According to Osho, sin is the ego's isolation—trying to purify oneself without the Whole—while virtue is egolessness born of prayerful surrender. Prayer is the medicine: it dissolves sin and prevents "virtue" from becoming pride. A prayerless do-gooder turns good deeds into sin; a humble, praying "sinner" opens to grace, and true virtue flowers as gratitude.
Sin is proud separateness; virtue is humble togetherness with the Whole, asked for through prayer.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
A friend has asked: Osho, what is the difference between sin and virtue? And as long as the mind is filled with sin, how can there be faith, devotion, feeling? How will prayer happen while the mind is full of sin? So first let the mind be filled with virtue; then prayer will happen!
It sounds right. It seems reasonable. Yet it is not right—and it is full of unawareness. It sounds right to say, “As long as the mind is full of sin, how can there be prayer!” But that is like a physician saying, “As long as you are sick, how can I give you medicine! First get well and healthy, and then take the medicine.” But once you are well, why would you need medicine? If you decide to pray only after you’ve dropped all sin, you will never get the chance to pray. As long as there is sin, you won’t pray. And when there is no sin left, why pray? What would be the meaning of prayer then? Prayer is the medicine. Therefore, one has to pray while still a sinner. And another thing: how will sin go? It cannot go without prayer. Those who try to remove sin…
In the same context I ask, Osho, what is sin and what is virtue?
If the inner lamp of awareness is lit, then whatever actions happen are virtue. If the inner lamp is extinguished, then whatever actions happen are sin. Understand this! No act in itself is sin or virtue. Sin and virtue depend on the doer. No act is intrinsically sin or virtue. Generally we believe that acts are good or bad—this act is bad, that act is good. That is not the case. A person whose inner lamp is out cannot truly do a good act—it is impossible. It may look as if he is doing good. He can imitate the actions of those whose lamps are lit. But even in imitation his motive will be contrary. If he builds a temple, it won’t be for the Divine; it will be for his own name or his father’s—he will get the name inscribed. If he gives charity, he will be anxious whether…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, CAN YOU SAY SOMETHING ABOUT VIRTUE? Out of awareness whatever you do is virtue according to me. And out of unawareness whatever you do is sin according to me. And according to me, your sins are not going to take you to hell. Your sins immediately give you hell -- here, just now. And your virtues are not going to give you an eternity of paradise. Your virtues give you joy, blissfulness, the moment you act with full awareness. The punishment and the reward is immediate: the reward follows your action. But it depends where your action will lead you. It can be unconscious action, then hell herenow. It has nothing to do with geography; it is something to do with your psychology. Acting consciously, you are in paradise wherever you are. Once you have learned, you will not ask, "What is virtue?
Question: Second question: Osho, is love a sin? Yogendra, if love is a sin then there can be nothing meritorious in the world. If love is sin, virtue is impossible—because the very essence of virtue is nothing other than love. But I understand your question. Your so‑called sadhus and mahatmas have been saying precisely this—that love is a sin. And they have kept saying such futile things for so long, for such a length of time, that its futility and its inner contradiction no longer strike you. They call love a sin and prayer a virtue. And you never looked closely to see that if love is sin, then prayer too becomes a sin, because prayer is nothing but the purified form of love. Granted, there are impurities in love—but it is not sin. Even if gold is impure, it doesn’t become iron. Impure gold is still gold.