Why do you speak against Hindus, Muslims, and Christians?

A friend has asked: Osho, why do you speak against Hindus, Muslims, Christians?

I speak against them because religion can only be one. There cannot be a thousand religions. Truth cannot be a thousand. Remember this: untruths can be many; truth can only be one. Illnesses can be many; health is one. There are so many of us here—if we all decided to fall ill, I would be ill in my way, you in yours; there would be as many illnesses as there are people. Everyone would fall ill differently. But if we all became healthy—perfectly healthy—there would not be a hair’s breadth of difference between my health and yours. The experience of health is one; the experiences of sickness can be many. So the experience of religion is one—whether it happens to Buddha or Mahavira, to Mohammed, to Jesus, or to Krishna, the taste of religion is one. Then why do these separate religious camps stand facing each other? They are not…

Osho, I am the son of your old acquaintance, the late Professor Lali Prasad Srivastava, whom you used to call Lallu Babu. I want to ask you why you speak against religions?

Man is the victim of religion and culture. Some are the sons of civilization, some the sons of creed; those meant to dwell in oceans are imprisoned in bubbles. And you ask me why I speak against religions! I want to burst the bubbles so you become the ocean. There is no need to be confined in bubbles. It is a lesson to behold—this narrowness of man. Labels of different faiths are stuck upon every chest. On every person’s chest a label is pasted—Hindu, Muslim. Are you a human being or boxes of shoes for sale in the market—Flex shoes, or Bata shoes, or “Monkey Brand” black tooth powder? What are you? A person, or merchandise? Labels are stuck on everyone. Man roams about, lost, astray; some label or another hangs from every forehead. Why does a human being get cast into tight molds? Why does one feel ashamed to…

Osho! Basically, you are a herald of religion—of the original, essential religion. You yourself seem to be religion. But the surprising thing is that right now your strongest opposition comes from the religious establishment itself! The recent statements by two Shankaracharyas are fresh examples. Would you kindly shed some light on this?

The death of his father shook Shankaracharya utterly. But the mother, already in grief, would be left alone if Shankara took sannyas. She refused. The story says: Shankara went to bathe in the river, and a crocodile caught his leg. A crowd gathered on the ghat; the mother came running. Shankara said, “The crocodile says it will let go if you allow me to take sannyas.” What could the mother do? With tears she said, “All right, then become a sannyasin—at least live. If you live, even as a sannyasin, I will see you some day.” And the story says the crocodile let go. That is just a story; crocodiles were not that wise then, nor now! If man is not so wise, what of crocodiles! I spoke of Mulla—he did marry. Fourteen-year-old girl, eighty-year-old groom. The next day friends asked, “How was the wedding night?” “Don’t ask—great joy! Only…

Osho, why are you speaking on Krishna, Christ, Kabir—on all of them?

And once you make a small arrangement, everything different from it begins to look opposed. Whoever is not with you seems an enemy. Then politics is born and religion is destroyed. It is the language of politics: whoever is not with me is my enemy. Whoever does not sing my song is my enemy. Whoever does not play my flute is my enemy. Whoever does not dance in my way is my enemy. Thus, in the world, friends become few and enemies many. This whole universe is pervaded by the Divine. Make friendship only with this Divine. And remember: red is red, green is green, blue is blue. They differ greatly, yet are not separate, for they are all parts of one light—parts of a single rainbow. And the world is beautiful because it is seven-colored. Here, the Buddha has descended in many forms. The lamp has been lit in…

Beloved Osho, are you against all religions? Isn't religion something essentially needed by man?

So I said to the Sufi, "Come into the house. Don't be angry. That tree is not strong enough, and that tree is very special; don't destroy it. I became enlightened under a maulshree tree, so my people have brought that tree from the original maulshree tree, as a seed. They have grown it, and it is still not strong enough for your hug. You come inside." He came inside, and he started talking in the same way he must have been talking to his disciples: "I see God everywhere, only God and nothing else." I said, "If you see only God and nothing else, then to whom are you talking? If there is only God and nothing else then to whom are you talking and for what purpose? God must know it. Keep silent!" When all his disciples had gone I told him, "I know what has happened to…