According to Osho, the law of necessity is the state of unconscious, accidental living—like a robot—where events happen to you and you’re not the master of your life. You drift without direction, reacting mechanically. Freedom begins by becoming conscious; through meditation you shift to the law of power, where you act deliberately and presence shapes events.
It’s living on autopilot so life pushes you around, until you wake up and start choosing with awareness.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
What is the de-activation process of the law of necessity and the activation process of the law of power?
THE LAW OF NECESSITY means you are unconscious, you are functioning like a robot. Only then does the law of necessity apply. So if you want to de-activate the law of necessity, the only way is to become more aware, more alert. De-automatize your activities. Walking, walk with aware ness. Eating, eat with awareness. In the beginning it is very difficult, because you have always lived in unconsciousness. You walk mechanically -- bring awareness to walking. And to bring awareness to walking, a few things will be needed. One: don't walk at the usual pace you walk -- go slower. Go AS slow as you can, because if you go slower than you usually go, your old habit cannot persist. You are bringing something new into it and the body will have to get adjusted. It will take time, and that time can be used to become aware. If you…
What is the law of necessity?
PYTHAGORAS TALKS ABOUT TWO LAWS: the law of necessity and the law of power. The law of necessity means living an accidental life, like a robot, like a machine. The law of necessity means things happen to you; you are not the master, you are not conscious enough to be the master. The law of power means things don't happen to you: you happen to things. You are not just an accident -- you are a power. Consciousness brings power; then life is not just like a driftwood, then life has a direction. Then life has some integrity; then life has a continuum. You have something solid in you, and so powerful it is that you start happening to people. You have a presence. And whatsoever you do, you do it; it is not an unconscious reaction: it is a conscious response. You are not just at the mercy of…
Osho, does living moment-to-moment begin the awareness of interdependence?
You have heard of Baital Pachisi (the Vetala tales). You would never suppose it could be a teaching for the wise—yet this land has made unique experiments. It has produced books that can be read on many levels, with layer upon layer of meaning—two, three, four, five meanings running parallel like five roads side by side. Thus whoever you are, there is a way. A small child enjoys it; the supreme knower enjoys it. The seeker finds the path; the arrived recognizes the destination. For one who is neither, it is a diversion—that too is something, a little entertainment. The first story goes like this. Emperor Vikramaditya was in court when a fakir arrived. As custom had it, people came in the morning to offer gifts. The fakir offered a wild-looking fruit. The emperor smiled—why come so far to offer a jungle fruit? But a fakir has nothing else, so…
Master yourself according to the law. This is the simple teaching of the awakened.
THE RAIN COULD TURN TO GOLD AND STILL YOUR THIRST WOULD NOT BE SLAKED. DESIRE IS UNQUENCHABLE OR IT ENDS IN TEARS, EVEN IN HEAVEN. HE WHO WISHES TO AWAKE CONSUMES HIS DESIRES JOYFULLY. IN HIS FEAR A MAN MAY SHELTER IN MOUNTAINS OR IN FORESTS, IN GROVES OF SACRED TREES OR IN SHRINES. BUT HOW CAN HE HIDE THERE FROM HIS SORROW? HE WHO SHELTERS IN THE WAY AND TRAVELS WITH THOSE WHO FOLLOW IT COMES TO SEE THE FOUR GREAT TRUTHS. CONCERNING SORROW, THE BEGINNING OF SORROW, THE EIGHTFOLD WAY, AND THE END OF SORROW. THEN AT LAST HE IS SAFE. HE HAS SHAKEN OFF SORROW. HE IS FREE. THE AWAKENED ARE FEW AND HARD TO FIND. HAPPY IS THE HOUSE WHERE A MAN AWAKES. BLESSED IS HIS BIRTH. BLESSED IS THE TEACHING OF THE WAY. BLESSED IS THE UNDERSTANDING AMONG THOSE WHO FOLLOW IT, AND BLESSED IS…
Beloved Osho, modern science has discovered a number of laws such as the law of gravity, which describe the behavior of the material world. Does the science of the inner soul also have laws which apply to consciousness and being?
It is one of the most fundamental differences between the outer and the inner. The outer is ruled by laws: The inner is just freedom. Consciousness knows no laws. It is matter that needs laws. Without laws, the material existence is impossible. And in the same way, with laws, the world of consciousness is impossible. Consciousness can exist only in absolute freedom, with no limits, with no conditions, with no laws. Matter will immediately fall apart without laws, for the simple reason that it has no individuality. It has no center of being which can hold it together if there are no laws. Matter is without a center, or in other words, without a self. Just because there is no center in it, it cannot remain together unless it is surrounded by all kinds of laws, conditions, rules. Science goes on discovering laws because it deals only with dead matter.…