Inner Journey By Osho
Guide to begin the true journey of life 
By Sw. Bodhi Pratiyan

My first attempt to read an Osho book was in 1997, a few weeks before taking sannyas. The number of discourses Osho had given and their compilation into more than six hundred books confused me. 
Finally, I decided ask Sw. Chaitanya Keerti, then the editor of Osho Times, to guide me to find the book I should read as beginner to world of meditation. He asked, “are you comfortable in reading in English or Hindi?” I answered “English”. Swami Keerti said “Fine, there is a book called ‘Inner Journey’ which is the translation of Osho’s very early Hindi book called Antar Yatra, I think it is ideal for you.” 
Yes, it is the right book for a person who is just entering and getting introduced to the world of meditation. As I started reading it, I realized that I have begun a true journey of life. When I understood the beauty of Inner Journey, I realized that previously I was just wandering from one place to another but it was not a true journey. 
'Inner Journey' is the translated compilation of discourse given by Osho in 1968 at a meditation camp. There cannot be a better and true guide than this book for the one seeking the truth of life. It is Osho’s step-to-step guide of a journey to the new dimension. It is the journey to the consciousness, awareness, witnessing one’s own body, mind and soul and going beyond it. 
In this discourse series Osho rightly says “The first thing: man's soul is connected neither to the brain nor to the heart, man's soul is connected to his navel. The most important point in a man's body is the navel; it is the center. The navel is not only in the center of man's body but also in the center of life. A child is born through it and his life ends through it. And for the people who discover truth it is the navel which becomes the door.”
For the first time I understood what is the right food for the body, which no doctor or dietitian had identified before. 
What makes the food right food? Osho says, “on the body level, the right food should be healthy, non-stimulating and non-violent; on the psychological level the mind should be in a blissful state, graceful and joyous; and on the level of the soul there should be a feeling of gratefulness, of thankfulness. These three things make food the right food.”
As the journey goes on Osho guides the seeker that right diet, right labor and right sleep is important and advised the seeker to, “find this 'I' and the doors to bliss can open. If the rock of 'I' is shattered the springs of love will start flowing. Then the heart fills with the music of love. When the heart is filled with love, a new journey starts which is difficult to describe in words. That journey will take you to the very center of life.”
My getting into the world of sanyas was blissful. Since then whenever I felt that I am on a wrong path in this journey of endless bliss, I referred back to this Osho’s divine guide book and sought the right path. 
Whenever people asked me which book you love, I always presented them with ‘Inner Journey’ by Osho instead of just telling them the title of the book and its author. Yes, this book is a right book for any beginner who wish to meditate and seek the truth. 

Following is the guided meditation from INNER JOURNEY
First of all close your eyes softly. Very softly close your eyes. There should be no strain on the eyes; it is not that you close them forcibly. Drop the eyelids slowly, there should be no weight on the eyes. Close your eyes. Yes, close your eyes, close them softly.
Now allow the whole body to be relaxed and make only the brain tense. Put as much tension as you can on the brain, give it as much stress as you can, stress the whole brain! Force yourself to make the whole brain tense. Make it tense with all the strength you have. Make it tense with all your strength but let the whole body relax. Put all the energy on the brain so that the brain is totally tense -- just like a closed fist with all the muscles tense. For one minute keep it tense in every way. Don't allow it to be loose; make it totally tense. Make it as tense as possible. Make the brain within tense in every way. Keep it tense. Make it tense with your full strength, at a climax. With whatever strength you have make it totally tense so that when you let it relax, it can be totally relaxed. Make it tense! Tense it!
Now let it completely relax. Allow it to relax totally. Let the brain be relaxed totally! Release all the tension. A relaxation will start happening inside. You will feel inside that something has dropped, some tension has disappeared, something has become peaceful. Let it relax totally, just relax.... And the sounds which are all around -- the wind passing through the leaves, some birds singing -- sitting silently, quietly listen to all these sounds. Just listen! Keep listening to the sounds all around. As you listen, the mind will become even more silent, even more silent... listen! Listen silently, totally relaxed. Keep listening. For ten minutes just become a listening.... Go on listening and the mind will start becoming silent.... Go on listening silently, just listening, the mind will become silent. A silence will start arising within you on it's own. You just listen... go on listening, the mind is becoming silent. The mind is becoming totally silent. The mind is becoming silent. Go on listening in silence, the mind is becoming silent....