What is the role of impatience on the spiritual path?

Beloved Osho, paltudas says, "every art takes place in its own time, so why get impatient? No matter how much you water it, the tree comes into fruition in its own time." Osho, please say something about impatience on the spiritual path. Is impatience an essential part of human growth? Please comment.

It is true that everything takes place in its own time -- but it is only half true. Paltudas says, "Every art takes place in its own time, so why get impatient? No matter how much you water it, the tree comes into fruition in its own time." But that does not mean that you need not water the tree; that does not mean that you have not to sow the seeds. The seeds have also to be sown in time -- only then will the fruits come in their own time. What Paltudas is saying is only half of the whole thing. From the seed to the fruit is a long journey, and great patience is needed on the part of the gardener. But the patience must not become laziness, because the difference is very delicate and very fine. The patience should remain, in its heart of hearts, very…

Beloved Osho, the other day, I found myself upset, impatient, and irritable. When will I grow up? When will we all come to the responsibility of just being the you in us: that gracefulness that we all know ourselves to be? I feel that the time is ripe to stop whining about misery, and misunderstandings, pain, and discomforts. Could it be that as a disciple, I simply take you, your presence, your answers, your insights, and your grace for granted, as a way to avoid just stepping into myself, into the devotee?

You are saying, "I feel that the time is ripe to stop whining about misery, and misunderstandings, pain, and discomforts. Could it be that as a disciple, I simply take You, Your presence, Your answers, Your insights, and Your grace for granted?" Do you really feel, Satyadharma, that "the time is ripe to stop whining about misery, and misunderstandings"? And what are you doing in your question? What is this about being "upset, impatient, and irritable," and "when will I grow up"? If it is not whining about misery, and pain, and discomforts, then what is it? You have not felt that the time is ripe -- you have only thought. Thinking is of no help. Thinking is a cheat. It talks great things, it gives you big promises, but the goods are never delivered. Remember a clear-cut distinction between thinking and feeling: those who are feeling "the time is…

Osho, what is the relationship between meditation and patience?

If you sit to meditate to remove mental restlessness, you will keep looking back again and again: “Has it gone yet?” And the irony is that when you begin to meditate, restlessness will increase. Because what has been repressed will start surfacing; catharsis will begin. The rubbish you have kept hidden within and never allowed to express—meditation will break open those doors too. It will clean the house. Dust piled up for years, for births, will rise again; there will be gusts and storms. For a while even the little peace you had will be lost. Then you will panic: “I came for peace, and even what I had is gone.” Without patience, you could even become unhinged, because meditation brings such a great storm. The disease is not from a day or two; it’s from lifetimes. Meditation will break through all the layers to reach your innermost core. In…

You have spoken about so many methods and techniques. The yearning to succeed in them is very great. How can we overcome our great impatience?

Two things to be remembered. One: spirituality cannot be an outcome of desire, because desire is the root cause of all our anxiety and anguish. And you cannot direct your desires to the spiritual realm. But it happens, it is natural, because we know only one movement -- that is desire. We desire the things of the world. Someone desires riches, someone desires fame, someone desires prestige and power, or something else. We desire things of the world, and through this desiring we are frustrated. And we are bound to be frustrated -- it is irrelevant whether a desire is fulfilled or not. If it is not fulfilled, obviously we will be frustrated. If it is fulfilled, then too we will be frustrated, because whenever a desire is fulfilled, the desire is fulfilled, but the hope, the promise, is not fulfilled. You can get as much wealth as you desire,…

At times I feel like I can just silently sit and wait for eternity -- and other times like sobbing with the futility of sitting outside a gate I cannot even see -- frozen between action and inaction. Does one miss by demanding? Is impatience a lack of trust?

So waiting has to be with no idea for what. A real waiter cannot answer the question for what he is waiting; he can only shrug his shoulders, he can say 'I don't know.' But one thing is certain: that waiting is infinitely beautiful, waiting is infinitely joyous. When the whole turmoil disappears and it is all silence, it has a beauty of its own. You ask me: DOES ONE MISS BY DEMANDING? Certainly, absolutely. Demand has to be dropped. IS IMPATIENCE A LACK OF TRUST? Yes, certainly, absolutely. Impatience simply means you can't trust existence, you have to do something. You can't just sit there and trust that it will happen when you are ripe; that when spring comes, the grass will grow of its own accord. You cannot trust; you have to pull the grass from the earth. You cannot wait like a farmer who has thrown his…