Bringing Up Children: about the right way to help a child grow without interfering in his natural potentiality

By Osho

Osho responds to a question about the right way to help children to grow without interfering in their natural potentiality.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Osho Media International
• Release date: Jan 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9780880500302

Osho

Osho is one of the most provocative and inspiring spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. Known for his revolutionary contribution to the science of inner transformation, the influence of his teachings continues to grow, reaching seekers of all ages in virtually every country of the world. He is the author of many books, including Love, Freedom, Aloneness; The Book of Secrets; and Innocence, Knowledge, and Wonder.

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Bringing Up Children

about the right way to help a child grow

without interfering in his natural potentiality

Osho

Copyright © 1985, 2012 OSHO International Foundation

www.osho.com/copyrights

Images and Cover Design © OSHO International Foundation

Bringing Up Children, by Osho

From a series of OSHO Talks titled: From Darkness to Light, #3

This OSHO Talk is complete in itself.

The series From Darkness to Lightis available in audio format.

Bringing Up Children is also available as an original audio recording under the same title, spoken by Osho.

Published by

OSHO MEDIA INTERNATIONAL

an imprint of

OSHO INTERNATIONAL

www.osho.com/oshointernational

ISBN-13: 978-0-88050-030-2

Bringing Up Children

Osho,

What is the right way to help a child grow without interfering in his natural potential?

Every way of helping a child is wrong. The very idea of helping is not right.

The child needs your love, not your help. The child needs nourishment, support, but not your help.

The natural potential of the child is unknown, so there is no way of correctly helping him to attain to his natural potential. You cannot help when the goal is unknown; all that you can do is not to interfere. In fact, everybody is interfering with everybody else in the name of help; and because the name is beautiful, nobody objects. Of course, the child is so small, so dependent on you, that he cannot object.

The people all around are just like you: they have also been helped by their parents, the way you have been. Neither they have attained to their natural potential, nor have you. The whole world is missing out in spite of all the help from the parents, from the family, from the relatives, from the neighbors, from the teachers, from the priests. In fact, everybody is so burdened with help that under its weight… What to say of attaining one’s natural potential – one cannot even attain unnatural potential! One cannot move; the weight on everybody’s shoulders is Himalayan.

And not interfering is one of the most difficult things. It is not the nature of the mind. Mind is basically continuously, persistently, tempted to interfere. It lives on interference. The more you can interfere, the more powerful you are.

How do you measure power? It is not something material, you cannot weigh it – but it is measured, weighed. The way to measure it is by how much you can interfere in how many people’s lives. Adolph Hitler is powerful because he can interfere in millions of people’s lives. You are not Adolph Hitler, but still you can interfere in a few people’s lives…a little, miniature Adolph Hitler.

At least the husband can interfere in the wife’s life; the wife can interfere in the husband’s life. It is a mutual game; in this way, both become powerful. The husband goes on interfering in his own way, the wife goes on interfering in her own way, without being aware why they are interfering. They were supposed to

Reviews for Bringing Up Children

[Hermes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although I did read a history of the author's conflict with the US adminstration of President Reagan (since withdrawn from publication) this is the first book by the author himself (rather than about himself and his movement of the 1980s) that I have ever read. A reflection on natural sexuality, individual freedom and indulging children *protectively* for 7 years followed by expecting them to discover peer sexuality on their own when they are older but free of risk of pregnancy, in what the author calls 'a dress rehearsal' for adult life. 8-14 might not work well today with earlier menstruation, however. His theme is pro-individualism and he promotes fore- and AFTERplay. Osho is unambiguously anti-superstitious schizoprenic organized religion. A refreshing book in these socially conservative times of left, right and center.