Osho's perspective on Zen
When Osho Spoke About Zen
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Osho, what is the zen approach towards sex? The zen people seem to have a neuter gender, or asexual aura about them.
Remember, the business people are ascetic people. They have devoted everything to money. Now a man who knows love and has known the thrill of love and the ecstasy of it will not be competitive. He will be happy if he can get his daily bread. That is the meaning of Jesus' prayer: "Give us our daily bread." That is more than enough. Now Jesus looks foolish. He should have asked, "Give us a bigger bank balance." He asks only for the daily bread? A joyous man never asks for more than that. The joy is so fulfilling. It is only unfulfilled beings who are competitive, because they think life is not here, it is there. "I have to reach to Delhi and become the president," or to the White House and become this or that. "I have to go there, joy is there" -- because they know here there…Read the full discourse →
What is the difference between waiting for godot and waiting for god?
It is as if the sun has risen in the morning and you are sitting in your room with closed doors and windows, in darkness. Open the doors, you become available to the sun. The sun was already available -- just the meeting happens. You cannot wait for God. All waiting is for Godot. Godot means the one who never comes, who CANNOT come, whose arrival is impossible. And the only impossible thing is that which has already happened -- how can it happen again? You are alive, and you are waiting for life, Now, this is ridiculous. The real man of religion does not think in terms of God. He thinks in terms of life or, even better, of living -- because life can again become an abstract idea. Living, moment-to-moment living. In that very living, one knows what God is, because one knows who one is. Your idea…Read the full discourse →
Osho, why have you called this series of discourses: "walking in zen, sitting in zen"?
Concentration is not meditation, concentration is an effort of the mind to focus itself. It has certain purposes of its own. It is a method in science -- useful, but it is not meditation. Contemplation is a little vague, more abstract. In concentration, the object is more visible; in contemplation, the object is abstract. You concentrate on a flame of light; you contemplate on love. And in Christianity, contemplation and meditation have become synonymous. Meditation should be given a new meaning, a new fragrance -- the fragrance of Zen. Concentration is of the mind, meditation is not of the mind at all, and contemplation is just in between, in a limbo. It is something of the mind and something of the no-mind, a mixture; a state where mind and no-mind meet, the boundary. One has to reach to the absolute state of awareness: that is Zen. You cannot do it…Read the full discourse →
Question: BELOVED OSHO, HOW DOES THE MAN OF ZEN TAKE HIS TEA? For the man of Zen everything is sacred -- even taking a cup of tea. Whatever he does, he does as if he is in a holy space. There is a story about Moses. When he went on Mount Sinai to meet God and to receive the Ten Commandments, he saw a miracle happening: a green bush, lush green, and inside it a beautiful flame, fire. As he approached it somebody shouted from the bush, "Take your shoes off. This is holy ground." The Judaic interpretation is that the flame was God himself. That's why the bush was not burning, because God's fire is cool. And Moses unconsciously was entering into the area which was like a temple or a synagogue: the living God was there. He took his shoes off and went in.Read the full discourse →
"Effortlessness is the path to authenticity; do not confuse the ease of spirituality with laziness, for truth and joy are already within you, waiting to be embraced."
Are the Upanishads and Zen the same?
definition"Different paths may lead to the same summit of self-realization; the Upanishads invite you into a loving communion, while Zen beckons you to awaken in solitude."
"When you vow to stay forever, remember that true presence is found in the willingness to return and linger a little longer in the timeless Now."
Could one define Zen as 'hitting the mark'?
definition"Zen is not about hitting a mark; it is the realization that there is no target, only the beauty of being fully present in the rhythm of existence."
"Witnessing is the essence of both Vigyan Bhairava Tantra and Zen, yet their paths diverge; one is a method, the other a realization born from abandonment."
"The absence of a central god in communism has birthed an innocent mind, more receptive to Zen's non-theistic meditation, yet this innocence must be safeguarded from organized religions to cultivate a new awareness of harmony between matter and spirit."
"When you are fully present, even the most mundane acts become a celebration of consciousness, transforming daily life into a profound meditation."
How does one hand clap?
definition"Your readiness is the missing hand; melt into the silence of the eternal sound, and discover the Oneness that transcends all duality."
"The man of Zen takes his tea as a sacred meditation, where each sip becomes a moment of total presence, leaving behind the self and embracing the silence."
"Lasting bliss is not something you maintain; it is the essence that maintains itself when you sink into the life source and simply witness your existence."
"Intuition without the depth of existential realization is merely a concept; true understanding arises only through direct experience and the lived luminosity of life."
Is Zen against politics?
definition"Zen is not against politics; it is beyond it, for true religion transcends ambition and ego, rendering the games of power irrelevant."
Is Zen full of zest, zip, zap, and zing?
definition"Zen is the dance of existence, a leap into the here and now, where every moment is alive with passion and the thrill of pure being."
Is Zen the path of surrender?
definition"Surrender in Zen is not about yielding to an authority, but about relaxing into the flow of life, trusting it as a skilled swimmer trusts the river. It is an attitude of acceptance, not a belief, where you simply live through direct trust."
"In the absence of hierarchy, Zen cultivates a space where comparison fades, allowing compassion and direct insight to flourish."
"Zen is the dance of unpredictability between master and disciple, where every shock is a loving nudge towards awakening and every act becomes a meditation in presence."
"Experience, not argument, reveals your true center; trust in silence and deep breathing to guide you there."
"True Zen cannot be borrowed; it must be lived, and only when the Western ego cracks will genuine Zen truly flower."
"The sensations you experience during meditation are mere projections of the mind; recognize them as dreams and return to the clarity of simple awareness."
"Special treatment is not privilege; it is the vigilant, loving attention that nurtures the imminent flowering of a soul on the brink of awakening."
"Zen means no teaching because truth cannot be taught; it can only be experienced in the silence of your own being."
What does it mean to have too much Zen?
definition"Too much Zen is not possible; it is the end of words and concepts, allowing you to rest in the pure essence of what is, free from the clutter of thought."
"You cannot seize Zen with bare hands, for it is not something to be conquered; it is the realization of your own nature, where the observer and the observed dissolve into oneness."
"The goose is out; your original nature has never been trapped, for bondage exists only in the dreaming mind. In the immediacy of freedom, you realize that seeking is an illusion and perfection is already present within you."
"To truly awaken, you must sever the final attachment to the master, for even the image of the guru can become a barrier to your own reality. Drop all projections and embrace the emptiness of shunyata to discover your true self."
Profound Quotes on Zen
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