What are the rules and conduct for sannyasins as taught by the Buddha?

Osho, the Buddha gave his sannyasins minute and detailed rules regarding diet and daily routine, conduct and behavior—such as looking no farther than four cubits ahead, exactly how monks and nuns should relate to one another, what to eat, what to wear, where to go and where not to go, and so on. Why don’t you set such things for your sannyasins?

Buddha said that so that monks would not start asking. It is ugly if a Buddhist monk becomes a beggar. A monk is not a beggar. He is not asking for anything. If you give—good; if you don’t—good. He will only bless you. And if he starts asking, he becomes a burden. Suppose he stands before a poor man’s house and demands kheer; if the poor man cannot give, he suffers; if he does give, he is strained. Whatever dry bread the poor can offer—accept that. If he gives nothing, do not harbor ill will or complaint. That is why it was said. Buddha could not know that life is such that a kite might drop a piece of meat. That is an exception. No kite is going to drop meat every day. But now this Buddhist monk asked, “What shall I do? And you say: do not eat meat.”…

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…

I believe in discipline, law and order, and that's why I am hesitating to take a jump into sannyas. What should I do?

This is the only commandment -- the eleventh commandment. And the eleventh is enough; the other ten are not needed at all. Be aware and let your discipline come out of your awareness. And there will come a discipline which has a beauty. It will not be like a plastic flower, it will be a real rose. It will have perfume, it will have life. And there will come a certain order, but not imposed, not cultivated -- natural. Just the other day Bodhidharma was saying: When you know the ultimate law, Dharma, when you have become aware of it, when you are attuned to it, your life becomes simple, easy, natural, flowing. No hindrances, no obstructions are there, no blocks are there. That is order. Order is not like railroad tracks, where the train goes on moving on the rails, the same rails, every day. Order is like a…

Osho, what would be the daily routine of your sannyasin?

How much to eat, what to eat, what to wear, how to wear it, how to sleep—these can be discussed in very general terms, but a routine cannot be made. You have to set your own routine—individual to individual. Each person must decide for himself. At least keep that much freedom. The worldly may not be able to; a sannyasin can. In fact, a sannyasin must—strictly—that whatever is comfortable, peaceful, blissful for him, he will live that way. Only keep one thing in mind: that it should not cause hurt, pain, or trouble to anyone—anyone at all. Live like that; such a guideline is enough. I would have to go into detail with you, because generalities can be said—what to eat or not—but nothing can be made rigid. Now, we see a man smoking. The whole world is against him, yet he keeps smoking. Doctors explain he will get sick.…

Beloved Osho,what are the qualities of a sannyasin?

In the early morning he went back, fell at Buddha's feet and said, "Sir, excuse me, forgive me. I could not sleep the whole night." And Buddha laughed, and he said, "You fool! Why? I slept perfectly well. Why should you get so disturbed about such a small thing? It has not hurt me. You see my face is as it was before. Why did you get so worried?" And the man said, "I have come to become your disciple. Initiate me. I want to be with you. I have seen something unique, superhuman. But first, forgive me." And Buddha said, "This is nonsense. How can I forgive you? -- because I have not even taken any note of it. I was not angry, so how can I forgive you?" Twenty-four hours had passed, and they were sitting on the bank of the Ganges. And Buddha said, "Look at how…