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Osho on Is the God the masses worship the same as the true God?

Is the God the masses worship the same as the true God?

The God of the masses is a projection of fear and habit, while the true God is the living suchness of existence, found in every tree, river, and within yourself.

— Osho
According to Osho, the God worshiped by the masses is not the true God; it is a fear-made projection born of sleep, habit, and the approach of death. The real God is not a belief or idea but the living suchness of existence—present in trees, rivers, mountains, winds, and within you. He calls this totality ‘God,’ welcoming even atheists who genuinely affirm existence.

Most people imagine God out of fear, but the real God is simply all of life happening right now, inside and around you.

In His Own Words

From the Discourses

Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.

Utsav Amar Jati Anand Amar Gotar · Discourse 8
1979-06-08 · Pune · Hindi · English translation
Question: Third question: Osho, is the God the masses worship the same as your God? Abdul Latif, how could it be the same! There is no way it can be one. The masses are the asleep; in their sleep they have dreamed—God too is a dreamlike projection of theirs. The God I speak of is not a notion, not a fantasy, not an idea, not a philosophical proposition. I speak of the God who is—who is present—who is green in the trees, red in the flowers; who is invisible in the winds; who stands with head held high in the mountains, meditative; who undulates in the rivers; who resounds in the waves of the sea; who is present within you; who is present within me. For me, God is synonymous with existence. Therefore with me, there is simply no way to be an atheist.
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I Am That · Discourse 2
1980-10-12 · Buddha Hall · English

Osho, what is god?

GOD is not a person. That is one of the greatest misunderstandings, and it has prevailed so long that it has become almost a fact. Even if a lie is repeated continuously for centuries it is bound to appear as if it is a truth. God is a presence, not a person. Hence all worshipping is sheer stupidity. Prayerfulness is needed, not prayer. There is nobody to pray to; there is no possibility of any dialogue between you and God. Dialogue is possible only between two persons, and God is not a person but a presence -- like beauty, like joy. God simply means godliness. It is because of this fact that Buddha denied the existence of God. He wanted to emphasize that God is a quality, an experience -- like love. You cannot talk to love, you can live it. You need not create temples of love, you need…
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The Guest · Discourse 9
1979-05-04 · Buddha Hall · English

Osho, is god really dead?

Remember, those who were ascetic people, who were ready to deny their nature, were very happy to believe in God. And the people who were more natural, more normal, were happy to believe that there was no God. The reason is the same: the natural person will feel afraid because the natural person will have sex, will have anger, will have jealousy. And God is going to punish him; if God is there then punishment is certain. It is better to say that there is no God; at least for the time being he can feel relieved. And the person who can repress his sex, his jealousies, his anger, would like to declare that God is, because all his investment is in God's existence. God's existence is very necessary for his asceticsm. The pathological people declare that God is and the natural people declare that there is no God. And…
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From Unconciousness To Consciousness · Discourse 3
1984-11-01 · Lao Tzu Grove · English
Question: BELOVED OSHO, IF THERE IS NO GOD, WHY WERE YOU BEING CALLED BHAGWAN? There is a place in India, Mohenjo Daro... it has been found to be the ancientmost city in the world. There are seven layers in Mohenjo Daro. It seems that civilization had to face some calamity seven times. When the first layer was found, it was thought that this is all: we have found Mohenjo Daro. That was determined to be seven thousand years old. But a little more digging and another city was found underneath the first city which must have been ten thousand years old. Then the work continued. The people who were working on the excavation went on digging and city after city.... Seven cities have been found in Mohenjo Daro. The seventh seems to be at least twenty thousand years old. They have temples, they have statues of God.
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Take It Easy Vol 2 · Discourse 6
1978-04-30 · Buddha Hall · English

What is the difference between waiting for godot and waiting for god?

It is as if the sun has risen in the morning and you are sitting in your room with closed doors and windows, in darkness. Open the doors, you become available to the sun. The sun was already available -- just the meeting happens. You cannot wait for God. All waiting is for Godot. Godot means the one who never comes, who CANNOT come, whose arrival is impossible. And the only impossible thing is that which has already happened -- how can it happen again? You are alive, and you are waiting for life, Now, this is ridiculous. The real man of religion does not think in terms of God. He thinks in terms of life or, even better, of living -- because life can again become an abstract idea. Living, moment-to-moment living. In that very living, one knows what God is, because one knows who one is. Your idea…
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