According to Osho, asking how the world originated is a childish, unphilosophical game of the mind; any answer only breeds endless 'why' upon 'why' and solves nothing. Creation theories and divine causation are clever babble. Drop such speculation; it distracts from real understanding. Don't chase riddles—attend to direct experience instead.
Any answer about how the world began just creates more questions, so stop guessing and notice what’s real right now.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, how did the event of the origin of this world take place? Did man come first on earth, or woman? Please explain in detail to us ignorant ones!
This sort of question…! You ask, “How did the event of the origin of this world take place?” One thing I can say for sure: I did not break Shiva’s bow! I didn’t create this world! Let me step aside right away; otherwise people will start putting all kinds of blame on me—someone will say, “It’s his doing! He must have caused the disturbance!” So, H. L. Jogan, this much I can say as firmly as anything: I had absolutely nothing to do with it. Not even a distant relation to its making. I have no eagerness for its arising, nor eagerness for its dissolution. When it wasn’t, I had no difficulty. When it won’t be, I’ll have no difficulty. As it is, I have no problem at all. I’m perfectly at ease. If it remains, fine; if it doesn’t, fine. What worries are you getting into! And do you…
Osho, what is the definition of God?
Words are very small. If you say God is light, then what of darkness? The scriptures have said that God is light. Suppose we accept this as a definition—then what about darkness? Where will darkness go? Darkness is too; in fact it is far more than light. Light sometimes is and sometimes is not; darkness is always, eternal. Where will you place darkness? If you say God is light, darkness is left out. If you say God is darkness, then light is left out. If you say God is both darkness and light, a contradiction arises: they cannot be together. Try to have both darkness and light in the same room. If you bring in light, darkness disappears; if you preserve darkness, you cannot have light. Then how can both be together? That becomes an impossibility. So you cannot say “both” either. Then the fourth device is to say: it…
Osho, something is happening that I cannot explain. It is not even something I know, only something I sense.
The question is absurd in the beginning, in the first place, and then there are foolish people who are ready to answer. Because the question is there, it has to be answered -- so "God created the world." Just ask them, "Who created God?" and then you are falling into an infinite regress and there will be no end -- because the question will always remain the same. A created B, B created C, C created D... but the question remains the same, "Then who created D?" And the question will never be answered. There are people, even great philosophers have asked, "Who is first -- the egg or the hen?" The question looks perfectly right -- one must be first! But can't you think that things can be standing in a circle. If you think that everybody is standing in a queue, in a line, then somebody is first…
Osho! A few days before his passing, revered Dadda-ji, while talking one night, said: “Only That is, and other than That there is nothing.” When we asked, “Who runs the world?” he said, “No one. Everything moves on its own. What is happening is happening. No one is doing anything; it is all happening.” In response to questions about the doctrine of karma he said, “It’s all nonsense.” We asked, “Then what should we do?” He said, “Eat, drink and live joyfully. That’s all—there is nothing else in the world.” Osho, please say something about these teachings of his.
You are lying on both counts. You do not believe you are a great sinner. Put your hand on your heart and say it. You will say: “Me, a great sinner? There are much worse than me! What count am I in! I’m only saying it. I call myself a great sinner so I can call you great compassion. I blacken my face to brighten yours.” But ask your heart. Such praises won’t work there, because there is no one to hear. No answer will come. And because your prayers are not answered, atheism arises. For thousands of years you have prayed; no answer came—so atheism grew. The basic cause of growing atheism is your pundits and priests with their false assurances. Since those assurances fail. Yes, now and then, by chance, an arrow hits the target. Shoot in the dark, sometimes it hits. No prayer is heard—sometimes it lands.…
Question: THIS UNIVERSE, WHICH IS THE SAME FOR ALL, HAS NOT BEEN MADE BY ANY GOD OR MAN, BUT IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, IS, AND WILL BE -- AN EVERLIVING FIRE, KINDLING ITSELF BY REGULAR MEASURES AND GOING OUT BY REGULAR MEASURES. THE PHASES OF FIRE ARE CRAVING AND SATIETY. THE SUN IS NEW EACH DAY. These two appear two to the mind because the mind cannot see through opposites. When you don't see from the mind, from the logical standpoint, when you simply look into the phenomenon itself, the totality of it, the two disappears and only one remains. That is the thing with God as creator and universe as creation. Not only are ordinary persons deceived by the mind -- great theologians, they are also deceived by it. They also say, "God created the world." This statement is juvenile, it is childish.