Is love a sin?

Question: Second question: Osho, is love a sin? Yogendra, if love is a sin then there can be nothing meritorious in the world. If love is sin, virtue is impossible—because the very essence of virtue is nothing other than love. But I understand your question. Your so‑called sadhus and mahatmas have been saying precisely this—that love is a sin. And they have kept saying such futile things for so long, for such a length of time, that its futility and its inner contradiction no longer strike you. They call love a sin and prayer a virtue. And you never looked closely to see that if love is sin, then prayer too becomes a sin, because prayer is nothing but the purified form of love. Granted, there are impurities in love—but it is not sin. Even if gold is impure, it doesn’t become iron. Impure gold is still gold.

Love, and love unconditionally. Love, and love without asking for any return. Love as an end unto itself, and that is true prayer. And love the whole existence without any discrimination, without any choice. Love choicelessly, and then the day is not far away when you will become aware of godliness surrounding you, reaching you from every nook and corner of existence. You will become fire with it, aflame! (And then to Prem Peter Osho said: ) Love is the rock on which the temple of life can be built. Without love all houses are made on sands, shifting sands. One is bound to be disillusioned sooner or later, one is bound to be disappointed because the whole effort can collapse any moment. You don't have a real foundation to your house. It is more or less a house made of playing cards.

Hence Mahavira says ahimsa—non-violence, which means love. Buddha says karuna—compassion, which means love. And Jesus says plainly: “Love is God.” He says, Forget about God—love itself is the Divine. Someone asked Saint Augustine, Tell me in brief: What is the essence of religion? How can I be free of sin? There are so many sins, and life is short! The man asked well: Life is very short, sins are many; if I go on dropping them one by one, I’m not confident I’ll manage it—life will be over. Give me one key that opens all. Augustine said: If you want just one key, then love. Love—and leave the rest to itself. For one who loves, sin cannot happen. That is why it is the “master key.” All locks open. You can steal because you feel no love for the one you are stealing from.

What is love?

They went to a third friend's house. The farmer held himself back rigorously. Restrained people are very dangerous, because a live volcano exists inside them. Outwardly they are rigid and full of restraint, while their urge to let go is tightly harnessed inside. Please remember, anything that is forced can neither be continuous nor complete because of the immense strain involved. You have to relax sometime; sometime you have to rest. How long can you clench your fist? Twenty-four hours? The tighter you clench it, the more it tires, and the more quickly it will open up. Work harder, expend some more energy, and you will tire even more quickly. There is always a reaction to an action, and it is always just as prompt. Your hand can remain open all the time, but it cannot remain clenched in a fist all the time. Anything that tires you cannot be…

Osho, I love people. But I don’t know whether I have any feeling for God. Am I on the path of sin?

Seek the human being and love him. In the very search for man you will slowly begin to glimpse Him. The world has become irreligious because we were taught: do not love the world, do not love people. The door of love was shut. The bridge to God was broken. I tell you—love much. Only let no dam come to love. Let love keep flowing—rising above every vessel, spilling beyond each. This is prayer: love flowing forever is prayer. And flowing love surely finds God. So don’t be afraid and don’t think you have sinned, or that you are making some mistake, that you are irreligious. Often the so‑called religious are not religious at all—they only appear to be. And, conversely, those who seem irreligious are often not irreligious. I have heard a small story. A great Christian priest in Europe went to preach at a church. He said, “Those…