According to Osho, there’s no need to feel sincere toward him or to obey his guidance; be sincere to yourself. A master only points—your inner urge must decide. Drop guilt and imposed ideals, act naturally and totally, and learn by doing. Freedom, not imitation or slavery, is the path; responsibility for walking—or not—remains entirely yours.
You don’t have to please or follow him; listen to your own heart, act fully, and don’t feel guilty.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
I am not feeling sincere towards you. I don't do what you tell me to. Why?
There is no need to feel sincere towards me. Who has told you to feel sincere towards me? I have never told you. But you are a great guilt creator. You go on creating guilty feelings. Now this is a new guilt, as if you are committing a sin. You are not feeling sincere towards me. I never feel sincere towards you so why should your bother? I feel sincere for myself, you feel sincere for yourself. And if you want to do a certain thing -- you do it! If you don't want to do a certain thing, you don't do it! I am not here to impose my will on you because that will create a bondage, a slavery. That's what all religions have done. I am just helping you so that you can see the whole game, and then if you want to play it, play it;…
Beloved Osho, what is the difference between the emptiness of the child before the formation of the ego and the awakened childlikeness of a buddha?
Whether you are for it or against it doesn't matter -- your concern shows where your ego is hanging. And I will include the capitalist in it also: his whole concern is how to gather money, hoard money -- because money has power over matter. You can purchase any material thing through money. You cannot purchase anything spiritual, you cannot purchase anything that has any intrinsic value; you can purchase only things. If you want to purchase love, you cannot purchase; but you can purchase sex. Sex is the material part of love. Through money, matter can be purchased, possessed. Now you will be surprised: I include the communist and the capitalist both in the same category, and they are enemies, just as I include Charvaka and Mahatma Gandhi in the same category, and they are enemies. They are enemies, but their concern is the same. The capitalist is trying…
Beloved Osho, you have talked to us about total surrender to the master, but often our minds come up with reasons for not following the instructions literally. We say things like: the master can't know that the situation has changed; or, the master doesn't realize what the practical conditions are in the west. Should we follow everything the master says to the letter, or are there times when we should use our own discretion?
Still they go on listening to Krishnamurti. For years together they go again and again. If no help is possible, why do you go again and again to Krishnamurti? If nobody can guide you, what is the point of listening to him again and again? It is pointless. And even this attitude, that you have to travel the path alone, is not discovered by you -- it has been revealed to you by Krishnamurti. Deep down he has become your master, but you go on saying that you don't follow. This is a deception. The same deception can happen from the reverse side. You come to me, you think you have surrendered, and still you go on choosing. If I say something that suits you -- that means it suits your ego -- you follow it. If I say something which doesn't suit your ego, you start rationalizing: This may…
Osho, you said that a true Master gives the disciple complete freedom. Doesn’t that mean he doesn’t care for the disciple at all?
I give you complete freedom because I have complete trust in you. It is not only the disciple who has trust in the true Master—only that man is a true Master who also has trust in his disciple. He trusts you; he respects you; he acknowledges the dignity of your soul. You are glorious. Today you sleep; tomorrow you will awaken. Even if a Buddha is asleep, he is still a Buddha. You too are awakened ones—it is only a matter of time. And the more freedom you have, the more you will have to live by your own awareness. And the more you must live by your own awareness, the more awareness will awaken. And awareness is what must be awakened. But you have misunderstood. It often happens: the greater the statement, the harder it is to understand. You have taken it to mean something else. Freedom does not…
I[A sannyasin says: I find that when you tell me to do something... I guess it's a cop-out because I won't do what you say because I feel I should do the opposite of what you say because that seems to be more to the heart of my problem. It seems to work sometimes.] Sometimes it can be like that. If you feel good doing the opposite, do the opposite. The whole point is to remember what brings the feeling of blessedness to you. One should continuously go on checking inside to see whether it is bringing a well-being, whether you are feeling healthier, whether it is bringing a harmony. If it is, it is good. Then don't worry -- just follow it.