According to Osho, judgments don’t arise from existence—which is non-judgmental—but from the “fiction of God” institutionalized by priests who condition minds to label everything. In God’s name, they implant automatic evaluations from memory that veil present reality. Liberation comes by seeing freshly—through meditation—where awakening is available anywhere, without moral rankings of saint or sinner.
Judgments are learned labels taught in God’s name; drop them and look freshly (meditate) to see what’s really here.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
I heard you say existence is non-judgmental, but our minds are full of judgments. Where do they come from? Are they also related to the idea of god?
Existence is non-judgmental. That is one of the greatest contributions of Zen to humanity: that you need not be a saint to be awakened. You can be awakened from any angle, from any dimension of life. It is almost like somebody is dreaming that he is murdering someone, and somebody else is dreaming a very sweet dream that he is serving the poor people. Somebody is dreaming that he is very virtuous, a saint, and somebody is dreaming that he is a murderer, the worst kind of criminal. Do you think the saintly dreamer will wake up sooner, and the sinner and the criminal will take a little longer time to wake up? They will both wake up exactly at the same time, by the same method. Just throw one bucket full of ice-cold water on both and they will jump out of their beds. It does not matter whether…
It says many things. One: that I am not to be afraid of god, because god is love and love knows no judgement, so no need to be afraid of that day, the ultimate way of judgement. There is never going to be such a day. The whole idea is an invention of the priests -- that there will be a way of judgement when everybody will have to answer "Why did you do this? Why did you do that?" ... god asking you "Why did you smoke cigarettes?" -- just see the whole stupidity of it, of god asking you "Why did you once lie?" -- and that too after an eternity. The whole idea makes god look very mean. "God is my judge" simply says something which is very paradoxical. Because god is love there is no need to be afraid of any judgement. God if forgiveness.
Question: HASAN OF BASRA RELATES: 'I HAD CONVINCED MYSELF THAT I WAS A MAN OF HUMILITY AND LESS THAN HUMBLE IN MY THOUGHTS AND CONDUCT TO OTHERS. 'THEN ONE DAY I WAS STANDING ON THE BANK OF THE RIVER WHEN I SAW A MAN SITTING THERE. BESIDE HIM WAS A WOMAN AND BEFORE THEM WAS A WINE-FLASK. 'I THOUGHT, "IF ONLY I COULD REFORM THIS MAN AND MAKE HIM LIKE I AM INSTEAD OF THE DEGENERATE CREATURE WHICH HE IS."' 'AT THAT MOMENT I SAW A BOAT IN THE RIVER BEGINNING TO SINK. THE OTHER MAN AT ONCE THREW HIMSELF INTO THE WATER WHERE SEVEN PEOPLE WERE STRUGGLING, AND BROUGHT SIX OF THEM SAFELY TO THE BANK. 'THEN THE MAN CAME UP TO ME AND SAID, "HASAN, IF YOU ARE A BETTER MAN THAN ME, IN THE NAME OF GOD SAVE THAT OTHER MAN, THE LAST REMAINING ONE.
Is it not the same to call existence intelligent and loving as to call it god? It might not be the christian concept of god but there are other pantheistic concepts which see god in everything.
Now they have a special instrument, like a cardiogram; it has exactly the same type of mechanism. They put the cardiogram around the tree and the cardiogram starts giving the graph, how the tree is feeling. And the graph is very harmonious; the sun is rising, a cool breeze is blowing and the tree is dancing in the wind, in the sun; she is really happy. The graph is very harmonious, there is no tension in the tree's mind, no trouble, no anxiety. The graph continues harmonious... and suddenly a gardener appears with an ax in his hand. Immediately the graph starts trembling, it is no more harmonious, the tree is feeling worried. But this happens only if the gardener is going to cut the tree. It is strange, the tree is not bothered by the ax; the tree is bothered by the intention of the gardener. When it became…
Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHY DO I JUDGE SO MUCH? I said, "Yes! That's why I am keeping out of it, because then you will call me and ask. It is better -- include me out. Don't put me in this game. There are many who are mad, who want to compose question papers because that brings money, who want to examine answer copies because that brings money. I am simply refusing money -- anybody else will be happy to have it. Make somebody happy." He looked at me and he said, "I have always thought that in your eccentricities, there is always something of truth. Yes, I agree. It hurts to give a zero to somebody, if you are not just mechanically judging but seeing the person behind the answer. With great hope he has given this answer -- it may be wrong but his hope... what about his hope?