The Book of Secrets: Keys to Love and Meditation [Hardcover]

Osho is the greatest spiritual teacher of our time. Tantra is the greatest wisdom of all of time. I had, before I read this book, a great split in the philosophy I was attracted to. On one hand I was entranced by things such as Buddhism and Taoism, things that are, to a degree ascetic, denying... they were clear, concise, purely rational systems of thought, I could not say no to something I knew to be steeped in both rational truth and experiental truth (insight& knowledge from my own experience). At the same time though I was blown away by Friedrich Nietzsche and Jean-Paul Sartre, western philosophers grouped as existentialists who seemed to advocate a life filled with passion. These two opposing systems, I realized, came from the same sort of outlook on the world, but were, in their practices, very very different. I could not reconcile the two.

I mention this split in my thinking because many of my friends have it as well, perhaps not with the same philosophers, but they have this split too. You too may have it. It is the split between this world and a transcendental realm. Between having Nirvana and having a nice t-shirt. Between having bliss and having a family. It seems, hitherto, one has been unable to have both.

Osho lets you have both. He says you already have this world. But instead of denying this world Osho teaches you to use this world as a sort of catapult, a ladder, to get to higher states of awareness. Here is an example: When you get angry, he says, do not supress your anger because it created more anger; instead, he says become fully angry and then become aware of your anger, and then anger will have no power over you. He says the same of all emotions. He has meditative techniques for all sorts of personalities. This is how he says "yes" to life. Osho teaches that ALL situations, ALL emotions, everything, really, can be used as a tool to teach you, to help you increase awareness.

Lastly, Osho does not discriminate between religious traditions. Our world is one of splits between different religions, not one of love, it is a world where in areas like the middle-east people are killed for believing in this god or not believing in that one; where at places like my workplace a manager of mine told me I was going to Hell for practicing tantra & meditation and not following christ as the one & only savior; a world where a certain president elected in they year 2000 discriminately gives money to faith-based organizations... in this world the splits between religious faiths becomes hazardous. Osho speaks from his own knowledge and wisdom and love but uses at the same time, like any great teacher, ALL faiths, ALL beliefs, and ALL religious figures as examples, as illustrations, as ways to elaborate his point. Unifying divergent beliefs is really a great feat, and osho does it magnificently.

Really, after coming this far you ought to buy the book. Osho teaches how to say "yes" to life and enjoy it to its fullest. If you don't buy it Osho and I will come to your house and beat you up. That was a joke. I forgot to mention Osho has an awesome sense of humor. He tells you to laugh.

You only need one or two techniques, whichever one works for you. You are an intellectual, you perceive life with the mind, you use one type of technique. You are a person of feelings, of the heart; you use another type of technique.

There's just too much profound information to write a review here. I can relate how the mind is not you, thoughts are not you, just as the body is not you, but rather instruments used by our consciousness. To get a glimpse of our consciousness, of our real selves apart from our minds; that is where true peace lies, where the center of the present moment resides. The mind is a process like walking, it is only the movement of thoughts, of waves of energy, stop thinking and we have no mind. The question is how to stop thinking, even for a moment. And so 112 mediation techniques to allow the mind to cease to gain a fleeting glimpse of the consciousness and you will never walk away as the same person ever again. You will be changed, both mentally and physically. The seed can flower, only when it is in touch with itself.

The mind accumulates which ultimately allows it to commit intellectual suicide in childlike awareness. Not childish ignorance, but like a child the mind is dropped, only this time it transcends the intellect that has been acquired.

This is the best book I have ever encountered on meditation and I can see why Gurdjeff and so many others practiced many of the different techniques. Ultimately the Tao is simply surrendering, you do not need techniques, but the paradox is effort is at first needed to obtain the ability to trash effort: that is the paradox.