Courage: The Joy of Living Dangerously

I read a lot of self-help books. I had read that Osho is a contraversial figure, often accused of being a preachy spiritual quack. This may be true. He does ramble on and interject his teachings with stories (and even jokes!) that don't really support his points. He does seem to like to listen to himself talk. In ancient Greece, he would be accused of sophistry, corrupting the innocent youth and threatening societal order. Osho reminds me of Socrates in his times. His critics think he was a self-serving quack who confounds the naive with tautological inspirational truisms that challenge the political and religious authorities. No doubt they both were eccentric, perhaps egotistical, men who saw something unique which resonated with a lot of discontented souls. They both taught individuals to think for themselves and inspired people to live different lives against the grain of the crowd. Socrates was a dangerous man. So is Osho. I am not putting Osho on a pedestal with Socrates. Reading socrates woke me up in high school. Since then for fifteen years, no one has given me such a needed slap in the face as Osho has. His words are sharp, and his claims are outrageous. But I just couldn't help but see the truth. This is not a "how to" self-help book. It's not an instructional manual. It's a much needed slap in the face.

'Books can changes lives'. Until I read this book, I didn't really believe much in this saying. The moment I finished this book, I was a totally different person. This book introduced me for the first time to my real self; as to what I really am, and what I really should be. Since then, 'Courage' has become my dictionary of life. 'Courage' could be a refuge of any depressed, frustrated, and lost individual and it has the ability to bring the individual out from the abyss of any downfall in life. Even if you are not frustrated or depressed, and/or are an individual without problems or difficulties, 'Courage' shall elevate you to heights that you never had imagined. 'Courage' shall give you an incredible insight into the workings of your own mind and shall provide you with tremendous courage to live a life of freedom and fearlessness. Osho gets into your mind through this book and literally brings you out from the hypocrisy that surrounds you all the time. For the first time you shall realize that you are constantly living in a world of manipulations, double-standards, and falsity. I would sincerely recommend this 'masterpiece' to any person who has been seeking the 'Truth'.

The day this book came into my life, was a day where I was facing a challenge and could not seem to figure out exactly which path I should take. At times it feels as though an author is the only one listening to the cry of your soul and it is my strong belief that when you need a book, you will find it. When Osho quoted Kahlil Gibran who said: "I am just like a river which is going to fall into the ocean." I knew exactly what that meant. When I read this book, I cried, I laughed and then felt very calm. The beautiful way Osho writes was nurturing to my inner being. To me, this is the type of book where you don't change your belief system, but you observe a thought process and can analyze it. Taking thoughts as you need them and those concepts then become very healing for you. He takes an idea and brings it to a full conclusion, complete with analysis of the initial thought. During that process it might be easy to just take a statement out of context. So, that aspect is confusing to say the least. I tried to ignore that aspect as so many of the other thoughts made sense. Otherwise his thoughts are insightful, lucid and could not be more true in many regards. His keen observation of life must has been a delight for his family and friends to observe in person. What I disagreed with was that he said God does not even know what will happen to you in life. I believe he does know our choices, before we even make them. And yet, he does not make those choices for us! Just as we can ask a friend for advice, we can ask God to help guide us or send us someone to help guide us. Osho also has a subtle sense of humor. His comment on writing a book called: Peace of No mind was so funny in the context, it is worth buying the book for that sentence alone. He also explains the way of the heart as opposed to the way of the mind. While both are needed to survive, life can be more exotic when experienced through the dreams of the heart or viewed from the eye of the soul. The main sections of the book deal mostly with what courage is, facing new challenges in your life, having enough courage to love unconditionally, finding your original face, listening to your inner self, living in the moment and searching for fearlessness. Sometimes in life, we take the path we know we must and pay dearly for it. While we may loose a friendship or an opportunity in life, in the end....we find ourselves. And that is who we have to live with in the end. "... because ultimately only your inner self remains with you." -Osho Dedicated to a friend who I care deeply about because when you really love a person, you give them infinite space. ~The Rebecca Review

This book is "not for that faint at heart but the truly courageous." If you are content with conformity you need not stop here. As a Companion book I would recommend the book An Encounte with A Prophet another book not for the faint at heart but for the truly courageous.

Wow, what gem! This book is about the courage to love and to be yourself. Very inspiring, poetic and simply written. The Truth jumped out at me in every word. Definately a book for the serious seeker, for those desiring to know the truth about self and love. Clears up a lot of misconceptions on the subject matter in firm but gentle manner, enticing you to stretch your breadth of vision. A comfort to those of us who have always felt 'different' and uncomfortable about those differences while still being unable to conform. Says that self discovery and living in love are not for that faint at heart but the truly courageous and gives us a glimpse of what life will be like once courage becomes unneccessary.