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Part V : Osho's controversial discourse series: From Sex to Superconsciousness
Osho is invited to Bombay to give series of five talks on ‘Love’,
in the prestigious Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Auditorium. In the first
discourse on 28 August 1968, Osho explains that love and meditation
are the transformation of sexual energy, and that if sex is suppressed
it cannot be transformed. Osho emphasises transcendence of sexual
energy. Many people are outraged and the owners of the Auditorium
cancel the series.
On 28 September Osho returns to complete the talks to a very
large audience at the famous Gwalia Tank Maidan. The series is
published under the title From Sex to Superconsciousness, which
becomes his most-read book. The press sensationalize and distort
his teachings, and libel him the 'sex-guru'.
Some quotes from the first discourse on 'Love':
If you want a shower of love in your life, renounce this conflict
with sex. Accept sex with joy. Acknowledge its sacredness. Receive
it gratefully and embrace it more and more deeply. You will be
surprised that sex can reveal such sacredness; it will reveal
its sacredness to the degree of your acceptance....
My conjecture is that man had his first luminous glimpse of
samadhi during the experience of intercourse. Only in the moments
of coitus did man realize that it was possible to feel such profound
love, to experience such illuminating bliss. And those who meditated
on this truth in the right frame of mind, those who meditated
on the phenomenon of sex, of intercourse, came to the conclusion
that in the moments of climax the mind becomes empty of thoughts.
All thoughts drain out at that moment. And this emptiness of mind,
this void, this vacuum, this freezing of the mind, is the cause
of the shower of divine joy....
If you want to know the elemental truth about love, the first
requisite is to accept the sacredness of sex, to accept the divinity
of sex in the same way you accept God's existence - with an
open heart. And the more fully you accept sex with an open heart
and mind, the freer you will be of it. But the more you suppress
it the more you will become bound to it....
When such a harmony exists between two people I call it love.
And when it exists between one man and the masses, I call it communion
with God. If you can become immersed with me in such an experience,
so that all barriers melt, so that an osmosis takes place at the
spiritual level, then that is love. And if such a unity happens
between me and everyone else and I lose my identity in the All,
then that attainment, that merging, is with God, with the Almighty,
with the Omniscient, with the Universal Consciousness, with the
Supreme or whatsoever you want to call it. And so, I say that
love is the first step and that God is the last step - the
finest and the final destination. super01
Osho concludes his first discourse:
I wondered what I could say about love! Love is so difficult
to describe. Love is just there. You could probably see it in
my eyes if you came up and looked into them. I wonder if you can
feel it as my arms spread in an embrace.
Love.
What is love?
If love is not felt in my eyes, in my arms, in my silence, then
it can never be realized from my words.
I am grateful for your patient hearing. And finally, I bow to
the Supreme seated in all of us.
Please accept my respects. super01
I was told to speak on "Love." But I felt that as long
as we were hampered by certain incorrect suppositions about sex
and lust, we would never be able to understand or appreciate love.
As long as such misleading beliefs are deep-rooted, whatever we
say about love will be incomplete, will be wasted, will be untrue.
So, to focus on that, I talked about lust and sex in that particular
meeting. I said that the sex energy itself could be transformed
into love....
Sex can become love. But how can one who hates sex ever become
filled with love? How can one transform sex when one is its enemy?
And so, I stressed the necessity of understanding lust, of knowing
sex. The other day, I pointed out that sex had to be transformed....
When I ended my talk that day, I was surprised to see that all
the officials who had been on the platform, the friends who had
organized the meeting, had vanished into thin air. I did not see
one of them when I walked down the aisle to leave....
Not even the main organizer was present to thank me. Whatsoever
white caps there were, whatsoever khadi-clad people there were,
were not on the dais; they had already fled long before the completion
of the talk. Leaders are a very weak species indeed. And swift
too. They run away before their followers do.
But some courageous people did approach me - some spirited
men and women: some old, some young. They all said I had told
them things no one had ever said before. They said their eyes
had been opened, that they felt much lighter inside. There was
the look of gratitude in their eyes, in their tears of joy. I
was asked by them to complete the series of talks. Those honest
people were ready to understand life; they asked if I would elaborate
on the subject, and this was one of the reasons for my return
to Bombay.
A big crowd had assembled, even as I came out of the Bhavan, and
people congratulated me on what I had said. Then, even though
the leaders had fled, I felt that the public was with me. And
there and then I decided to expound fully on the topic. That is
why I selected this subject.
Another reason was that those who had run away from the dais had
begun to tell people everywhere that I had said such blasphemous
things that religion was sure to be destroyed, that I had said
things that would make people irreligious! And so, to reply to
them I felt I must elaborate on my point of view. I felt they
should realize that people are not going to become irreligious
by hearing talks on sex, but that, on the contrary, people are
irreligious because they haven't understood sex up to now....
