Is our dignity, free from the concept of God, prone to becoming entangled in the ego?

Now being free from the concept of god, is our newly found dignity that you spoke of the other day, not prone to become entangled in the ego?

You will not be entangled in the ego, because the ego is part of your mind, just as God is part of your mind. Both are fictions; they both are relatives. The moment you drop God ... If you have guts to drop God, you certainly will have guts to drop the ego -- that is a smaller God within you. And once the bigger brother is dead, the little cousin-brother will die. First you have to kill the big brother; it is his reflection in you. Your God is an egoist, an arch-egoist, and he gives you the idea of the ego. Don't get confused between dignity and ego. Dignity is very humble, very simple, very innocent; it belongs to the trees. When they blossom in spring, you just look and watch their pride, their dignity. Just watch when a peacock is dancing. Those psychedelic colors, and the beautiful…

Yesterday Dhabbu-ji was saying, Osho, I finished my worship and then saw my little niece, a while later, sitting on the same seat with eyes closed, hands folded, swaying and singing: “Do bechaare, bina sahaare, phirte maare-maare!” (Two poor fellows, without support, roam around hounded!)

Dhabbu-ji told me this, and I burst out laughing. I asked, “Ninu, what’s this?” She said, “Please be quiet, I’m doing puja, Uncle!” Dhabbu-ji said, “Puja? But that’s a film song, not a hymn!” She quickly shot back, “In puja you and Grandma also sing ‘Om Jai Jagdish Hare’—that’s a song from the pictures too.” What difference does it make what you’re singing? Whether it’s a bhajan or a film song—within your sleep, all is equal. Even if you dream of heaven, it makes no difference. Even if gods appear in your dream, nothing changes. When you wake up, you’ll find all dreams were false. Some people are lost in worldly dreams; others are lost in dreams of renunciation. And these renouncers you’ve kept calling “great souls.” Their sleep is just like yours—no real difference at all. Even their dreams are like yours, because a dream is a dream; what…

And is it not so that by denying God, man’s ego will become even more blind?

It can happen. It depends on man. It depends on you. You can turn God’s existence into ego, so of course you can turn God’s nonexistence into ego as well. People strut about because “we trust in God, we are believers.” Watch a man going to the temple—he looks at others as if everyone else is headed for hell, while he is going to the temple! It is said that the Prophet Muhammad once took a young man to the mosque. After the prayer, as they started back—people were still asleep, it was hot, they had been up late, many were lying out along the road—the young man said, “Look, Prophet, these sinners are still sleeping!” It was his first time going with the Prophet himself! Muhammad stopped right there. He said, “I made a mistake bringing you to the mosque. Your prayer was wasted, my prayer is spoiled; I…

Question: HASAN CAME UPON RABIA ONE DAY WHEN SHE WAS SITTING AMONG A NUMBER OF CONTEMPLATORS, AND SAID, 'I HAVE THE CAPACITY OF WALKING ON WATER. COME, LET US BOTH GO ON TO THAT WATER YONDER, AND SITTING UPON IT CARRY OUT A SPIRITUAL DISCUSSION.' RABIA SAID, 'IF YOU WISH TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THIS AUGUST COMPANY, WHY DO YOU NOT COME WITH ME SO THAT WE MAY FLY INTO THE AIR AND SIT THERE TALKING?' HASAN SAID, 'I CANNOT DO THAT, FOR THE POWER THAT YOU MENTION IS NOT ONE WHICH I POSSESS.' RABIA SAID, 'YOUR POWER OF REMAINING STILL IN THE WATER IS ONE WHICH IS POSSESSED BY FISH. MY CAPACITY OF FLYING IN THE AIR CAN BE DONE BY A FLY. THESE ABILITIES ARE NO PART OF REAL TRUTH -- THEY MAY BECOME THE FOUNDATION OF SELF-ESTEEM AND COMPETITIVENESS, NOT SPIRITUALITY.

Question: Isn't this ego? Understand first; don't be in a hurry. That man stood up in a headstand and died. But people were very frightened. A fear also arose: who would bring his corpse down? Because what did it mean—had the man really died? He was still in a headstand. He had died; people checked his breath, put their ears to his heart—no thump, breath stopped. Yet even then it seemed absurd to them: to tie to the bier a man who is still doing a headstand! So doubt spread through the crowd. People said, “All right, wait a little—don’t do anything to him. His sister lives nearby; she’s a nun in a temple close by. Call her. She’s his elder sister and knows his habits well—she’ll know what to do.” The sister came running.