From Unconsciousness to Consciousness.

From Unconsciousness to Consciousness.

This is the first volume of OSHO's discourses from America - a deep inquiry into the nature of religiousness.

'Religious experience is a truth. When you discover it, your will not find that it is Christian or Hindu or Mohammedan or Buddhist. It has nothing to do with all these words.'
-OSHO

'The novelty of (OSHOs') teachings is the adaptation of Eastern spiritual wisdom for the Western audience. This may explain the sales success of his 'From Unconsciousness to Consciousness'. La Repubblica, Italy

From the False to the Truth.

From the False to the Truth.

Discourses to make the White House and the Vatican tremble. Powerful, convincing and hilarious, OSHO confronts and exposes the religious leaders and government officials who eventually destroyed the commune in America.

'Irreverent, wise, humorous, crazy, and ultimately very sane.'The Book Reader, USA.

From Sex to Superconsciousness.

From Sex to Superconsciousness.

OSHO speaks on the three stages of sex: physical, psychological and spiritual, providing guidance on how this raw energy can be transformed into the realization of ultimate consciousness. He explains that by repressing our basic nature, sex takes roots in the unconscious, creating an unnatural obsession. It is this psychic state that has produced much mental sickness and the widespread perversity of society today

'Sex is man's most vibrant energy,' OSHO says, 'but it should not be an end unto itself: sex should lead man to his soul.

From Medication to Meditation.

From Medication to Meditation.

What is the connection between your 'state of mind' and the state of your health? When top US scientists conclude, after years of reductionist denial, that the mind and body are indeed one organ, the way is open for a totally new way of looking at health and disease.

Here is a book written in a language that is fresh, profound, entertaining and understandable for all those who wonder whether meditation can help them enjoy better health and a greater sense of well-being.

'These brilliant insights will benefit all those who yearn for experimental knowledge of the field of Pure Potentiality inherent in every human being.'
'This book belongs on every shelf of every library and in the home of all those who seek knowledge of the higher self.'
Dr. Deepak Chopra, Author of 'Ageless Body, Timeless Mind', 'Quantum Healing', and 'Unconditional Life.'

From Death to Deathlessness.

From Death to Deathlessness.

Sensing the storm about to descend on his American commune, OSHO responds to residents' and visitors' questions. The topics cover the whole spectrum of human concern – poverty, AIDS, education, politics, creativity, existentialism, psychology, nuclear war, power, relationships, money... OSHO answers each with respect and compassion, always going beyond the surface of the rational mind to the deeper waters, the very source.

From Darkness to Light.

From Darkness to Light.

Education, according to OSHO, is drawing out the hidden potential of the individual, helping each person to bring his own uniqueness from the darkness into the light. In these talks he examines ways in which the institutions of society have systematically done the opposite in their attempts to impose socially-acceptable norms of behavior on everyone – from the cradle to the grave – both in public and private life.

From Bondage to Freedom.

From Bondage to Freedom.

A deeply moving account of a rare and provocative experiment in human growth, these are OSHO's last discourses given in the US. While most of his disciples are experiencing the fruition of their efforts to manifest a living community based on OSHO's vision, the secret attempt of a small, power-motivated group to take control of the commune, and to poison OSHO and his doctor is revealed when they flee the country. Through it all, OSHO answers the questions of disciples and friends devastated and confused by the wanton disregard of his teachings by these few corrupted people. His answers expose the truth with uncompromising compassion as he talks on fascism, power games and individual responsibility. As always OSHO indicates how absolutely everything can be used by the seeker to wake up and be more aware.

Freedom.

Freedom.

The Courage to Be Yourself.

In a special selection from Osho’s many talks, this book explores the three kinds of freedom and what role each of them plays in the human search for an authentic way of living. The first is "freedom from" - which is an important first step, to rid ourselves of the conditionings and authority figures we carry around in our heads. But unless we discover "freedom for" - a creative way to express our individual uniqueness - we will not find the fulfillment that comes with participating in life. And ultimately, Osho says, there is a state he calls "just freedom" - where we truly find the courage to be ourselves no matter what our external circumstances, and the equanimity to handle all the changes and challenges that come our way.

The perfect book to support our essential human longing to be authentic and true in a world that tends to value conformity over individuality, and obedience over following one's own sense of what is right.

