Osho's perspective on Wisdom
When Osho Spoke About Wisdom
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Question: Osho, it is a great surprise that all our questions are old and stale, while your answers are so new and fresh. What is the secret? Because you think your questions. Whatever comes out of thinking becomes stale. Thinking can only be of the old; there is no thinking of the new. How will you think the new? That which you have not known at all, with which you have no acquaintance—how will its form arise in your mind? You search from memory. Even if you put a little paint and polish on it, your questions cannot be new; they remain old, because whatever is born of the mind is old. Mind is the name of the old. Mind means the dead. Mind means what has passed. Mind means what has already been experienced. So whatever you have experienced, heard, read, thought—this is the mind’s storehouse.Read the full discourse →
Question: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM, AND UNDERSTANDING? There is a lot of difference, and the difference is not quantitative, it is qualitative. Knowledge is belief. Knowledge is others' experience not your own. They say there is God and you believe in it. This is knowledge. A young man can become very knowledgeable. There is no trouble in it. You need a good memory, you need to make a little effort. The same thing can be done some day by a computer: you will carry a computer in your pocket, no need to make your head too heavy with the libraries, the computer will carry all the knowledge. Remember, soon computers will replace all your knowledge. The pundit is going to disappear from the world, the computer will take its place.Read the full discourse →
Question: First question: Osho, why does Eastern wisdom not address true masters as psychologists? In what sense is a satguru entirely different from a psychologist? Kindly explain. A psychologist is not a knower of the mind. He knows about the mind; he does not know the mind itself. Knowing about something is one thing; knowing the thing itself is something altogether different. Knowing about the mind can be done by the mind itself. Knowing the mind requires going beyond the mind. Only the witness knows the mind. To know the mind you have to be other than it, beyond it. You have to rise above the mind. Those who are enclosed within the mind will never know the mind. One who believes “I am the mind” — how will he ever know the mind? Whatever we know requires a little distance, a gap; only then does perspective arise.Read the full discourse →
Question: OSHO, WHAT IS WISDOM? Stephen Crane writes: I met a seer, he held in his hands the book of wisdom. "Sir," I addressed him, "let me read.""Child..." he began. "Sir," I said, "think not that I am a child, for already I know much of that which you hold." "Ah, much!" he smiled. Then he opened the book and held it before me. Strange, that I should have gone so suddenly blind. Wisdom is not knowledge. The knowledgeable person cannot see it, he is blind. Only the innocent person can see it, only a child, one who knows nothing, one who functions from the state of not knowing, can know what wisdom is. Wisdom has nothing to do with knowledge, not at all; it has something to do with innocence.Read the full discourse →
"Wisdom and understanding are not something to be gained; they are your very essence waiting to be unveiled, instantaneously or gradually, depending on the intensity of your desire."
"Wisdom is not found in words, but in the silent transmission of presence; come closer, drink the essence, and let silence reveal the truth."
"Seek the living presence of a wise person, for their light will illuminate the shadows within you, revealing the asuric elements that hide in darkness."
"True wisdom is not a product of time but a sudden awakening, a laughter that transcends the intellect and reveals the essence of understanding."
"A psychologist treats the symptoms of the mind, while a satguru awakens you to the witness beyond it, guiding you back to your true essence."
"True wisdom is not something to take root from outside; it is already within you, waiting for the courage to leap into the unknown."
"Listen deeply to the wisdom of others, but let your own awareness guide your actions; true intelligence is born from experimentation, not blind adherence to advice."
"Don't cling to the first glimpse of the diamond; let the new vastness flow and be shared, for true growth lies in the spontaneous overflow of the present moment."
"Be wise like the serpent, awakening your consciousness, while remaining as innocent as the dove, preserving your heart's purity amidst the illusions of the world."
"Silence is the unsayable essence of truth; it is in the depths of inner stillness that the highest wisdom is encountered."
"The wise transcend the duality of wisdom and foolishness, embracing the mystery of existence with an empty heart, while the fool clings to knowledge as identity."
"Knowledge is borrowed, wisdom is personal, but understanding is the clarity of being in the present moment."
"Forge straight ahead by turning your attention inward; wisdom is not a gradual journey but a sudden realization that your buddhahood is already within you, waiting to be unveiled."
What is the meaning of the four types of movement: physical, intellectual, emotional, and wisdom?
definition"The four movements of human energy—physical, intellectual, emotional, and wisdom—are not opposing forces but a harmonious ascent, where each level must be embraced to elevate our awareness into the unity of existence."
What is the message for elders?
definition"Honor the body as a temple, but remember that the soul is ageless; in this awareness, the fear of aging and death dissolves, revealing the eternal freshness of life."
"Realizing your ignorance is the beginning of true wisdom, where the collapse of borrowed knowledge reveals the simplicity and innocence of your being. In that surrender, life transforms into a meditative celebration, flowing effortlessly with the divine."
"Wisdom arises when your inner truth flows effortlessly into your words and actions, revealing the beauty of simplicity that shatters the layers of falseness."
What is the secret behind the freshness of answers compared to the staleness of questions?
definition"Fresh answers spring from the silence beyond thought, while stale questions are mere echoes of the past. Embrace spontaneity, for it is the source of true aliveness."
"Wisdom remains fresh when it flows from the living moment, for true teachings are born from direct experience, not from the stale echoes of memory."
"Even the most foolish questions can reveal the depths of our minds; they are invitations to laugh, to reflect, and to transcend the noise of the ego."
"True following of the wise is not in imitation, but in igniting your own inner light through understanding and insight. Be a light unto yourself, for only then can you truly illuminate your path."
"Mahāprajña is the flowering of inner silence that transcends language, where great wisdom reveals itself as freedom from craving, fear, and possessiveness. In this silence, truth is realized directly, for God’s only language is silence."
"The fight between the two bulls at the seashore represents the mind's inner conflict; only when this war ends can you return to your timeless center and experience your true oneness."
What is the significance of the verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam regarding the foolish and the wise?
definition"True wisdom begins when you recognize your own foolishness; only then can you see the futility of outer gains and awaken to the inner light of liberation."
What is true wisdom?
definition"True wisdom is the flowering of an egoless consciousness, born from silence and love, not from learned knowledge or memory. It emerges when the mind surrenders to no-mind, revealing the innocence that lies within."
Profound Quotes on Wisdom
Explore our structured collection of meaning-mapped quotes regarding Wisdom.
Open Quotes Library →