What is superstition?

Osho, the other day, speaking of India, you said that this country’s fundamental problem is its superstitions and that it is about fifteen centuries behind the times. Would you kindly tell us how to distinguish between faith and superstition, and whether today’s faiths will not become tomorrow’s superstitions? Would you also graciously tell us what an individual or a community should do to be contemporary, to remain modern?

It is a fact of life worth understanding: neither the poor nor the rich revolt; the middle class does. All revolutions—of ideas, of economy, of society—arise from the middle. This land has much experience of trust—its taste, its peace. It knows that an event like Buddhahood can happen; it has that certainty. Therefore, even if there is no Buddha, “let a Buddha’s statue do”—it clings to something or other. Other countries don’t have so much superstition because they haven’t had so many occasions for trust. In America there isn’t much superstition because America has known no Buddha, no Mahavira, no Krishna. In that sense America is non-superstitious. And superstition cannot arise until trust has arisen. Where there is pleasure, there is the sense of pain; where there is wealth, the sense of poverty; where there is the taste of trust, the shadow of distrust is cast. Then fear of distrust…

Another friend asks: Osho, from your talks it seems that the very things we want to erase—the chains of delusion, superstition, blind belief, the chains we want to break—end up getting stronger. From what you say, rebirth seems real, spirits seem real, gods seem real, the soul’s transmigration seems real. Then won’t the superstitions we want to remove only become stronger?

So the real issue isn’t “remove this leader, remove that superstition.” Change the basic man. The scientific mind won’t be preoccupied with superstitions as objects; they will continue as long as man chooses blindness. And who among us is ready to open our eyes? We don’t want to, because open eyes reveal truths we don’t want to see. So we shut our eyes and imagine what we prefer. A man thinks himself pure, saintly; if he looks closely, he will find the greatest sinner within. He doesn’t want to see that; otherwise his saintliness collapses. He surrounds himself with those who keep him blind—collects disciples who tell him, “You are a great saint.” There are wonderful tricks for collecting people—even shouting, “Don’t come near me! I want no one!” That too attracts crowds: “See, an extraordinary saint—he beats people away!” In California, on a beach, there was a simple fellow…

Another friend has asked: the things we want to destroy -- such as the chains of blind faith or superstition -- find even more confirmation in your talks. It seems, according to what you are saying, that there is life after death, that there are gods and there are ghosts, that there is transmigration of the soul. In that case, it would be difficult to get rid of superstitions, won't they become even stronger?

The man said, "Yes, I certainly did. I was very puzzled. I came here to wait for somebody, and suddenly I felt that my body was about to fall asleep. I lost control and went to sleep. And then I felt strongly as if someone was telling me 'Get up, get up. Get up in seven minutes!' I can't figure any of this out." The man had no idea what had happened. Communication of thought without any medium has become a scientific truth, but an educated man would call it superstition. It is possible that a sick man in one town can be cured from a faraway town; it's not too difficult. It's also possible that a snakebite can be healed from a distance of thousands of miles; there's not much difficulty to it. But there are many different kinds of superstitions. And remember, the superstition of an educated man…

Osho, This aphorism appears in the Aitareya Brahmana: “Shraddhā patnī satyam yajamānaḥ. Shraddhā satyam tad ity uttamam mithunam. Shraddhayā satyena mithune na svargāl lokān jayati iti.” Meaning: in the life-sacrifice, shraddha is the wife and truth the sacrificer. Shraddha and truth are the supreme pair. Through the union of shraddha and truth, a person attains the divine realms. Osho, kindly explain the purport of this sutra.

Anand Maitreya! This sutra is profoundly pregnant with meaning. Truth cannot be found through doubt. Even if, by some accident, truth were to come near you while you are doubting, you would still miss it. The eye of doubt never allows truth to enter within. Even if truth knocks at your door, you won’t open it; doubt will say, “It’s only a gust of wind.” Even if God himself were to stand before doubt, doubt would put a question mark upon him. Where there is no problem, doubt creates one; it manufactures problems. Doubt has only one expertise: creating problems. It has no solutions. And even if you somehow cobble together a solution, your doubt will immediately spin out newer problems. In doubt, problems sprout like leaves on a tree. Chop them a hundred times; they will grow back, and the foliage will only become denser. Doubt means: I am…

A friend has asked, Osho, what should one do so that faith does not turn into blind belief?

I have heard: Saint Francis was a supremely faithful man and would trust anyone. His disciple was Leo. They were traveling. Whoever came along, Francis would take him along. Often someone would stay for a night and then steal their belongings and go. He would stay one night, and by morning their bedding, their bag—the few things they had—would be gone. Leo, his disciple, was very troubled. He said that at least some checking should be done. You take anyone along and then suffer. Give up this trust in people. So many have deceived you, and still your trust in people does not leave you. Saint Francis said, they are all testing my faith. There are two ways. A man stays the night and leaves stealing. One way is: the things are gone anyway—which are of little value—and along with them let faith also go, which is of great value.…