Ask Osho!

Why did Mahavira preach renunciation by fostering a feeling of hatred toward the world and the body?

Synthesized from Source definition

"True renunciation is not about hating the world or the body, but about transcending attachment and aversion, moving from doer to witness, where bondage dissolves in pure observation."

According to Osho, Mahavira did not teach hatred for the world or body; aversion (dvesha) is only attachment doing a headstand and binds as surely as liking. True renunciation is freedom from both raga and dvesha by shifting from doer to witness. In witnessing, one neither clings nor rejects; one simply sees, and bondage dissolves.
Instead of loving or hating stuff, just watch it quietly and you’ll be free.
Why this matters practically
- Reduces emotional swings by avoiding extremes of clinging and rejecting.
- Helps you respond wisely as a witness rather than react as a doer.
- Loosens identity knots tied to friends, enemies, possessions, and the body.
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