The Buddha Said...: Meeting the Challenge of Life's Difficulties

by Osho

Book Overview

One of the best-known and most provocative spiritual teachers of our time presents the Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters, sharing his unique insights into its profound ancient wisdom

This rich and refreshing book invites us to travel with the Buddha on a path of radical wisdom. In his inimitable style, Osho interprets the Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters--a scripture compiled by a Chinese emperor in the first century CE--using wonderful...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1842931156
• ISBN13: 9781842931158
• Release Date: February 2007
• Publisher: Watkins Publishing
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.3" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Clear, Thought-provoking, Practical, Enchantingly Humorous

About 25 centuries have passed since the historical Buddha walked this Earth, and most of his teaching comes to us via a filter of oral tradition codified into a series of traditional sutras. These in turn have had a long journey through many cultures and countries to come to the modern reader. Buddhist traditional texts are frequently repetitious and philosophically obtuse. This can make the path to understanding overly difficult for the modern seeker of Enlightenment. This book originated as a series of lectures and it does have the flavor of a wise and humorous teacher speaking directly to a small group of well-beloved students. Each chapter takes as its launch point a short sutra, then the teacher explains with parable and modern analogy what someone who wishes to follow in Buddha's footsteps needs to understand. Each chapter ends with: "Enough for today." It is important to read this book over a period of time, letting the chapters settle into the mind. I recommend it as part of a pre-meditation ritual to compose the mind and to settle the spirit. The author, a somewhat controversial Indian guru of the 90s, speaks with great simplicity and grace to a complex, multi-cultural world. It is not that he speaks with such authority as to drive away doubt. Instead he speaks with insight and humor, accepting doubt as an indispensable other side to the coin of faith. I'm absolutely enchanted by his parables. This is a book to cherish and to read again and again.

Favorite book on Buddhism

This is my favorite book on Buddhism. Osho's no-nonsense treatment is refreshing. He hasn't softened the practice, but drives it home with hard-hitting, in your face reality. This is no warm-fuzzy treatment. The Buddhist path requires hard work into looking at ourselves with honesty, with compassion, with realism. It takes a gentle touch, the middle path, which is not easy. This is the most complete guide you will find. It is free of mystical and religious nonsense. It is as practical as the Buddha's teachings themselves. But if you want to hide in your delusions, hold onto your desires, this is not the book for you. But if you want to awaken, see the nonsense you have created in your mind, get this book. I'm not going to lend this book out. It's a keeper, to be read, reread, and savored. Well, till I can let go of my mind created self. Then I'll lend the book out:-) Dana

Unlocks Buddhist mysteries

For most of the last decade, I have journeyed toward Buddhism again and again, attracted by its emphasis on meditation, on peace, on compassion, on all the true human values. But each time I approached Buddhism with an open mind, I became lost in the maze of scriptures, in the archaic language, in the vast and indecipherable terminology. Most of all, I turned away from what seemed a vacuousness in the Buddha's teaching. Too often, it seemed to me, he was just saying, "live rightly and not wrongly, this is the key to happiness." As a born-and-raised Christian, Buddha's teaching seemed much more clinical and sterile than Jesus' "love your neighbor as yourself" teachings. I'm sorry, but "think rightly and not think wrongly," and "there is suffering, and there is a way out of suffering, and the way out of suffering is to live rightly" just wasn't cutting it for me. Time and again, then, I turned away from Buddhism, frustrated. But nonetheless I could not help but feel I must be missing something; like I did not have the key in front of me to really unlock the meaning and teaching of Buddhism. This was true, despite the fact that I bought probably 50 Buddhist-based books. Some of these, like "Being Dharma" by Ajahn Chah, really struck a chord in me. But that master seemed like his own light, and I didn't really understand Buddha's teaching any better from it. The point of my review here is that this book by Osho, "The Buddha Said..." is the beacon shining on the hill, that is illuminating Buddhism for me, at last. It took this deeply educated Indian guru--who understands the West as well as the East--to really unlock the apparent contradictions, terminology, and truisms of the Buddhist scriptures. Those of you familiar with any of Osho's books will instantly recognize him here. The format is basically identical to his books on Zen and Tao, such as "No Water No Moon" and the entire "Insights for Living" series. The difference here is the entire book methodically tackles the Buddha's "Sutra of Forty-Two Chapters" which is the succinct summary doctrine by which Buddhism was introduced to China. Osho takes you through each verse, and dissects it line by line, never omitting to explain--in clear modern terms--the real meaning of the verses. Reading this book, my jaw has dropped at how incredible it is. This book is literally bringing Buddhism to life for me. Every page is just packed with insights and explanations, that will change the way you look at Buddhism. I am seeing Buddhism clearly in its beauty and power for the first time. For instance, just his explanation that Buddha sets forth everything logically, so that nothing can be refuted, and tying this to Wittgenstein's statement that what you cannot say, you must pass over in silence, hit me with great force. So, one reads further, that when Buddha says you must give up the idea of the self, because there is no self, Osho explains that Buddha did not mean there would be

The best introduction to Buddhism from the perspective of a living a fuller life

My life is changing every moment. I can perceive it everyday. This book particularly provides simple, logical, and very reasonable understanding of what life is all about and how to deal with situations and circumstances by listening to your heart, your very inner being. For a scientist like me who believes in reasons and not analogies, logic and not scriptures, this book meets these and goes above what I had expected it to be. Osho is simply great. It seems to me as if the author is virtually sitting in front of me and is giving me this lecture. May be time, space, and thoughts have been transcended by such great souls in such a way that for a reader seeking knowledge the speaker comes physically to deliver his words ...

a big surprise

Iv'e been a big student of Buddhism for some seven years or so now and have until now read books on the subject written by Buddhist authors. After I began reading this book I became curious as to who the author is (or was, as it turns out). Who is "Osho"? It turns out he was an Indian guru who stirred up a lot of controversy when he moved to the United States in the 1990's. Remember anything about "Bhagawan Shree Rhajneesh"? Well, that's who Osho was prior to changing his name. I'm glad I didn't have any prejudice before reading parts of the book because this man (now deceased) had a marvelous grasp of Buddhism in my opinion. The manner in which it is presented is extremely effective. This book is a transcription of lectures he gave and are just now being published for the first time apparently. I think the publisher must have come up with the title with the idea that it might better attract readers. I really don't think "Meeting the Challenge of Life's Difficulties" was the main thrust of what Osho was trying to convey is these lectures. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Buddhism despite the fact (or maybe because of the fact) that Osho was such a maverick.