OSHO on BUDDHA

An authority on the world’s spiritual traditions, Osho was celebrated for his unique ability to refresh ancient wisdoms for a contemporary audience. Here he takes the reader on an exciting journey into the life and world of Prince Gautam Siddhartha, who became the Buddha. Like a great storyteller, Osho explains the Buddha’s teachings through life stories and anecdotes that demonstrate how these teachings arose from Buddha’s own experiences. Lively and lifelike, with unconventional wit and deep wisdom he guides the reader step by step through the secrets and subtleties of the “world religion without God,” as only a true spiritual teacher can. Stunning color photographs throughout the book, along with Osho’s inspiring insights, reveal the inner quality of Buddha’s spirituality, leading the reader to a new understanding of his timeless message.

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From the book: Right mindfulness

Human is a crowd, a crowd of many voices -- relevant, irrelevant, consistent, inconsistent -- each voice pulling in its own way; all the voices pulling man apart. Ordinarily man is a mess, virtually a kind of madness. You somehow manage, you somehow manage to look sane. Deep down layers and layers of insanity are boiling within you. They can erupt any moment, your control can be lost any moment, because your control is enforced from without. It is not a discipline that has come from your center of being.

For social reasons, economic reasons, political reasons, you have enforced a certain character upon yourself. But many vital forces exist against that character within you. They are continuously sabotaging your character. Hence every day you go on committing many mistakes, many errors. Even sometimes you feel that you never wanted to do it. In spite of yourself, you go on committing many mistakes -- because you are not one, you are many.

Buddha does not call these mistakes sins, because to call them sin will be condemning you. He simply calls them misdemeanours, mistakes, errors. To err is human, not to err is divine. And the way from the human to the divine goes through mindfulness. These many voices within you can stop torturing you, pulling you, pushing you. These many voices can disappear if you become mindful.

In a mindful state mistakes are not committed -- not that you control them, but in a mindful state, in an alert, aware state, voices, many voices cease; you simply become one, and whatsoever you do comes from the very core of your being. It is never wrong. This has to be understood.

In the modern Human Potential Movement there is a parallel to understand it. That's what Transactional Analysis calls the triangle of PAC. P means parent, A means adult, C means child. These are your three layers, as if you are a three-storied building. First floor is that of the child, second floor is that of the parent, third floor is that of the adult. All three exist together.
This is your inner triangle and conflict. Your child says one thing, your parent says something else, your adult, rational mind says something else.

The child says 'enjoy'. For the child this moment is the only moment; he has no other considerations. The child is spontaneous, but unaware of the consequences -- unaware of past, unaware of future. He lives in the moment. He has no values and he has no mindfulness, no awareness. The child consists of felt concepts; he lives through feeling. His whole being is irrational.

Of course he comes into many conflicts with others. He comes into many contradictions within himself, because one feeling helps him to do one thing, then suddenly he starts feeling another feeling. A child never can complete anything. By the time he can complete it his feeling has changed. He starts many things but never comes to any conclusion. A child remains inconclusive. He enjoys -- but his enjoyment is not creative, cannot be creative. He delights -- but life cannot be lived only through delight. You cannot remain a child forever. You will have to learn many things, because you are not alone here.

…

Whenever there is a need to respond, the first thing, Buddha says, is become mindful, become aware. Remember your center. Become grounded in your center. Be there for a few moments before you do anything. There is no need to think about it because thinking is partial. There is no need to feel about it because feeling is partial. There is no need to find clues from your parents, Bible, Koran, Gita -- these are all P -- there is no need. You simply remain tranquil, silent, simply alert -- watching the situation as if you are absolutely out of it, aloof, a watcher on the hills.

This is the first requirement -- to be centered whenever you want to act. Then out of this centering let the act arise -- and whatsoever you do will be virtuous, whatsoever you do will be right.
Buddha says right mindfulness is the only virtue there is. Not to be mindful is to fall into error. To act unconsciously is to fall into error.
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other Osho books on Buddha
...and answering another question
Osho talks on CD: Expectation & Frustration & The Ultimate Joke

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