According to Osho, feeling deep closeness without formal initiation happens because true nearness is an inner bond of love—your heart attuned to another’s—not a matter of bodies or rituals. You may be miles apart yet near if hearts beat together. This is only the beginning; let inner resonance mature into outer harmony by aligning the inner and outer (sannyas).
You feel close because your hearts are tuned to the same station; papers, distance, or ceremonies don’t create real nearness.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: OSHO, WHAT IS INITIATION ACCORDING TO YOU? Then even in a single moment you can have the taste of love. It may last for years, it may not last, that is irrelevant -- who knows about tomorrow morning? But if somebody asks you this moment, you are ready to promise for the whole of eternity -- not just for tomorrow morning, but for all the tomorrows to come. But the people who have given the ideas about love have given very wrong notions. One notion that they have given is that if you love a person then you have to love the person forever -- if it is real love. That is their criterion.
Osho, you have said before that bliss is the touchstone of finding the path. But even after reaching the true Master, why is bliss not found?
Because in truth you do not come close. Do not mistake nearness for real closeness. Do not take being near to mean being truly close. Physical proximity is very easy. Many times you have brushed shoulders with Buddhas and passed by. But don’t imagine that means you came close to them. Many times on the endless roads of life you have met awakened ones. For a moment you walked with them, exchanged a few words—said a little of yours, heard a little of theirs. But don’t take that to mean togetherness happened. If true togetherness had happened, you would long since have dissolved into the Vast. Togetherness did not happen. To be in togetherness is a wondrous event. That is why we value satsang so much. We have called satsang the doorway to truth. Truth is the greatest of happenings; its majesty has no end. And its doorway, too, we…
So there are two initiations: one initiation is in the formal sannyas. The second initiation is when you are really possessed by me, when you have given me total freedom to work upon you, when you have said yes in the absolute sense; then the second initiation happens. The first is happening this moment; pray and aspire for the second to happen soon. And that happens in your inner world. You will know when it has happened. When the yes has arisen and you have started doing things without any idea, judgment; without any idea of whether it is good or bad, but just because I have said to go into it, so you are going into it, then you have become innocent. Then you start functioning from that innocence, and that is real initiation. But the first is needed for the second to happen.
One has to be with the master in a kind of communion so that slowly slowly, not only are the words understood but the gestures too, and not only the gestures, not only the words, but even the silences; so that one can learn the language of the master's eyes, his hands, the way he sits, the way he talks, the way he laughs, the way he eats, the way he sleeps. You never know from where you may get the right hint and your journey start. Once you have learned the knack, the curtain can be very easily removed. Initiation simply means initiation into a very mysterious relationship -- not of this world and not very tangible. You cannot explain it to others. If questions are raised you will simply feel dumb.
Osho, kindly explain the meaning of inner closeness to the true Master.
Now the first man was making a mistake, but at least the mistake was his own. These others were making a borrowed mistake; even their mistake was not theirs. If you bow at someone’s feet because you saw someone else do it, it will be false. If you bow out of greed, it will be false. If you bow thinking you may gain something—standing in an election and hoping to win— People come to me. They touch my feet and say, “We are standing in the election; now your blessing is in your hands.” I tell them, “If you truly want my blessing, you will lose the election. Because I can only bless that God forbid you should win. It’s better to get out of this madhouse before you enter it. Once inside, getting out becomes very difficult. Once you reach Delhi, people die at Rajghat and never return. After…