A must read for everyone

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.