According to Osho, he mocks not the West or India as such but the traditional mind everywhere. Traditional gurus—whether Eastern priests or Western authorities—guard beliefs that block progress and fear doubt. His allegiance is to truth, not scriptures or politeness. Where faith resists inquiry, he challenges it, because science and growth require questioning.
He jokes about rigid old beliefs wherever they appear, because truth matters more than old books or being polite.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Are you mocking the west in the same way you mocked the traditional gurus in india?
I will mock the traditional gurus everywhere, because I am against the traditional mind. The traditional mind is the greatest block to progress -- and the traditional gurus are the guards of the traditional mind; they protect it. Galileo was told by the pope, "You have to change your book which states that the earth goes round the sun, because THE BIBLE says the sun goes around the earth, and THE BIBLE cannot be untrue." Old Galileo, seventy-five years old, sick, almost dying -- but he must have had a great sense of humor -- said, "I am perfectly willing, but, your honor, I must remind you that even if I change the sentence, the earth will still go around the sun. It won't take any note of my poor book, it does not read." He changed the sentence, and in the footnote he wrote, "It does not matter. I…
Osho, comparing with other religions, you said that such a mind has not existed in this country. You have overlooked a very big historical fact: in the stream of “One, without a second,” there is still so much diversity in this country’s consciousness that there are 330 million gods. Whereas those who believe in one book, one prophet—one Bible, one Christ—have walked a single path. Here you will find worshippers of Rama, some of Vishnu; even within Rama, both formless and with-form worshippers, and so on. So in this country there has always been freedom to think.
Understand this a little, understand it a little. In this country there hasn’t been freedom to think; rather, there have been many prisons to bind thinking—not just one. In one village there is one jail; in another village there are ten. The village with ten jails says, “We have great freedom—go to any jail you like.” The other village is not free; it has only one jail. See, there is a difference between reasoning and mere verbal cleverness. Who will decide who is doing clever wordplay and who is reasoning? Who will decide? Time will decide. Yes, time will decide. What I am saying is: in India too the mind is the same; only the prisons are many. The multiplicity of prisons creates the illusion of freedom. It looks as if one worships Rama, another Krishna, another Buddha, another Mahavira—so there is a lot of worship, therefore there is great…
Osho, what kind of Indian guru are you? We’ve heard you don’t even know Sanskrit!
English, therefore, is the most alive language on earth today--every year it digests eight thousand new words. No other language has such digestive power. It digests everything. You’ll be surprised: English even digested the Sanskrit word “pandit.” “Pandit” is used in English; the meaning is the same as in Hindi--a pompous pundit, hollow, stuffed with cow-dung. Digestive power is the mark of a living being. They can’t even digest “railgadi,” though it has caught on! Millions use it. The whole country understands “railgadi.” Neither Tamil nor Marathi nor Gujarati nor Punjabi nor Hindi has any difficulty with it. But he coined a word, and it didn’t fly. He tried very hard to make it fly--“lohpathgamini” (iron-path-goer)! It just doesn’t sit right; it sounds stupid. You’re going to the station, someone asks, “Where are you going?” You say, “I’m going to catch the lohpathgamini!” He’ll think your wife has run away…
Question: Second question: Osho, you truly did disappoint me, because you did not adequately resolve my doubts. I concede that a sannyas like yours has never existed on earth before, but these ochre robes and your disciples wearing a mala with your locket around their necks—if this is not conditioning, then what is it? It looks like Indian culture. And the meditation and samadhi you describe—using slightly different words, from Ashtavakra to Krishnamurti all the enlightened beings have described the same, and speaking on them you too have agreed. This long lineage of enlightened ones is what I call the garland of lamps of Indian culture, in which you are the brilliantly shining lamp of the present. My request is: please do not take me as your critic, because I understand well that only what you are doing can bring welfare to all humankind.
When sri aurobindo said that india is the spiritual center of the world, the thinkers all over the west felt offended. They mocked and laughed at it. Please comment.
India has been approaching the inner continuously. If you take India as a symbol of inner search, good -- but then you should remember that it is an inner search and a symbol of inner search. Then somebody who is born in the West and is seeking God is an Indian; and somebody who is born in India and is seeking money is an American. Then there is no trouble -- then Jesus is Indian, Zarathustra is Indian, Lao Tzu is Indian, Chuang Tzu is Indian, Bokuju, Rinzai -- all are Indians. Then 'India' has a totally different meaning. I also say that India is significant, but just as a psychological symbol. Longest India has been searching. And MORE Buddhas have happened here. The very climate of spirituality, the milieu, helps. Jesus is rare, Zarathustra is rare. In India, Buddha, Mahavir, Krishna, Ram -- it seems almost a normal state…