i read this addition by osho in one sitting, and again found myself in a rapture over the astounding unconventional and enlightening approach not to be found in other eastern texts.
one might call osho a 'mystic existentialist' in the tradition of iris origo, although ultimately rajneesh falls into no category at all because of his overwhelming authenticity. however, i believe that any widespread reading of his work promotes a dangerous misunderstanding of the ideas of friedrich nietzsche, whom the author is alternately sympathetic to and scornful of. (in this, as in everything else, osho contradicts himself directly in his own exuberant fashion.) he states quite unambiguously that adolf hitler, a 'man of imagination' according to osho, took his inspiration from nietzsche. "destroy the weak, save the strong", osho writes. "this is what friedrich nietzsche taught and hitler took his ideas and used them." that's not verbatim, but damn close. i was disappointed and angry that a deservingly legendary figure like osho--probably the best eastern philosopher to ever live--would allow himself such a gross, self indulgent massacre of a thinker undoubtedly his equal. while not all his comments on nietzsche are false ("man needs illusions and lies to live, wrote nietzsche":this is precisely what nietzsche said) osho reminds one of an ignorant born again christian when depicting nietzsche as a great thinker who went so awry that his writings are blasphemous. since nietzsche was an atheist, osho cannot abide him. and yet in his other works osho is so accepting of every kind of metaphysical stance--atheism, agnosticism, etc. other than that this is one of the most healing texts i have ever encountered, borrowed heavily from but superior and more accessible than the bhagavad gita or the vedas.