What is the message behind the concept of revelry?

Osho, “Sway on, sway on, O reveler; the clouds are dark, the air is ecstatic; lift the goblet and kiss, kiss, kiss—sway on, sway on, O reveler!” Is this your message?

Across a thousand cycles, flagons and goblets came again and again. Taverns opened time after time; wine was placed before you, cups were filled, the ewers overturned—and yet some misunderstanding persists: Those who were thirsty from the very beginning remained thirsty, Though the flagon and the goblet came a thousand times. Either you did not understand, or you misunderstood. Either you did not hear, or you heard something else. The likelihood of error is complete. This is the message I am giving: It is we who could not renew our longing—otherwise A thousand times the beloved’s messages arrived. I am sending the message, daily I send it—but you yourselves do not extend your cup. You do not muster the courage. Who knows in what weaknesses the mind is entangled, in what old beliefs it is stuck. When the dust clears from the eyes, the roof of Sinai appears; Drink the…

Osho, you have titled this series of talks “Sahaj Yoga.” Do “sahaj” and “yoga” not seem mutually opposed?

Anand Maitreya! They don’t just seem opposed, they are opposed. But no ultimate truth of life can manifest without contradiction. Life is made of opposites—darkness and light, day and night, woman and man, negative electricity and positive electricity, birth and death. The very structure of life is woven of opposites. Hence the opposites are not only opposed; they are complementary to each other. If you have labored hard all day, you will be able to sleep deeply. Labor and rest are opposites, yet only the one who has worked can rest deeply—and the one who has not worked cannot. So the opposites are not only opposed, they complete each other. And only the one who has rested deeply at night can rise in the morning and engage in work again. One who has not rested through the night will not be able to work in the morning. Look closely at…

Osho, not only is there no tradition around revelers like Baba Malukdas; even companions are scarcely ever heard of! Why has there always been fear and objection to drinking with drunkards? Please speak.

When someone like Maluk appears in the world, he says: drop fear; come, let us talk of love. Drop fear—come, let us be intoxicated. Drop fear—come, let us hum the Beloved’s songs—in ecstasy, in love. Beyond God-love there is nothing else. Come, place your hand in God’s hand, embrace the Beloved; dance with God, play the rās. When a saint says something like this, you get frightened. Because the nets of fear woven over lifetimes—your chains, your habits, your notions, your conditioning—suddenly halt and stiffen: this is dangerous talk. You know that if you drop fear, your whole morality goes; your whole conduct goes. It is all false—that is why you fear its going. Maluk brings a new kind of conduct into the world—a conduct that rests on love; a conduct that rests on joy. You cannot do wrong because you are so blissful—how could you do wrong! You cannot…

Osho, Buddha speaks of awareness, of waking up, and you, in between, also speak of merriment, intoxication, wine, and absorption. While speaking on Buddha, why is it necessary to discuss the opposite? Please explain.

When there is no vision, things look opposite. When there is vision, not even a trace of opposition remains. What Buddha calls awareness, the Sufis have called “unconsciousness”—a drunken swoon. What Buddha calls apramāda—heedfulness—devotees have called “wine.” There is not an inch of distance between Buddha’s sayings and Omar Khayyam. What Buddha called a temple, Omar Khayyam called a tavern. Buddha has not been understood, nor has Omar Khayyam. People thought Omar Khayyam was praising wine. Kuch apni karāmat dikha, ai Saki, Jo khol de āṅkh, vo pila, ai Saki. Hoshiyār ko dīwānā banāyā bhī to kyā? Dīwāne ko hoshiyār banā, ai Saki. You are already unconscious. You have already drunk the wine of the world. Someone has drunk the wine of wealth and is unconscious in wealth. Someone has drunk the wine of position and is unconscious in status. Someone has drunk the wine of fame. Those who couldn’t…

Osho, we saw the cupbearer weeping in the tavern—ever since we saw the revelers turning Rajneeshee.

So I give sannyas to alcoholics too. And I tell them, take it without anxiety! You are better than the pundits—at least you are humble. At least you ask, with your head bowed, “Am I also eligible? Do I too have the worth? Will you accept me?” That pundit with the tilak does not bow his head; he stands stiff with pride. He is worthy already! He is a “fit vessel”! He was born in a Brahmin home! He was born knowing Brahman! The drunkard is a hundred thousand times better than that. At least his head is bowed; he is humble. He makes no claim to worthiness. There is no ego, no self-importance. I accept him. And it has been my experience that as soon as a person begins to descend into meditation, alcohol begins to drop away. I am not an advocate of prohibition. I want people to…