Zen: Dang Dang Doko Dang is a transcription of a number of Osho’s extemporary lectures, and the informal, spontaneous style is eminently readable, though regrettably there is no index. He does not give a step by step, how-to description of the meditation exercises, and of how to counter the problems that arise along the way. Rather, he gives pointers here and there on Zen meditation, while describing the life of a Zen practitioner as he sees it. In certain respects he seems true to the essence of Zen, while in others his personal interpretation of things could very well be misleading; at times his approach is frankly mind boggling.

With regard to the book’s strange-sounding title, there are two important points here, the first being that “Dang, dang, dokodang, dokodang” is the sound of the drum, which in Buddhism is an important symbol of emptiness. Secondly, while expounding upon “right listening,” which is part of Buddhism’s noble eightfold path, Osho tells the story of the great master Ho-shan, who explained to his followers that “to discipline ourselves in learning is called hearing; to reach a point where no more learning avails is called approaching. When one goes beyond these two stages, one is said to have truly transcended.” When asked, “But what is truly transcending?” the master motioned as if beating a drum, and answered merely, “Dang, dang, doko dang, doko dang,” as if to say that these things were too subtle for the enquirer.

Osho’s comment on those who enter the monastic life appears somewhat jaundiced at first, as he does not explain fully what he means: “It is very easy to forsake the world, it is very easy to renounce. Any coward can do that. It is easy to escape from the world, but escape is not a transformation.” This is better expressed by the famous Zen master Fugai, who declares that “it’s easy enough to forsake the world and become a monk. The difficult thing is to become a true Buddhist.” The idea is that even if you sit in an attitude of meditation, if the inside turmoil continues, you are not a Buddhist. The author offers an interesting contrast between religions of the mind and religions of the heart, both types seeking the truth. The religions of the mind, he says, such as Buddhism, Jainism and Taoism, are religions of meditation, of deep analysis, awareness and enlightenment, where no God is needed. Here, dhyana means to be in a state of no-thought, a state of no-mind, of pure awareness. Once you become aware of the mind and start watching it, the bridge is broken, you are no longer identified with the mind. Therefore it disappears, because it needs your co-operation to be there. Those of the heart, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Hinduism, are religions of prayer, believing that the heart must be dissolved into the divine.

Apropos of the aforementioned broken bridge, he is at pains to tell us that “Zen is the effort of dropping the mind, destructuring it, so that your innocence reveals itself again. You were born with clear eyes with no thoughts in them ... Your inner sky was pure.” However, this is debatable, since Buddhism believes in reincarnation. So accordingly, at birth you bring with you all your conditioning from previous lives, much of it latent in your subconscious.

These are just a few of the points that the unconventional Osho sets before us.

Zen: Dang Dang Doko Dang

(Religion)

By Osho

Penguin Books, New Delhi

ISBN 9780143419600

269pp.