According to Osho, a revolutionary operates in the political realm, seeks to change social structures, needs the crowd and power—and is inevitably corrupted; while a rebel is a spiritual, individual phenomenon, transforming consciousness first. Society is only a name; only individuals are real. Change the individual, and society follows; reverse attempts have consistently failed.
Revolutionaries try to fix the outside world; rebels change themselves so the world naturally changes.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Beloved master, what is the difference between a rebel and a revolutionary?
Hence a Gautam Buddha or a Kabir or a Chuang Tzu hurts you because he has blossomed, and you are just standing there. Springs come and go, nothing blossoms in you; no birds come and make their nest on you, and sing their songs around you. It is better to crucify a Jesus and poison a Socrates -- just to remove them -- so that you need not feel in any way spiritually inferior. The world has known only very few rebels. But now is the time: if humanity proves incapable of producing a large number of rebels -- a rebellious spirit -- then our days on the earth are numbered. Then this century may become our graveyard. We are coming very close to that point. We have to change our consciousness, create more meditative energy in the world, create more lovingness. We have to destroy the old man and…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHAT IS YOUR NOTION OF REBELLION AND OF A REBEL? Giulia, my notion about the rebel and rebellion is very simple: a man who does not live like a robot conditioned by the past. Religion, society, culture... anything that is of yesterday does not in any way interfere in his way of life, in his style of life. He lives individually -- not as a cog in the wheel, but as an organic unity. His life is not decided by anybody else, but by his own intelligence. The very fragrance of his life is that of freedom -- not only that he lives in freedom, he allows everybody else also to live in freedom. He does not allow anybody to interfere in his life; neither does he interfere in anybody else's life.
Question: BELOVED MASTER, WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A REBEL? A rebel simply lives his life in the moment, with awareness, with no desire to dominate, either while he is living or when he is dead. He does not have any lust for power. He is a scientist of the soul -- that is the fourth dimension. Just as science uses doubt, skepticism, inquiry, he uses the same methods for his inner search. Science uses them for objective reality, he uses them for his subjectivity. But he does not condemn doubt, he does not condemn skepticism, he does not condemn disobedience, he does not condemn a nonbelieving approach to reality. He enters within his own being with a scientific mind. His religion is not superstitious -- it is scientific.
Beloved master, what is rebellion? And what is the difference between reaction and the action of the rebellious man?
Joseph Stalin became the leader of the revolutionaries. Stalin was not his real name, "Stalin" was given to him by the people. It means "man of steel." And certainly he proved to be a man of steel, with no heart. He killed almost one million people after the revolution. Just suspicion was enough; there was no need for any trial, for any investigation. The communist party suspects that somebody is against the revolution -- there is no proof, but the man has to be immediately destroyed. The Russian revolution has proved one thing absolutely: that czars were never so violent; they had never killed one million people. And the society was not so deeply enslaved -- that's why the communist revolution was possible. Now in Russia no revolution is possible, people are completely enslaved. Even to think against the status quo today is betraying the religion of communism. People are…
A young rabbi complained to the rabbi of rizhyn: -- 'during the hours when I devote myself to my studies, I feel life and light, but the moment I stop studying, it is all gone. What shall I do?' the rabbi if rizhyn replied: -- 'that is just as when a man walks through the woods on a dark night, and for a time another man accompanies him who has a lamp, but at the crossroads they part and the first must grop his way on alone. But if a man carries his own light with him, he need not be afraid of any darkness.'
The false religion, the church, the organization, they have always been supplying intoxicants, drugs. They may be against the modern drugs, but they are not against drugs. They are always for the old; the old is always better for them. I am against all drugs, old and new. I am even against yoga -- because that too is a way to change the chemistry. Then what to do? -- because unless you attend to your own growth, this story will remain true. I will read it. <q>TO WALK WITH ONE'S OWN LIGHT A YOUNG RABBI COMPLAINED TO THE RABBI OF RIZHYN: 'DURING THE HOURS WHEN I DEVOTE MYSELF TO MY STUDIES, I FEEL LIFE AND LIGHT, BUT THE MOMENT I STOP STUDYING, IT IS ALL GONE. WHAT SHALL I DO?'</q> It is possible. If you listen to me, it may happen. Listening to me you may sometimes feel light and…