NO MIND, THE FLOWERS OF ETERNITY

Beautiful release from 1988. 
Inside Cover paintings contain the Osho Swan. 
photo: Thanks to Osho Janak Centre

No Mind the Flowers of Eternity contains anekdotes around Zen Masters which offer beautiful insights 
After a Period of sickness, due to the staying in jails and attempts to poison him, Osho is back on talking. He brings forward the insights of many Zen Masters and also gives his opinion about the happenings in India

BHAGWAN – ZORBA THE BUDDHA

I HAD CARRIED THE WORD ‘BHAGWAN’ IN FRONT OF MY NAME FOR 30 YEARS, JUST AS A CHALLENGE, BUT NOBODY EVEN CAME TO CHALLENGE IT. I CALL MYSELF ZORBA THE BUDDHA AND NOW THE SRILANKAN AMBASSADOR TO AMERICA HAS CRITICISED ME IN A LETTER. EVEN THAT IS HURTING INTELLIGENT PEOPLE

All these past few days I have been exposing Indian intelligence, but nobody seems to come forward and accept the truth. On the contrary, they become angry. Just today I have received from Amaravati a newspaper editorial saying about me, “You are creating your own dictionary” – because I have explained that the word ‘bhagwan’ is a pornographic word. But the stupid editor does not produce any other meaning of the word from any dictionary.

I challenge anybody to produce any other meaning of the word ‘bhag’. It means vagina. And you can see in every nook and corner of every city the statue of Shivalinga; it is a phallic statue. It is a man’s genitals, based in a feminine vagina, and the whole country goes on worshipping it. Nobody even wonders – what are you worshipping? You are not even ashamed!

Shiva is called by the Hindus not a small god, but mahadeva – the great god. And the great god is represented by male genitals. I am not creating any dictionary; I am simply bringing to your notice the authentic meaning of the word, and if you are intelligent, from now onwards nobody should be called Bhagwan – neither Mahavira, nor Buddha, nor Krishna, nor Rama – nobody should be called Bhagwan. It is abusive; it is ugly and obscene.

I had carried that word in front of my name for thirty years just as a challenge, but nobody even came to challenge it. The pundits of this country, the priests of this country, must have understood deep down in their hearts that if they challenged me, I was going to expose the meaning of the word. 

Now I have denied even Gautam Buddha, for the simple reason that I don’t accept Gautam Buddha as a whole man. He has renounced the world, he has renounced the outer – and a man who is living only with the inner cannot be complete or perfect. Hence, I call myself Zorba The Buddha.

But even that is hurting unintelligent people; they don’t understand the meaning of Zorba. Even the Sri Lankan ambassador to America has written me a letter, saying that I should not use the word ‘Buddha’ with ‘Zorba’; it is insulting to Buddha.

I wrote him: in the first place you don’t have any monopoly over the word ‘Buddha’. In the second place, anyone who is awakened has the right to call himself The Buddha, and my effort to bring Zorba and Buddha together is indicative of my whole philosophical approach. I want the world and your inner being to be in tune. The inner and the outer should be balanced.

Zorba the Buddha is my philosophy. But if it hurts, I am helpless. “ Osho, No Mind, The Flowers of Eternity #1 

I AM NOT A BUDDHIST

“I am not a Buddhist. Neither is Gautam the Buddha’s intention to create Buddhists, or to create an organized religion. Even twenty-five centuries before, he never created an organized religion. The moment truth is organized it becomes a lie. An organized religion is nothing but a hidden politics, a deep exploitation by the priesthood. They may be shankaracharyas, imams, rabbis, or popes, it makes no difference.

Gautam Buddha did not leave behind him any successor. His last words were, “Don’t make my statues, don’t collect my words. I don’t want to become a symbol which has to be worshipped. My deepest longing is that you will not be imitators. You don’t have to be Buddhists because your own potential is to be a buddha.”

I would like to say: I don’t teach Buddhism, or any “ism” for that matter. I teach the buddha himself. The people who are with me are not part of any organized religion. They are independent, individual seekers. My relationship with them is that of a fellow traveler.

By the way, I have to remind you of Gautam Buddha’s prophecy twenty-five centuries ago: “When I come again I will not be able to be born through a woman’s womb. I will have to take shelter in a man of similar consciousness and the same height and the same open sky. I will be called ‘The Friend.’”

A tremendous freedom is implied in the word. He does not want to be anybody’s guru, he simply wants to be a friend. He has something to share, with no conditions attached to the sharing.

This also will help you, because a few sannyasins have been confused how they will make the difference between the ancient Gautam Buddha and me. Gautam Buddha’s prophecy helps to clarify the confusion.” Osho, No mind The flowers of Eternity #3