According to Osho, the very notion of a prophet is born of ego; anyone who claims prophethood is already a 'false prophet.' To appear 'true,' such claimants invent 'false' others and dump all ugliness onto them. Prophecies fail, fanatic minds rationalize, and authority replaces inquiry. Real spirituality abandons prophecy and secondhand authority, starting afresh in direct exploration of one's inner being and life itself.
If someone says “I’m God’s special messenger,” Osho says that’s just their ego—don’t wait for promises; look within and learn directly.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
You have been talking to us about jesus' parables. In one of his most important sayings, jesus warned about the false prophet of the east -- the wolf in sheep's clothing who will deceive many in the days of man's final liberation. You have also been speaking about truman's nuclear terror and warned us of reagan's antique philosophy. Can you speak to us about the dark one of the east, ayatollah khomeini. Is this the false prophet the world has expected?
Now this is a great compliment to the East that Jesus is paying: only the East recognized him. Three wise men came from the East to pay tribute, bring presents for him, and the West had no recognition for him. Still he prophesies that in the dark days of humanity, false messiahs will come from the East. Strange! The East has never believed in any messiahs. You will be surprised to know that the idea of messiahs is Western. In the East the very idea of messiahs has never existed. There have been people like Gautam Buddha, Mahavira, Lao Tzu, pinnacles of wisdom, but they don't proclaim themselves messiahs, prophets. They simply say what they are: they are human beings who have realized their innermost potential, and that you can do it just as they have done it. The idea of messiahs is Western. You will be surprised to know…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, NIETZSCHE WROTE, IN ECCE HOMO, HERE THERE SPEAKS NO PROPHET, NONE OF THOSE GRUESOME HYBRIDS OF SICKNESS AND WILL TO POWER CALLED FOUNDERS OF RELIGIONS. ONE HAS ABOVE ALL TO HEAR CORRECTLY THE TONE THAT PROCEEDS FROM THIS MOUTH, THIS HALCYON TONE, IF ONE IS NOT TO DO PITIABLE INJUSTICE TO THE MEANING OF ITS WISDOM.... HERE THERE SPEAKS NO FANATIC, HERE THERE IS NO PREACHING, HERE FAITH IS NOT DEMANDED: OUT OF AN INFINITE ABUNDANCE OF LIGHT AND DEPTH OF HAPPINESS THERE FALLS DROP AFTER DROP, WORD AFTER WORD -- A TENDER SLOWNESS OF PACE IS THE TEMPO OF THESE DISCOURSES. SUCH THINGS AS THIS REACH ONLY THE MOST SELECT: IT IS AN INCOMPARABLE PRIVILEGE TO BE A LISTENER HERE. OSHO, THIS IS CERTAINLY ABOUT YOU. WAS NIETZSCHE YOUR FORERUNNER?
Osho, if everything heard by the ear is false, then what significance remains in the Satguru’s teaching?
Falsehood is truth’s shadow. Understand it rightly: falsehood is the shadow of truth. That is why it can deceive; otherwise how could it? If falsehood were nothing like truth—not even a little—who would be fooled? A counterfeit coin deceives because it looks at least like a real coin—whether it is or not, it looks like it. Falsehood looks like truth—only looks. The outline of falsehood is exactly like the outline of truth. Only one thing is missing: in truth there is life; in falsehood there is no life. Your shadow has your shape, your outline. Your photograph is called yours for this very reason—everything looks like you. But a photograph is a photograph; you are you. What is the difference? Only this much: in you there is life; a photograph has none. It looks like you—how can it be you? Falsehood is truth’s photograph. You often think falsehood is the…
Question: OUR BELOVED MASTER, ON ONE OCCASION RINZAI SAID, "FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY, YOU SEIZE UPON WORDS FROM THE MOUTHS OF OLD MASTERS AND TAKE THEM TO BE THE TRUE WAY, SAYING, `THESE GOOD MASTERS ARE WONDERFUL, AND I, SIMPLE-MINDED FELLOW THAT I AM, DON'T DARE MEASURE SUCH OLD WORTHIES.' "BLIND IDIOTS!" COMMENTED RINZAI. "YOU GO THROUGH YOUR ENTIRE LIFE HOLDING SUCH VIEWS, BETRAYING YOUR OWN TWO EYES. IT IS ONLY THE GREAT MASTER WHO DARES TO DISPARAGE THE BUDDHAS AND PATRIARCHS. FROM OLDEN DAYS OUR PREDECESSORS NEVER HAD PEOPLE ANYWHERE WHO BELIEVED IN THEM. ONLY WHEN THEY HAD BEEN DRIVEN OUT DID THEIR WORTH BECOME RECOGNIZED. IF THEY HAD BEEN COMPLETELY ACCEPTED BY PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, WHAT WOULD THEY HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR? THEREFORE IT IS SAID, `THE LION'S ONE ROAR SPLITS THE JACKALS' SKULLS.'" But the masses go on carrying the dead.
Osho, I heard you say that jesus' finger pointing to the moon is not a very good one. Is there a better one?
God is somewhere far away in space -- how far none of them have said. Although this Maria goes four times a month, I don't think she can say the exact distance from the earth to heaven. She meets Jesus once a week, has a direct contact with God. Certainly these entities are outside you; the God is outside. You can have a direct contact, you are not it. You can meet Jesus once a month; certainly you are not Jesus. Jesus is separate from you, then only is meeting possible. And the woman goes to heaven -- of course there is a distance that has to be traveled. So there is a distance in space, and there is a distance in time, because Jesus continuously talks about the kingdom of God -- but that is going to happen after this life. Everything of Jesus' religion is after death. So…