Flight from the Alone to the Alone.

Flight from the Alone to the Alone.

Discourses on the Kaivalya Upanishad

The Kaivalya Upanishad is about the nature of ultimate freedom. It is an inquiry into one of the major themes of modern man: becoming complete in oneself; finding aloneness without feeling lonely. Osho brings these sutras to life again, not from the intellectual standpoint of a scholar or with the dogmatic mind of a priest, but from his own enlightened experience.

Finger Pointing to the Moon.

Finger Pointing to the Moon.

These seventeen talks were given at a meditation camp at Mount Abu, Rajasthan.

In this beautiful series on the seeds of wisdom, the Upanishads, OSHO says, 'This Upanishad is a direct encounter with spirituality. There are no doctrines in it; there are only experiences of the fulfilled ones... In it there is no discussion of that which is born out of curiosity or inquisitiveness, no. In it there are hints to those who are full of longing for liberation from those who have already attained liberation'.


'OSHO is one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the second half of the 20th century and many thousands of people of all ages, from all countries and all spiritual backgrounds have been inspired by the simplicity and directness of his teachings.'
-Penguin Books .

Everyday OSHO.

Everyday OSHO.
365 Daily Meditations for the here and now.

Start your day - or end it - with an OSHO reading to bring you to the silent center of the present moment. Chosen from a variety of unpublished works, these small selections cover the whole range of everyday human experience, from the subtle nuances of inner feelings to the ordinary events of daily life. Beautifully designed, with readings numbered from 1-365, the book can be started on any day of the year as a daily meditation.

Enlightenment: The Only Revolution.

Enlightenment: The Only Revolution.

Powerful and penetrating discourses on the famous dialogue between the mystic Ashtavakra – one of OSHO's favorite ancient Indian masters – and King Janak. By the end of the dialogue, King Janak is enlightened.


OSHO says:

'There are no other statements anywhere as pure, transcendental and beyond time and space as these. Man has many scriptures, but none are comparable to the Gita of Ashtavakra. Before it the Vedas pale, the Upanishads are a mere whisper. Even the Bhagavadgita does not have the majesty found in the Ashtavakra Samhita – it is simply unparalleled. Neither society, nor politics, nor any other institution of human life had any influence on the statements of Ashtavakra. '...If these words penetrate you, they will start awakening your sleeping soul. These words will thrill you. These words will fill you with ecstasy. These words will shock you. With these words a revolution can take place.... This is why I have chosen the Ashtavakra Gita: I have chosen it because you are ready.'

OSHO

The Empty Boat.

The Empty Boat.

OSHO revitalizes the 3000-year-old Taoist message of self-realization through the stories of the Chinese mystic, Chuang Tzu. He speaks about the state of egolessness, 'the empty boat'; on spontaneity, dreams and wholeness; living life choicelessly and meeting death with the same equanimity. This beautiful edition overflows with the wisdom of one who has realized that state of egolessness himself.

'Remarkable discourses...wise and clear...an excellent, recommendable book.'
Book Review, De Kaarsvlam

Emotional Wellness.

Emotional Wellness.

Emotions cannot be permanent. That’s why they are called “emotions”—the word comes from “motion,” movement. They move; hence, they are “emotions.”

From one to another you continually change. This moment you are sad, that moment you are happy; this moment you are angry, that moment you are compassionate. This moment you are loving, another moment full of hatred; the morning was beautiful, the evening is ugly. And this goes on.

This cannot be your nature, because behind all these changes something is needed like a thread that holds all of them together. Just as in a garland you see flowers, you don’t see the thread, but the thread is what is holding all the flowers, in the same way these emotions are all flowers.

Sometimes anger flowers, sometimes happiness, sometimes pain sometimes anguish. But these are all flowers, and your whole life is the garland. There must be a thread; otherwise you would have fallen apart long ago. You continue as an entity—so what is the thread, the polestar? What is permanent in you? The book includes:

-The impact that fear, anger, and jealousy have on our lives
-How emotions like guilt, insecurity, and fear are used to manipulate us
-How to break out of unhealthy patterns of dealing with strong emotions
-How to transform destructive emotions into creative energy
-The role of society and culture on our individual emotional “styles”

Ecstasy, the Forgotten Language.

