Osho's perspective on Poetry
When Osho Spoke About Poetry
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Osho, is being attracted to Krishna not the same as being free of life’s other attractions?
One has to think a little. Here lies Krishna’s distinction. If you are attracted to Mahavira, you will have to be free of all the world’s attractions. If you go toward Mahavira, you will have to go against the world. That is Mahavira’s path. But with Krishna the matter is a little delicate and deep. Krishna says, if you want to come to me, you must seek me right within the attractions of the world; for I am present there too. There is no need to run away from there. Understand it like this. You relish food. If you listen to Mahavira, there will be a vow of non-taste (aswad-vrat). Then you must drop taste. Eat as a function, a necessity; do not savor. Put food into the body so that the body’s work may continue, but take no relish in it. Drop taste, continue eating. Let food become tasteless,…
Is poetry the voice of wonder, or an avoidance of moving closer to the source, a sensuous lingering?
The other kind of poetry may be an avoidance of the real kind. It may be an escape. Samarpan, you ask, "Is poetry the voice of wonder, or an avoidance of moving closer to the source, a sensuous lingering?" The other kind of poetry can be an avoidance. You may be afraid to take the jump, you may be afraid to lose yourself totally, so you allow only a few glimpses here and there, and then you "drown" yourself -- what you call creativity. You paint, you make poetry, you create music -- and you get lost in "doings". That may be an avoidance. Maybe you are afraid: that lightning was too much. You are afraid that if you don't get drowned in your so-called creativity, the window may open again. And who knows? You may not be capable of resisting the temptation of jumping out of it. It is…
Osho, in this age of science it is said that poetry is counting its last days. But seeing the Ganges of poetry that flows through your discourses, it seems you are set on reviving poetry along with religion. Would you kindly tell us whether religion, poetry, and science can walk together?
For example, there is ecstasy in a person. You weigh him and ecstasy has no weight. The person’s weight will show on the scale. Today the person is ecstatic—still the weight will be the same; tomorrow he is unhappy—still the weight will be the same. So the scale will say ecstasy and sorrow do not exist, because they have no weight. Whether there is poetry in a person’s life or not, the weight will be the same. The scale will not distinguish between a man and a monkey. The scale knows only one thing: weight. Science has the scale; it is very gross. With it, some things simply slip away. You can weigh a flower, but how will you weigh the beauty of a flower? To see that beauty a sensitive heart is needed. It is not weighed on a scale; it is weighed on the heart. It is not…
Osho, what is the definition of God?
Words are very small. If you say God is light, then what of darkness? The scriptures have said that God is light. Suppose we accept this as a definition—then what about darkness? Where will darkness go? Darkness is too; in fact it is far more than light. Light sometimes is and sometimes is not; darkness is always, eternal. Where will you place darkness? If you say God is light, darkness is left out. If you say God is darkness, then light is left out. If you say God is both darkness and light, a contradiction arises: they cannot be together. Try to have both darkness and light in the same room. If you bring in light, darkness disappears; if you preserve darkness, you cannot have light. Then how can both be together? That becomes an impossibility. So you cannot say “both” either. Then the fourth device is to say: it…
In what way is poetry revolutionary?
definition"Poetry is not just revolutionary; it is the very essence of revolution, inviting us to embrace existence with wonder, compassion, and a celebration of life."
"True poetry is the effortless song of the source; anything less is but a labor of human craft that may distract us from the divine encounter."
"Poetry offers a mere reflection of truth, like a moon in water, while the words of the enlightened are the moon itself—direct, lived, and authentic."
What is a poet and what is poetry?
definition"A poet does not report the outer world; he reveals the inner music that existence awakens within him, transforming life into a creative expression of art."
What is the dharma of a poet?
definition"The dharma of a poet is to sing of love, allowing words to arise from authentic experience rather than borrowed feelings, awakening hearts to the timeless fragrance of life."
"Poetry is the bridge that connects the body of science with the soul of religion; without it, spirituality becomes a barren landscape devoid of beauty and celebration."
"The poet glimpses the Truth from a distance, while the seer dissolves into its infinite essence; all seers are poets, but only those who surrender their ego can truly embrace the boundless sky of realization."
"True seekers must embrace the truth, even when it challenges their identity, for only in the face of critique can the ego be transcended."
"Every word is poetry, and in recognizing the single fragrance of existence, we dissolve the boundaries that separate us."
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