According to Osho, to tell imagination from authentic past-life recall, look for two signatures: stability and direction. Genuine recall is a 'closed chapter' that reappears identically each time and unfolds in reverse—beginning with death and moving back through events to birth (and earlier). Imagination moves forward from birth to death, shifts details across sittings, and cannot be replicated exactly.
Real past-life memories always replay the same and run backward from death to birth; imagination runs forward and keeps changing.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: BELOVED OSHO, HOW CAN WE FIND OUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IMAGINATION AND REAL PAST LIFE EXPERIENCES? It is very easy. First, imagination cannot be repeated again and again, but the past life experience will be repeated the same in detail again and again. Second, the imagination will start from A, go to B, then to C, from the beginning to the end. The past life experience will start just in the reverse order -- from Z. First you will die; when you go into the past life, what you will come across first will be your death. Then you will move as if you are reading a novel from the back, or seeing a film backwards. Imagination will be direct; it will start from birth and move towards death.
Osho, if in your presence a person has an inner experience but later cannot, what is that? Would you call it a direction toward liberation or dependence?
There can be two kinds of reasons. In fact there can be many, but broadly two will do. - One: he may only be imagining, not actually experiencing. Even for imagination my presence gives support. Alone, even imagining becomes difficult. Imagination too asks for props. So in my presence he will be able to imagine more easily, and it will be easier to mistake imagination for experience. At home, if the same kind of thing happened, he might suspect it is only imagination. - The other, less frequent, possibility: you did not imagine; you actually took a leap. For a moment you jumped two feet off the ground; you lifted your head and saw a little higher. Then you fell back to the ground. That is possible too. Both can be useful. Even imagination is an indicator that you want to imagine—really, that you want to experience; that is why…
Kalpana means imagination and deva means divine -- divine imagination. And that you have to remember: that your path will go through imagination. You have a tremendous capacity to imagine. If you can use it, it can be an immense help. If you don't use it, it can become a barrier. If one has some capacity, one has to use it, otherwise it becomes like a rock on the path. One has to step over it and transform it into a stepping stone. You have a very deep potentiality for imagination. So use it. Start three things. One is -- imagine yourself as happy as possible. Within a week you will start feeling that you are becoming very happy -- for no reason at all. That will be proof of your dormant capacity. So the first thing to do in the morning is to imagine yourself tremendously happy.
How to recognize past life experiences from illusion, madness?
Become more alert; the world becomes more real. Become even more alert; the world becomes even more real. When you are at the peak of your awareness, the world is so radiantly real that it is difficult to call it matter. One has to call it God; nothing else will do. It is so radiantly real, it is so eternally real that one has to say that time has ceased. Reality is neither past, nor present, nor future; it simply is. It is herenow. Now is not part of time. In fact, you should not use the word 'now'. Only enlightened people should be allowed to use it, because your now is just not there. What do you call 'now'? The moment you call it 'now' it is already past. Or, if you call it 'now' before it is past, then it is in the future. You are so asleep…
Beloved Osho, my imagination is very strong. Sometimes when I close my eyes, I see myself sitting with you and there are no more questions. Then I feel loved and accepted. Whenever I experience this, I feel so joyful. Is this real, or just a mind-game to keep me away from reality?
If you can manage it exactly the same, again and again, then it is not imagination. Then it is not the stuff dreams are made of, because you cannot repeat a dream. But if you can imagine such a thing only once, and you cannot manage to experience it exactly the same again and again, then it is a dream; then it is a mind game. Don't waste time on it. This is the distinction between dream and reality: reality is that which remains as it is. Dream is something that happens once and is gone. And it is not in your hands to bring it back, you cannot manage to dream it. Every morning you will open your eyes -- your room will be the same. Every night you will close your eyes -- your dreams will be different. That which remains the same is the real, and that…