According to Osho, reality is double‑tiered: the mind knows the outer, objective world, while the no‑mind knows a deeper, majestic inner reality. From the no‑mind the outer appears dreamlike—less significant, yet it still exists (you still eat, the body hungers). Both realities are interdependent. The art is Zorba the Buddha: honor worldly life with awareness, while awakening to the higher significance revealed by no‑mind.
There are two real worlds—one for daily living the mind handles, and a deeper one found in silence—so befriend both.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Maneesha has asked: beloved Osho, is there just one reality, and can it be perceived only by no-mind?
There are two realities: one that is perceived by the mind, and one that is perceived by the no-mind. For the no-mind, the reality of the mind becomes phenomenal, dreamlike. That's why people who have attained to buddhahood, will call the world just a dream. But a dream also has its own existence -- the buddha also becomes hungry. You cannot eat meditation. You will have something from the world of the mind, something objective to eat, because your hunger is also part of the objective world, your body is part of the objective world. You are standing on the borderline of two worlds: the objective world outside, and the subjective world inside. As you go deeper into the subjective, the outer becomes more and more dreamlike, a faraway echo. But I will not say it is unreal. The people who have said it is unreal simply mean that it…
Beloved Osho, it seems as if everything I perceive in or out of meditation is my own creation or projection. I can't distinguish between what I see, feel or am creating. Osho, what is?
There is no need to distinguish between thoughts, dreams and reality. If you try, you will feel more confused. There is no way to distinguish, because as far as mind is concerned everything appears in the mind as a thought. It may be real, it may not be real; but the moment anything appears in the mind it appears in the form of thought. You cannot distinguish, and there is no need. And don't go on that journey, because that journey becomes a journey of thinking, and meditation is lost. Rather, on the contrary, remain centered in your witnessing. Don't be worried by the objects in the mind; whatsoever they are, they are mind stuff. You simply remain more centered in your witnessing. Just be the watcher. Don't try to distinguish. Whatsoever appears in the mind, just watch it. Watch it appearing, watch it being there, watch it disappearing. Sooner…
The sutras say, "not to let go of wisdom is stupidity." when the mind doesn't exist, understanding and not understanding are both true. When the mind exists, understanding and not understanding are both false.
WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND, REALITY DEPENDS ON YOU. WHEN YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND, YOU DEPEND ON REALITY. WHEN REALITY DEPENDS ON YOU, THAT WHICH ISN'T REAL BECOMES REAL. WHEN YOU DEPEND ON REALITY, THAT WHICH IS REAL BECOMES FALSE. WHEN YOU DEPEND ON REALITY, EVERYTHING IS FALSE. WHEN REALITY DEPENDS ON YOU, EVERYTHING IS TRUE .... THUS, THE SAGE DOESN'T USE HIS MIND TO LOOK FOR REALITY, OR REALITY TO LOOK FOR HIS MIND, OR HIS MIND TO LOOK FOR HIS MIND, OR REALITY TO LOOK FOR REALITY. HIS MIND DOESN'T GIVE RISE TO REALITY. AND REALITY DOESN'T GIVE RISE TO HIS MIND. AND BECAUSE BOTH HIS MIND AND REALITY ARE STILL, HE'S ALWAYS IN SAMADHI. ...THE SUTRAS SAY, "NOTHING HAS A NATURE OF ITS OWN." ACT. DON'T QUESTION. WHEN YOU QUESTION, YOU'RE WRONG. WHEN YOU'RE DELUDED, THE SIX SENSES AND FIVE SHADES ARE CONSTRUCTS OF SUFFERING AND MORTALITY. WHEN YOU WAKE…
How does the internal world of experience relate to external reality?
Thus the Tao is something purely helpful -- never coercive. The Taoist never speaks of obedience, but only of BEING IN HARMONY with the Tao. The internal and the outer are in harmony, in absolute harmony. They are notes, two notes, of the same music -- two musical instruments in the same orchestra, in absolute harmony: Being in harmony is the way of Tao. In the moment of awakening to the real, one realizes, not that one SHOULD not rebel against Tao or God, but that one simply CANNOT. You cannot be otherwise! Notwithstanding what you go on believing. You may think of yourself as an individual -- you are not, because you are not separate. Your thinking is just YOUR thinking. It is a private idea. It corresponds to no reality at all and, hence, it will create misery for you. This idea of internal and external has created…
An old man who was born in yen, but grew up in chu'u decided to return to his native country.
WHILE HE WAS PASSING THROUGH THE STATE OF CHIN HIS COMPANIONS DECIDED TO PLAY A JOKE ON HIM. POINTING TO A CITY THEY SAID TO HIM: THIS IS THE CAPITAL OF YEN. THE OLD MAN COMPOSED HIMSELF AND LOOKED SOLEMN. INSIDE THE CITY THEY POINTED OUT A SHRINE: THIS IS THE SHRINE OF YOUR QUARTER. HE BREATHED A DEEP SIGH. THEY POINTED OUT A HUT: THIS WAS YOUR FATHER'S COTTAGE. TEARS WELLED UP. THEY POINTED OUT A MOUND: THIS IS YOUR FATHER'S TOMB. HE COULD NOT HELP WEEPING ALOUD. HIS COMPANIONS ROARED WITH LAUGHTER: WE ARE TEASING YOU -- YOU ARE STILL ONLY IN CHIN. THE OLD MAN WAS VERY EMBARRASSED. WHEN HE REACHED YEN, AND REALLY SAW THE CAPITAL, AND THE SHRINE OF HIS QUARTER, AND HIS FATHER'S COTTAGE AND TOMB, HE DID NOT FEEL IT SO DEEPLY. It happened: There was one woman whose only child had died.…