Osho's perspective on Intelligence
When Osho Spoke About Intelligence
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Question: OSHO, ARE CHILDREN REALLY SO INTELLIGENT AS YOU ALWAYS SAY THEY ARE? Intelligence is not something that is acquired, it is inbuilt, it is inborn, it is intrinsic to life itself. Not only children are intelligent, animals are intelligent in their own way, trees are intelligent in their own way. Of course they all have different kinds of intelligences because their needs differ, but now it is an established fact that all that lives is intelligent. Life cannot be without intelligence; to be alive and to be intelligent are synonymous. But man is in a dilemma for the simple reason that he is not only intelligent, he is also aware of his intelligence. That is something unique about man, his privilege, his prerogative, his glory, but it can turn very easily into his agony. Man is conscious that he is intelligent; that consciousness brings its own problems.
Question: BELOVED MASTER, ARE IDIOTS BORN OR TRAINED? Nirupa, it is a complicated question. Almost ninety percent of idiots are trained. Ten percent are born. And the ten percent are born because of those ninety percent who have been trained. Man from his very beginning has lived a very weird life -- weird in the sense that it needs idiots. If you don't have idiots you will not have wise men; if you don't have the idiots, you will not have the so-called giants of intellect. It is almost a necessity that the category of idiots should remain. Nobody has looked into the deeper layers of how the society has functioned up to now. But the way it has functioned can only be described as utterly criminal. The society needs categories, hierarchies.
Are some people more stupid than others?
But the king forgot. So before asking, "How old are you?" he asked, "How long have you been the spiritual guide of this town?" Now, Nasrudin had fixed answers. He said, "Seventy years." The king looked a little puzzled because the man looks not more than seventy, so has he been a religious teacher from his very birth? Then he said, "I am surprised. Then how old are you?" Nasrudin said, "Thirty years." Because this was the fixed thing: that first he has to say "seventy years," then he has to say "thirty years." The king said, "Are you mad?" Nasrudin said, "Sir, we both are mad -- in our own ways! You are asking wrong questions -- and I have to answer right answers! This is the problem. I cannot change, because those people are here, those who have trained me. They are looking at me. I cannot change,…
Are children really so intelligent, Osho, as you always say they are?
I said, "I don't know. I myself am puzzled because a single question and the teacher will say,'You go out! Unless you stop asking you cannot come in.' " And it was a good excuse for me to be outside in the air. And that was so beautiful to be outside with the birds and with the trees. So whenever I wanted to go out, just a question, any question would do -- any question that was unanswerable! I was turned out of one college, expelled from this university and that university. One university accepted me, but accepted with the condition that I would not ask any questions. I said, "I can accept that, but then you have to do one thing: that I will not have to go to the classes, because if I am in class and if the professor says something stupid, I will not be able…
"Intelligence is not a national trait but an individual blossoming; true wisdom arises from personal awareness, not the borrowed pride of past avatars."
"Children are born with a natural intelligence that flourishes in openness and play, but society's layers of ego and ambition can suffocate this delicate awareness."
"Children are not just intelligent; they are born absolutely intelligent, meeting each moment with fresh awareness rather than mechanical reaction. Stupidity is learned, as society lures us into comfort and conformity, dulling our original seeing."
Are idiots born or trained?
definition"Society manufactures idiots through comparison and coercion; true intelligence flourishes only when individuals are free to blossom in their own nature."
"Intelligence is the art of forgetting what is unnecessary, allowing you to meet each moment anew, while memory clings to the past out of fear."
Are some people more stupid than others?
definition"Stupidity is not a measure of comparison among people; it is the nature of the mind itself, asleep in its identification with memory. True intelligence awakens only when we transcend the mind and embrace the present moment with awareness."
"Intelligence is not bound by the lifespan of brain cells; it flourishes in the quality of awareness, transcending the limits of biology and deepening into the essence of existence itself."
"Authenticity arises not from the mind, which is merely a repository of the past, but from the clarity of intelligence, where true awareness blooms."
"Discerning intelligence arises not from accumulation but from the activation of your inner touchstone; pause, reflect, and let clarity transform your reactions into insights."
"Begin from your natural strength, for whether you fill yourself with the Divine through devotion or empty yourself through meditation, all authentic paths ultimately converge in the same ocean of wholeness."
"True intelligence is not found in obsessive focus, but in the relaxed, free-flowing awareness that arises when we let go of tension and embrace the present moment."
"True intelligence arises from the heart, where intuition flourishes; when the mind serves this inner wisdom, we become unique, but when it dominates, we fall into the trap of imitation and conformity."
What is intelligence?
definition"Intelligence is the flowering of inner consciousness, a spontaneous awareness that responds to the present moment, free from the chains of past conditioning."
"Memory is a borrowed echo of the past, while true intelligence is the vibrant awareness of the present, responding with originality and creativity."
What is the fear of intelligence?
definition"True intelligence is not cunning; it is the childlike innocence that embraces wonder and openness, and only when it turns against innocence does it become a source of fear."
What is the nature of intelligence?
definition"True intelligence is a living synthesis of awareness and love, transforming through experience and surrender, harmonizing opposites rather than clinging to mere logic."
"True intelligence in women lies not in cleverness, but in the heart's receptivity—where vulnerability and love open the doorway to a profound silence beyond dualities."
"Real intelligence is not about memorizing formulas but about responding creatively to the new; mathematics is merely a tool, not the measure of your brilliance."
"True intelligence blossoms from the humility of recognizing your own ignorance; in this innocent not-knowing lies the highest understanding, unburdening the mind and opening you to the mysteries of life."
"Doubt and questioning are the seeds of intelligence, but true maturity lies in the silence beyond questions, where trust in existence reveals a profound clarity."
"Memory is a tool for the mind, but true intelligence is the art of understanding and awareness that transcends mere recall."
What is the vision of an intelligent person?
definition"An intelligent person dances with the flow of life, trusting their own insight over borrowed beliefs, embracing the risks of freedom while remaining true to their own being."
Profound Quotes on Intelligence
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