What is the true nature of religion?

Osho, what is the definition of God?

Words are very small. If you say God is light, then what of darkness? The scriptures have said that God is light. Suppose we accept this as a definition—then what about darkness? Where will darkness go? Darkness is too; in fact it is far more than light. Light sometimes is and sometimes is not; darkness is always, eternal. Where will you place darkness? If you say God is light, darkness is left out. If you say God is darkness, then light is left out. If you say God is both darkness and light, a contradiction arises: they cannot be together. Try to have both darkness and light in the same room. If you bring in light, darkness disappears; if you preserve darkness, you cannot have light. Then how can both be together? That becomes an impossibility. So you cannot say “both” either. Then the fourth device is to say: it…

It is asked: Civilization, culture, and organized religion are ninety-nine percent conduct, imitation. Then what is religion?

That is exactly why religion has been lost. In your so-called civilization, your culture, and your so-called religions—there religion has been lost. Religion is—the manifestation of the consciousness within you. Religion is—the kindling of the awareness within you. Religion is—the arrival of wakefulness, the coming of meditation, the descent of samadhi. Religion has nothing to do with the outside; religion is an inner revolution. Then what people say outside—who cares! One lives in one’s own bliss, one lives in the festival of life. Then what others say—who cares! If they speak well—good; if they speak ill—good. If they honor you—fine; if they insult you—fine. Once the taste and the fragrance of the within begin to arise, outer values lose all meaning. I give you such freedom. But you do not want freedom; you want dependence. You say, Lay down rules. You feel meditation and samadhi are distant, beyond your capacity.…

Beloved Osho, what is religion?

In anger one day the archbishop took a motorboat and went to those three people who were sitting under a tree. He looked at them and he could not believe it: what kind of saints are these? In the very beginning he introduced himself and declared, "I am the archbishop." The three saints all touched his feet. Now he felt relaxed, "These are fools... and things are not yet gone so far that they cannot be controlled." He asked them, "Are you saints?" They looked at each other, and they said, "We have never heard the word. We are uneducated, uncultured. Don't talk Greek to us; just simply say what you mean." "My God," said the archbishop, "you don't know what a saint means? Do you know the Christian prayer?" Again they looked at each other, and nudged each other as if to say, "You tell him." The archbishop now…

Beloved Osho, what is religion? What is your opinion on organized religion?

I condemn the organized religions in the same way I condemn the politicians -- they are nothing but politics. So when I said to you that religious people should be respected, honored -- the politicians should go to them for advice -- I was not talking about organized religions; I was talking only about religious individuals. And a religious individual is neither Hindu nor Christian nor Mohammedan. How can he be? -- God himself is not Hindu, not Mohammedan, not Christian. And the man who knows something of the divine becomes colored with his divinity, becomes fragrant with godliness. In the ancient East these religious people were our highest flowers, and even kings and emperors used to go to them to touch their feet and to be blessed -- to ask their advice on problems which they were unable to solve. If we want the world to remain alive, we…

Osho, what is the definition of God?

Words are very small. If you say God is light, then what of darkness? The scriptures have said that God is light. Suppose we accept this as a definition—then what about darkness? Where will darkness go? Darkness is too; in fact it is far more than light. Light sometimes is and sometimes is not; darkness is always, eternal. Where will you place darkness? If you say God is light, darkness is left out. If you say God is darkness, then light is left out. If you say God is both darkness and light, a contradiction arises: they cannot be together. Try to have both darkness and light in the same room. If you bring in light, darkness disappears; if you preserve darkness, you cannot have light. Then how can both be together? That becomes an impossibility. So you cannot say “both” either. Then the fourth device is to say: it…