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Osho on Is indulging one's passions the proper course if suppression is harmful?

Is indulging one's passions the proper course if suppression is harmful?

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Indulging your passions is as harmful as suppressing them; true freedom lies in the vigilant observation of your desires, allowing them to fade into the clarity of your authentic self.

— Osho
Synthesized from Source definition
Core Insight:
According to Osho, indulging passions is no better than suppressing them; both are forms of ignorance that strengthen desire in hidden ways. The right course is a third way: vigilant, non-reactive awareness. Simply observe lust, anger, greed as they arise—neither following nor fighting them. In clear, steady seeing, these impulses lose energy and fade, revealing authentic self-knowledge beyond social masks.
Don’t push your feelings away or chase them; just watch them calmly, and like shadows in light, they shrink and disappear.
Why this matters practically
- When anger or craving arises, pause, feel it in your body, and watch your breath; it often dissolves without harmful action.
- Breaks habit loops—less guilt from indulgence and less tension from repression.
- Encourages honest self-seeing, reducing the need to perform for others.
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