According to Osho, harshness and compassion are not opposites but complementary tools of transformation; like a potter supporting from within while striking from without, the master both soothes and challenges. Pure comfort leaves you inert, pure blows make you flee; together they shape the soul—erasing the dilapidated and birthing the new. True compassion sometimes turns hard so that the hidden divine possibility can flower.
A wise teacher is kind and tough at the same time, because both hugs and firm pushes are needed to help you grow.