Is there a difference between touching the feet of a Prime Minister with a motive and touching the feet of a saint with a motive?

You have asked, “Is there really no difference between touching the feet of a Prime Minister with a motive and touching the feet of a saint with a motive?”

Therefore real prayers listen to God; they do not speak to God. Have you ever gone to a temple, ever gone to a mosque, and simply sat? Give God a chance to speak. There too you keep chattering! There too you open your ledgers! There too you bring your motives and your world! There at least fall silent—deeply still. Listen! If God speaks, listen; if God remains silent, then listen to His silence. And do with a saint exactly what you do with God. Because what else is a saint? The saint has vanished; on his own side, he is finished; from his side, nothing remains. That is what a saint means: one who has erased himself and only Truth remains. Sat alone remains—that is the saint. This word “saint” is very lovely; it is formed from sat—being, truth. One who has come to the end of himself, who has…

Another friend has asked something related. He says, Osho, when you get up—someone folds their hands to you, someone touches your feet—I feel very puzzled. He has written that he feels very surprised. Why should anyone touch someone’s feet? Why should anyone fold their hands to someone?

And then it is worth asking: someone else is bowing, and some third person is getting upset! If they were bowing and they themselves were troubled, it would be understandable. But one person bows at someone’s feet and another person gets disturbed. What a strange disturbance! Why are you disturbed? Why should I be disturbed? Two people are loving—and I become disturbed! I grow restless: why are two people loving? What does my restlessness reveal? One person is giving another respect, reverence, thanks—and I get upset. Why am I disturbed? There can be two or three reasons. One: seeing others bow, my inner ego, which never knows how to bow, gets badly hurt. If no one bows, it relaxes. If someone bows, it feels wounded. Like this: three men are walking and a beggar stands before them. One of the three takes out money and gives it, and the other…

A friend has asked: Osho, I forbid people to touch my feet! But why do I forbid it?

But behind whom? Defeated by whom? Bowed to whom? Bowed to the Infinite—such people are raised up, lifted. Defeated by the Infinite—such people have won; now there is no possibility of defeat. So of course I say: do not bow at my feet. Because this “mine-and-thine,” this “my feet” feeling, is itself the obstacle to bowing. Where mine and thine disappear, bowing begins—bowing arrives. So do not be upset. Some friends said to me, “Whatever you say… we will still touch your feet!” In our land, habits are strange. If someone says, “Don’t touch my feet,” it becomes a clever device for getting one’s feet touched. Tell people, “Keep your distance,” and they come closer. Abuse them, and they will think, “This man is a Paramahansa.” This is our centuries-old wrong habit, and clever people exploit it. It seems that the one who says, “Do not touch my feet,” must…

Osho, when Guru and Govind both stand before me, whose feet should I touch?

So I say to you: if such a moment comes that “Guru and Govind both stand,” then utterly forget the Guru—as if he is not. But does such a moment really come to a devotee? To a disciple? That is why I said Kabir is speaking only symbolically—an indication for those who have not yet reached that height. At that height, where are there two? I cannot say this to you; but if I meet Kabir, I will surely tell him: Why write such things needlessly? At that height, where are there two? If I meet Kabir, I will certainly be in trouble, because I will say it. Somewhere, sometime, we shall meet. I will say to him: When that supreme moment arrives, when the vision of God happens, will two remain? There, the Guru is God, and God is the Guru. How can there be two? And will any…

Osho, please explain the occult and spiritual meaning and significance, in the context of kundalini energy, of these practices: full prostration, placing one’s forehead at the feet of the divine or touching the feet with the hands, bowing one’s head in sacred places, the divine touching a seeker’s head or back in blessing, and the Sikh and Muslim custom of covering the head when entering a gurdwara or a mosque.

A promise kept after a buddha’s death In Tibet—though that place has since fallen into difficulty—there was a spot where Buddha’s promise has been fulfilled continuously for twenty-five hundred years. There is a small council of five hundred lamas. When one lama dies, only with great difficulty does another gain entry; their number cannot exceed five hundred, nor be less. Only when one dies does a place become vacant. And when one dies and another is to be admitted, it must be with the unanimous consent of all the rest—even a single dissent prevents admission. This council gathers on Buddha Purnima on a particular mountain. At the appointed time—which is part of the pact—Buddha’s voice begins to be heard. But this will not happen on just any mountain, nor before just anyone; it happens in exact accord with the agreement. It is like this: you go to sleep in the…