According to Osho, both Buddha and Jesus anticipated a figure like him. He interprets Buddha’s prophecy of ‘Maitreya’—the Friend—not as a name but a quality: the first awakened master who comes as a friend, not an authority. And, playfully yet pointedly, he cites a secret Last Supper tale in which Thomas prepares a gospel for Osho two millennia later.
Osho says Buddha foresaw a friendly awakened teacher (which he claims to be), and a playful Jesus story hints the same.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, did gautam the buddha and jesus the christ have any idea that you would be here one day on earth?
Yogesh, I SUSPECT so! Gautam the Buddha used to say that after twenty-five centuries there would arise one awakened man whose name would be Maitreya; Maitreya means the friend. Now for twenty-five centuries it has been thought that this would be the name of the awakened person, but my own interpretation is that Buddha is not talking about the name, he is talking about the quality of the person. He is saying that he will be the first Master who will be the friend, who will not pretend to be the Master, who will simply say, "I am your friend." And that's what I am saying to you: I am your friend. Hence I say I suspect he may have had some idea. But Jesus certainly had a very clear-cut idea about me, because there is an ancient story.... You may not have heard it because it has been whispered…
Osho, what do you think? Is jesus coming back to earth again as he had promised or not?
A new arrival knocked on heaven's door. Jesus was on duty and opened the door. "Who are you?" he asked. "Adolf Hitler," came the reply. "Adolf Hitler! You cannot come here. You are a megalomaniac bent on world domination. Get away!" "But I want to mend my ways!" "No way! Get out!" "Ah, if you will let me in, I will give you something." "Well," said Jesus, weakening a little, "what is it?" Hitler, in dress uniform, pulled off his special Iron Cross and showed it to Jesus. "Well," he asked, "can I come in?" "You just wait here. I'll go and ask my dad." Jesus found God in his study. "Dad, there's a newcomer at the gate who wants to come in." "Who is he?" "Adolf Hitler." "Adolf Hitler! That megalomaniac bent on world domination? He can't come in here!" "But he has something very special to give me."…
Osho, do you believe in the second coming of christ?
And who do you think I am? Christ is not a person, Christ is a state of consciousness. There have been Christs before Jesus, there have been Christs after Jesus. Jesus is only one of the Christs. Buddha is a Christ, Mahavir is a Christ, Lu-tsu is a Christ, Zarathustra is a Christ. Christ simply means the ultimate state of consciousness; it is equivalent to Buddha. Buddha is not the name of any person, it is a happening. So is Christ -- it is not Jesus' name! His name was Jesus. One day Jesus disappeared and the Christ-consciousness descended IN him. He was no more the ego, he became the vehicle of the whole. He could say, "I and my Father in heaven are one." This is Christ-consciousness; it has nothing to do with Jesus. If you are waiting for Jesus' second coming, then you are waiting in vain; but…
Osho, you can read in the bible that jesus warned about other masters coming in the future. Do you think his warnings were also including you? Your message is very different from important parts of the teachings of jesus. How is it possible that enlightened masters can say so many contrary things?
ONE THING of great import has to be understood first. Jesus became enlightened only at the last moment on the cross. Hence his statements that he has made before that experience are not of an enlightened person -- close, very close, approximate, but as far as truth is concerned there is nothing like approximate truth. This thing has not been told to Christians at all, that Jesus became enlightened at the very last moment. On the cross he became enlightened, on the cross he became a Christ. To me the cross is important not for the same reasons as it is for Christians. To them the cross is important because Jesus was crucified, and the cross has become the symbol of crucifixion. To me that is absolutely wrong -- that is a kind of life-negation, that is worshipping death, that is making too much fuss about crucifixion. I call Christianity…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, NIETZSCHE WROTE, IN ECCE HOMO, HERE THERE SPEAKS NO PROPHET, NONE OF THOSE GRUESOME HYBRIDS OF SICKNESS AND WILL TO POWER CALLED FOUNDERS OF RELIGIONS. ONE HAS ABOVE ALL TO HEAR CORRECTLY THE TONE THAT PROCEEDS FROM THIS MOUTH, THIS HALCYON TONE, IF ONE IS NOT TO DO PITIABLE INJUSTICE TO THE MEANING OF ITS WISDOM.... HERE THERE SPEAKS NO FANATIC, HERE THERE IS NO PREACHING, HERE FAITH IS NOT DEMANDED: OUT OF AN INFINITE ABUNDANCE OF LIGHT AND DEPTH OF HAPPINESS THERE FALLS DROP AFTER DROP, WORD AFTER WORD -- A TENDER SLOWNESS OF PACE IS THE TEMPO OF THESE DISCOURSES. SUCH THINGS AS THIS REACH ONLY THE MOST SELECT: IT IS AN INCOMPARABLE PRIVILEGE TO BE A LISTENER HERE. OSHO, THIS IS CERTAINLY ABOUT YOU. WAS NIETZSCHE YOUR FORERUNNER? The six others had to find their own ways to be special.