According to Osho, authority is a psychological fiction: in reality no external power stands over existence to judge, permit, or direct you. No one will come to stop you or announce how long you’ve wandered; there is simply no “someone” out there. Freedom is intrinsic, and responsibility and awakening cannot be outsourced to any authority—only your own awareness.
There’s no boss of life outside you; you must wake up and choose for yourself.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
That happens: if you look to me as a great authority, one day or other you will rebel against me and the no will come. Don't look to me as a great authority -- I am not! The very word 'authority' is not right for me; I am not authoritative at all! I am not giving you any commandments, I am not saying to you to do this and not do that; if you do this you will be praised, rewarded and if you do that you will be punished and thrown into hell. I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that if you do this you will be virtuous and if you don't do that you will be a sinner. I'm not condemning, I'm not judging you at all. How can I be authoritative? I accept you as you are; my acceptance is utterly total. I love you.
Individual freedom and authority on one side, and authoritarianism and dictatorship on the other side, move man's life and his aspirations.
But the whole system is geared in that way. When I became a professor myself, I had to make a new arrangement. The arrangement was that in each forty-minute period, twenty minutes I would teach the syllabus as it is written in the books, and twenty minutes I would criticize it. My students said, "We will go mad." I said, "That is your problem -- but I cannot leave these statements without criticism. You can choose; when your examination comes you can choose to write whichever you want. If you want to fail, choose my part. If you want to pass, choose the first part. I am making it clear; I am not deceiving anybody -- but I cannot go on deceiving you by teaching you something which I think is absolutely wrong." The vice-chancellor finally had to call me, and he said to me, "This is a strange type…
Beloved Osho, can you say something to us to help us remember you as our friend, and not get caught up in our conditioning which tries to make you an authority figure?
Everything that I am saying to you is the answer to your question. Why the fear? -- I am not an authoritarian figure. I don't claim to be the only begotten son of God, an incarnation of God, a messiah, a prophet. How can you make me an authoritarian figure? These people who have become authoritarian figures -- they themselves were responsible; nobody made them. In fact the whole of Judea was trying to convince Jesus Christ: "You are not the only son of God -- drop this nonsense!" But he was insistent. He was so insistent that they got fed up with the man and crucified him. All these people were trying to become authoritarian figures. But a small distinction has to be understood: to be an authoritarian figure is one thing, and to be an authority is a different thing. The authoritarian says, "Whatever I say, you believe,…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, HOW CAN WE AVOID BEING AUTHORITATIVE? It is very simple. The people who are authoritarian are the people who are suffering from an inferiority complex. To hide their inferiority they impose their superiority. They want to prove that they are somebody, that their word is truth, that their word is law. But deep down they are very inferior beings. This is one of the reasons that all of the politicians suffer from an inferiority complex. Anybody who does not suffer from an inferiority complex will not go into politics at all. There are so many beautiful things in the world to do -- to paint, to sing, to dance, to create literature, to make beautiful statues, to create a Khajuraho. There is so much creativity available, but that is available only to a person who does not suffer from inferiority.
And there is no harm in making mistakes -- because one learns that way. There is no other way. Trial and error is the only human way. Because we have been avoiding learning through trial and error, authorities have become so important. Parents, politicians, priests, have become important -- and they are distracting everybody. I am here to help you to move alone. I am here to help you to get rid of all authorities. Sol am doing something like suicidal work. I guide you to become guideless. [She asks: Can I accept your authority?] No no, don't accept my authority. Try to understand whatsoever I am saying. The same thing can be taken as authoritative or as an understanding -- and both are different. I say something.