The Path of Love (On the Songs of The Indian Mystic Kabir)

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"Borrowed religion never goes beyond morality. Authentic religion is amoral; it is always beyond morality, good and bad. It knows no distinctions. If you understand this, you will be able to understand these beautiful sutras of Kabir. He is not a Hindu, he is not a Mohammedan, he is not a Christian. He is simply an authentic man, and his sayings are some of the purest sayings in the world. And he is not worried about anything – what-soever he has felt he has said, without any compromise."

For over 35 years, Osho spoke to international audiences of seekers, addressing their essential questions and concerns. His books and audio lectures are international bestsellers.

The Sunday Times of London described him as "one of the 1000 makers of the 20th century" and American author Tom Robbins has called him "the most dangerous man since Jesus Christ" – both comments reflecting the profound influence of his revolutionary approach to the science of inner transformation.

Spoken with authority, clarity, sharpness and humor, his insights address both the timeless and timely concerns that tend to escape our notice in the clamor and overload of daily life.

Back of the Book

Kabir is a 15th Century Indian mystic. A poet, weaver, husband and father – he is enlightened and yet an ordinary man. His poetic songs tell of the ecstasy and the pitfalls on a seeker's journey on the path of love. Osho describes Kabir as one of the greatest mystics ever born and dedicated five series of talks to Kabir's work.

Preface

The really spiritual person is one who is absolutely ordinary. Kabir is very normal. You would not have been able to find him in a crowd. His specialty is not outward. You cannot just find him by looking at his face. It is difficult. Buddha was special, a very beautiful man, a charismatic personality. Jesus is very special, throbbing with revolution, rebellion. But Kabir? Kabir is absolutely ordinary, a normal person.

Remember, when I say normal, I don't mean the average. The average is not the normal. The average is only "normally" abnormal; he is "as mad" as all others are. In fact, in the world, normal persons don't exist.
I have heard :

A famous psychiatrist conducting a university course in psychopathology was asked by a student, "Doctor, you have told us about the abnormal person and his behaviour, but what about the normal person?

The doctor was a little puzzled, and then he said, "In my whole life I have never come across a normal person. But if we ever find him, we will cure him!"

Kabir is really that normal person that you never come across in life, with no desire to be special. When he became enlightened, then too he remained in his ordinary life. He was a weaver; he continued to weave.

His disciples started growing in numbers – hundreds, and then thousands, and then many more thousands were coming to him. And they would always ask him to stop weaving clothes: "There is no need. We will take care of you."

But he would laugh and he would say, "It is better to continue as God has willed me. I have no desire to be anything else. Let me be whatsoever I am, whatsoever God wants me to be. It he wants me to be a weaver, that's why I am a weaver. I was born a weaver, and I will die as a weaver."

He continued in his ordinary way. He would go to the marketplace to sell his goods. He would carry water from the well. He lived very, very ordinarily. That is one of the most significant things to be understood. He never claimed that he is a man of knowledge – because no man of knowledge ever claims it. To know is to know that to know is not to know and that not to know is to know. A real man of understanding knows that he does not know at all. His ignorance is profound. And out of this ignorance arises innocence. When you know, you become cunning. When you know, you become clever. When you know, you lose that innocence of childhood.

Kabir says he is ignorant, he does not know anything. And this has to be understood, because this will make the background in your mind for his poetry. From where is this poetry coming? It is coming out of his innocence, flowering out of his innocence.