Ecstasy, the Forgotten Language.
Talks on the poetry of Kabir

Osho speaks on the exuberant poems of Kabir, as translated by India’s Nobel Prize-winning poet, Rabindranath Tagore. He also responds to questions as diverse as the difference between relationship and aloneness, mind and society, self and enlightenment, and explains the difference between a crystallized self and a strong ego.


Chapter Titles

-Chapter 1: Now or Never
-Chapter 2: Sannyas: The Radical Revolution
-Chapter 3: Natural, Spontaneous, Aware
-Chapter 4: The Forgotten Language of Ecstasy
-Chapter 5: There Are No Words to Tell
-Chapter 6: Trust Your Nature
-Chapter 7: Go In
-Chapter 8: Indifference to the Mind Is Meditation
-Chapter 9: Dance Today with Joy
-Chapter 10: The Choice Is Yours



Excerpt from Ecstasy, the Forgotten Language

Chapter 1

"I invite you to come with me into the innermost realm of this madman Kabir. Yes, he was a madman - all religious people are. Mad, because they don’t trust reason. Mad, because they love life. Mad, because they can dance and they can sing. Mad, because to them life is not a question, not a problem to be solved but a mystery into which one has to dissolve oneself.

One thing more about Kabir’s approach. He is life-affirmative. That too is an indication of a real man of understanding. There are two types of people in the world: the people who indulge and the people who renounce. They Look opposite to each other but they are not. They are two aspects of the same coin. The people who indulge are continuously frustrated because no indulgence brings you to joy. You can indulge - you can waste your life, you can waste your opportunity, your energy - but no enjoyment ever comes out of indulgence. If indulgence could have given joy, then nobody would ever have renounced. People renounce because indulgence fails - but then they are moving to the other extreme. Thinking that indulgence has not helped, they move to the opposite. They become against life, they become anti-life, they become life-negative. They start destroying their being; they become suicidal. These are the two types of people you will find. In the market you will find the people who indulge, and in the monasteries you will find the people who renounce.

Kabir belongs to neither. A real man of understanding is a great synthesis. He knows that it is not a question of indulgence or renunciation; it is a question of awareness. Be in the world, but be with awareness. Don’t go anywhere, don’t have antagonistic attitudes towards life. Kabir is tremendously life-affirmative. He loved, he had a wife, he had two children, and he lived the life of a householder…and yet was one of the greatest seers of the world. He lived in the world and remained untouched. That’s his beauty. He is a lotus flower."

Dimensions Beyond the Known.

Dimensions Beyond the Known.

Osho responds to questions on some of life’s greatest mysteries, including the esoteric roots of religious experience, and what happens after we die. Speaking from his own personal experience, he opens up a vast new perspective on the universe and its infinite possibilities .

He talks intimately about his own past life in Tibet 700 years ago, and the significance of being a contemporary buddha.

"Just as death faces an individual, so now death shows its dark face before the collective consciousness of an entire civilization. And that civilization’s collective mind becomes ready to go deep into the realms of religion and the unknown.”OSHO

Dogen: The Zen Master.

Dogen: The Zen Master.
The Search and a Fulfillment

This book is dedicated to the full moons. Not only is the moon a symbol for the mirror of our consciousness, it also symbolizes a transforming agent.

'The master is the possibility for this transformation...the universe our university.' The running theme of Dogen's message of 800 years is the eternity of our consciousness, a consciousness with no limitations, one that exists through all changes of form. Something inner which moves from one climate to another, which is beyond form, birth, death, beyond life, which simply is, isness.

Die O Yogi Die.

Die O Yogi Die.

Talks on the Great Tantra Master, Gorakh.

This book is about the death of the ego; about practical steps to live a full and aware life without being run over by it.

'One death we are already familiar with, that death in which the body dies – but our ego and mind go on living. This same ego finds a new womb. This same ego, troubled by new desires, again starts off on the journey. Even before leaving behind one body, it is already eager for another. This death is not the real death.' -OSHO.

Diamond Days With OSHO.

Diamond Days With OSHO.

Ma Prem Shunyo's book tells the whole history of her discipleship from the first moment, familiar to so many spiritual seekers, when she feels that, despite a comfortable, successful life with everything she needs, somehow, something is going to change.

