The Nature of Things
Individual Talk
From:The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol. 09
In stock
Osho,
I understand you to say that the intellect is a barrier to self-realization. Please explain further what you mean by this. I have been very interested to listen to your lectures during the past few days. Far from being unintellectual, they could be described as an intellectual tour de force. Furthermore, a scientist cannot discard his share of knowledge on which he bases his judgments: surely his judgments must be objective. I feel that I must have misunderstood you.
I understand you to say that the intellect is a barrier to self-realization. Please explain further what you mean by this. I have been very interested to listen to your lectures during the past few days. Far from being unintellectual, they could be described as an intellectual tour de force. Furthermore, a scientist cannot discard his share of knowledge on which he bases his judgments: surely his judgments must be objective. I feel that I must have misunderstood you.
Osho,
I understand you to say that the intellect is a barrier to self-realization. Please explain further what you mean by this. I have been very interested to listen to your lectures during the past few days. Far from being unintellectual, they could be described as an intellectual tour de force. Furthermore, a scientist cannot discard his share of knowledge on which he bases his judgments: surely his judgments must be objective. I feel that I must have misunderstood you.
Osho continues:
I understand you to say that the intellect is a barrier to self-realization. Please explain further what you mean by this. I have been very interested to listen to your lectures during the past few days. Far from being unintellectual, they could be described as an intellectual tour de force. Furthermore, a scientist cannot discard his share of knowledge on which he bases his judgments: surely his judgments must be objective. I feel that I must have misunderstood you.
"If you become identified, it is intellectuality; if you remain unidentified, it is intelligence.
"Intelligence is of tremendous importance; intellectuality is a barrier. Intellectuality is a barrier even in the world of science. Intellectuality can, at the most, give you scholars, wordy people who go on and on spinning, weaving systems of thought with no substance at all.
"In the scientific endeavor, intelligence has to be focused on the objective world; in the religious exploration, intelligence has to move inwards. It is the same intelligence, only the direction changes. In science, the object, the outer object, is the goal of inquiry; in religion, your subjectivity, your interiority, is your adventure. The intelligence is the same.
"If you become an intellectual then you will not be a scientist; you will only write histories of science or philosophies of science, but you will not be a scientist, an explorer, an inventor, a discoverer, on your own. You will be simply accumulating information. Yes, that too has a certain use; as far as the outside world is concerned, even information has a certain limited utility, but in the inner world it has no utility at all. It is a barrier; it has a negative effect on the inner experience.
"You say, 'I understand you to say that the intellect is a barrier to self-realization.'
"The intellect is neither a barrier nor a bridge; intellect is neutral. Get identified with it, it becomes a barrier; remain unidentified with it, it is a bridge. And without meditation you cannot know your transcendental nature.
"In science, concentration is enough; at the most, contemplation is needed. In religion, meditation is the only way. Concentration is not needed, is not a help; it is a positive hindrance. Contemplation also is not a help; it is a compensation for not being meditative, it is a poor substitute for it. Meditation – only meditation – can bring the inner revolution.
"Meditation means getting out of the mind, looking at the mind from the outside. That's exactly the meaning of the word ecstasy: to stand out. To stand out of the mind makes you ecstatic, brings bliss to you. And great intelligence is released. When you are identified with the mind you cannot be very intelligent because you become identified with an instrument, you become confined by the instrument and its limitations."
"Intelligence is of tremendous importance; intellectuality is a barrier. Intellectuality is a barrier even in the world of science. Intellectuality can, at the most, give you scholars, wordy people who go on and on spinning, weaving systems of thought with no substance at all.
"In the scientific endeavor, intelligence has to be focused on the objective world; in the religious exploration, intelligence has to move inwards. It is the same intelligence, only the direction changes. In science, the object, the outer object, is the goal of inquiry; in religion, your subjectivity, your interiority, is your adventure. The intelligence is the same.
"If you become an intellectual then you will not be a scientist; you will only write histories of science or philosophies of science, but you will not be a scientist, an explorer, an inventor, a discoverer, on your own. You will be simply accumulating information. Yes, that too has a certain use; as far as the outside world is concerned, even information has a certain limited utility, but in the inner world it has no utility at all. It is a barrier; it has a negative effect on the inner experience.
"You say, 'I understand you to say that the intellect is a barrier to self-realization.'
"The intellect is neither a barrier nor a bridge; intellect is neutral. Get identified with it, it becomes a barrier; remain unidentified with it, it is a bridge. And without meditation you cannot know your transcendental nature.
"In science, concentration is enough; at the most, contemplation is needed. In religion, meditation is the only way. Concentration is not needed, is not a help; it is a positive hindrance. Contemplation also is not a help; it is a compensation for not being meditative, it is a poor substitute for it. Meditation – only meditation – can bring the inner revolution.
"Meditation means getting out of the mind, looking at the mind from the outside. That's exactly the meaning of the word ecstasy: to stand out. To stand out of the mind makes you ecstatic, brings bliss to you. And great intelligence is released. When you are identified with the mind you cannot be very intelligent because you become identified with an instrument, you become confined by the instrument and its limitations."
| Publisher | Osho International |
|---|---|
| Duration of Talk | 93 mins |
| File Size | 23.89 MB |
| Type | Individual Talks |
The information below is required for social login
Sign In
Create New Account