Core Insight:
According to Osho, true austerity is essential—but it means inner purification and emptiness of body, thought, and feeling: upavasa, dwelling near the soul. It is not bodily torture, forced fasting, or poverty. External mortification keeps you body-bound; authentic austerity dissolves bodily fixation so nourishment becomes natural. When basic needs are fulfilled, the authentic longing for the soul awakens and real tapas begins.