It means being your real self—calm and natural—without pretending for others.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Beloved Osho, I love the words you use, "one's original face," but I have no existential glimpse or understanding of what you mean by them. Would you care to explain further?
The original face is a beautiful poetic expression, but it does not mean that you will have a different face. This same face will lose all its tensions, this same face will be relaxed, this same face will be nonjudgmental, this same face will not think of others as inferior. This same face under these new values will be your original face. There is an ancient proverb: Many a hero is a man who did not have the courage to be a coward. If you are a coward what is wrong in it? You are a coward -- it is perfectly good. Cowards are also needed, otherwise from where will you get heroes? They are an absolute necessity to give the background to create heroes. Just be yourself, whatever it is. The problem is that never before has anybody told you just to be yourself. Everybody is poking his nose…
Osho, Zen Master Hogen of Seiryo Monastery was just about to give his discourse before the evening meal when he noticed that the bamboo screen hung for meditation had not yet been put away. He pointed to it, and immediately two monks rose from the assembly and began to put it away. Observing that very moment, the Master said: “The first monk’s state is good, but the second’s is not.” Osho, please explain the purport of this Zen enlightenment story.
A Marwari, dying, told his lawyer: “To every servant who has served me for five years, I bequeath fifty thousand rupees.” The lawyer couldn’t believe it—he knew the man; he never gave five paise. Fifty thousand to each—and there were many servants. He asked, “Are you in your senses?” The Marwari said, “More than you. There is no servant in my house I let stay for five years! I’ll give nothing—but the news of my charity will spread.” Even at death, the relish is in reputation. The mask doesn’t drop, not even in the last moment. What people say after you die is important; what you are is not. You have no taste for being—only for others’ opinions. That is the mark of the householder. The sannyasin’s mark is: what I am is my relish. What people say—what is the use? That is their business. What I am—that is mine,…
I don't understand the concept of original realization, or the original face zen people talk about. Please explain.
ZEN HAS ITS OWN WAYS OF TALKING about the ultimate reality, or God. The original face is what God is. The original face means the face of you when you had no definition, when you had no body, no contours, no localization. The original face means your formless reality, when you were not even born, when not even your father or your father's father was born. Original face means the source energy, the absolute source energy, the original energy beyond which we cannot go -- beyond which there is no way to go. Original face means: drop all the masks, drop all the names and the forms, and just go on looking into yourself and try to find out that one thing that you have not created, that the society has not created, that is not a belief system, that has nothing to do with your mind. Go on looking,…
Master lu-tsu said: only the primal spirit and the true nature overcome time and space.
THE PRIMAL SPIRIT IS BEYOND THE POLAR DIFFERENCES. HERE IS THE PLACE WHENCE HEAVEN AND EARTH DERIVE THEIR BEING. WHEN STUDENTS UNDERSTAND HOW TO GRASP THE PRIMAL SPIRIT THEY OVERCOME THE POLAR OPPOSITES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS AND TARRY NO LONGER IN THE THREE WORLDS BUT ONLY HE WHO HAS ENVISIONED HUMAN NATURE'S ORIGINAL FACE IS ABLE TO DO THIS. WHEN MEN ARE SET FREE FROM THE WOMB THE PRIMAL SPIRIT DWELLS IN THE SQUARE INCH BUT THE CONSCIOUS SPIRIT DWELLS BELOW IN THE HEART. THIS HEART IS DEPENDENT ON THE OUTSIDE WORLD. IF A MAN DOES NOT EAT FOR ONE DAY EVEN IT FEELS EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE. IF IT HEARS SOMETHING TERRIFYING IT THROBS; IF IT HEARS SOMETHING ENRAGING IT STOPS; IF IT IS FACED WITH DEATH IT BECOMES SAD; IF IT SEES SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL IT IS DAZZLED. BUT THE HEAVENLY HEART IN THE HEAD, WHEN WOULD IT HAVE MOVED…
Osho, using the example of the onion you said that each person has many faces, masks—stolen masks. And these masks will be there, under all circumstances they will be there. One only needs to distinguish between good masks and bad masks. I hate someone, but when he comes to me I welcome him with a smile. This is an artificial face I present before him. Yet at the same time my mind is filled with immense pain, with sorrow, and still I smile. So this face, this mask, would be my good mask. A mask there will certainly be.
By “mask” I mean: the false faces we impose upon ourselves—do not impose them. That does not mean faces will not change in life. Your face will change every day, but it should be your own face. When darkness spreads, tears will come to the eyes; tomorrow a friend may die—tears will come. And tomorrow a long-lost companion may return—then the heart will throb with joy and songs will arise. Your face will change moment to moment; it should. One should be responsive. But the face must be your face. I am not saying keep one face fixed. That would be a stone face; life cannot move like that. Then you would need a single face of stone. I have heard that an American multimillionaire was approached by a man asking for a small donation. The millionaire said, “I have a rule: one of my eyes is artificial—made of stone—and…