According to Osho, no separation ever occurred; the ‘imperishable part’ never left the Source. Separation is only a dream born of ego and forgetfulness, sustained by identification with body and mind. Asking when/why/how is futile; the remedy is awakening. Through alert witnessing and dropping borrowed beliefs, remembrance returns, identification loosens, and the illusory gap vanishes—revealing you have always been the Whole.
Like dreaming you’re a horse, you never truly changed—just wake up and remember your real nature.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, we are a part of God and also imperishable. Please tell us when, why, and how did this part get separated from the Source? And is the reunion of the part with the Source—a union that never again separates—possible or not? If it is possible, please merge the part back into the Source so that we do not have to come again into this tumult and be frightened.
What interpretation of a dream? Now that it’s been seen and you’ve awakened—drop the whole fuss! The disciples answered perfectly. It was a touchstone. It was their test. The moment of examination had come. One disciple brought water: wash your face and hands. The dream is gone—let’s end the matter! What more interpretation? A dream is a dream; the matter is finished. Interpretation is of truth, not of dreams. What interpretation can there be of a lie? Of that which never happened, what interpretation can there be? It is enough to know it was a dream; now wash your face and hands. Come out—now that you are already out. The second young man also did right by bringing tea: your face and hands are washed, but it seems a little sleep still lingers—drink tea and wake up completely. This is what I say to you: wash your face and hands,…
Beloved Osho, we are part and parcel of god, and indestructible too. Please explain when, why and how this part got separated from the root? And reuniting the part to the root -- is it possible there is a union that cannot be separated? If it is possible then please join this part to the root so that I don't have to be frightened in this chaos again and again.
If you ask me I will say that meditation is not a method to attain God; God can be attained without meditation too. Meditation is a training to endure God. Meditation gives you the capacity to withstand. When you enter ultimate aloneness you will be completely alone. No radio, no television, no newspaper -- no friend, no club, no society -- nothing at all. You will be completely alone. Prepare for that aloneness. I am ready to take you out of this chaos, but are you ready? When you sit alone your head starts creating this same chaos. The friends that renounce their homes start talking to themselves. In their head they start talking to the wife they left behind. The whole crowd is collected again. Webs of imagination are woven. You cannot remain alone; hence you return again and again. You do not return to the world without cause.…
Question: The last question: Osho, why is there separation from the Divine? Only from the human side. Not the slightest from the Divine side. It is forgetfulness, not separation. If separation had happened, then yoga would not be possible—how would union happen then? Where would you search for him? You wouldn’t even know his whereabouts. You wouldn’t even know his name and abode. Which direction would you go? Then there would be darkness everywhere; with what lamp would you search? Whom would you search for? And even if you met him on the way, how would you recognize him? What recognition would there be? No, separation has not happened. If separation had happened, then union could never happen. Union is possible precisely because separation has not happened—only forgetfulness has.
Osho, is it necessary to pass through the state of separation for union with the Divine?
I wrote and sent countless letters, still, cruel one, you did not come. The desolate garden’s days rolled by, dark monsoon clouds kept gathering; the henna beds breathed fragrance, the thresholds rang with birdsong, the neem in the courtyard flowered, the mango grove at home bloomed. Everything spoke—only you were silent; I sat alone, my heart caged. Laughter lost, joy lost, sleep was sold, peace squandered. At whose temple shall I wave the lamp? At whose door shall I surrender? To whom shall I send my silent messages, to whom my tender invitation? I wrote and sent countless letters, none ever returned to me. All came—only you did not; why this cruel spell upon me? Such intense longing took hold, such efforts did it compel. The threshold fell hush and mute, the latch kept clicking, waiting; the clouds swayed low and bowed, the rains held back, still waiting. Whenever your…
Another friend has asked: Osho, what is the relationship between the method of meditation and jati-smaran (recollection of past lives)?
But the one who becomes skilled in this—who can fully awaken any day’s memory up to the age of five—will find that the memories begin to awaken completely. And you should test it. As today passes, note down some events and lock them up. After two years, try to recall today. Most of it will have been forgotten. Then remember—and after remembering, break the lock and compare whether what you recalled matches what you had written. You will be amazed—astonished—that besides what you wrote, many more details have come back which you did not even note at the time. They will all be there in memory. Buddha called this alaya-vijnana. There is a corner of the human mind he called the storehouse of consciousness. Like a junk room in the house where we keep all the odds and ends, there is a storehouse that collects memories—where everything from birth after…