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From Publishers Weekly
The first few chapters of self-styled guru Osho's spiritual insights on love, sex and meditation are infused with an idiosyncratic but reasonably mainstream flavor. As the book progresses, however, Osho's teachings veer sharply away from conventional spirituality. In a chapter entitled "It Takes a Village," Osho envisions a future in which communes replace the family, calling this "the most revolutionary step in human history." While Osho and the Osho Commune International are briefly profiled in endnotes, nowhere is it revealed that Osho was the Bhagwan Rajneesh the charismatic cult leader who fled the United States in 1987 and died in India three years later. Read in light of this knowledge, the book takes on a foreboding aspect. In view of the sexual practices at the Rajneeshi commune in Oregon, passages such as "Love always melts the self.... You love a woman, and at least in those few moments when there is real love for the woman, there is no self in you, no ego" seem rife with dangerous latencies. Also disconcerting is the knowledge that this collection has not been updated with Osho's later views, including the more conservative statements on sexuality that marked his much-scrutinized last years. Given the author's identity, readers might be tempted to dismiss these teachings as cult brainwashing and avoid them altogether, but there is much here to be taken seriously.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.From Booklist
These thoughts on love, sex, marriage, relationships, freedom, and enlightenment come from transcripts of the late teacher's lectures and question-and-answer sessions, and their casual, conversational tone makes them easy to read. Osho stresses the need for self-love, the effect of meditation on one's ability to love, the origins of jealousy, the social conditioning that shapes one's relationships, the reasons relationships often fail, and the difference between love and lust. He makes his points emphatically, often using humor to illustrate his thoughts. "I teach self-love," he says. "But remember, self-love does not mean egotistical pride, not at all. In fact it means just the opposite. The person who loves himself finds that there is no self in him. Love always melts the self--that is one of the alchemical secrets to be learned, understood, experienced." Regardless of one's feelings about Osho, who was controversial as a "sex guru," there is plenty of food for thought in his musings. Bonnie Johnston
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Love is not what is ordinarily understood by the word. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure Delight,
By zvozin (Palo Alto, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Love, Freedom, and Aloneness: The Koan of Relationships (Paperback)
The book is beautiful, read it and delight in it. Don't take it seriously, rather drink it up. It is in prose (it is all transcribed talks), but leaves a distinct aftertaste of fine poetry. Besides, whatever Osho was, he was a genious in his knowledge of human psychology, and a master with words. It shows. $5 say anyone with a little attention will stumble across something eye-opening in this book.Speaking of who Osho was, it pays to do research (I'm aiming at the editorial reviews here, naturally). He didn't flee the US - he got deported on fabricated INS charges, and there were no orgies at Rajneeshpuram. However, libel sticks. This story (a thoroughly fascinating one - how the Reigan administration got so afraid of a little Indian man that they broke a couple dozen of American laws trying to shut him down and force him out) is still awaiting an unbiased teller. Osho belonged to the venerable tradition that says: human beings are basically consciousness. Everything else, including our bodies, and our lives, is minute circumstance. The only purpose is to help the consciousness become aware of itself (aka enlightenment), the only path there - meditation. Anything else is only used to help the people meditate, as needed. Osho spent the majority of his life promoting the cause, and certainly sacrificed lifetime for it - he died prematurely even considering his rather ill health (he was asthmatic, diabetic, and had back problems, but granted the very high level of care afforded him, the above shouldn't have killed a 59-old man). For everything else, read the man himself. This lovely book is as good a place to start as any.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beyond the Mars-Venus Game,
By A Customer
This review is from: Love, Freedom, and Aloneness: A New Vision of Relating (Hardcover)
So few "relationship" books really get down to the nitty-gritty of why it seems to be true both that the "other is hell" and that we can't seem to live without some "other" in our lives, even if sometimes it's only the cat! This book does get down to that nitty gritty - without being the least bit cliche'd, new-agey or sentimental. Always insightful, sometimes ruthlessly honest, and very often funny... you'll recognize yourself in these pages often, and many many couples that you know.
5.0 out of 5 stars
A beautiful book,
By A Customer
This review is from: Love, Freedom, and Aloneness: A New Vision of Relating (Hardcover)
This book gave me a new way and a new vision of relating, by teaching me to first know and relate with my inner self and then with others. To first love myself before loving others. To get in touch with myself before trying to touch someone else's life. This book definitely presents some radical thoughts on marriage and relationships. However, do not brush them off so easily. Osho's words always carry a profound meaning and reqire a deep understanding of his reasoning and the context he speaks in.
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