According to Osho, he has no 'teaching' at all; his way is a radical rebellion—an awakening by sharing living fire, not doctrines. He refuses to create carbon copies, ignites your own individuality, and leaves you unchained to explore your wings. This alchemical, experiential approach—freedom over belief, presence over philosophy—is, he says, the most radical thing possible.
He doesn’t give rules; he lights your inner spark so you can be fully yourself—and that, he says, is truly radical.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: BELOVED OSHO, DO YOU THINK YOUR TEACHING IS A RADICAL ONE? Giulia, I do not have any teaching. My life is that of a rebel. I do not have a doctrine, a philosophy, a theology to teach you. I have only my own experience of rebellion to share, to infect you with rebelliousness. And when you are a rebel you will not be a copy of me; you will be an unique phenomenon in yourself. All Buddhists are trying to be carbon copies of Gautam Buddha. He has a teaching: If you follow this certain discipline, you will become just like me. All Christians are carbon copies -- the original is Jesus Christ. I don't have any teaching, any doctrine, any discipline to give to you. My whole effort is to wake you up. It is not a teaching -- it is just cold water thrown into your eyes.
Osho, what is your fundamental teaching to your sannyasins?
Truth is a transmission beyond words. Words move from one mind to the other mind. What I am saying to you is from one mind to another mind. What is not said is far more important. Listen to my silences the pauses in between. Listen to the gaps. When you are in tune with me, in deep harmony with me, when there is no fight going on between you and me -- no resistance, no conflict no argument... And there is no need of any argument because I am not trying to convince you of anything, I am not trying to persuade you to become followers, to become imitators. My effort is totally different: it is that of communion, not of communication. When two hearts are beating together in rhythm, in a kind of synchronicity, when they are dancing together hand in hand, in a deep loving embrace, then something…
What is so special about what you teach, if it condones almost all forms of self-expression?
First, nobody in the whole history of humanity has allowed man's nature total freedom; it was always with conditions. Man's nature has never been accepted lovingly, it has been condemned as sin. All the religions have been committing that criminal act of condemning man's nature. By condemning, you cannot change man's nature, but you can poison it. They have poisoned it, so man is living in a kind of limbo. Neither can he be natural -- because then all the moral teachings in his mind disturb him, saying "You are committing sin" -- nor can he follow the moral teachings. Nature has its own way; its pull, its gravity is great. Man is torn apart. All the religions have created a schizophrenic humanity, split about each and every thing. For example, in India Mahatma Gandhi in his ashram had five great principles. The first principle was no taste: eat, but…
Rajneeshism allows everyone into its fold, states Osho
Our religion should not be categorized with any other religion of the world because it has not tradition or dogma and it allows everybody without any discrimination into its religious fold. Rajneeshism does not ask anyone to renounce their religion and does not have any conflict with Buddha, Christ, Krishna, Lao Tzu, etc. Basically Rajneeshism has the essential core of all religiousness. The other religions are against each other's traditions and attitudes. In fact, these other religions are fanatic and each believes and fights that theirs is the true religion and others are false. This is not the case with me or Rajneeshism. A Christian can become a Rajneeshee and he is not asked to drop his love for Jesus, in fact he finds Jesus in me. The same is true for a Buddhist or a Mohammedan. Our commune consists of people from all religions who have found their religion's…
Osho, most of the youth of Italy’s New Left are beginning to relate to you. Would you call this an evolution of the Left, or a distortion of the right understanding of your experiment?
Therefore, Silvano, many young people of Italy’s New Left have taken sannyas. The very father of the Left’s revolution in Italy has also become a sannyasin. The air in Italy is very heated—because no one can quite believe what is happening! Those from whom bombs were expected are meditating! Those from whom killings were expected are singing songs of love! Those expected to become guerrillas have put on saffron robes! They are dancing, humming songs; they are losing themselves in the mystery of the starry sky! Therefore there is anger toward me as well. Their comrades simply cannot believe what has happened! But this fire will spread, because behind this fire there are historical grounds. All revolutions so far have failed; now only one hope remains: perhaps rebellion may succeed. Let each person make a revolution within his own life. Let each person begin to live in his own way;…