According to Osho, the most hilarious thing in the world is man. With alert watchfulness, you see our absurdities everywhere; life becomes a continuous carnival. Authentic humanity is playful, laughing, dancing, singing—non-serious and non-saintly—respecting our humanness. Rather than being sad, witness yourself and others, note the jokes existence offers, and let every moment be enjoyed.
People are the funniest, and if you pay gentle attention, you can laugh at our silliness and enjoy life more.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Beloved Osho, according to you, what is the most hilarious thing in the world?
Niyama, according to me the most hilarious thing in the world is man. Amongst all the animals, trees, mountains, rivers, oceans, stars, clouds, man is the only hilarious animal. I will give you a few examples: Hamish MacTavish became a sergeant with the Scottish Highlanders' regiment. One day he walked into the pharmacy and deposited an old condom on the counter. "How much for a repair job?" he asked. "Well," replied the chemist, "with washing, drying, patching, lubricating, and re-rolling it comes to thirty pence." "My God," said MacTavish, "how much for a new one?" "Fifty pence," replied the chemist. Tucking the condom back in his kilt, MacTavish walked out saying, "I will talk it over with the lads at the barracks and let you know our decision tomorrow." One day, Paddy, who worked in the local brewery, fell into a gigantic barrel of beer and drowned. When his wife…
Beloved Osho, in a world ridden with hate and hostility, sadness and sorrow, you seem to be the lonely bard of love and laughter. Is this not hilarious?
It is. Maitreya, it is hilarious but somebody has to begin it. We want the world to be less serious and more sensitive. Sincere of course, but serious never. We want the world to learn that the sense of humor is one of the most fundamental qualities of a religious man. If you cannot laugh, you will miss many things in life, you will miss many mysteries. Your laughter makes you a small innocent child, your laughter joins you with existence -- with the roaring ocean, with the stars and their silence. Your laughter makes you the lonely part of the world which has become intelligent, because only intelligent people can laugh. That's why animals cannot afford to laugh -- they don't have that much intelligence. You can try -- you can tell a joke to your buffalo and see what happens. And because seriousness has always been taught to…
Beloved Osho, is there a sense of humor beyond the mind? To me meditation has a sense of seriousness in it, and in my experience a sense of humor arises from misunderstandings -- real or imagined -- which have their root in the mind. Is it possible for laughter to arise with no-mind?
I have heard about an American seeker. He was a super-rich man, and having everything, he got fed up. The more you have, the more you become aware that it is not going to satisfy you. The poor man is in a better mental condition, because he can hope that tomorrow he will have a better house, a better job, more salary, a better car. There are millions of hopes around him which will never be fulfilled, and it is good that they will not be fulfilled. The super-rich finds himself in a very strange position: all hopes are fulfilled and his hands are empty, his being is empty; nothing has been found. Life has befooled him. Those hopes have proved to be all mirages. So the man started looking for some wise man who can show him the path to find the real, the ultimate, the absolute truth. And…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, IS MAN REALLY THE MOST HILARIOUS ANIMAL? WOULD YOU GIVE US A FEW MORE EXAMPLES? Devageet, this is more like you. The other day you were asking about death. That is not at all a reflection of your individuality. You are a man who can understand laughter as one of the most religious qualities. It has never been accepted by any religion as a religious quality. But I am never in agreement with any superstition, howsoever old and ancient it may be. And I don't care at all what others have believed, lived. I trust my own experience more than any holy scripture, more than any great saint or sage. My experience about laughter is that it is the most purifying, the most healthy, the most rejuvenating, the most refreshing, and the most total experience. It can be your first experience of totality. You can laugh totally.
Beloved Osho, sitting in front of us, what do you see? Do you find all these jokes while looking at us?
Svabhavo, you are right. I have to confess it: looking at you, what else can be found? You are all a joke unto yourself. Gautam Buddha said as his last statement: "Be a light unto yourself." The day I leave the body please remind me, so that I can make my last statement: "Be a joke unto yourself." That is far more joyful than being a light unto yourself. What are you going to do with a light? Light your cigars, or burn people's houses? But being a joke unto yourself, you will be a bliss for everyone. You are right... this is the way I find jokes -- looking at you. So be aware when I look at you; I am searching for a joke! A big old Indian was sitting in a bar out West when a dirty hippy came in and started to drink a lot and…