According to Osho, feeling separated from the Lord exposes desire and hurry; impatience whips the mind into storms that bar the Divine. Turn separation into joyous, infinite waiting—prayerful, grateful, desireless. When expectancy itself becomes bliss and you can say 'As You wish,' the mind grows a silent lake, craving drops, and meeting happens in a single instant.
When you feel far from God, stop rushing, be grateful, and wait happily and quietly—like keeping the door open for a loved guest—then closeness happens by itself.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, is it necessary to pass through the state of separation for union with the Divine?
I wrote and sent countless letters, still, cruel one, you did not come. The desolate garden’s days rolled by, dark monsoon clouds kept gathering; the henna beds breathed fragrance, the thresholds rang with birdsong, the neem in the courtyard flowered, the mango grove at home bloomed. Everything spoke—only you were silent; I sat alone, my heart caged. Laughter lost, joy lost, sleep was sold, peace squandered. At whose temple shall I wave the lamp? At whose door shall I surrender? To whom shall I send my silent messages, to whom my tender invitation? I wrote and sent countless letters, none ever returned to me. All came—only you did not; why this cruel spell upon me? Such intense longing took hold, such efforts did it compel. The threshold fell hush and mute, the latch kept clicking, waiting; the clouds swayed low and bowed, the rains held back, still waiting. Whenever your…
Osho, how much longer should I wait? How long will it take? I am eager to meet the Lord, and I can no longer bear this separation.
Krishnananda! For God you need preparedness for infinite waiting. It’s not that you actually have to wait infinitely; if you are ready for infinite waiting, revolution can happen in a single instant. But if you are in a hurry, it will not happen even in eternity. Hurry is an obstacle. The more impatient you are, the longer it will take. Impatience keeps the mind unquiet; patience quiets it. Impatience agitates the mind, raises ripples, storms and tempests. And even if the Divine wants to enter such a mind, how can He? The mind has to be like a silent lake—with not even the slightest ripple. Even the idea of attaining God is nothing but desire. It’s desire in a new form, a new style—old desire in new clothes. Once you lusted for wealth, so you were impatient—let it come quickly, let the lottery hit! You didn’t even have the peace…
Osho, the pain of separation, the pain of separation from the Lord, cannot be borne.
In one town where I was visiting, a riot broke out because college boys staged a play—an “Modern Ramleela.” There was trouble because the village priests and the orthodox were enraged: Rama, Lakshmana, and Mother Sita in modern dress! Mother Sita in high-heeled shoes! A fracas ensued. It was their jest, but the foolish are countless; in this country, count one and you’ll find a thousand. Chairs were smashed, stage curtains torn, the boys beaten—“Mother Sita and high heels!” Yet the satire was dear and meaningful. Everything is changing—do you think the ever-new God will not be new? And remember: Rama, Krishna, Buddha are experiences of God. These persons knew the Divine. They are windows through which the sky was seen. But do not sit worshiping the window frame, or you will forget the sky and clutch only the frame. Look at the sky! The window is not the sky;…
Osho, from listening to you, this disease of devotion seems to have infected me as well. Now I cannot keep patience. The yearning is that everything should happen right now.
You say: “From listening to you, this disease of devotion has caught me; now I cannot keep patience. The longing is that everything should happen right now.” I understand—that is how it happens. But refine your understanding a little more. This is natural, but this very naturalness will become a hindrance. Then what happens when a person becomes very impatient? Two things. Either he reaches a limit where it becomes hard to bear the impatience, and he thinks: “Forget it. None of this happens; there is no God, no prayer. What mess have I got into!”—this happens. Or the impatience becomes so much that the person breaks, falls apart, goes deranged. In both cases, the thing is missed. Put your energy into prayer, and leave the “when to come” to him. This is what I called utkranti (evolution) yesterday. You pray—that much is your effort—and then leave it to the…
Osho, in the state of separation (viraha), is the devotee miserable or happy?
And there is delight in it. There is delight even in weeping! For the first time crying does not seem the opposite of joy. This is the secret that unfolds in the state of separation. For the first time one feels a harmony between tears and smiles. Tears themselves seem to smile; tears themselves seem to dance. Ordinarily we have known tears only for sorrow; the devotee comes to know the tears of joy. The pang does sting, yes—but within the pang is a sweetness, a honeyed savor. Call it a sweet pain—honey-drenched, intoxicating. The arrow of separation pierces the heart, and a stream of nectar flows. This happens together. I have tasted such rapture that even feeling it became difficult; as your pain kept dwelling in my heart, it itself became my heart. At first, life in love was impossible; now the end is such that even dying has…