If mankind becomes more debased, if a total perversion occurs,
if mankind goes completely neurotic because of its ignorance of
sex, the blame will be not with those who reflect and meditate
on the subject of sex, but at the door of the so-called preachers
of morals and religion. They have tried to keep man encased in
ignorance for thousands of years. But for these oppressive leaders,
mankind would have been freed from sexuality long ago. Sex is
normal, but the invention of sexuality can be traced to these
gurus. This handicap can never be overcome so long as ignorance
about sex exists.
I am not in favor of ignorance at any level of life. I am always
ready to welcome the truth at any cost, at any danger. I felt
that if one stray ray of truth could spread so much agitation
among people then it was fitting to discuss the full spectrum,
so as to clear up the question of whether knowledge of sex makes
man religious or irreligious. This is the background; this is
why I have selected this subject. Without this, it would not have
occurred to me to choose this subject; without this, I would not
have talked on this topic at all. And so, those who created this
opportunity and led me, indirectly, to select this subject for
these lectures deserve some thanks. Therefore, if you have a mind
to thank me for choosing this topic, please do not do so; instead,
congratulate those who are propagating misleading things about
me. They have forced me to pick this subject. super05
I say there is not, nor can there be, any God but life itself.
I also say that to love life is one's sadhana, one's path to God.
The true religion is to avail one's self of life. To realize the
ultimate truth that exists in life is the first auspicious step
towards achieving total deliverance. The one who misses life is
the one who is sure to miss everything else.
However, the tendency of religion is exactly the opposite: cast
life away, renounce the world. Religion does not advise the contemplation
of life; it does not help you to lead your life; it does not tell
you that you will only find life as you live it, but it says that
if your life is miserable it is because your perception of life
is impure. Life can shower happiness on you if you only know the
proper way to live it.
I call religion the art of living. Religion is not a way to
undermine life, it is a medium for delving deeply into the mysteries
of existence. Religion is not turning one's back on life, it is
facing life squarely. Religion is not escaping from life; religion
is embracing life fully. Religion is the total realization of
life....
During these few days, I shall discuss the religion of life, the
religion of the living faith - and a certain elemental principle
the common man is never encouraged to discover, nor even told
about. In the past, the utmost was done to throw a blanket over
this primary rule of life, to suppress this basic truth. And the
result of this grave mistake has grown into a universal disease.
What is the basic drive of the average man?
God?
No.
The soul?
No.
Truth?
No.
What is at the core of man? What is the basic urge in the depths
of the common man - in the life of the average man, of the man
who never meditates, never searches his soul, never undertakes
any religious pilgrimages?
Devotion?
No.
Prayer?
No.
Liberation?
No.
Nirvana?
Absolutely not.
If we look for the basic urge in the common man, if we search
for the force behind this life, we will find neither devotion
nor God, neither prayer nor the thirst for knowledge. We will
find something different there - something that is being pushed
into the darkness, that is never faced consciously, that is never
evaluated. And what is that something? What will you find if you
dissect and analyze the core of the average man?
Leave man aside for the moment. If we look at the animal or
vegetable kingdom, what will we find at the core of anything?
If we observe the activity of a plant, what do we find? Where
is its growth leading? Its whole energy is directed toward producing
a new seed. Its entire being is occupied with forming a new seed.
What is a bird doing? What is an animal doing? If we closely observe
the activities of nature, we will find that there is only one
process, only one wholehearted process going on. And that process
is one of continuous creation, of procreation, of creating new
and different self-forms. Flowers have seeds; fruits have seeds.
And what is the seed's destiny? The seed is destined to grow into
a new plant, into a new flower, into a new fruit, into a new seed
- and so the cycle repeats itself. The process of procreation
is eternal. Life is a force that is continuously regenerating
itself. Life is a creativity, a process of self-creation.
The same is true of man. And we have christened the process "passion,"
"sex." We have also termed it "lust." This
labeling amounts to name-calling; it is a kind of abuse. And this
very disparagement itself has polluted the atmosphere.
Then, what is lust? What is passion? What is the force called
"sex"?...
We have deliberately condemned the urge to procreate for thousands
of years. Instead of accepting it, we have abused it. We have
relegated it to the lowest possible place. We have concealed it
and pretended it is not there, as if there were no place for it
in life, no room for it in the scheme of things.
The truth is that there is nothing more vital than this urge.
And it should be given its rightful place. Man has not freed himself
from it by covering it up and by trampling it; on the contrary,
he has entangled himself in it even more. This repression has
yielded the opposite result from the one expected....
Have you never observed that the mind is pulled towards and hypnotized
by the very thing it is trying to avoid? The people who taught
man to be against sex are fully responsible for making him so
aware of sex. The over-sexuality that exists in man can be blamed
on perverted teachings.
Today we are afraid to discuss sex. Why are we so mortally afraid
of this subject? It is because of a presupposition that man may
become sexual just by talking about sex. This view is totally
wrong. There is, after all, a vast difference between sex and
sexuality. Our society will only be free of the ghost of sex when
we develop the courage to talk about sex in a rational and healthy
manner.
