According to Osho, craving or displaying miracles—like flying without helicopters—misses the point of spirituality and invites exploitation. Even an “enlightened flyer” would be hijacked—turned into transport for others’ agendas. True work is inner transformation, not public stunts; therefore he refuses to perform them, avoiding sensationalism, coercion, and distraction from meditation and awareness.
If you could fly, people would try to use you like a plane, so real spirituality avoids flashy tricks and stays focused inward.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, I understand you said the other day in the lecture that jesus did not walk on water and there are no miracles as such. But by practicing the samyama on patanjali's udana sutra, is not man able to do this? Please comment.
He says those who get lost in miracles are lost in a jungle. Certainly there are powers within you, hidden powers within you, which you are not aware of. And when you start going deeper into meditation those hidden powers start manifesting themselves, and there is every possibility you will be tempted by those powers. There is nothing miraculous about them; they are as natural as any other law. We just don't understand the law underlying them, hence we call them miracles. For example, if you meditate, soon you will realize the fact that you can read other people's thoughts. Now it will look like a miracle: before the person has asked the question you can answer him. And he will be surprised, and you will be worshipped as a great saint. But you are being very stupid, because somehow you have got rid of your own ideas, now you…
I am always looking for signs of movement different energy states, telepathic happenings, even new gray hairs will do. Spiritual materialism, yes. But what to do?
The mind is always hankering. The mind is nothing but hankering, desiring something to happen. Sometimes it is thinking about money, to have more money, to have bigger houses, to have more respectability, to have more political power. Then you turn towards spirituality; the mind remains the same. Now you want to have more psychic powers -- telepathy, clairvoyance, and all sorts of nonsense. But the mind remains the same -- you want more. And if you want more you will remain ill. Health is in being contented with this moment. Health is when you are totally in this moment and happy and blessed. Illness is if you are asking for more. You can change the objects; that's very simple. That's what we go on doing. Small children play with toys and we tell them that these are toys. They have small cars, toy cars and toy trains and toy…
Question: HASAN CAME UPON RABIA ONE DAY WHEN SHE WAS SITTING AMONG A NUMBER OF CONTEMPLATORS, AND SAID, 'I HAVE THE CAPACITY OF WALKING ON WATER. COME, LET US BOTH GO ON TO THAT WATER YONDER, AND SITTING UPON IT CARRY OUT A SPIRITUAL DISCUSSION.' RABIA SAID, 'IF YOU WISH TO SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THIS AUGUST COMPANY, WHY DO YOU NOT COME WITH ME SO THAT WE MAY FLY INTO THE AIR AND SIT THERE TALKING?' HASAN SAID, 'I CANNOT DO THAT, FOR THE POWER THAT YOU MENTION IS NOT ONE WHICH I POSSESS.' RABIA SAID, 'YOUR POWER OF REMAINING STILL IN THE WATER IS ONE WHICH IS POSSESSED BY FISH. MY CAPACITY OF FLYING IN THE AIR CAN BE DONE BY A FLY. THESE ABILITIES ARE NO PART OF REAL TRUTH -- THEY MAY BECOME THE FOUNDATION OF SELF-ESTEEM AND COMPETITIVENESS, NOT SPIRITUALITY.' It is a subtle phenomenon.
He is calm. In him the seed of renewing life has been consumed. He has conquered all the inner worlds.
WITH DISPASSIONATE EYE HE SEES EVERYWHERE THE FALLING AND THE UPRISING. AND WITH GREAT GLADNESS HE KNOWS THAT HE HAS FINISHED. HE HAS WOKEN FROM HIS SLEEP. AND THE WAY HE HAS TAKEN IS HIDDEN FROM MEN, EVEN FROM SPIRITS AND GODS, BY VIRTUE OF HIS PURITY. Jaina monks chose mountains, but ugly mountains, just rocks and nothing else, because anything beautiful can create trouble. The distant call of a cuckoo can drive you cuckoo! -- because it has a sexuality of its own, it has a sensuality of its own, it is a sensual call. Do you know? -- it is the male cuckoo who is calling; the female simply waits. She simply waits for the male to come closer. Yes, she gives hints that "I am available," and yet keeps herself very aloof, very proud -- available, but not so easily available either! Have you seen in the…
Please describe the developmental gap between the man of spiritual experience who has already attained a certain degree of higher awareness, even certain psychic skills and capacities, and the fully enlightened being -- the living buddha.
Followers again and again came to Buddha and said that "This Devadatta is trying to create a separate sect, and he says that he is more powerful." And he was right, but his power belonged to the positive mind. He made many efforts to kill Buddha. He made an elephant mad. When I say he made an elephant mad, I mean that he used his positive power, and it was such a strong phenomenon the elephant became intoxicated. He rushed madly; he tore down many trees. Devadatta was very happy because just behind the trees was sitting Buddha, and the elephant was going mad -- just a mad energy. But when the elephant came near Buddha, he looked at the Buddha -- sat silently in deep meditation, that elephant... Devadatta was puzzled. What happened? When there is emptiness, everything is absorbed. Emptiness has no limits to it. The madness was…