Just a few days ago, one of the most intellectual and experienced journalists of India, M.V. Kamath, wrote a review of two of my books: The Rebellious Spirit and The New Man. In his review he said a few things that perhaps he himself was not aware of – the unconscious is very deep, and nine times bigger than your conscious. He said that I am the greatest intellectual giant of the second part of the twentieth century. And at the same time, in the next sentence he said that if I were not always surrounded by controversy I would have more admirers in the world than I have today.
My secretary has written to him saying, “Can you give a single name of any intellectual giant in the whole history of man who was not surrounded by all kinds of controversies while he was alive?” He sees a little part, which comes to his conscious mind, but something unconscious erupts. Secondly, he has said in his statement that I do not have to be heard or seen: I am a master of words, just reading me is enough. And he was thinking that he was praising me, calling me a master of words, telling his readers, “There are so many statements in his writings which are quotable, and I feel a little jealous and think I would like to have written them.”
My secretary wrote to him, “You have never seen Osho, you have never heard him. You seem to be an intelligent person: on what grounds are you saying that just reading him is enough? I have listened to him, I have listened to him speaking, and I can assure you that the spoken word has a life of its own. It is still warm, and the printed word is dead. If you are so much influenced by the printed word, come at least once, at our invitation, and see the difference between the spoken word and the written word. Mumbai is not far away from here, just a fifteen minute flight.”
You can also hear the spoken word on the radio or from the tape recorder, but if you see me speaking then something more is added to it. Then your two senses are working, your ears and your eyes – and ears are not that sensitive. Eyes have eighty percent of the sensitivity, and the remaining four senses have only twenty percent. To see is a totally different thing.
Seeing a master means feeling his presence, looking into his eyes, watching his grace. That is not possible from the written word. And if you so are influenced by the written word that you declare the man to be the greatest intellectual giant, it seems to be absolutely necessary that you should listen to him, that you should at least see him once.
Yesterday his letter came, a very strange letter. He does not answer any question raised by my secretary. He cannot; he knows he has committed mistakes unconsciously.
Another question was also raised by my secretary: “A man of truth does not bother about admirers. From where did you get this idea? Was Gautam Buddha interested in admirers? Was Jesus Christ interested in admirers? It would not have been difficult to get admirers; even stupid politicians manage it. It is a simple strategy: just say the things that they want to hear and you will get admirers.