Seven Beautiful Life Lessons by Osho, the Philosopher, and Preacher

On his birth anniversary, here are seven life lessons by the guru that will remain valid for centuries to come.

(This article has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Rajneesh’s birth anniversary. It was originally published in January 2018.)

“To avoid pain, they avoid pleasure. To avoid death, they avoid life,” was the motto practiced and preached by Osho Rajneesh, till his mysterious death on 19 January 1990.

A vocal critic of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi, and Hindu religious orthodoxy, he earned himself the nickname ‘sex guru’ for his open-minded approach on human sexuality, a philosophy that only became acceptable with time.

As a part of the Rajneesh movement, he preached the values of meditation, freedom, love and life, earning him disciples and followers from across the globe, and earning the reputation of being more than just a motivational public speaker. On his 29th death anniversary, here are seven life lessons by the guru, who taught masses to live without the fear of death.

He taught the world that the opinion of others is the least of an individual’s concerns.

He told us that it is perfectly okay to be alone.

Osho always spoke of and supported the concept of love, but not at the cost of one’s individuality and freedom. After all, what’s love if you aren’t free.

Before social media made YOLO happen, he told the world decades ago – zindagi na milegi dobara (you live only once).

He advocated about peace and tranquility to the masses.

He told the world that everything, including sex is divine.

A lesson that the entire nation really needs to learn today!

The mystery of Osho’s death still remains unsolved. While deaths and funerals are celebrated in Osho’s community, the world definitely lost an irreplaceable gem 18 years ago.

(With inputs from oshoworld.com and quoteambition.com)

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