If you ignore your not-knowing and copy others, it’s like napping in a burning house; noticing the fire wakes you up to run out.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
The first step in sannyas is to get rid of knowledge and the second step is to get rid of ignorance and the journey is complete. But first one has to get rid of knowledge because it is knowledge that covers your ignorance, protects your ignorance. It gives you a false notion that you know, when in reality you know nothing. But people are even afraid to ask the question 'Do I know? Do I know god? Do I know truth? Do I know love? Do I know what this universe is? Who am I?' People are afraid of asking these questions, afraid because they will bring you to your ignorance, you will have to encounter your ignorance, and ignorance is very shattering to the ego. Knowledge is a nourishment to the ego, so everybody wants to remain knowledgeable.
It has been asked: “Then we will remain ignorant, won’t we?”
The man said, “Understand what! You were about to take my life, my very breath. Where was there any question of understanding? And what a madman I came to! I should have suspected when you said you might even tell me in the river’s current. I should have known then I’d come to the wrong place. But I couldn’t just leave at once, so I came along. You nearly killed me. Visions of God were far off—my own life was slipping away. Who would be left to see anything then?” Farid said, “I want to ask you one thing. When I held you under, how many thoughts were in your mind?” He said, “Are you joking? There were no thoughts—only one idea: ‘Somehow, a breath—air!’” Farid asked, “How long did even that idea remain?” He said, “Only a little while. When my whole being was in danger, even that thought…
पूछा है कि ‘फिर तो हम अज्ञानी रह जाएंगे।’
तो उस आदमी ने कहा कि क्या खाक समझता! आप मेरी जान लिए लेते थे, मेरे प्राण लिए लेते थे। समझने की इसमें कहां बात थी! और मैं किस पागल के पास आ गया। शक तो मुझे तभी हुआ था, जब आपने कहा कि मौका लगा तो नदी की धार में ही बता देंगे। शक तो मुझे तभी हुआ था कि मैं गलत जगह आ गया। लेकिन एकदम जा भी नहीं सकता था। तो आपके साथ चला आया। आप तो प्राण लिए लेते थे। परमात्मा के दर्शन तो रहे दूर, अपने ही प्राण समाप्त हुए जाते थे। कौन दर्शन करता फिर?
So the first thing: remembrance of ignorance — “I am ignorant.” If you ever want to enter the realm of knowledge, become alert to your ignorance. Seek day and night where your ignorance lies — and wherever you see it, accept it at once; do not delay even a moment. Whoever shows it to you — place your head at his feet; he has become your guru. Do not try to prove your ignorance is not ignorance — the mind will try; the ego will say, “Do not admit it. I — and ignorant? Never!” Thus we all go on insisting upon our ignorance. We go on saying, “This alone is right.” Those who know nothing make big claims to rightness. Those who do not know even the stone by the roadside make claims about Paramatman — “My God alone is right.
… और दिन-रात खोज में लगे रहना कि कहां-कहां मेरा अज्ञान है। और जहां अज्ञान दिखाई पड़े वहां तत्काल स्वीकार करना, क्षणभर की देर मत करना। और जो दर्शा दे कि यह अज्ञान है, उसके चरणों पर सिर रख देना, वह गुरु हो गया। और अपने अज्ञान को सिद्ध करने की कोशिश मत करना कि यह नहीं है, क्योंकि मन कोशिश करेगा। अहंकार कहेगा कि मानो मत। मैं और अज्ञानी! कभी नहीं। …