Zorba the Buddha from the Darshan Diaries is a transcripted version of a discourse given by Osho. This discourse was given in Pune in 1979.
Bhagwan Shree Rajaneesh, later known as Osho, was an Indian mystic and a spiritual guru. Osho was a controversial figure during his time and what created this controversy was his outspoken nature and his unorthodox views on spirituality and higher consciousness.
He’d call out the religious bigotry that existed in the country, the hypocrisy of politicians and the political system, the impact of sexual repression, and many other issues as well.
The word Sanyas was redefined by Osho. Usually, when people think about sannyas, they think of someone who abstains from all the pleasures of life and practices asceticism with only one goal in mind, and that is to attain enlightenment.
But Osho’s view of sannyas was contrary to this traditional idea. He viewed it as utter stupidity to repress one’s desires and materialistic needs in order to attain higher consciousness.
The people who were initiated into sannyas by Osho were referred to as Neo-sannyasins. And these sannyasins were unlike any other that the world has seen before. Osho defined his sannyasins as the union of the west and the east. He said, the sannyasins will be seekers of the truth but at the same time, they’ll not abstain from their materialistic needs.
Osho described a true seeker as a rebel who’d question everything before accepting any idea as the truth and this is one of the key qualities he wanted his sannyasins to have.
The term ‘Zorba the Buddha’ is indicative of this way of living life. So the core message of this book is to make the reader understand that there is no division between materialism and spiritualism.
This book follows a Q and A pattern. Osho’s sannyasins ask him questions and he responds to them. A good thing about this style of writing is that you might come across questions that you’re also seeking the answer to.
But you’ll also find questions that you cannot relate to, questions that are personal to the sannyasin asking them.
While initiating people in sannyas, Osho would give new names to his sannyasins. And in this book, Osho explains to each of his sannyasins what their newly given names actually mean.
As a reader, this information might not be relevant to you and it also gets a little repetitive as you’ll find the explanation of the same name mentioned multiple times in the book.
In this book, Osho covers a vast variety of ideas through his teachings. And I’ve shared some of the teachings that hit home for me:
- Abandon all hope as hope is the root cause of suffering.
- Money, power, or fame will not make you truly content.
- There is no meaning or purpose to life.
Now, should you read this book? Well, if you consider yourself a seeker of truth, someone who’s more inclined towards spirituality and higher consciousness, yes, you should. This book will be worth your time.