When you feel upset with your guru, don’t hide it or spread it—calmly watch it, see if it’s hurt pride or a real question, and then speak to them openly.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, sometimes a great revolt flares up in my mind against you, and here and there I even end up making little criticisms of you. It is said that one who maligns the guru finds no refuge anywhere. What should I do?
Good. Let it flare up. Only a dead disciple never rebels. Rebellion is energy; if you repress it, it becomes poison, if you watch it, it becomes fuel for awareness. Remember, your criticism cannot harm me; it can only cloud you. When you throw mud at the sky, the sky is not stained—only your hands are. Do not be frightened by old sayings. “Whoever maligns the guru finds no place” was invented by priests to protect their thrones. A living master does not need your fear; he invites your intelligence. If your trust cannot pass through the fire of doubt, it is not trust—it is decoration borrowed from others. I do not ask you to stop your rebellion; I ask you to bring it into the light. Two things to remember: - Do not gossip. Gossip is the coward’s rebellion. If something burns in you about me, bring it to…
I frequently hear you speak about rebellion. The priests and nuns and relatives that shaped my training are now old and dried up. Most are dead. It seems worthless to rebel against those helpless old people.
I AM NOW THE PRIEST AND THE DOCTRINES. I FEEL THAT TO REBEL AGAINST ANYTHING OUTSIDE MYSELF IS A WASTE OF TIME AND JUST SIMPLY NOT TO THE POINT. THIS MAKES THE SITUATION MUCH MORE FRUSTRATING AND ENTANGLED. IT SEEMS THE SELF MUST REBEL AGAINST THE SELF. I ACCEPT THAT IT IS NOT THE ESSENTIAL SELF -- THE ORIGINAL FACE -- THAT HAS TO DO THE REBELLING. IT IS THE TRAINED SELF -- THE SUBTERFUGE. BUT THAT IS THE ONLY "SELF" I HAVE OR KNOW WITH WHICH TO DO THE REBELLING. HOW DOES THE SUBTERFUGE REBEL AGAINST THE SUBTERFUGE? For example, just sitting with your friends, by the way, you say, "That movie I went to yesterday was not worth seeing." You may have mentioned it just by the way, but then somebody says, "You are wrong. I have also seen the movie. It is one of the most beautiful…
Revolution is political; rebellion is spiritual. Revolution is of the crowd; rebellion is individual. All revolutions have failed. Whenever rebellion has been tried it has never failed, but very few people have tried it: a Buddha, a Jesus, a Zarathustra... very few people. But whenever it has been tried it has succeeded, it has never failed. Revolution is based in hatred; rebellion is based in love. You rebel out of love. Revolution is destructive, bound to be so, because out of hate nothing else can happen. Rebellion is creative, because love is the most creative energy. When you rebel out of love your rebellion has a grace to it, a beauty, a truth, which is not of the earth, which comes from the beyond. Sannyas is a rebellion. My whole teaching is of love and rebellion.
Beloved master, the words `resistance' and `surrender', extremely popular in the old poona days, are no longer being used to punish, judge and reject. The oregon experience helped. Now the ashram is less fear-orientated. But in private life, how to distinguish between resistance and healthy rebellion, between surrender and resignation? The pitfalls of my habitual unconscious stubbornness make me suspicious of my imperceptible false yes and no. Beloved master, is there any simple test? Is it authentic when it just feels good?
Gautam Buddha in his past life heard about another man who had become enlightened. He was not much interested, but curious to see what kind of phenomenon enlightenment was and what it did to the man. He set off, and as he came close to the man something started melting in his heart; something that was hard and arrogant was disappearing. And as he came very close, he witnessed himself touching the feet of the man. He was not touching, he had not even the idea of touching the feet of the man, but he saw that he was touching the feet. The man had such a beauty and such a grace that it was such a joy even to touch his feet. But the most miraculous thing happened as he stood up: the man also touched Gautam Buddha's feet. Gautam Buddha said, "What are you doing? You are enlightened.…
Beloved Osho, hearing you talk about your rebellious attitude in your childhood, I feel connected to that, because I did the same. I struggled hard not to be repressed, but somehow they got me in the end. Half-heartedly I compromised. Why was your rebellion not disturbed by anything?
Neither I compromise with anybody, nor do I allow anybody else to compromise with me. I have never compromised and I have never allowed anybody to compromise with me. Compromise is not my game. This is possible only if you are not trying to strengthen your ego. For ego, it makes no difference: struggle is okay if it is nourishment for the ego, compromise is okay if it is nourishment for the ego. The ego wants to remain -- it can use any means. There is no question of deciding what is right, what is wrong. For the ego, anything that keeps it strong is right -- might is right. So if you can get something through compromise, why should you bother to fight? Yes, if you cannot get it through compromise, you are ready to struggle, to fight, to do anything that you are capable of. This must have…