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Osho

What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't

Feb 1977 Chuang Tzu Auditorium 27 talks

About this series · summary by Osho Live

"What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't" is a profound discourse series in which Osho explores the intricate dance of reality and illusion. Through his characteristically incisive approach, he encourages listeners to delve into the essence of existence beyond superficial perceptions. Osho dismantles the conventional dualities of 'being' and 'non-being,' advocating a deeper introspection into the nature of truth and falsehood. Central to the series is his assertion that reality is not a rigid construct to be understood but a fluid experience to be lived. Osho's teachings challenge listeners to move beyond the confines of the mind and embrace a state of total awareness where the distinction between what 'is' and what 'isn't' dissolves. He emphasizes the importance of inner silence and meditation as tools for achieving this state of pure observation. By transcending attachment to worldly definitions, individuals are liberated to experience life in a state of authenticity and spontaneity. This series serves as an invitation to embrace the non-dualistic nature of reality, where wisdom arises not from learned concepts but from direct, lived experience. Osho's unique perspective inspires a transformative freedom, encouraging seekers to live fully in the present moment, unbound by illusion.

  1. 1
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #1 1 February 1977

    Radical renaming to "Swami Veet Kalpu" demands total break with the past: drop imagination, witness thoughts in zazen, and cultivate poetic, luminous presence.

  2. 2
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #2 2 February 1977

    Mind's liking preserves the old self: try what repels you (as Gurdjieff did), let will mature into surrender, and love demands sacrifice or separation.

  3. 3
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #3 3 February 1977

    Humming bridges body and mind to conserve energy, opening inner sources; surrendering ego in sannyas and cultivating grace transforms work and readiness.

  4. 4
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #4 4 February 1977

    True richness is being, not having—enrich others by creating consciousness; you cannot make someone happy, only create conditions. Trust, risk, receive—be present.

  5. 5
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #5 5 February 1977

    A guru is a will-less presence whose emptiness awakens truth; disciples must surrender, drop idealized notions of love, and become conscious seekers.

  6. 6
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #6 6 February 1977

    Peace and bliss are your inborn nature; surrender the past, let sannyas be a creative suicide into the present, and choose devotion when confused.

  7. 7
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #7 7 February 1977

    Love as the gateway to totality and present-centered living; society and psychoanalysis enforce future-bound conformity; become a witness to break identity.

  8. 8
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #8 8 February 1977

    Become nothing—lose all claims and possessions; nothingness is liberation, not external renunciation. Repeat 'I am nothing' to relax and live fully.

  9. 9
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #9 9 February 1977

    Eternity is now: time is a mind's distortion; meditation stops time, revealing an inner light that transforms life; awareness dissolves conditioning.

  10. 10
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #10 10 February 1977

    Anand is silent, non-tense joy; sannyas is the first committed step toward it. Reason must be exhausted to allow surrender and the awakening of inner energy.

  11. 11
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #11 11 February 1977

    Love must be risked to be born: from seed to abiding state; fear cripples it. Pure love brings balance and becomes god, so uproot roots and surrender. Intense thirst draws god near.

  12. 12
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #12 12 February 1977

    Use imagination not will to transform; become childlike, drop the past, be true and discover the divine treasure within—commitment, not bargaining, is required.

  13. 13
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #13 13 February 1977

    Prem/atharva: be fire — love-consciousness that enlivens existence. Slow down, try varied meditations, dive into practice; one can visit no-mind.

  14. 14
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #14 14 February 1977

    Be blissful and freedom follows: cultivate joyful aloneness, drop knowledge into innocence, accept death, move sexual energy—live now, don't wait.

  15. 15
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #15 15 February 1977

    Layers of motive hide deeper spiritual urges; be authentic, start externally to let truth arise—Satyakama parable shows truth follows passion and honesty.

  16. 16
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #16 16 February 1977

    Drop inner chatter to awaken loving silence; let the lion's roar break you open, surrender ego, and grow humble love that dissolves death through uncontrol.

  17. 17
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #17 17 February 1977

    Celebrate life's small loving songs; pour love into small things, regain childlike innocence and say yes to life - thinking and ego block joy and true surrender.

  18. 18
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #18 18 February 1977

    True love is cool and centred (anakula), a path to God; accept life's events unconditionally—age, mistakes or disability. Are you too old to take sannyas?

  19. 19
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #19 19 February 1977

    Reflection (vimarsha) is pure mirroring without thought; pass through the desert of emptiness to reach luminous unity, and let energy flow toward God.

  20. 20
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #20 20 February 1977

    Become like a divine breeze - drop goals, accept what is; awareness dissolves madness, and uncentered helpers absorb others' energies unless grounded.

  21. 21
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #21 21 February 1977

    Become a mirror: vimarsho — awake no-thinking; offer bliss as prayer; balance energy—use half, retain half; face inner conflicts through presence.

  22. 22
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #22 22 February 1977

    Divineness is immanent: dissolve personal will to become a shadow of the divine, cultivate inner light and first‑hand knowing; how to know God?

  23. 23
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #23 23 February 1977

    Drop the ego and vibrate with the whole through mantra, unconditional love and acceptance; pass through passion to compassion and embrace life as a group.

  24. 24
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #24 24 February 1977

    Rebellion births inner transformation: love, delight and flowing consciousness through breath, creativity and surrender - overcome resistance to sex and awaken.

  25. 25
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #25 25 February 1977

    Become oceanic consciousness beyond body and mind to find bliss; life has no 'use' to justify destruction—reject clinging and murderous rationalisations.

  26. 26
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #26 26 February 1977

    Allow divine love: receive rather than only give; tolerate the intolerable for breakthrough; use bliss as the touchstone to see past the mind's denials.

  27. 27
    What Is, Is, What Ain't, Ain't #27 27 February 1977

    Surrender ego and let the divine possess you; bliss is a remembered homecoming. Say 'I don't know' to reopen wonder and be simple in relating.

Talk summaries are written by Osho Live to help you find your way; they are not Osho's words.