According to Osho, desirelessness doesn’t halt progress; it clarifies it. If progress means outer accumulation, desirelessness may slow the frenzy—but if progress means peace, love, wisdom, it accelerates it. A quiet, desire-free mind becomes single-pointed, skillful, ethical, and creative—able to create (not steal) wealth—so outer prosperity may arise as a byproduct, never at the cost of inner richness. True progress is arriving, not running.
When you stop chasing prizes, your mind gets calm, you do things better, feel happier, and any goodies can come without losing your smile.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
To be desireless means: I am content as I am. If I am unquiet, I am unquiet; if I am restless, I am restless; if I am in bondage, I am in bondage; if I am in sorrow, I am in sorrow. As I am — total acceptability, a complete acceptance of this. No, not even an inch otherwise is in question. As I am, I am. Then there is no movement, no motivation. How will any journey begin? How will the mind say, Come there, attain that? As I am, I am. The essence of Tao is tathata — suchness, acceptance. Where there is total acceptance, there is desirelessness. And where there is even a slight non‑acceptance, there is the birth of desire. A slight rejection — and desire is born, craving takes hold, the race begins. Have you noticed? From non‑acceptance desire is born.
Osho, not a single aspiration or desire in life has been fulfilled. In every way, only failure has come to hand. I am sunk in despondency, and now I have only one wish left: that somehow the mind may become quiet. Please show the way.
The mind’s peace does not come by effort; the distilled essence of deep living is this: no desire leads to peace—desire agitates. So at least do not make this new desire. Do this much at least. Now just be still. Say, “All right—whatever will be, will be. If the mind is restless, let the mind be restless. What will we do! What has our doing ever changed? The outer didn’t get set right—how will the inner?” Now say, “Lord, Thy will. If You want to keep me restless, keep me restless. If You want to keep me mad, keep me mad. However You keep me, thus will I remain. I consent to Your will. ‘Jihi vidhi rakhain Ram, tihi vidhi rahiye’—however Ram keeps one, in that way remain. However You keep us—so shall we remain. If You want to keep me restless, surely You have some will in it. You…
Another friend has asked: If one has to drop all desires, then what is the goal of life?
Perhaps he thinks that fulfilling desires is the goal of life! Desires are never fulfilled. No desire is ever fulfilled. One desire seems to be fulfilled, and it gives birth to ten more. No one has ever been able to say that a desire was fulfilled. Even before one is fulfilled, a new progeny appears and the chain starts again. The goal of life is not the fulfillment of desires. The goal of life is to attain desirelessness from amidst desires. The goal of life is to pass through desires and rise beyond them. For the moment one rises beyond all desires, one comes to know that life’s supreme blessedness was not in desires. Desires created tension, a pull and strain. Because of desires the mind would run, tire, fall, become distressed. With desirelessness, your very life-energy meets existence. There is no race left, no running about. As when a…
Desirelessness is the perfect knowledge. And the peace that flows from this experience
OF INNER BLISS IS THE PROOF OF DESIRELESSNESS.] THAT WHICH DOESN'T HAPPEN IN SUCCESSION FROM AMONG THE ABOVE-MENTIONED STEPS INDICATES THAT THE STEP PRECEDING IT HAS BEEN FRUITLESS. TO SHUN THE OBJECTS OF ENJOYMENT IS THE HIGHEST CONTENTMENT, AND THE BLISS OF SELF One who is totally relaxed becomes silent. Nothing happens in him now. There is no happening, because every happening is noise, every happening has its own noise. Now there is no experience inside, because every experience disturbs silence. The man of total relaxation is absolutely silent. Now nothing happens in him. He is; simply he is. No experiences now -- NO experiences, remember this. You will not have visions, because visions are a disturbance. You will not see light, you will not hear sound; you will not be taking an interview with God. No experience. Silence means no experience now. Everything has fallen. You have become just…
What is desirelessness? Is it to be totally without desire or to be totally free to have or not have desire?
Politicians pretend to be religious because that pays in politics. Morarji Desai pretends to be religious -- that pays in politics. Now, look at the disgusting thing Jimmy Carter has done: he came to India and he asked, first thing in India, three hours for prayer. He knows India is a religious country -- three hours for prayer?! Prayer is nothing to be bragged about. You can do it in your bedroom -- three minutes are enough -- three seconds are enough -- just a single moment is enough -- because prayer has nothing to do with time: it needs intensity. Now, a three-hour prayer! think of God also a little bit: listening to Jimmy Carter for three hours... poor old man! Nobody thinks of God. And what will you be saying for three hours? You will bore Him to death! But he knows that India is a religious country,…