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The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom
 
 
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The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom [Hardcover]

Osho (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Book Description

February 14, 2006
The path to freedom is filled with questions and uncertainty. Is it possible to truly know who we are? Do our lives have a purpose, or are we just accidental? What are we meant to contribute? What are we meant to become, to create, and to share? In The Book of Understanding, Osho, one of the most provocative thinkers of our time, challenges us to understand our world and ourselves in a new and radical way. The first step toward understanding, he says, is to question and doubt all that we have been taught to believe.

All our lives we’ve been handed so-called truths by countless others—beliefs we learned to accept without reason. It is only in questioning our beliefs, assumptions, and prejudices that we can begin to uncover our own unique voice and heal the divisions within us and without.

Once we discover our authentic self, we can embrace all aspects of the human experience—from the earthy, pleasure-loving qualities that characterize Zorba the Greek to the watchful, silent qualities of Gautam the Buddha. We can become whole and live with integrity, able to respond with creativity and compassion to the religious, political, and cultural divides that currently plague our society.

In this groundbreaking work, Osho identifies, loosens, and ultimately helps to untie the knots of fear and misunderstanding that restrict us—leaving us free to discover and create our own individual path to freedom.



Doubt—because doubt is not a sin, it is the sign of your intelligence.

You are not responsible to any nation, to any church, to any God. You are responsible only for one thing, and that is self-knowledge. And the miracle is, if you can fulfill this responsibility, you will be able to fulfill many other responsibilities without any effort. The moment you come to your own being, a revolution happens in your vision. Your whole outlook about life goes through a radical change. You start feeling new responsibilities—not as something to be done, not as duty to be fulfilled, but as a joy to do. —OSHO

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Osho may have been the Howard Stern of spirituality. The late Indian guru, known for most of his life as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, was certainly interested in earthiness ("drop repressions," he advises). His idea of a "new human being" draws from the pleasure-loving attitudes of Zorba the Greek as well as the silent serenity of the Buddha. This teacher from the "crazy wisdom" school of spirituality was definitely into shock value: in teaching the importance of conscious awareness as the rule for experiencing life and becoming free, he maintained that God is bogus, Jesus and Krishna are hallucinations and religion is sheer stupidity. Those who prefer this take-no-prisoners style of critique of organized religions will find this guru comprehensive and provocative. From Western intellectuals Nietzsche and Darwin to Eastern spiritual figures Mahavira and Bodhidharma, Osho's references range across eras and cultures. Osho's familiarity with Western philosophy and religion makes his hybridization of Eastern and Western teachings very accessible to Westerners seeking a path to authentic living. Drawn from talks given to various audiences, this book provides a clear glimpse of Osho's assertive style as well as his central themes of freedom and human energy. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Osho, known for his revolutionary contribution to the science of inner transformation, continues to inspire millions of people worldwide in their search to define a new approach to individual spirituality that is self-directed and responsive to the everyday challenges of contemporary life. The Sunday Times of London named him one of the “1,000 Makers of the Twentieth Century,” and novelist Tom Robbins called him “the most dangerous man since Jesus Christ.” For more information about Osho and his work, please visit osho.com.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Harmony (February 14, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0307336948
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307336941
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.1 x 9.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #583,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Osho, known for his revolutionary contribution to the science of inner transformation, continues to inspire millions of people worldwide in their search to define a new approach to individual spirituality that is self-directed and responsive to the everyday challenges of contemporary life. The Sunday Times of London named him one of the '1,000 Makers of the Twentieth Century,' and novelist Tom Robbins called him 'the most dangerous man since Jesus Christ.' For more information about Osho and his work, please visit osho.com.


Osho's teachings defy categorization, covering everything from the individual quest for meaning to the most urgent social and political issues facing individuals and society today.

His unique "Osho Active Meditations" are designed to first release the accumulated stresses of body and mind, so that it is easier to experience the thought-free and relaxed state of meditation. (Meditation -The First and Last Freedom, by Osho)

About his own work Osho has said that he is helping to create the conditions for the birth of a new kind of human being. He has often characterized this new human being as "Zorba the Buddha" -- capable both of enjoying the earthy pleasures of a Zorba the Greek and the silent serenity of a Gautam Buddha.

Running like a thread through all aspects of Osho's work is a vision that encompasses both the timeless wisdom of the East and the highest potential of Western science and technology.

Osho has been described by the Sunday Times in London as one of the "1000 Makers of the 20th Century" and by American author Tom Robbins as "the most dangerous man since Jesus Christ."

Biographical:
Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic, ST. MARTIN'S Press, New York, available in multiple languages.


Websites for more information:
http://www.OSHO.com
http://OSHO.com/resort
http://OSHO.com/magazine
http://OSHO.com/shop
http://www.youtube.com/OSHO
http://www.oshobytes.blogspot.com
http://www.Twitter.com/OSHOtimes
http://www.facebook.com/pages/OSHO.International

 

Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening and challenging, February 20, 2006
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This review is from: The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom (Hardcover)
I waited with excitement for this new Osho book. I have read a number of Osho's books - some of the incredible titles from the series -Insights for a New Way of Living- published by St. Martin's Press. Somehow I feel very familiar with Osho's writing. This new Osho title 'The Book of Understanding' is of a different level. I have never got a better understanding of his philosophy and ideas. This book presents a truly contemporary concept of spirituality. Something intelligent for people who got out of childish concept of organized religions. It is an easy read - although I need to let many of the statements sink in. To read chapter after chapter is a transformative experience. It is like a mirror - showing me my social, religious and political conditioning - and a way to go beyond it. This author is a true gift by existence to everybody who is not trapped and satisfied with readymade answers provided by others.
The understanding that we all have to create our own path to freedom is a deep and profound experience and process. The Book of Understanding is a great guidebook on this path. I can recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something challenging and substantial.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars philosophies you'll take with you after the book is closed., February 14, 2006
This review is from: The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom (Hardcover)
This was my first introduction to Osho and his philosophies. I saw a review of the book in the local paper and asked a bookstore in town to pre-order a copy for me. I picked it up this morning and I'm halfway through! The material is profound and enlightening. Osho really challenges you to know your own voice and become your best self by examining and letting go of the expectations and limits that religion, society, and even our parents have placed upon us throughout our lives. The author doesn't push his own views on you. He simply points out the veil that's been placed over our eyes and gives us the tools to remove it (if we choose to) so that we can find our own way.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars miss understanding, March 13, 2006
This review is from: The Book of Understanding: Creating Your Own Path to Freedom (Hardcover)
i do not have an active social life...and i am not an intellectual...atleast i never wrote a book review before for amazon.com...but i find it facinating that two ex girl friends who gave me my walking papers in the last 6 months gave me a book by Osho as a going away present.
the first book i got as a going away present, i simply left unopened at a starbucks as i was upset by the breakup...the second girl gave me The Book of Understanding...i can't say whether i read this meditation book cover to cover like a suspence novel because i was spooked that two different e x-friends gave me a book by the same unknown to me author, or because i truly loved the second girl and respect her mind so much. <we actually broke up about a misunderstanding.>
anyway i wish i read this book before i ever dated either one of these gals...this Osho is a master relationship counsellor. i was especially touched when he aked is it worth puttin energy into improving my personality...i said to myself 'hell yes'...he replied 'heaven no'...he actually said "the personality has to be dropped so that your individuality can be discovered."
i won't be leaving this book at starbucks...and i'm taking her home with me the next time...no more misunderstandings for me.
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