Don’t try to understand others, that is not the way. Try to understand yourself, that is the way.

The journey of understanding is indeed a profound inward expedition. In saying, “Don’t try to understand others, that is not the way. Try to understand yourself, that is the way,” Osho is inviting you to an odyssey that begins and ends with the self.

Others are mirrors, reflections through which you can catch glimpses of your own self. But they are the outer. The outer is complex, ever-changing, and endless. To seek to understand the myriad minds around you is to embark on an infinite quest; it can lead to constant wonderment and confusion since each individual operates from their own unique conditioning and consciousness. Trying to understand each one is like trying to count the stars in the sky – there will always be more than you can comprehend.

But to understand yourself is to approach the core, the essence. When you delve deeply into your own being, you dive into the vast expanse of your consciousness that contains not just your thoughts and feelings but the collective unconscious of the whole existence. Underneath your personal story lies a universal tale.

In understanding yourself, you come to understand the fundamental characteristics that shape human behaviour and consciousness. You will see your desires, fears, thoughts, and feelings – these are the very threads that weave the human experience. As you become more aware of your own inner workings, the behaviour of others becomes more predictable and is seen with compassion. Your reactions to the outside world will change because you have changed; you understand the motif within yourself.

Within you lies an ocean of silence, bliss, and intelligence. To know this space is to become aware of your true potential and freedom. This self-knowledge changes your relationship with the world; you become a centre, a witness, from where you can watch the play of life with detachment and love. In this space, the need to understand the other dissolves; you see everyone as another form of the same energy that you are part of. The sage is one who knows himself and thus knows the essence of all.

In understanding yourself, you touch the eternal – beyond time, beyond change. From that space, the understanding of others becomes not an intellectual pursuit but a natural knowing, a subtle intuition. Therefore, the key is to turn the gaze inwards, to explore your inner world, and in doing so, gain the wisdom and serenity to navigate the outer world.