According to Osho, punishment isn’t imposed from outside; it is the built‑in consequence of breaking life’s real “rules.” Ignore awareness and needed skills, and suffering arises automatically—like a non‑swimmer doubling danger by jumping in, or two dependent people multiplying misery in marriage. Learn aloneness and consciousness first; then actions and relationships flow harmoniously, avoiding self‑created penalties.
If you ignore how life really works—like trying to swim without learning—you get hurt by the situation itself; no one is punishing you.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Are we not punished for out sin?
No, We are punished BY our sin, not FOR our sin. Sin itself is its punishment. You over-eat, you suffer; you over-indulge, you suffer. It is not that the suffering will come later on, that suffering will come as a result, no. Suffering comes in the act itself. So let me tell it in this way: We are punished BY our sin, not for our sin. That FOR has created great difficulties for man, because 'for' means 'in the future', maybe in the other life. 'Who bothers about the future? And we will see when it comes if some ways and means can be found to avoid it. Or we can always go to the priest and confess, or we can go to the Ganges and take a bath and be relieved of the sin. Or we can go to a saint and be blessed by him.' Some strategy can…
Osho, what do you want man to do? What is right and wrong according to you? Is there something like sin and its punishment too?
Perhaps I am the only person here, on this whole earth, who is objecting that this is befooling people. This is creating a camouflage, a bogus spiritual jargon. If God has any sense, any intelligence at all, He should find some better way to bring the best out in people. This does not seem to be very intelligent. If this is what God is doing then where is the devil? And what will the devil do? God has taken his job too; the devil is unemployed. And people applauded her; she is a great saint. And what present has she brought to them? -- a small statue of Mother Mary. A great help: "Pray to Mother Mary, and don't take it as a tragedy and don't complain that it is the fault or carelessness of certain officers concerned; no, that is not good." Of course if those people were not…
You do not know how many crimes you have created in children by teaching them “Don’t.” In fact, children do not even know that lying is sin. When you say lying is sin, they first learn there must be some relish in lying. Because sin is always juicy. Those things you call sin become juicy; by your calling them sin they become juicier. And the things for which you give punishment, place prohibitions—an attraction is created. Write on this door: Peeking inside is forbidden. Then no one courageous will go from here without peeking. He will peek. Wherever you see written “Urination here is forbidden,” you will find the marks of a hundred men below then and there. In fact, on the wall where it is written “Urination forbidden,” as soon as you come there, suddenly the urge to urinate arises. No one has tried, but you try.
Beloved Osho, it is my experience that outside our international communes mankind has based life on a system of penalty and reward. Are our communes the only places where there is complete acceptance of responsibility, and mistakes are recognized as opportunities to learn? Please comment.
In my commune there is no punishment because I accept your mistakes as human, natural. To punish you for something natural and human is to destroy you, your humanity and your natural spontaneity. Nobody is rewarded, because punishment and reward are together. The reward says, "You have done right. Now go on doing right until you get the Nobel Prize." It is a bribe. It is an effort to mold your life according to the vested interests. The society needs slaves, it does not need independent rebels. And my commune consists only of independent individuals, rebels. They have gathered together -- not that they believe in a certain catechism, not that they believe in a certain dogma. I don't give you any dogma, any doctrine. You have gathered here because you have found a certain synchronicity with other sannyasins. You are all rebels. Your rebellion joins you together. Your rebellious…
Osho, how can I meditate while there is so much suffering, poverty, and wretchedness in the world? In such a situation, isn’t meditation pure selfishness? Even if I were to meet God, instead of asking for my own peace I would rather ask for punishment for those because of whom there is exploitation, suffering, and injustice in the world.
As you wish! If one doesn’t want to meditate, any excuse will do. If you don’t want to meditate you can convince yourself by any logic that meditation is wrong. But you haven’t even yet understood what meditation is. Nor have you understood that all this suffering, pain, and turmoil in the world is precisely because there is no meditation. A suffering person spreads suffering. Even if he wanted to give something else, he couldn’t. You can only give what you have. If you don’t have it, how will you give it? The unhappy give unhappiness; the fulfilled give fulfillment. If you want joy in the world, inner peace and inner awareness are essential conditions. Don’t stumble over the word “meditation.” It simply means you begin to sink into the juice of your own being. When you are full of inner nectar, it flows through your actions. Then whatever you…