In 1968, a well-respected teacher by the name Acharya Rajneesh (later known as Osho) gave 5 discourses in Hindi on the subject of love and sex in Mumbai, India, giving rise to great controversy. These talks were given to a live audience of thousands of people. The title of the discourse series in Hindi is "Sambhog Se Samadhi Ki Aur", which literally means "From Sex to Samadhi". This series of discourses which have become known all over the world is titled "From Sex to Superconsciousness", as Samadhi is the ultimate state of consciousness.
We need to keep in mind the atmosphere that was prevalent in India in those days. Sex was considered not only a taboo, but it was forbidden even to talk about it openly. By doing so, one would have faced harsh criticism on the part of the religious clergy, the public opinion and the press.
In those years, couples were not even holding hands in public - let alone hugging or kissing. Love marriages were considered to be inappropriate and were condemned, especially mix-caste marriages. Marriages were arranged mostly out of economic convenience, under the supervision of the parents, the priests and the astrologers. Centuries and millennia of deep conditionings and suppression of sex were affecting the whole Indian society.
At the time, these discourses of Osho must have come as a shock. These early talks about sex and Samadhi were thought to be outrageous and disrespectful towards traditional values. Because of his revolutionary approach, in those days and throughout his life, Osho was criticized harshly and rejected by the orthodox clergy of all religions. But this is probably the destiny of all visionaries who are often misunderstood during their lifetime, but are inevitably appreciated later on, as time passes and man begins to understand the truths that they expressed.
A man well ahead of his times? Maybe... but Osho was not really ahead of his times. All he was doing was reviving the teachings and the spirit of the ancient traditions of Tantra and Yoga - and he showed great courage in doing so. In fact, India has been a pioneer since ancient times in exploring the deep connection between sex energy and spirituality and the different paths towards transcendence. Osho simply conveyed the same teaching in modern language, making available to the public at large a teaching that in ancient times was imparted only to small groups of spiritual seekers who were following the path of Tantra or Yoga - a teaching that relates to the transformation of man's energy.
In ancient times, India developed the science of Yoga and the science of Tantra, both of them aiming at guiding man towards the transformation of his energy and helping him to embark on the journey from sex to Samadhi, starting from the first Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) and reaching the seventh Chakra (Sahasrara Chakra). 'Mula means the 'Root of Existence' and 'dhara' means the flow. In other words, the first Chakra is related to the flow of sex energy - the energy out of which every human being is born. It is to be noted that both Chakras are symbolized by a lotus flower. The Muladhara Chakra is represented as a four-petal lotus and the Sahasrara Chakra is represented as a thousand petal lotus. All the other rungs of the ladder, all the other Chakras between Muladhara and Sahasrara Chakras, are also represented by lotus flowers with varying number of petals according to each Chakra. This clearly shows that the ancient sages understood and accepted the connection between the first and the last Chakra and all the other Chakras in between.
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