It is only by understanding sex in all its aspects that we will
be able to transcend sex. You cannot free yourself from a problem
by shutting your eyes to it....
We have tried to curb and annihilate our inborn urges in vain;
no attempts are made to transform them, to elevate them. We have
forced ourselves to control that energy in a wrong way. That energy
is bubbling in us like molten lava; it is always pushing from
inside: if we are not careful, it may topple us at any moment.
And do you know what happens when it gets the slightest opening?...
What is this fire?
It is not an enemy, it is a friend.
What is the nature of this fire?
I want to tell you that once you know this fire it will no longer
be an enemy, it will become a friend. If you understand this fire,
it will not burn you. It will warm your homes, it will cook for
you, and it will also become your lifelong friend....
The sex inside man, his libido, is even more vital than electricity.
A minute atom of matter annihilated an entire hundred thousand
people in the city of Hiroshima, but an atom of man's energy can
create a new life, a new person! Sex is more powerful than an
atom bomb. Have you ever thought about the infinite possibilities
of this force, about how we can transform it to better mankind?
An embryo can become a Gandhi, a Mahavir, a Buddha, a Christ.
An Einstein can evolve from it; a Newton can be manifest in it.
An infinitely small atom of sex energy has a towering person like
Gandhi manifest in it!
But we are not inclined to even try to understand sex. We have
to summon immense courage even to talk about it in public. What
kind of fear is it that plagues us, so that we are not prepared
to understand the force out of which the whole world is born?
What is this fear? Why does sex alarm us so? super02
Tomorrow, I intend to speak to you about how the experience of
kama, of lust, can be sublimated into that of rama, of light.
I wish you to listen attentively, so there will be no misinterpretation.
And whatever questions come to mind, please ask them honestly.
Send them to me in writing so that I can speak to you about them
simply and directly in the next few days. It is not necessary
to hide any questions that arise in your minds; there is no reason
to hide the truth. It is pointless to try to run away from it.
Truth is truth whether we shut our eyes to it or not. Only those
who have the courage to face the truth are religious men. Those
who are weak and cowardly, those who are not even manly enough
to face the facts of life, can never be helped to become religious.
In the coming days, I invite you to consider my topic. It is
one on which your aged seers and sages cannot be expected to talk.
And perhaps you are not used to hearing such discourses either.
Your minds may react in fear, but I urge you to be patient and
to listen attentively. It is quite possible the understanding
of sex may lead you to the temple of your soul. That is my desire.
May God fulfill that desire. super02
For these three days I have elaborated on a few principles only.
I would now like to recapitulate one point and then conclude today's
talk.
I want to say that those who lead us away from the truths of life
are the enemies of mankind. Those who tell you never to think
about sex are your enemies; they have not allowed you to think
about it, to reflect on it. Otherwise, how is it possible that
we have not yet developed a rational attitude towards the subject?
Furthermore, the people who say that sex has no relation to
religion are entirely incorrect, because it is the energy of sex,
in a transformed and sublimated form, that enters the realm of
religion. The sublimation of this vital energy lifts man to realms
about which we know very little. The transformation of his sex
energy raises man to a world where there is no death, no sorrow,
to a world where there is nothing but joy, pure joy. And anyone
who possesses that energy, that life-force, can uplift himself
to that realm of joyous, truthful consciousness, to satchitanand.
But we have been wasting this energy. We are like buckets with
holes in the bottom, and we are using these buckets to draw water
from the well. But all the water drains out in the process and
what we end up with is an empty bucket. We are like boats with
holes in the bottom: we row only to sink. Such a boat can never
reach the other shore; it is destined to sink in midstream. All
this leaking is due to the wrong diversion of the flow of sex
energy.
Those who show nude photos, write obscene books and produce
sexy films are not responsible for these leakages of energy. The
responsibility for these kinds of perversions lies with those
who have put barriers in the way of our understanding of sex.
It is because of these people that naked pictures are in demand,
that pornographic books are on sale, that nude films are made,
and we see the sordid and absurd results every day. The ones who
are responsible are those we call saintly and ascetic. But if
you look deeply into it, you will see that they are the real advertising
agents for obscenity....
But in order to succeed in producing a new man, it is a question
of ultimate concern and a matter of dire necessity that we accept
sex, that we come to know sex fully, that we understand it and
that we transcend it.
I have explained a few things to you during the last three days,
and tomorrow I will endeavor to answer your questions. Your questions
should be put forth honestly; the attitude with which you have
been asking about the soul and God will not do. This is a question
of living, of life, and only if your inquiries are direct and
honest can we delve deeply into the subject. The truth is always
ready to be discovered; we require only a true, honest and conscientious
curiosity to come to know it. But, unfortunately, that we lack.
super04
I trust and believe that what we have discussed will guide you
on the proper road toward breaking those barriers that stand in
the way of the evolution of an authentic man. A path is visible;
the gradual transformation of your lust is possible. Your sex
can become your samadhi. super05
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