According to Osho, initiation is not a single act of mere communion but a threefold journey: the student becomes a disciple (moving from curiosity to quest), the disciple becomes a devotee (from mind to heart), and finally the devotee dissolves in the master—true communion. Thus, initiation deepens step by step, culminating in egoless union rather than intellectual learning or borrowed knowledge.
It’s a gradual path: first you seek, then you love and trust, and finally you let go of ego and become one with the master.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Beloved Osho, is it true that to be in communion with the master is the initiation?
But Ekalavya was made of a different kind of mettle than ordinary human beings are made of. He went into the forest and made a statue of Dronacharya. And just in front of the statue, he continued learning on his own. Soon the word started spreading all over the country that Ekalavya had become a master archer, just by the side of the statue of Dronacharya. Dronacharya had an ambition, and that ambition was that one prince who was his disciple, Arjuna -- and he was a great archer -- should become the greatest archer in the history of man. But this Ekalavya was disturbing everything, he was becoming more famous. Dronacharya went into the forest.... And this is the point to be noted -- that's why the dean of the faculty of arts had quoted the name of Ekalavya. He had been rejected by Dronacharya. Any ordinary human being…
Question: OSHO, WHAT IS INITIATION ACCORDING TO YOU? If this mind is there then you can't go beyond the stage of the student. To be a disciple you have to be ready -- knowingly, with your eyes open -- to step into the unknown, dropping all fear, because the Master is the most unknown and unknowable thing in existence. It is not his body, it is not his mind. It is his vibe, his presence -- not his person. And to enter into his presence you have to drop all your defense measures. That is initiation. It may take any formal structure. That is not essential; that is just to make it visible. You are given a red robe, a mala; they are not essential. They are just to make your initiation visible to others, because if it is visible to others they will remind you.
Osho, initiation holds a very important place in spiritual practice. Its special methods apply in special situations. Buddha and Mahavira also gave initiation. So please tell: what is the subtle meaning of initiation? How many kinds of initiation are possible? What is its significance and utility? And why is it necessary?
A monk came to me. He was initiated by someone; he said, “I am the initiate of such-and-such guru, and I have come to you to learn meditation.” I asked, “Then why did you take initiation? And if meditation has not come in initiation, what did you get in initiation? You got robes! You got a name! And if you still have to search for meditation, how did initiation happen?” Because the truth is that only after meditation can initiation be; after initiation, seeking meditation has no meaning. It is like a man saying, “I am healthy,” and roaming the doors of doctors saying he needs medicine. Initiation is the recognition that comes after meditation; it is the sanction that you have been accepted, acknowledged, that word of you has reached the Divine, that you have gained entry into that dimension—initiation is just this recognition. True initiation must be revived…
One has to be with the master in a kind of communion so that slowly slowly, not only are the words understood but the gestures too, and not only the gestures, not only the words, but even the silences; so that one can learn the language of the master's eyes, his hands, the way he sits, the way he talks, the way he laughs, the way he eats, the way he sleeps. You never know from where you may get the right hint and your journey start. Once you have learned the knack, the curtain can be very easily removed. Initiation simply means initiation into a very mysterious relationship -- not of this world and not very tangible. You cannot explain it to others. If questions are raised you will simply feel dumb.
Osho, the Yajurveda has a sutra—“Vratena dīksham āpnoti; dīkshayā āpnoti dakshinām. Dakshinā shraddhām āpnoti; shraddhayā satyam āpyate.” That is: from a vow comes initiation; from initiation, offering; from offering, faith; and from faith, truth. Osho, please be compassionate and explain the four stages of attaining truth.
Two years passed. Exactly two years later Buddha said, “Now, stand up and ask.” Malunkyaputta burst out laughing. “Now I understand why Mahakashyapa laughed,” he said. “In these two years, everything has fallen away—the very mind that asks is no more. The questioner has gone. These two years of silence were like a flood that washed away all the rubbish. I have nothing to ask. Without my asking you have given the solution—by giving me samadhi, you gave the resolution.” Sitting near the true master, revolution happens. Life is transformed. Vows come; they are not taken. The false drops away; the right mode of living arises. In satsang even death happens—your past dies; and rebirth happens too. Therefore I cannot agree with this Yajurveda sutra: “Vratena dīksham āpnoti—by vow, initiation.” No—absolutely not. From initiation, vows! And by vows I mean not oaths or pledges, but that which is natural and…