From Death to Deathlessness

Osho Books in Print

About From Death to Deathlessness

Sensing the storm about to descend on his American commune, Osho responds to residents’ and visitors’ questions. The topics cover the whole spectrum of human concerns - poverty, AIDS, education, politics, creativity, sexual fulfillment, existentialism, psychology, nuclear war, power, relationships, money…. Osho answers each with respect and compassion, always going beyond the surface of the rational mind to the deeper waters, the very source.

Chapter Titles

Excerpt from From Death to Deathlessness

Chapter 5

"The secret is simple: never take yourself too seriously, then nobody can hurt you. You cannot find any man on the whole earth who has been condemned like me. From all corners, from every country, from every religion, from every political party I have only received condemnation as my reward. But nothing has given me even a scratch.

Hurt? I don’t know what it means. I never got hurt because I never took myself seriously. I did what I wanted to do, I said what I wanted to say. If they feel hurt and annoyed and start calling me names and condemning me, that is their problem, it is not my problem. I am finished, the moment I have said and done what I wanted to do, I am finished.

My teachers were always asking me, "What kind of man are you? We punish you, and you accept it as if it is a reward. That makes us so worried about you, whether something is wrong with you. Even after school we continue to think about you." Whenever a teacher took his cane and hit my hands - he would stop hitting, but I would go on keeping my hands held out, and I would ask him, "Is that all? I was expecting much more. You can do it - if not for this act, then do it in advance for something that I am bound to do."

Don’t take it seriously - rebellion should be hilarious. It should be with a laugh, then nobody can hurt you. You won’t have any sensitive part, vulnerable; your laughter, your hilariousness will be almost a steel cover over you."