According to Osho, life is both predestined and free: everything material—body and mind—runs in the chain of cause and effect, but the witnessing consciousness remains undetermined. If you identify with body-mind, you are predictable like a machine; as you disidentify and awaken, freedom flowers. Enlightenment steps entirely beyond causality, making action spontaneous, moment-to-moment, unpredictable.
Your body and thoughts run on rails, but the quiet watcher inside can step off them—and the more you live as that watcher, the freer you become.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Are our lives predestined or not?
Skinner says that we can determine what you will do if your past acts are known. He says that the old proverb, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink," is wrong. You can force him to. You can create an atmosphere so that the horse will have to drink. The horse can be forced, and you also can be forced, because your actions are created by situations, by circumstances. But even though you can bring a buddha to the river, you cannot force him to drink. The more you force him, the more impossible it will be. No heat will make him do it. Even if a thousand suns shine on him it will not help. A Buddha has a different origin of action. It is not concerned with other acts; it is connected with consciousness. That is why I emphasize that you act…
Osho, is sannyas a human possibility or an ultimate destiny? Please tell us.
Those great knowers said “it will happen, it is going to happen” and emphasized it strongly to wake you from sleep: if it is going to happen anyway, then let it happen now. Why delay? Why postpone it till tomorrow? If it is going to happen tomorrow, let it happen today. Why suffer till tomorrow? Why endure anguish till tomorrow? Let it be today. Accept it today. If it is going to be anyway, why erect obstacles? All your obstacles will break and the event will occur. The wise said: do not create obstacles—that was their purpose when they said sannyas is destiny. And they also said it so that, if you understand destiny, you will be freed from the past. The moment you see that someone abused you yesterday and that it was bound to happen, then the abuser bears no responsibility. It had to be. That abuse was…
Osho, is sannyas in my destiny or not?
No, sannyas has nothing to do with fate. But it seems you want to hide behind fate. You think, “If it is in my destiny, it will happen by itself; and if it isn’t, it won’t.” You want to avoid the issue. It will happen by your choosing it, not by destiny. Destiny is your excuse, your trick, your cover. Don’t deceive yourself. If you don’t want to take sannyas, don’t take it—but know that it is not a matter of fate; it isn’t written. Sannyas means going beyond fate, beyond predetermination, beyond the readymade. “To complain of destiny is meaningless—you simply do not consent to live. That you could not shape your own fate—no one is that helpless.” This gathering is of the lovers of the heart; here we are all drinkers, we are all cupbearers. To go seeking diversion among mere humans is not the custom of this…
Is everything in one's life, particularly the degree of spiritual progress, predestined? Or is one's life a series of challenges and possibilities without anything being known about the outcome?
The essence is predestined, the personality is just an accident. That which you are is predestined, that which you appear to be is just an accident. Your being a Hindu, your being a Christian, is an accident. Your being a man, your being a woman, is an accident. Your being a German or an Indian is an accident. Your being black or white is an accident. But your BEING, simply your being, is destined. Try to find that which is destined, and don't be too concerned with that which is irrelevant, accidental. Your nose is a little long or a little short. Don't be bothered much about it; it is just accidental. Or your skin has a pigment and you are black. Or your skin doesn't have that pigment -- not worth more than four annas. Don't be too worried about it. It is just irrelevant. Try to find that…
Beloved Osho, the idea of you leaving the body makes me very sad and shaky because even now, I feel wanting but never reaching you completely. Something invisible, untouchable and very beautiful always happens between you and me, but whenever I feel it is there, it is already gone. The joy of these very bright moments creates more and more longing. Then I feel you are the only one who can trigger that process again until I feel really free and flying. I think I have to hurry. Beloved Osho, what is the right speed for our meeting? What is needed to make it last forever?
It is because of this that there are things like astrology, palmistry, the I Ching, and a thousand other methods and scriptures. They depend on your mechanicalness. Only a machine is reliable. A man, because he is conscious, can choose any moment a different direction, can choose to be something else than what the astrologers have predicted. I was in Jaipur, and one famous astrologer there... he was the astrologer of the Maharaja of Jaipur, and I was staying in the Maharaja's palace. The Maharaja was very curious and wanted his astrologer to look at my hand. His astrologer came, of course with great expectations of receiving a good reward. Before putting my hand into his hand, I asked him: "Are you aware, what kind of man you are going to encounter?" He said, "Of course, I am aware." He looked into my hand. He worked out some charts, some…