Is Osho a reincarnation of Gautam Buddha?

Osho, this feeling keeps arising that perhaps Gautam Buddha has reincarnated as you. You call everyone “friends.” And Buddha’s future avatar is to be called “Maitreya.” You too—as the proclamation foretold—impart awakening while seated on a chair. I have seen, in the Chicago Museum, a Tibetan statue of Buddha seated on such a chair. You are creating a Buddhafield. Or are you Lao Tzu—not even Maitreya? Would you kindly shed light on this?

Only when the ego dies is Buddhahood born. What is the meaning of Buddhahood? When the darkness of ego departs, the lamp of Buddhahood is lit—or when the lamp of Buddhahood is lit, the darkness of ego is gone. Ego means darkness. In Buddhist terminology, the first event is called nirvana—when the ego departs but the body continues; and the second event, when the body also falls, is called mahaparinirvana. After mahaparinirvana, what returning? Impossible. So Buddha’s words have another meaning. He is speaking in symbols. He is saying: someone like me—not “me,” but like me. Exactly like me—this very taste, this same song, this same proclamation, this same light, this same celebration, this same color—this same spring will come again twenty-five centuries later. And then its fundamental characteristic will be friendliness, love. Its essential teaching will be love. Buddha’s essential teaching was compassion, because the people of that age…

Osho, you have said that Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana in the seventh body, but elsewhere in a discourse you have said that Buddha will take one more human birth as Maitreya. After merging into the nirvanic body, how would it be possible to take a human body again? Kindly clarify this briefly.

For example, a man in America died—three, four years ago—and he left a trust of millions of dollars, with instructions that his body be preserved until science has reached the point of being able to reanimate it. Hundreds of thousands are being spent on his body. It must be kept exactly as it was at the moment of death. Not the slightest deterioration should occur—until then. There is hope that by the end of this century the possibility of reanimating a body will emerge. So for thirty to forty years his body has to be kept as it was when he died. This is a scientific procedure. And if by the end of the century we can reanimate a body, that body will be reanimated. Certainly, a different soul will occupy that body; the same soul cannot be available. But the body will remain: the same eyes, the same gait,…

Osho, Mahavira’s prior-life state was a state of moksha, and you say that from moksha there is no return. Then how did he return? Please clarify.

In a rush he kissed the maid and said to the wife, “Take care of the children!” The wife protested. He said, “Then let me correct it,” kissed the wife and told the maid, “Take care of the children.” “Sometimes I slip,” he said. So do we all—we keep remembering: this is my father, my wife, my son. If we forget, others remind us: “I am your father.” We must remember our roles; the more dutifully one plays, the more “conscientious” he is. I do not say, “Do not play.” Life is for playing—and it is delightful. Only do not forget one thing—even if you forget everything else—do not forget that it is a play, and that inwardly there is a point in you that forever stands outside. Swami Ram went to America. He had a strange habit; people were puzzled—he always spoke in the third person. He would say,…

Osho, do you believe in the second coming of christ?

And who do you think I am? Christ is not a person, Christ is a state of consciousness. There have been Christs before Jesus, there have been Christs after Jesus. Jesus is only one of the Christs. Buddha is a Christ, Mahavir is a Christ, Lu-tsu is a Christ, Zarathustra is a Christ. Christ simply means the ultimate state of consciousness; it is equivalent to Buddha. Buddha is not the name of any person, it is a happening. So is Christ -- it is not Jesus' name! His name was Jesus. One day Jesus disappeared and the Christ-consciousness descended IN him. He was no more the ego, he became the vehicle of the whole. He could say, "I and my Father in heaven are one." This is Christ-consciousness; it has nothing to do with Jesus. If you are waiting for Jesus' second coming, then you are waiting in vain; but…

Osho, Gautam Buddha again and again says, “This is the reign of the buddhas.” You too often speak in the same way. So can one buddha speak on behalf of all buddhas? If yes, why then were there differences among the buddhas in the past?

So I am not telling you to accept theoretically that there is no difference—so that the Quran says exactly what the Vedas say, and the Dhammapada says exactly what the Bible says. I am not saying that. I am saying: as long as the mind is there, to see difference is a mistake; to see non-difference is also a mistake. The mind has no door to truth. Rise beyond the mind. Go beyond thinking. Be free of thought. In thoughtlessness, non-difference is seen. But remember: non-difference does not mean that Buddha uttered word for word what Mahavira said. The essence is one. Buddha’s examples are different—of course they will be. Jesus’ examples are different—of course they will be. Jesus comes from a different tradition. He heard different stories in childhood. He learned a different language, a different idiom. When he speaks, the Old Testament will echo in it. You will…