She describes her first meeting with OSHO and taking sannyas, becoming his laundress and moving into his private house. She relates several illuminating and often very funny episodes which beautifully illustrate OSHO's insistence on his 'ordinariness.'

Shunyo has the courage to expose herself when she allows the reader to be an intimate witness to all the emotions she experiences when OSHO 'works' directly on her consciousness. What makes this book so special is that love shines out from its pages – love on a plane which many people feel exists somewhere, but have never experienced.

'Ma Prem Shunyo's book has a lovely quality of both revealing glimpses of higher energy-flow and her responses to down-to-earth events in her life with OSHO.'Amrita Pritam, Poetess.

Don't look before you Leap.

Don't look before you Leap.

Compilation on Osho Dynamic Meditation.

Compilation on Osho Dynamic Meditation.

This compilation of excerpts includes all the public comments Osho makes about Osho Dynamic Meditation and is presented in the order in which they were spoken, so you can appreciate the gradual development of this technique over time.

The fourth stage was first presented in its current form in "The New Alchemy: To turn you on" Appendix 1, titled "Catharsis and Meditation: Steps on the Path."

You will notice that in the first references the instructions for the fourth stage are "to just fall down as if dead relaxed and to become a witness". Later, the technique was refined to its current form of five stages with a stop at the end on the first three stages.

Bold texts for some keywords are added to help the reader find the more specific references on the technique.

Communism & Zen Fire, Zen Wind.

Communism & Zen Fire, Zen Wind.

Triggered by the presence of a TV crew from the USSR, and almost a year before the walls of Eastern Europe crumble, OSHO offers a highly-charged and prescient re-appraisal of Soviet Communism, beginning with faint praise for Gorbhachev and ending with a fierce and foresighted warning about the tragic effects that supporting his plans for reform will have. OSHO also exposes how the US is already orchestrating its own ultimate downfall.

All in the context of his comments on Zen anecdotes and a dazzling selection of haikus.

Courage.

Courage - The Joy of Living Dangerously.

Courage is not the absence of fear, says Osho. It is, rather, the total presence of fear, with the courage to face it. This book provides a bird’s-eye view of the whole terrain -- where fears originate, how to understand them, and how to find the courage to face them. In the process, Osho proposes that whenever we are faced with uncertainty and change in our lives it is actually a cause for celebration. Instead of trying to hang on to the familiar and the known, we can learn to enjoy these situations as opportunities for adventure, and for deepening our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

The book begins with an in-depth exploration of the meaning of courage and how it is expressed in the everyday life of the individual. Unlike books that focus on heroic acts of courage in exceptional circumstances, the focus here is on developing the inner courage that enables us to lead authentic and fulfilling lives on a day-to-day basis. This is the courage to change when change is needed, the courage to stand up for our own truth even against the opinions of others, and the courage to embrace the unknown in spite of our fears -- in our relationships, in our careers, or in the ongoing journey of understanding who we are and why we are here.

Courage also features a number of meditation techniques specifically designed by Osho to help people deal with their fears.

Compassion.

Compassion.

In this tenth volume of the popular Insights for a New Way of Living series, Osho examines the nature of compassion from a radically different perspective. He points out that “passion” lies at the root of the word, and then proceeds to challenge assumptions about what compassion really is.

Many so-called acts of compassion, he says, are tainted by a subtle sense of self-importance and desire for recognition. Others are based in the desire not really to help others, but to force them to change. Using stories from the life of Jesus, Buddha, and the world of Zen, Osho shows how the path to authentic compassion arises from within, beginning with a deep acceptance and love of oneself.

Only then, says Osho, does compassion flower into a healing force, rooted in the unconditional acceptance of the other as he or she is.

Compassion includes an original, 120 minute talk by Osho on DVD. This visual component enables the reader to experience the direct wisdom and humor of Osho straight from the source.

Come, Come, Yet Again Come.

Come, Come, Yet Again Come.

OSHO's invitation echoes the words of the Sufi mystic, Jalaluddin Rumi:

Come, come, whoever you are; wanderer, worshipper, lover of learning...it does not matter. Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times. Come, come, yet again come.'

Seekers from all over the world bring their questions to OSHO and he responds with characteristic individualized attention, warmth and humor.

Christianity & Zen.

Christianity & Zen.

