We hurt inside, so we imagine special people with perfect plans to fix the world, but that’s a comforting dream—the real work is to change ourselves.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Beloved master, sir thomas moore's perfect society, "utopia," originates from the unexplained presence and insight of a man named utopias. Why do such visions for a harmonious society among men derive from such mysterious individuals? And why has the idea of a perfect society always fired man's imagination yet averted his grasp?
The question is not at all concerned with America, it is a question of forgiveness -- and I am going to be persecuted from one land to another land. If you cannot forgive the people who will be persecuting me, then your whole emptiness will become just wounds and wounds and wounds. So it is not a question of being kind to America. All the religions have told you, "Forgive the enemy." Jesus on the cross asked God, "Father forgive these people, because they know not what they are doing." I am not saying that. My concern is not those people, because I know perfectly well that they know exactly what they are doing. But forgiveness has something to do with your inner health. I am concerned with you! If you cannot forgive you will carry a wound. Forgive. Remove the wound. Be healed. Don't sow wrong seeds. Man can…
Beloved Osho, the longing for a better life, for a utopia, has been constantly in man's mind since he became aware of his consciousness. On the other hand he became more and more afraid of all his irrational powers. Can you please comment?
That's why marriage was created; otherwise it was easier for man not to have any marriage, because marriage was simply a responsibility -- of children, of a wife. When the woman is pregnant, then you have to feed her.... And there was no need to take all that responsibility. The woman was taking the whole responsibility. But the man wanted some immortality, and that his property should be possessed by his own blood. And the woman wanted some protection -- she was vulnerable. While she was pregnant, she could not work, she could not go hunting; she had to depend on somebody. So it was in the interest of both to have a contract that they would remain together, would not betray in any sense, because the whole thing was to keep the blood pure. So Marx's idea was that when communism comes, and property becomes collective, marriage becomes meaningless…
Osho, what chance is there for your ideal society in the face of the politicians and the priests and the vested interests of capital?
But people have been thinking how to improve society, how to make an ideal society. And these people have proved calamities. They have been a great mischief. Because of their ideal society they have destroyed people's respect for themselves, and they have created guilt in everybody. Everybody is guilty, nobody seems to be happy the way he is. And you can create guilt for anything -- and once guilt is created, you become powerful. The person who creates guilt in you becomes powerful over you -- remember this strategy -- because then only he can redeem you of guilt. Then you have to go to him. The priest first creates guilt, then you have to go to the church. Then you have to go and confess, "I have committed this sin," and he forgives you in the name of God. First in the name of God he created guilt, then…
Osho, from dharma plus concept, or concept plus dharma, culture is created. And from culture, society and its traditions are formed. The Revered One has said that religion is against everyone. If religion remains opposed to all, won’t some kind of anarchy become inevitable? Please be kind enough to explain!
No award of this world can compare with the award of inner bliss. Let the body go, let age go, let wealth go—let everything go—if only the inner nectar remains, then everything remains! He who has lost the inner has lost all. He who has saved the inner has saved all. But ordinarily the Jain goes and returns corrupted. Why? He was already corrupt! It is not that he became corrupt—he was a paper flower, a false thing, a conditioning. Understand the difference between culture and dharma. Dharma is your own direct experience; culture is what has been taught by others. No matter how well-organized, what is taught by another does not liberate you; it binds you. So when I say dharma is rebellion, revolt, I mean—revolt against tradition, revolt against conditioning, revolt against spiritual slavery. But the religious person does not become anarchic. If the religious person became anarchic,…
Beloved Osho, in india there is a proverb, "vasudhaiva kutumbakam: the whole earth is a family". Perhaps this proverb is one thousand years old. Osho, were there really people once who lived like a family? Or was it a vision of some mystic, a vision which you are going to bring to reality?
They have not bothered about Jesus' teachings. He was saying, "Love your enemy like yourself." Then I cannot understand who these people were killing. If you are going to love your enemy, are you going to kill your lovers? Enemies have to be loved, so who is to be killed -- friends? No, the teaching has not been followed; only sermons were given in the churches. But enemies -- and innocent enemies, who have done no harm to the Christians.... Their only crime was that they were not Christians, and they were not willing to be Christians; and that was too much, too big a crime. Hindus used a more sophisticated method, perhaps because it was an older civilization, more cultured. They could have crucified Gautam Buddha, but they did not do that. On the contrary, they accepted Gautam Buddha as one of the incarnations of the Hindu God. You…