According to Osho, renunciation is small or big depending on awareness: with understanding you simply drop what you’ve seen as valueless—like throwing away trash—without pride, praise, or “mine-ness.” Without understanding, you barter with God, inflate the act, and no real renunciation occurs. True letting-go arises from clear seeing, not calculation; when reality is recognized, sacrifice feels trivial, and the ego’s claim to merit disappears.
Let go only when you truly see something has no real value; then it’s easy and quiet—boasting about sacrifice means you haven’t really let go.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: Third question: Osho, is renunciation a big thing or a small one? It depends on the person. If you renounce with understanding, it’s a very small matter. If you renounce out of unawareness, then it is a big thing—a very big thing. Understanding means you have seen that wealth has no real value. Then renunciation is a tiny thing. It was trash—you dropped it; so what did you really leave? You won’t sing its praises, won’t have others praise you, won’t hanker for it. You won’t go around saying, “I gave up millions.” There was nothing there; you saw it, so you let it go. It was refuse—you discarded it; pebbles and stones—you dropped them.
Osho, what is the definition of God?
Words are very small. If you say God is light, then what of darkness? The scriptures have said that God is light. Suppose we accept this as a definition—then what about darkness? Where will darkness go? Darkness is too; in fact it is far more than light. Light sometimes is and sometimes is not; darkness is always, eternal. Where will you place darkness? If you say God is light, darkness is left out. If you say God is darkness, then light is left out. If you say God is both darkness and light, a contradiction arises: they cannot be together. Try to have both darkness and light in the same room. If you bring in light, darkness disappears; if you preserve darkness, you cannot have light. Then how can both be together? That becomes an impossibility. So you cannot say “both” either. Then the fourth device is to say: it…
Osho, is there really absolutely no place for renunciation in your religion? The question arises because since I came in contact with you, many things in my life have dropped away. I cannot even relate to my old self.
Renunciation can teach you to drop sex, to drop tasteful food, to drop clothes, to be naked, to drop all possessions -- but in a strange way you will remain attached to all those things. When I was in Bombay, a Hindu monk came to see me; he had a disciple with him and he wanted to know what kind of meditation would be suitable for him. I told him, "Tomorrow morning we are meeting near the beach and we will be doing the meditation. It is better that you come there because it is a question of a practical experience." He said, "It will be very difficult for me to come tomorrow. The day after tomorrow I can come." I said, "What is the problem with tomorrow?" He said, "The problem is that my disciple has some work tomorrow morning, he cannot come." But I said, "Let him do…
Question: OSHO, WHAT IS RENUNCIATION? WHAT IS ITS PLACE IN YOUR RELIGION? Now, with each step it was difficult to go back. The king started thinking, "It would have been better if I had stopped the whole thing with the turban -- but now it is too late. If I say I am naked.... But the whole court is applauding." And they started saying, "Yes sir, this is right; if God has asked, it has to be done. And that is the right welcome for the clothes." The streets were packed with people because the rumor had gone far and wide that God's clothes were coming. And the king agreed. Naked, he stood on his chariot, and before him the man was announcing, "These clothes will be seen only by those who are born of their own fathers.
Osho, between love and renunciation, which is of greater importance?
When God sends someone to bless, you must receive; otherwise it is disrespect. You will have to accept.” The fakir said, “You have put me in a great difficulty. Then you yourself suggest what I should take! Because nothing comes to mind. I have more than I need; I only share. His love has filled me so much that I keep sharing and it keeps increasing. Whatever I have, I share. And there is never any lack. Now you have created a strange problem. So you tell me.” The angel said, “Ask for something through which others are benefited. Suppose that by your touch the sick are healed, or that by your touch a withered tree becomes green. Ask for something so that your hand acquires the power of sanjivani, life-restoring grace.” The fakir said, “That is good. But there is a danger. I am not completely dissolved yet. There…