According to Osho, the 'where' of spiritual practice is far less important than the 'when'—the ripeness of consciousness. He argues that Buddha was 'before his time,' and only after humanity fully explores Marx’s material inquiry does Buddha become inevitable. Practice flowers when the collective and individual mind matures; choose any setting that supports awareness, but readiness is decisive.
Where you are matters less than being ready inside; after learning about the outer world, turning inward comes naturally.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Does enlightenment need a special place, a special time, to happen?
Every place is special, because every place is overflowing with God. No place is ordinary. Enlightenment can happen even in your toilet! Enlightenment is not afraid of your toilet! It can happen anywhere. You need not go to sacred places; there are none. All existence is sacred! You need not go to Varanasi or Jerusalem or Kaaba -- all nonsense. All places are full of God. Every point is special. And what special time are you asking about? Is there a season, a certain climate for enlightenment? Enlightenment is not really a happening. If it were a happening, then maybe, in a certain soil, in a certain climate, in a certain place, on certain days it would be more possible. But enlightenment is not a happening. Enlightenment is simply a recognition -- a recognition that you have always been enlightened, that never, for a single moment, have you lost it;…
Mahesh has the greatest number of temples. It shows one thing, that the East understood very correctly the beauty of destruction. To worship the god of destruction is to accept the fundamental of revolution . (The light your eyes perceive is not real illumination, Osho tells us.) It only reveals objects. It only reveals the superficial, it does not reveal the innermost core of things; the subjectivity remains unrevealed by it. The definition of true light is that which reveals your interiority -- and it is possible only through meditation. There is no other way to reveal your inner world, to make it full of light, to see what it is. And once you have seen your inner world you have seen everybody else's inner world too, because it is the same reality. If you have seen one rose flower you have seen all rose flowers.
Osho, Buddha attained enlightenment under a tree. You say that on the day the event of enlightenment happened to Socrates, he was standing leaning against a tree. In Krishnamurti’s life too there is a similar mention, and you yourself, on the day of your enlightenment, left home and climbed a tree. So is there any esoteric relation between trees and enlightenment? And also explain: if enlightenment happens suddenly, how did you have prior intimation of it that day, so that you left home and climbed a tree?
If you go to England or America, you will meditate with the same ease—because what’s the point? That society isn’t yours. Those people are as good as non-existent. Whatever their eyes judge, what harm can it do you? But the eyes that know you, with whom you have dealings, business—those you fear. Your self-interest might suffer by offending them. And the image you have in their eyes—if that changes, you become restless. Because you have no understanding of yourself; what others think you are, that is what you think you are. If others say you are beautiful, you believe you are beautiful. If others say you are good and decent, you believe you are good and decent. And if others begin to think you are mad, it won’t be long before you start doubting yourself—and soon you will accept that you are mad. Psychologists say we stunt the intelligence of…
Jesus says, "Seek and ye shall find." But where to seek? People have been seeking in every sacred place; they are going to Jerusalem or to Mecca or to Kashi or to Tibet. That is not going to help. Wherever you go, you are wasting your time. One has to go within. The kingdom of God is within you. Meditation is the whole art of transforming the gestalt; the consciousness that goes outwards starts turning in. And then one becomes aware of millions of gifts; then small things, very small and ordinary things, have tremendous significance. Just a dewdrop slipping from the lotus leaf into the lake is enough to fill one with wonder and awe. It is poetry, pure poetry! It is music, it is dance, it is a finger pointing to the moon.
He is the charioteer. He has tamed his horses, pride and the senses. Even the gods admire him.
YIELDING LIKE THE EARTH, JOYOUS AND CLEAR LIKE THE LAKE, STILL AS THE STONE AT THE DOOR, HE IS FREE FROM LIFE AND DEATH. HIS THOUGHTS ARE STILL. HIS WORDS ARE STILL. HIS WORK IS STILLNESS. HE SEES HIS FREEDOM AND IS FREED. THE MASTER SURRENDERS HIS BELIEFS. HE SEES BEYOND THE END AND THE BEGINNING. HE CUTS ALL TIES. HE GIVES UP ALL HIS DESIRES. HE RESISTS ALL TEMPTATION. AND HE RISES. AND WHEREVER HE LIVES, IN THE CITY OR THE COUNTRY, IN THE VALLEY OR IN THE HILLS, THERE IS GREAT JOY. EVEN IN THE EMPTY FOREST All over the world, seekers of truth have become aware of this phenomenon and they have reacted in two ways; one is right, the other is wrong. The wrong way is to start fighting with your senses and your body. By fighting you will never win. By fighting you will become…