Because Russia dropped belief in a boss-in-the-sky, it can more easily try Zen-like, no-belief meditation—if it keeps old religions out and learns simple here-now awareness.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Maneesha has asked a question: BELOVED OSHO, HAS ONE ONLY RECEIVED A HIT IF IT HURTS?
Maneesha, a master hits not to hurt but to heal. And a disciple receives the hit with tremendous gratitude, not with anger. Unless a hit is received with gratitude it cannot do its work of healing. You are all full of wounds, and they all need to be exposed to the sun, to the open sky. Unless you allow yourself to be exposed completely, you cannot get rid of those wounds. The normal way in the world is to hide the wounds so nobody knows about them -- go on hiding them deeper and deeper in the unconscious, so even you forget them. But to work on the consciousness, cleaning it from all the wounds is absolutely necessary. Those wounds have to be brought into the open. You are asking, "Has one only received a hit if it hurts?" No, Maneesha. If it hurts you have missed. If it does…
The second question, which is connected: is it not true that in the russian people the zorba is already so much alive that it is easier to bring buddha in that country than in any other? And is it really dependent on communism, because people are less conditioned?
Zorba is certainly there. But if vodka is denied to the Zorba, that will be a disaster! I am absolutely against Gorbachev's idea of prohibition. Vodka is every Russian's birthright! That is all they have. Don't take away their dance and their joy unless you can provide something better. That's my very simple arithmetic: don't take anything from anybody unless you can give something better in its place. And I don't know that Gorbachev has anything better to offer. He himself does not know anything better. Rather than sending those people to Germany to learn the art of how not to attack, he should come here, and send his people here. I will teach them how to dance, how to love. And if there is a need to attack you should be the first, not the second! You have the tremendous responsibility of protecting a great experiment that has never…
He is calm. In him the seed of renewing life has been consumed. He has conquered all the inner worlds.
WITH DISPASSIONATE EYE HE SEES EVERYWHERE THE FALLING AND THE UPRISING. AND WITH GREAT GLADNESS HE KNOWS THAT HE HAS FINISHED. HE HAS WOKEN FROM HIS SLEEP. AND THE WAY HE HAS TAKEN IS HIDDEN FROM MEN, EVEN FROM SPIRITS AND GODS, BY VIRTUE OF HIS PURITY. Jaina monks chose mountains, but ugly mountains, just rocks and nothing else, because anything beautiful can create trouble. The distant call of a cuckoo can drive you cuckoo! -- because it has a sexuality of its own, it has a sensuality of its own, it is a sensual call. Do you know? -- it is the male cuckoo who is calling; the female simply waits. She simply waits for the male to come closer. Yes, she gives hints that "I am available," and yet keeps herself very aloof, very proud -- available, but not so easily available either! Have you seen in the…
Beloved master, you have brought zorba the buddha to life, love and laughter, with luminous silence. You have also spoken on the distinction between rebellion and revolution. If zorba the buddha were in this commune, how could he have responded to the growing menace of sheela and her gang? Would he, as one rebel among the community of rebels, have acted not only individually, but together with others? Could there be some shared awareness or action which might have freed us from the enemies within? Please comment on zorba the buddha's responsibility as a social or communal being.
My whole effort is to bring East and West to a deep merger. The West has science, technology -- they are all for the foundations. They can create better machines, but they cannot create better men. The East is poor, has no idea of how to create better machines, better houses, better roads, but it can create better men. Even the poor people in the East have some quality which is missing in the West. The poorest will still be immensely patient -- not tense, not worried; trusting in existence that something good will come out of it, hoping. Even in the darkest cloud he will be able to see the silver lining. The Western mind, even in the brightest silver lining, will see the dark cloud surrounding it. They both are there; it is a question of your choice. And I would like you to see the whole --…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, JAPAN IS ABOUT TO SURPASS THE UNITED STATES IN PER CAPITA INCOME. IT IS ALREADY AN ECONOMIC SUPERPOWER, DOMINATING LARGE SECTIONS OF WORLD TRADE, AND HAS RECENTLY BEGUN TO DOMINATE THE FINANCIAL MARKETS. IN FACT, THE ONLY MATERIAL THING THAT JAPAN'S ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY MILLION PEOPLE DO NOT HAVE MUCH OF, IS LAND. ITS AREA IS LITTLE BIGGER THAN THE INDIAN STATE OF RAJASTHAN. IN ADDITION, JAPAN IS SURROUNDED BY SEVERAL OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES WHOSE ECONOMIC PROGRESS IS OUTSTRIPPING THE WEST. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL CENTURIES THE GEOPOLITICAL CENTER OF THE WORLD IS MOVING AWAY FROM THE CHRISTIAN COUNTRIES OF THE ATLANTIC TO THE BUDDHIST COUNTRIES OF ASIA -- TOWARDS THE LAND OF ZEN. WILL THIS CHANGE HAVE ANY SIGNIFICANCE FOR YOUR WORK? The West was poor in those days, really poor.