Book Review: Bliss by Osho

Osho occupied my hands, mind and soul this month and for sure I learnt few important aspects of meditation. He says meditation is doing absolutely nothing and remaining motionless (body) and thoughtless (mind). No techniques are needed for meditation but they are needed to avoid distraction. Doing Yogasana would make your body strong and flexible and would let you sit comfortably for meditation. Similarly, pranayama and chanting mantra would help in reducing and avoiding thoughts. What is important to note is, one has to maintain a distance between oneself (soul) and the body and the mind and remain an observer. When you are hungry, you should think my body is hungry rather than I am hungry. While body is quite easy to master, mind throws lots of tantrums before giving up. But again distancing from it helps. Rather than trying to avoid thoughts, simply observe them how thoughts come and go. Don't get associated or identified with them. With this approach, you would be able to slip into meditation. The idea here is to remain aware. With time, this awareness would gradually extend to your sleep and dream states too. Then you have become a Buddha. That is the essence of this book.

How much I learnt from this book? Well, it is the better understanding of what meditation is and what it is not. However I had grasped the same message in the books and talks of people other than Osho, this book made me realize the essence much clearly. Though I have been attempting to distance myself from my own body and mind, I know it is a long way. As Osho puts across in this book, it may take its own time and may be few life times too. I am not in a hurry either. Let the bliss come when the time is right. Distancing myself from the mind itself is a great bliss as desires and sorrows are also at a distance from me. Thanks to Osho for this teaching.