With ruthless precision and wisdom that is often shocking, OSHO dismembers Christianity in the presence of twenty-one Jesuit priests visiting his commune during this series. This is OSHO at his most candid as he deals with all the unspoken questions anyone from a Christian background might ever want to ask.

'I think the essential thing he does is first to cut the dead wood of religions, because there's so much accumulated rubbish around every religious system. And he is quite merciless in what is necessary.'

-Khushwant Singh, novelist, historian and journalist.

Books I have loved.

Books I Have Loved

An extraordinary book written under extraordinary circumstances.

Here Osho does not speak in his usual lecture hall to thousands of seekers but in an intimate and eccentric setting to only four disciples. He tells stories and gives poetic and profound descriptions of books that helped him “...when nothing else was shining in the darkness.” Osho talks about 168 books in all, from the great seers of the Far East and Indian mystics, to Nietzsche and Western philosophers and novelists.
Here is a whole rainbow of the world's literary genius, woven together with wonderfully humorous personal comments and swings of the Zen stick from Osho to his note takers. hardback

The Book of Understanding.

The Book of Understanding.

Creating Your Own Path to Freedom

In this essential work, Osho challenges us to examine and break free of the antiquated belief systems and prejudices that prevent us from realizing our full potential.

He offers the possibility of a new kind of human being, one in whom the material and spiritual, the earthly and the transcendent, each complement and enrich the other. Only this new kind of human being – one who is undivided and whole within – can respond creatively to the current religious, economic, cultural, and political divisions that plague the planet, and begin to create a truly whole and harmonious world.

Body Mind Balancing.

Body Mind Balancing.

Many everyday discomforts and tensions arise from the fact that we are alienated from our bodies. With the help of Body Mind Balancing, we can learn to talk to and reconnect with our bodies. After just a short time, we begin to appreciate how much the body has been working for us and supporting us, and from this new perspective we can find new ways to work with the body and create a more harmonious balance of body and mind.

The guided meditation process, "Reminding Yourself of the Forgotten Language of Talking to Your BodyMind" is a CD that accompanies the text.

Developed by OSHO, this meditative therapy guides the listener in reconnecting with his or her body and creating a new and greater sense of well being.

Beyond Psychology.

Against a backdrop of almost universal political harassment, OSHO talks in depth on a variety of esoterica. He describes techniques of self-discovery, pointing out that psychological answers to man’s self-made miseries will no longer work. These discourses are rare jewels of wisdom and clarity.

With these talks OSHO started a new phase in his work: The Mystery School.

Being in Love.

What Is Love?

In this thoughtful, provocative work, Osho--one of the most revolutionary thinkers of our time--challenges us to question what we think we know about love and opens us to the possibility of a love that is natural, fulfilling, and free of possessiveness and jealousy.

With his characteristic wit, humor, and understanding, Osho dares us to resist the unhealthy relationship patterns we’ve learned from those around us, and to rediscover the meaning of love for ourselves. "By the time you are ready to explore the world of love, you are filled with so much rubbish about love that there is not much hope for you to be able to find the authentic and discard the false."

By answering the questions that so many lovers face, Osho shares new ways to love that will forever change how you relate to others, including how to:

-Love without clinging
-Let go of expectations, rules, and demands
-Free yourself from the fear of being alone
-Be fully present in your relationships
-Keep your love fresh and alive
-Become a life partner with whom someone could continue to grow and change
-Surrender your ego so you can surrender to love

Being in Love will inspire you to welcome love into your life anew and experience the joy of being truly alive by sharing it.

(The) Book of Wisdom.

The complete series of talks that OSHO gave on the Indian mystic Atisha are combined in a handsome new paper-back edition. Atisha's fundamental teaching is outlined in 'The Seven Points of Mind Training' he devised and which OSHO describes as being of inestimable value. He suggests that the seeker 'meditate on Atisha, listen to his advice.

'This is not a philosophy, it is a manual to discipline yourself, it is a manual for inner transformation. It is a book that can help you grow into wisdom.'

An extraordinary journey into the world of an incredible early Buddhist mystic.

(The) Book of Secrets.

OSHO's commentaries on the secret teachings of the 4000-year-old Vigyan Bhairav Tantra, collected all in one volume of 1184 pages.

OSHO goes verse by verse through each of the mysterious sutras that were first made widely known in the West by Paul Reps in his book 'Zen Flesh, Zen Bones'.

