According to Osho, his towel carries no mystical significance; it began as a practical weapon against Jabalpur’s relentless mosquitoes so he could sit and meditate. Over time, people projected esoteric theories onto it, turning a once-useful item into mere superstition he kept for others’ minds. Having decided to drop it, he uses the story to teach non-attachment: abandon symbols and habits when their purpose ends, and don’t cling to borrowed meanings.
It was just a bug-swatting towel, not magic—use things when needed, then let them go and don’t make up special meanings.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: BELOVED OSHO, THE ZEN MASTER HOTEI USED TO TRAVEL AROUND WITH A BAG ON HIS SHOULDER, GIVING OUT SWEETS TO CHILDREN AND PLAYING WITH THEM. IF A ZEN DEVOTEE WERE TO MEET HIM ON THE ROAD, HOTEI WOULD SIMPLY BOW DOWN TO HIM AND SAY, "GIVE A PENNY!" AND IF HE WERE ASKED TO GO TO A TEMPLE TO GIVE A DISCOURSE, AGAIN HOTEI WOULD SAY THE SAME THING: "GIVE A PENNY!" ONCE HE WAS PLAYING WITH SOME CHILDREN, AND ANOTHER ZEN MONK MET HIM AND ASKED, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF ZEN?" IN SILENT ANSWER, HOTEI PUT HIS BAG ON THE GROUND. THE MONK THEN ASKED HIM, "WHAT IS THE ACHIEVEMENT OF ZEN?", AT WHICH THE SMILING BUDDHA PICKED HIS BAG UP AGAIN, PUT IT ON HIS SHOULDER, AND SET OFF. THE OTHER MONK ALSO LATER BECAME A FAMOUS ZEN MASTER.
Osho, you have said that sannyas is the realization of truth. Then are ochre robes and the mala also essential for sannyas? And can a person not walk on your path without initiation? Kindly guide.
The day before yesterday a friend asked—he has taken sannyas, a simple-hearted man—he asked, “What is the scientific reason for this mala?” How can a mala possibly have a scientific reason? Its reason is religious, inward—not scientific. I told him, “If you want something ‘scientific,’ ask Laxmi.” A scientific reason? Does love ever have a scientific reason? A young man fell in love with Mulla Nasruddin’s daughter. He came and said, “I am in love with your daughter; please permit me to marry her.” Mulla said, “First prove it—what is the cause of your love?” The young man replied, “There is no cause, sir! Love has happened. Where there is a cause, can there be love? Where there is a cause, there is business, a bargain. Love is causeless.” Your love has happened with me; mine with you. Now some symbol becomes necessary. Think of this mala as the seven…
Osho, do the mala and the renaming have any special significance?
Yes, they do; there is great meaning. Changing a sannyasin’s name has deep significance. It is symbolic. And in our lives, everything is symbolic. You have lived with one name; your identity is tied to it. A name has been your symbol. Your personality has become connected with it. Your name is associated with all that you were till yesterday; it is linked to that. The meaning of changing a sannyasin’s name is that we break him from his old identity. We say: now you are not who you were till yesterday. Now you set out on a new journey, carrying a new identity. In the old days, when initiation was given, they performed a small experiment. It was like this: just as we bathe a corpse before placing it on the bier, so they would bathe him. Just as we shave a corpse’s hair, shave the head, so they…
Question: Osho, the Zen fakir Hotei would wander with a sack slung over his shoulder, distributing sweets to children and only playing with them. When he met a Zen devotee on the road, he would bow and say just this: “Give me one coin.” And when someone told him, “Come to the temple and give a discourse,” even then Hotei would say, “Give me one coin.” Once, while he was playing with children, another Zen monk met him and asked, “What is the meaning of Zen?” In silent answer Hotei put his sack down on the ground. And when that monk asked, “What is the attainment of Zen?” the laughing buddha hoisted his sack back on his shoulder and walked away. And that monk became very famous. What were his messages? Please explain. So Hotei’s “Walk on” is the very essence of meditation: keep moving.
A friend has asked: Osho, your attire is like that of a monk—what is the reason for this? Can’t you wear trousers, shirts, and so on? You believe in science and preach throwing out the old.
The monk has nothing except his attire; so I have chosen that from him, and the other things I have chosen from those who have them. The monk has nothing but clothing. But clothing he does have. And remember, it is very scientific attire. Trousers and ties are not scientific. In fact, the best garments are those that do not erase the sense of nakedness. The best garments are those that do not tighten, do not bind, do not turn into a prison. The best garments are those that do not fasten you anywhere, that keep you always open and free. But we are used to living in cages, so we build our houses like cages. Then we are not satisfied with the house—because how will we carry the house around outside?—so we make our clothes like cages too, tight from all sides. And when nothing else is left, we…