Is culture itself alien to religion?

You said that imitation of any kind, even imitation of a buddha, is alien to pure consciousness. But we see that all our cultural life is nothing but imitation. In that case, is culture itself alien to religion?

Yes, culture, society, civilization, all are alien to religion. Religion is a revolution, a revolution in your cultural condition ing, a revolution in your social conditioning, a revolution in all the spheres that you have lived and you are living. Every society is against religion. I'm not talking about your temples and mosques and churches that society has created. Those are tricks. Those are things to befool you. Those are substitutes for religion, they are not religion. They are to misguide you. You need religion: they say, 'Yes, come to the temple, to the church, to the gurudwara. Here it is religion. You come and pray and the preacher is there who will teach you religion.' This is a trick. Society has created false religions: those religions are Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism. But a Buddha, or a Mahavira, or a Jesus, or a Mohammed, always exist beyond society. And society always…

It is asked: Civilization, culture, and organized religion are ninety-nine percent conduct, imitation. Then what is religion?

That is exactly why religion has been lost. In your so-called civilization, your culture, and your so-called religions—there religion has been lost. Religion is—the manifestation of the consciousness within you. Religion is—the kindling of the awareness within you. Religion is—the arrival of wakefulness, the coming of meditation, the descent of samadhi. Religion has nothing to do with the outside; religion is an inner revolution. Then what people say outside—who cares! One lives in one’s own bliss, one lives in the festival of life. Then what others say—who cares! If they speak well—good; if they speak ill—good. If they honor you—fine; if they insult you—fine. Once the taste and the fragrance of the within begin to arise, outer values lose all meaning. I give you such freedom. But you do not want freedom; you want dependence. You say, Lay down rules. You feel meditation and samadhi are distant, beyond your capacity.…

Beloved Osho, during your first discourse on the mahagita many people were weeping streams of tears. What does this mean? Are those who were crying weak hearted or is it the power of your voice? Please throw some light on this.

Everywhere in the world it has always been like this. Politicians only have lust for power, they are not concerned with order or revolt. Yes, when they are not keeping order, when the power is not in their hands, then they say everything is wrong; then a revolution is needed. And as soon as they come to power, revolution isn't needed any more because the work of the revolution is complete. Its work was this -- to bring him to power -- the job is done. Then whoever mentions revolution is an enemy. And those that speak of revolution also have nothing to do with it. It is an amazing thing to watch -- it is happening every day, and still man does not become alert. All revolutionaries become counter-revolutionary when they come to power. And all ousted politicians become revolutionaries as soon as they step down from office. Political…

Question: First question: Osho, the ‘Indian Culture Parliament’ is completing twenty-five years. On this occasion, Dr. Prabhakar Machwe, addressing you as a thinker, philosopher, and sage, has invited your views for the volume ‘Indian Culture’, which he will publish at the beginning of the book and thereby feel honored. Osho, a request: please say something! Chaitanya Kirti! I am neither a brooder, nor a thinker, nor a man of intellect. We give great value to contemplation; we take thought to be a great fortune; in our view, intellectual acumen is the highest peak of life. But the truth is something else. Neither Buddha is a thinker, nor Mahavira, nor Kabir. Whoever has known is not a thinker. The one who does not know thinks. Thought is ignorance. A blind man wonders: what is light like, what is it? The one with eyes knows—he doesn’t think. So what sort of contemplation?

Osho, please understand one thing: in any country, if the society happens to be spiritualist, then those who don’t get a chance in it are pulled toward materialism; and in other countries, those who are materialists—when they don’t get a chance—are pulled the other way. So it is the chance-less who have erected the opposite cult. What do you say about this?

And remember, this small path that takes us from sleep into awakening is religion in the fundamental sense—this small path! Neither temples, nor rituals, nor sacrifices have anything to do with it. All this is meaningless. These are the devices of sleeping people. Temples, prayers, fire rituals, chanting mantras, repeating “Ram, Ram”—these are the creations of the sleeping. A sleeping man also manufactures a kind of religion—and then it becomes the cause of quarrels: Hindu, Muslim, Christian. These are differences of ritual, not of religion. One sleeping man builds one kind of temple—he doesn’t know what a temple is; he is building it himself. Ten other sleeping men build a mosque; ten more build a church. Then the three fight: ours is the true temple; whoever does not come to our temple will go to hell. Sleeping men also coin doctrines, create systems. They try to explain. But the explanations…