“The God Conspiracy” by Osho is a remarkable book. I would say it’s the best “starter book” for readers that are new to Osho, as it is very accessible and doesn’t go too deeply into any specific religious texts.
For those unfamiliar with this mystic, Osho was a 20th century spiritual guru whose life was surrounded with controversy up until his last days. He was deported from the United States and was banned from several countries afterward.
Whatever scandals that covered his life, he was still a phenomenal speaker and thinker. In “The God Conspiracy,” Osho discusses monotheistic religion, and how it affects mankind, as well as the individual. To be clear, Osho is not an atheist, and he’s not suggesting you take his own view of spirituality. In the introduction, he comes down very hard on theists, atheists, and even “New Age” believers who share his own beliefs. The main point of the book is that you can never take on spiritual beliefs based on someone else’s experience, and Osho makes it very clear his own teachings are not an exception to this.
If you compare this book to other works of Osho, you will find many contradictions, and it appears that this is intentional. Osho has said several times he does not want you to believe a word he says, and it looks like he’s enforcing this by always keeping you on your toes. It’s a necessary measure, as his writing is so charismatic that you may find yourself wanting to buy into whatever he says.
He encourages you to take a Zen-like mindset in which you only believe in what you’ve experienced. One of Osho’s points is that if you haven’t experienced reincarnation, then you shouldn’t believe in it, even if Osho does. If you haven’t experienced God, or confirmed that a supreme being doesn’t exist, then Osho says that neither being a theist or atheist are options for you.
For people of all spiritual and religious faiths, I highly recommend this book. It will forever change the way you view religion and spirituality. If you are a member of a traditional religion, the book will challenge, and maybe even offend, the principles you grew up with. However, Osho’s whole self-stated purpose is to challenge your beliefs, even if you agree with him.
If there’s one negative, it’s that the book gets a little slow about midway through. It does pick up again later on, and the book is short enough that it’s very easy to finish. The stories of Zen monks can also be a little distracting from the main point of the book, but these are definitely worth going through.
All in all, this is a must read.
