According to Osho, Pythagoras’ theorem has no mystic significance. It belongs to the outer, collective domain of science—useful, inevitable, and discoverable by anyone sooner or later. Pythagoras was primarily a mystic; mathematics was his hobby. The West misread him by valuing utility over inward realization. True religion is utterly individual, an inner journey unrelated to formulas, traditions, or causal chains.
The theorem is just math; Pythagoras was a mystic, but real spirituality isn’t in formulas—it’s in turning inward.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Most of us have only known pythagoras for his theorem about right-angled triangles: the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides. Does it have any mystic significance?
BECAUSE OF THIS THEOREM, and only because of this theorem, Pythagoras has been misunderstood down the ages. In the West, people have completely forgotten that he was a Buddha. They think of him only as a great mathematician. In the history books he is mentioned as a mathematician. In the schools and the colleges and universities he is remembered only because of this theorem. This theorem proved very fatal. If he had not discovered it, it would have been far better -- he would have been known as a mystic. And as far as the theorem is concerned, somebody else would have found it. These things cannot wait for long. It is said that any scientific discovery is BOUND to happen -- it may take a few years more or less. Even Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, such a complex phenomenon -- now it is known perfectly well that if…
Beloved Osho, the other night you spoke of the mystery school. At that moment I thought of pythagoras. Since you started speaking again, I've wanted to ask questions about him -- his name comes to me often. The main part of his teachings I love are the three p's: preparation, purification, perfection. Would you speak on them again?
Preparation does not mean preparing for a verbal examination or a written examination. Preparation means preparing for an existential examination; it means going deeper into meditation. Unless you were meditative you could not enter those universities. And they had big campuses: Takshila had ten thousand scholars in it, Nalanda had twelve thousand scholars in it. Even today the greatest universities don't have more than that number, but their quality is very ordinary; students have simply passed the school examinations and they are ready to enter. No existential preparation is needed. Preparation means that you drop all your conditionings, you drop your prejudices, you drop what you think you know and you do not know: you get as innocent as possible. Your innocence will be the preparation -- that will allow you to enter into the university campus. Then purification... In preparation you drop the conditionings which were given by the…
Osho, as well as being someone like you, pythagoras was also a great mathematician. How is this possible?
Buddha is not a poet either in the ordinary sense -- he never composed poetry. But he is a poet! The way he walks is poetry, the way he looks at life is poetry. The way he showers his compassion is poetry. He may not be a poet in the ordinary, literal sense, but he is sheer poetry. His very existence is poetic. The tremendous grace that surrounds him, the infinite beauty that he lives, and the splendour that he has brought to the earth -- the earth has never been the same again. It was something else before Buddha, it is totally something else after Buddha. What difference has Buddha made to the world? He walked on the earth, and he belonged to the beyond. He was embodied just like you and me, but he had come from the ultimate source. He lived here and now, but AS the…
Render to the immortal gods the consecrated cult; guard then thy faith: ... Revere the memory of the illustrious heroes, of spirits, demi-gods....
BE A GOOD SON, JUST BROTHER; SPOUSE TENDER; AND GOOD FATHER. CHOOSE FOR THY FRIEND, THE FRIEND OF VIRTUE; YIELD TO HIS GENTLE COUNSELS, PROFIT BY HIS LIFE; AND FOR A TRIFLING GRIEVANCE NEVER LEAVE HIM; IF THOU CANST AT LEAST: FOR A MOST RIGID LAW BINDS POWER TO NECESSITY. For example: a person speaks out of necessity because he cannot resist the temptation to speak. Buddhas also speak, but with no necessity: it is out of power, out of abundant power They are silent; there is no temptation, no obsession to speak. They can remain silent for ever. But still they speak. If they speak. they speak out of power. You love out of necessity. Buddhas also love -- they love out of... so much energy is there that it has to be shared. So much power is happening, it has to be given. You live out of necessity,…
Listen, and in thine heart engrave my words, keep closed both eye and ear 'gainst prejudice, of others the example fear; think for thyself.
CONSULT, DELIBERATE, AND FREELY CHOOSE. LET FOOLS ACT AIMLESSLY AND WITHOUT CAUSE, THOU SHOULDST, IN THE PRESENT; CONTEMPLATE THE FUTURE. THAT WHICH THOU DOST NOT KNOW, PRETEND NOT THAT THOU DOST. INSTRUCT THYSELF: FOR TIME AND PATIENCE FAVOUR ALL. NEGLECT NOT THY HEALTH... ... DISPENSE WITH MODERATION FOOD TO THE BODY AND TO THE MIND REPOSE. TOO MUCH ATTENTION OR TOO LITTLE SHUN; FOR ENVY THUS, TO EITHER EXCESS IS ALIKE ATTACHED. LUXURY AND AVARICE HAVE SIMILAR RESULTS. ONE MUST CHOOSE IN ALL THINGS A MEAN JUST AND GOOD. Go into a madhouse and be with mad people for a few hours and you will see: you start feeling something going crazy inside you. Go to the hospital and just be with the ill patients there for a few hours, and you start feeling a sickening is entering into you, a kind of sick feeling. You are NOT sick; you…