Osho's view on meditation: an experiment in going beyond desire, the principle of going beyond desire into emptiness.
Osho was a profound thinker whose philosophy transcended conventional boundaries of religion, spirituality, and social norms. He redefined meditation—not as the mere act of sitting with eyes closed, but as a conscious journey inward. According to him, closing one’s eyes does not guarantee peace, as the mind remains cluttered with desires and endless thoughts. True meditation, he taught, involves cleansing the inner energy centers or chakras and rising above worldly cravings. This path leads to the awakening of the heart chakra, allowing one to align with the essence of the soul. For Osho, spiritual growth meant conquering the turbulence of the mind and tapping into deeper layers of existence. It wasn't about renouncing life, but about embracing a more awakened, aware, and liberated state of being. His teachings encouraged seekers to break free from mechanical patterns and experience life with heightened consciousness and clarity.
Osho's concept of meditation:
For Osho, meditation was a path to liberation — to be free from desires that are deeply rooted in the human mind. The word "desire" confused many. Because it was not limited to sexual desires. According to Osho, "desire" meant every strong desire — for fame, for power, for seduction, for anger, or for being the center of attention. He used to say that as long as the mind is full of desire, meditation is incomplete. And meditation means emptying — becoming "empty" — when desire falls from every layer of the mind, then real meditation begins. That is, to bypass desire and merge with the "empty" principle.
Liberation from the Three Chakras:
According to Yoga, there are 'seven chakras' in the body. Osho's approach was clearly based on these chakras —his primary focus was on the first three of these seven chakras in particular.
1 Muladhara Chakra: which represents our being, fear, the core element, base.
2 Swadhishthana Chakra: which represents the Brahma ( Maya, desire ) of lust, attachment, selfishness, delusion-Maya
3 Navel (Manipur) which represents the Brahma- of anger, desire and some forms of Maya.
These three chakras are known as the "centres of desire". Osho's argument was that one should move up through these chakras voluntarily and in a pure manner — that is, one should face these desires and move forward, leaving them behind. The saints and mahants have also said the same thing, "Enjoy and move forward, go beyond it" and merge into the feeling of "nothingness".
Personal Experiment vs. Public Confusion:
When Osho's experiments were conducted with individual disciples in special meditation camps, his purpose was clear — the elimination of inner desires. But when the same experiments were presented through open halls, fields, and propaganda, their meaning began to be distorted. The original Western culture is also modern, where any modern idea is easily promoted, so Osho's curiosity about this spiritual subject fascinated modernity in the West and the class of modern ideas was attracted to this subject. But because of this, Osho's original principle was broken, and everyone went astray in the wrong stream. Therefore, the original meaning of 'emptiness' from Osho's desire was thrown aside.
Desire is not a mere vice:
Osho's view was not purely negative. According to his own thinking, desire can be a force that drives a person forward — but it only becomes destructive if it goes unchecked. His meditation techniques included "dynamic meditation," "kundalini meditation," which were ways to release desire, anger, and internal impulses from the body.
The gateway to the heart chakra:
When the mind is free from 'mulaadhara', 'svadhishthana' and 'navel' — then we move towards the heart chakra. But we are all stuck in these three chakras, and it is rare for us to get out of these chakras. Strong desires are hidden in these three chakras, and to get out of them is a divine thing. The muladhara chakra is in the feelings of 'I', 'me', 'mine'. In both the chakras above it, there are very strong 'desires' hidden, "Maya", "Mamata", "Love", "Lust", "Appetite" and we enter the heart chakra. After getting free from all these three chakras, we want to settle in the heart chakra. Therefore, Osho tried to get free from desires and reach a state of emptiness, by taking the support of desires and extinguishing them and reaching a state of 'spiritual emptiness'. According to Osho, this chakra symbolizes love, understanding, acceptance and peace. This is where the true form of meditation is found - in such a state, a person will enjoy himself, connect with his own existence.
Devotees' confusion and the harm of the message:
It is said that all knowledge is only for the right disciple. Osho's message also fell into a similar situation. He thought that his principles would be applicable to everyone, but his devotees sometimes understood his thoughts partially. Due to not understanding the original spiritual core, as a result, the original message of meditation and lust was lost. This was very unfortunate — Osho's thinking was for personal practice, not for universal distortion. But because the feeling of "as much as there is nature, as much as there is distortion" was not understood, the pure feeling was lost there. And everyone got entangled in lust. In our spiritual science, some principles were used to increase the feeling of unity and to merge in it, but their original point was for "spirituality" and "empty feeling", which was Osho's original point. But these were not understood by those who were entangled in nature and distortion, and the devotees got confused.
Conclusion:
Osho's approach to meditation was not just miraculous, but a search for inner wisdom. He considered desire as the covering of the soul and sought to free himself from it and unite with the Self. His message is as relevant today as it was then — because we live in a world full of desires. 'Meditation' is a way to confront and transcend those desires — not to drown in them. If understood correctly, Osho's thoughts can add a new dimension to everyone's spiritual journey.
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