According to Osho, the universe never began and will never end; existence is beginningless, endless, and eternally transforming. What we call “creation” is the ceaseless reshaping of already-present being within time and space—there is no first moment, and thus no creator is required. Forms arise and dissolve, but essence persists; nothing comes from nothing, and nonbeing cannot give birth to being.
There was no first day or maker—everything has always been here, just changing shape forever.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: YOU SAID THE OTHER DAY THAT NO ONE IS INTERESTED ANY MORE IN QUESTIONS LIKE "WHO CREATED THE UNIVERSE?" BUT A RECENT EDITION OF TIME MAGAZINE DEVOTED CONSIDERABLE SPACE TO AN ARTICLE ENTITLED "IN THE BEGINNING: GOD AND SCIENCE." THE BASIC THEME OF THE ARTICLE WAS THAT SCIENCE AND RELIGION HAVE BEEN BROUGHT CLOSE TOGETHER BY THE "BIG BANG" THEORY OF CREATION IN WHICH THE UNIVERSE IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE COME INTO BEING THROUGH A VAST FIREBALL EXPLOSION, FIFTEEN OR TWENTY MILLION YEARS AGO. TIME SAYS THAT THIS SOUNDS VERY MUCH LIKE THE STORY WHICH THE OLD TESTAMENT HAS BEEN TELLING ALL ALONG, NAMELY THAT THE UNIVERSE BEGAN IN A SINGLE FLASHING ACT OF CREATION. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE UNIVERSE WAS CREATED, THAT IT HAD A BEGINNING? AND WHY DO YOU ASSERT THAT IT DID NOT?
Kapil has asked: When did this universe, this life, begin? How did it begin?
This question is very significant in the context of Mahavira as well. It is significant because Mahavira is among those few thinkers who rejected the very notion of a beginning. Mahavira says that a beginning is simply not possible. Existence cannot have a beginning. Existence has always been, and it can never be that existence one day will not be—such a thing cannot be. He denies the very talk of beginning and end. And I agree with him. The notion of a beginning arises out of our own ignorance. Because we have a beginning and an end, we feel that everything must have a beginning and an end. But if we go deep within ourselves, we will discover that we too have neither a beginning nor an end. When we see something come into being and pass away, we conclude that whatever is born must die. That is correct, but…
Question: THIS UNIVERSE, WHICH IS THE SAME FOR ALL, HAS NOT BEEN MADE BY ANY GOD OR MAN, BUT IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, IS, AND WILL BE -- AN EVERLIVING FIRE, KINDLING ITSELF BY REGULAR MEASURES AND GOING OUT BY REGULAR MEASURES. THE PHASES OF FIRE ARE CRAVING AND SATIETY. THE SUN IS NEW EACH DAY. These two appear two to the mind because the mind cannot see through opposites. When you don't see from the mind, from the logical standpoint, when you simply look into the phenomenon itself, the totality of it, the two disappears and only one remains. That is the thing with God as creator and universe as creation. Not only are ordinary persons deceived by the mind -- great theologians, they are also deceived by it. They also say, "God created the world." This statement is juvenile, it is childish.
God is dead, but that creates the question: who began this universe?
There is no need for anybody to begin it, because there is no beginning to this universe, and there is no end. This question has been exploited by all the religions, because everybody wants to know who began the universe, because your minds are so small they cannot conceive a beginningless universe, an endless universe, just eternity to eternity. Because you cannot conceive that vastness, your question arises, "Who created the universe? Who began it?" But if there was somebody already to begin it, there was a universe. Do you see the simple arithmetic? If there was somebody already to begin it, then you cannot call it the beginning, somebody was already there. If you think that God is a necessary thing... it gives you consolation that God created the world, so you have a beginning. But who created God? Again you fall into the same problem. And all the…
Beloved Osho, the christian bible begins with the statement, "in the beginning, was the word." do you agree?
There has been no creation. How can there be "the beginning"? The creation is continuous; it is creativity. Back you move, you will not find the beginning; ahead you go, you will not find the end. It is beginningless, endless creative energy. So in the first place there was no beginning. God never created the world -- there is no God. And the Bible says, "In the beginning was the word." That is the most ridiculous thing to say. If we assume just for the argument's sake that there was a beginning, then I will say, "In the beginning there was silence." How can there be "the word" in the beginning? Just look at the idea. How can the word be in the beginning? -- then what was before the word? Of course there must have been silence, before the word disturbed it. And silence means much more because that's…