Ask Osho!

Have designations like dharma and spirituality been unnecessarily attached to self-realization?

Synthesized from Source definition

"Dharma and spirituality are not mere labels; they are the essential expressions of your innermost nature, guiding you to the divine seed within through the silence of pure awareness."

According to Osho, designations like ‘dharma’ and ‘spirituality’ are not superfluous but essential. Dharma means one’s intrinsic, ultimate nature—the seed of the divine that sprouts through the soil of meditation; religions are merely sampradayas, paths toward it. Spirituality (adhyatma) is your innermost, unborrowed awarenesssilence before language—realized by neti-neti and pure witnessing. These terms precisely indicate self-realization’s essence, not sectarian labels.
No—‘dharma’ names your true nature that grows through meditation, and ‘spiritualitymeans the inner, unborrowed awareness you discover by simply witnessing yourself.
Why this matters practically
- Separates essence (dharma) from paths (religions), reducing confusion and dogma.
- Points practice toward meditation and witnessing, not secondhand beliefs.
- Encourages shedding borrowed identities (neti-neti) to live from your authentic center.
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