: Osho, isn’t expression nothing but a limitation? Certainly, expression is only a limitation. Whatever manifests has a boundary; the moment it appears, it is limited. That which remains unmanifest is the limitless. Creation has limits; the Creator has none. A poem has limits; the poet has none. A painting has limits, a frame; the painter has none. For the unmanifest is far more than what appears. It is infinitely more than what shows itself. What I have said to you has limits. What I will never be able to say to you has no limits. Buddha is walking through a forest. It is autumn; the forest floor is covered with dry leaves, and the wind is tossing them about with great clamor. Ananda asks, “Bhagwan, I have a question. Today we have a little privacy; no one else is here.
Is everyone’s expression different?
Expression is absolutely different; it is bound to be. Mohammed is Mohammed, Mahavira is Mahavira—the expression will be different. What Mohammed will speak is Mohammed’s speaking: it will be his language, the words of his tradition. Mahavira will have his own language, the words of his tradition. The expressions will be different; the experience is absolutely one.
Beloved Osho, what to do with the question when there are no words for it? And what to do with the secrets in our hearts when there is no way to express them?
Krishna Priya, there is some misunderstanding. There is no question in the world which cannot be asked. Yes, there are answers which cannot be answered. A question always comes from the mind; hence the mind always finds appropriate words for it. But the answer comes from your very being, from your depths of silence where no words have ever entered. The territory of the words and language is the mind, and that is also the territory of the questions. Every question can be brought into words -- only when you start feeling the answers, then the problem arises. I have been watching you for almost ten years. You have gone through such a transformation that what you are thinking is a question, is not a question. You have come very close to the answer -- that's why you cannot find words. But this is something that happens very rarely to…
"Your deepest feelings transcend words; they are best expressed through the silent language of your being, in tears, music, or the dance of existence itself."
Is everyone's expression different?
definition"Each expression of truth is unique, shaped by language and culture, yet the essence remains one; seek the shared experience beyond words and traditions."
Isn't expression nothing but a limitation?
definition"Use words as pointers to the infinite, but remember to drop them; it is in the silence between expressions that the boundless reveals itself."
"Raising both hands is our soul's yearning for the stars, a celebration of consciousness that transcends ideology, while 'Yaa-Hoo' is the joyful sound of existence, a greeting born from laughter and love."
"When you focus on the speaker's hand movements, you allow your mind to distract you from the true transmission of the heart; immerse yourself in the words, and let the essence unfold without interference."
"When the mind is quiet, the heart's message becomes clear, revealing that true expression is not about possession, but about allowing love's energy to flow through you, dissolving the illusion of separation."
"When expression feels absent, it is not a refusal of the mind but a lack of the right channel; once the suitable outlet is found, the inner energy will flow effortlessly."
What is the nature of true expression?
definition"True expression arises when the ego steps aside, allowing you to become an empty flute through which the Divine plays its notes, transforming emptiness into supreme fullness."
"Real communication flows from the whole being; when speech is alive, the hands naturally follow. Relax into authenticity and let your body-language emerge effortlessly."
"Poetry is the heartbeat of presence, a bridge that connects us to insight and understanding when direct connection falters."
"Life is a celebration; even a fancy hat is a reminder to embrace playfulness and honor what comes without the burden of explanation."
"Allow your body to express itself freely; in the dance of movement and sound, let awareness be your guide while the outer world holds its order."
"If something in your heart has no words, it isn’t a question but an answer from beyond the mind; trust in your silence, for it will naturally express what needs to be lived."
Where did Jagjivan, an uneducated shepherd, find such lovely words and precious expression?
definition"When love and consciousness overflow, words become a divine expression, transcending the confines of grammar and illuminating the ordinary with their brilliance."
"Enlightened beings are always singing and dancing in the celebration of existence; it is our perception that needs to deepen to witness their joy."
Profound Quotes on Expression
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