And that’s how the Mystic charmed
me...
It
has been a few months, I was waiting for a friend in a marketplace and he was
getting late. So I decided to roam
around. While I was browsing through the
books at a pavement book shop, an interesting title caught my attention,
“Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic.” The photograph on the cover of the book was
equally interesting and intriguing.
There was a man in his 60s with long white beard wearing a rather
expensive cap. His smile was enigmatic
and light joy in his eyes was clearly visible from behind the designer shades
that he was wearing. The man in the
photograph complimented the title. Just
beneath that photograph the word OSHO was written in block bold letters. For a few seconds, my mind went into
flashback of all the gossip, criticism and admiration that I had heard about
this man, Osho. I had heard so much
about this spiritual guru, that he was nothing less than enigma for me. So, I thought, let’s hear it from the horse’s
mouth and I bought the book.
I
must confess that I am a slow reader of books; I take my own sweet time to
finish a book. However, once I went
through the forward of this book, I could not put it down before finishing
it. For me it fell into the category of
Great Expectations and Sons and Lovers. In
the forward of “Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic,”Sarito Carol
Neimen says, “But, timeless truths aside, the fact is that Osho trained himself
not to make shoes or furniture, but to express himself in words. Both his friends and enemies agree that he
does this with uncommon eloquence, insight and humor.”
It
is a sheer joy to read this book. The
language is simple and crisp and the matter is simply mind blowing. Apart from telling the story of a boy from
rural India who became one of the twentieth century’s most important spiritual
guides, the book establishes the importance of meditation in human life. As one goes on reading, all the gossip,
criticism about Osho becomes irrelevant.
The only thing that this story of a spiritual leader boils down to is
meditation. The thing that I personally
like about this book is that one can read it again and again without getting
bored. One can read it as a joke book or
as a serious discourse in favor of meditation.
Such is the versatility of this autobiography. It is full of rich references ranging from
Buddha to Mullah Naseeruddin. Of course
the jokes on day to day life add to the vitality of this book. The other significant catharsis that the
reader of this book goes through is that the person learns to enjoy today,
rather than brooding over the past or worrying about the future.
