THE SUPREME DOCTRINE : Talks On The KENOPANISHAD

The worshiper creates the worshiped, the devotee creates the god.

This book is the transcript of Osho’s talks on the Kenopanishad, which is considered as one of the ten most important Upanishads. All Upanishads say that the Brahman is moving in everything, and everything is holy because he is the source of all. The dirty river and the sacred Ganges, to both he gives the energy; to the sinner and to the saint, he gives the energy. The Upanishads also say that whatsoever you do, the doer is always the Brahman; whatsoever you do with your energy, Brahman is moving in it and the same is illustrated in the Kenopanishad with the help of a story. The story goes that the Brahman obtained a victory for the devas, the deities. Though the victory was due to the Brahman, the devas became very egoistic and praised themselves for the victory saying: “This victory is due to us only; this glory belongs to us only.” The Brahman noticed this and appeared before the devas in the form of an Yaksha, an adorable spirit. But the devas couldn’t recognize who that Yaksha was.

The deities asked Agni (fire), to go and discover who this spirit was. Agni hastened to the Yaksha. The Yaksha asked him who he was and Agni replied, “I am Agni,I am also known as Jataveda; I can burn everything - whatever there is on this earth.” The Yaksha placed a straw before him and said, “Burn this.” Agni with all his might and vigour approached the straw but unable to burn it. He turned back and returned to the devas only to inform them that he was unable to find out who that Yaksha was.

The devas then asked Vayu (air), to do the job. Vayu approached the Yaksha and said, “I am Vayu (air). I am also known as Matarisva. I can blow away everything - whatever there is on this earth.” the Yaksha placed a straw before him and said, “Blow this away.” Vayu approached it with full speed but he was unable to blow it away. Vayu withdrew from there and returned to the devas saying “I could not ascertain who this Yaksha was.” The devas then turned to Indra to go and discover who this Yaksha, the spirit was. Indra approached the spirit and the spirit disappeared from indra’s view. TheYaksha disappears and a woman, one of the most beautiful of women, Uma, appears.

Osho says that the fire could not burn or the air could not blow a straw because the original source of energy had withdrawn. Because it is not Agni that burns nor Vayu that blows: it is the cosmic force through Agni and Vayu that burns and blows. Without the cosmic force the fire cannot burn or the air cannot blow. Also, Vayu and Agni which represent the ears and the eyes respectively couldn’t recognize the Brahman, whereas Indra which represents the mind could recognize it. Osho again says that only mind can recognize Brahman and that too only indirectly through a medium because when Indra approached, the Brahman disappeared and Uma appeared. Uma becomes the medium. And through that medium Indra could understand who that spirit was, who that presence was.

There exists one hundred and eight Upanishads and according to Osho they don’t say anything new but they go on repeating the same thing again and again- one Upanishad is repeated one hundred and eight times. This book consists of 17 chapters of which Osho’s question-answer session appears in alternate chapters. Osho responds to various questions from his disciples on diverse topics like discipline and conditioning, surrender and transformation, denial and acceptance, sin and virtue etc.etc.
Given below are some of Osho’s observations:

If a problem doesn’t belong to you, you can always give good advice on how to solve it.

A mind which desires will always feel frustrated.

If you can prove the existence of god, you have not proved the existence of god; you have simply proved that you are a very intellectual being, that’s all.

ABSOLUTE TAO (Tao-The Three Treasures) : Subtle is the way to love, happiness and truth: On The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu.

Don’t try to be victorious, then nobody can defeat you.

Osho comments in this book on Lao Tzu’s ‘Tao Te Ching’, which is considered as one of the significant treatises in Chinese philosophy. Lao Tzu who lived for ninety years refusing to say anything or to write anything is believed to have lived in between 6th and 4th century BC. Some historians are doubtful about his existence. Lao Tzu means “the old guy.” The basic attitude of Lao Tzu is that “the moment you say something about truth, it is no longer true, the very saying falsifies it.”

Lao Tzu, at the age of ninety, took leave of his disciples saying good-bye to them and left towards the Himalayas. Alone he was crossing the border and the guard who was also a disciple of Lao Tzu imprisoned him and forced him to write a book. So for three days Lao Tzu was imprisoned by his own disciple and made him write this small book, the book of Lao Tzu, ‘Tao Te Ching’. Lao Tzu had to write the book, which he finished in three days, because the disciple wouldn’t allow him to cross. The book begins with this sentence: “The Tao that can be told of is not the Absolute Tao.”

Lao Tzu believes in interdependence. He believes that everything exists with everything else and everything is interconnected and nothing exists without any purpose in life. He says: “Take everything as it is, don’t choose.” Lao Tzu also believes that when everything is too much, it is bound to be taken away. For him too much is the only sin, either be it too much richness or be it too much poverty. So don’t do too much, don’t overdo; be balanced and remain in the limits and then life is a flow.

Lao Tzu’s concept of the house is the space within, not the walls; one lives in the emptiness and not in the walls. He says: “Look at the inner, don’t look at the outer.” According to Osho “Tao is a vast hollowness, a vast space, emptiness.”

Osho says that Lao Tzu goes the deepest that anybody has ever gone; he is the greatest key, the master key to open all the locks that exist in life and existence. This book consists of ten chapters of which five chapters are set apart for Osho’s responses to questions from seekers and disciples on different topics which include love, hate and ambition; independence, dependence and interdependence; inner silence and emptiness; growth and spirituality; wisdom and understanding etc.etc. Also, the jokes, parables and anecdotes scattered elsewhere in this book are highly interesting and thought provoking. Following are some of Osho’s observations:
People always talk about things which they don’t know.
The moment you create a God, you immediately create a Devil.
When you try to be somebody, you cannot love. An ambitious mind cannot love.
You cannot love a person twenty-four hours a day; if you try, the love will become dead.