These verses are, in fact, highly condensed, telegraphic instructions for 112 different meditation techniques. OSHO describes each technique in detail, and explains how we can experiment to find out if it is the right technique for us.

The Book of Secrets was originally delivered as a series of talks, so OSHO also answers questions from his audience about the techniques, and about their experiences in meditation.

Awareness.

Awareness - The Key to Living in Balance.

Most of us move through our lives like sleepwalkers. Never really present in what we are doing, never fully alert to our environment, and not even aware of what motivates us to do and say the things we do.

At work we are always "multi-tasking" - planning our tomorrows before we have even begun our todays, reading e-mail while talking on the phone, worrying about what is left undone on the to-do list as we take notes in a meeting that produces more to-do’s.

And in our personal relationships, we have all experienced moments when we have lashed out in anger, or found ourselves suddenly in a tangle of misunderstandings without quite knowing how we got there - "I did it in spite of myself," or "I don’t know what came over me." So unaware of our own inner processes that the path between inner feeling and outer expression is shrouded in darkness not only to others but also to ourselves.

At the same time, all of us have experienced moments of awareness - or awakening, to use another term - in extraordinary circumstances. On the road, in a sudden and unexpected accident, time seems to stop and one is suddenly aware of every movement, every sound, every thought. Or in moments that touch us deeply - welcoming a new baby into the world for the first time, or being with someone at the moment of death.

Awareness, says Osho, is the key to being self-directed, centered and free – at work or at play, alone or in relationship, in the marketplace or on the mountaintop, in every aspect of our lives.

Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic.

The book begins with an introduction to the'ordinary men'.Then comes the section ' Reflection in an Empty Mirror'. It contains his responses to the various projections people have put on him over time. There's also a selection of pieces that highlight his unique contribution and teachings, like the active meditations, his vision of Zorba the Buddha and 'religionless religion.' And finally an appendix that presents a kind of annotated history of milestones in his life and work.

And the Flowers Showered.

A beautiful and simple introduction for those new to Zen. Commenting on eleven Zen anecdotes, OSHO explores the spiritual search, speaking on emptiness and no-mind, the relative importance of 'knowledge' and 'being,' the difference between belief and trust, and philosophy and religion.

Here you will find a whole new depth in familiar concepts such as love and divinity, death and disease, happiness, and living in the here-and-now.

A Man of Many Climates, Seasons & Rainbows.

Open this book and enter a world of color portraits of the enlightened master OSHO.This beautifully designed book in a special large format presents a selected collection of 64 color photographs of OSHO which have an emphasis on unusual light effects. The only text is the introduction by Italian photographer Emilio Constantino, who includes the comment:

'Looking into OSHO’s eyes I saw an emptiness that nearly swallowed me as if he would disappear from in front of the lens. His body was there, as if held with difficulty by the force of gravity, but he wasn’t there. The disappearance of the ego, which he calls the root of enlightenment, was present to my photographic eye as an incredible contemporaneity of presence/absence.'

Absolute Tao.

OSHO says speaking on Lao Tzu is as if he is speaking on himself, and you can feel this throughout the book. Tao is, as is OSHO, the way of wholeness: not dividing anything, not denying anything, remaining choiceless. The first sutra of this classic work by Lao Tzu begins: The Tao that can be told of is not the Absolute Tao. In this book, the Tao is simply absolutely reflected by OSHO. You seem to not read this book, but rather listen to it as if it were a waterfall. And in this way you can come to understand why Tao emphasizes hollowness. To be empty inside, to be hollow is the meaning of meditation.

OSHO’s insight is if you can be nourished even by emptiness, then you are in touch with the eternal. This nourishment comes through a dancing being. The more you dance outwardly, the more an inner dance becomes possible and then the emptiness becomes blissful, ecstatic.

ABC of Enlightenment

Out of Print.

A Sudden Clash of Thunder

Osho says that laughter is "the very essence of Zen." And though the theme of this series is meditation - watching, remaining alert and aware - as the only way to truth, Osho encourages us to, "be happy and meditation will follow."

There is a wonderful chapter on laughter, Hotei the Laughing Buddha, and enlightenment.

As Osho says, "This is the whole effort of all the masters: to create a sudden clash of thunder so those who are fast asleep can be awakened."