A few months ago, I was combing the Internet for spiritual inspiration when I happened upon Osho. Considered a mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher in his native homeland of India, Osho is well known for his ideas in reference to meditation, philosophy, and sexuality. However, his sense of humor and unapologetic opinions on existence were what really impressed me. During that time in my life I was searching for something to make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I wanted to hear words of encouragement and ideas on connectedness.
The first talk I listened to was titled “Baby, My Whole Work Is to Confuse You.” I was intrigued by the title. A spiritual teacher trying to confuse people on purpose?! I needed to know more. The talk opened with an avid follower of Osho asking a question. She stated that Osho had denied the existence of God in one of his previous speeches. One could hear in her voice she was quite troubled by the thought. She went on to mention times in her life when she felt the love of God and experienced him in her nature. She asked Osho to clarify his teaching, as she was very confused. I personally do not subscribe to any particular religion and have always been open to the religious thoughts and beliefs of all people, however on this day, I had to agree with Osho’s loyal follower. I had felt energy from the Divine, or Source, or God many times in my life. I was curious as to how this mystic was going to explain the non-existence of a higher power.
With intent eyes and a warm grin, Osho replied, “Baby, my whole work is to confuse you.” He brought forth the idea that God is a specific symbol or personality in our mind based on a construct. It is only when we are able to challenge or question that concept that we can gain new understanding of God. In essence, Osho was trying to convey that God does not exist only as we know him/her/it personally, God exists on a greater scale than we can comprehend. Every day is an opportunity to re-approach the idea of God with a new understanding. I was blown away.
So often when we are searching for spiritual inspiration, we look to teachers and authors within the realm of our current belief system. We are looking for that warm fuzzy feeling. For thoughts that are similar to what we already know. But is there more to the spiritual search? Is it more beneficial for us to be confused? From our confusion stems a white space, a place in our thinking we have never been before. An opportunity to build a deeper understanding of our current belief systems through the deconstruction of outmoded beliefs.
Osho’s thoughts and ideas may not resonate with everyone, but I chose him as our Spiritual Spark of the week for his innate ability to make us think. The spiritual path is one of discovery, and to discover we must go to unknown places in our minds and hearts. Out of confusion clarity is born.
Please share some of your favorite Spiritual Sparks below!
