According to Osho, he doesn’t shave because he honors what is natural and original: hair grows by itself, and cutting it to fit fashions or borrowed ideals denies authenticity. He sees beard and mustache as nature’s masculine signature; removing them blurs vital differences and weakens attraction. He prefers non-interference—letting what grows grow, and what falls fall.
I keep my beard because nature put it there, and being yourself is better than changing to please fashion.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Question: Fifth question: Osho, why is it that all saints let their hair and beards grow? If they didn’t grow their hair and beards, would they not be called saints? Amarnath Singh has asked: Now I don’t know whether they’ll be called saints or not. And what do saints care whether they’re called saints or not? But people will suffer a big loss. How will you scare the children? There’s only one way to frighten kids: “Babaji is coming!” Just think—what will you say to scare the children if saints don’t grow their hair and beards? If they wander about in pants, coat, and tie, how will you scare the children? There’ll be nothing left to frighten them with. At least saints are useful for this much: “Look, if you misbehave, we’ll hand you over to Babaji.” He said, “We’d call her mad.
Why do you have a beard?
Ashoka, who told you? Somebody must be creating rumors. I don't have a beard; you have to look at me again. In fact, the right question would have been: Why DON'T you have a beard? That has been one of the koans in Zen. Bodhidharma had a great beard, and Zen people, Zen Masters, give their disciples this koan to meditate on: Why does Bodhidharma have no beard? Now they beat their heads, because Bodhidharma's picture is given also, with the same koan to meditate on, and the picture is there with that great beard. He had a really great beard, his whole face was covered. That's why he was known in China as a 'barbarian Buddha'. The Chinese don't have big beards, they have tiny goat-like beards. Bodhidharma was very strange there. The Chinese have only a few hairs really. You can count them on your fingers... not much…
Before I left holland I asked my daughter if she had some questions for you, so these four are from her:
YOU HAVE NICE EYES, BUT WHY DON'T YOU SHAVE YOUR BEARD? I may have nice eyes, but you have a wrong question. You should ask your poppa why he has been shaving his beard. I have not been growing it, it grows itself! Just look at your poppa. I have seen him. He would look far more beautiful with a little beard, mustache. Ask him why he has been cutting something natural. Just think, if a woman takes certain hormones and starts growing a beard and mustache, how she will look. Do you think she will look beautiful? She will be simply horrible. And the same is true about man. The moment he starts shaving his beard and mustache, he is doing something unconsciously: because every woman looks beautiful to him, he thinks perhaps the beauty is because there is no mustache and no beard. So the poor fellow cuts…
Beloved Osho, when wakuan saw a picture of the bearded bodhidharma, he complained: why hasn't that fellow got a beard? Beloved Osho, why don't you have a beard?
It is true. When you meet a Zen master on the road...and you always meet a master on the road because the master is always moving. You never meet him anywhere else. Remember, you always meet a master on the road, because he is always moving. He is a river, never static, never standing. If you cannot move with him, you will miss him. He is always on his feet. You always meet him on the road. What can you talk to him about? And you cannot be silent either, because to be silent is almost impossible for you. You cannot talk, because the master belongs to a different world. You cannot be silent, because the world you belong to is never silent. Your mind goes on chattering. Your mind is a constant chatterbox. Consistent, inconsistent -- thoughts go on and on and on, and there is no end to…
Beloved Osho, last night, I noticed your beard. It is really a magnificent thing; it reminds me of a lion's mane. Does a beard like yours come with enlightenment? Or do you have to be born with it?
When you look in, those mirrors go on reflecting each other. So instead of three, you see a line of hundreds, as far as you can see. The first mirror reflects the second mirror, then that mirror reflects the other mirror, and this goes on and on. So as far as you can see and strangely, you can see exactly twenty-four tirthankaras -- a great artistic device ... But if the temple is very poor, then you will find only one statue of Mahavira. But one thing is -- it is striking too that Jainas have not been able to explain it -- all the statues look similar, exactly similar. The only difference is a small symbol underneath their legs -- a line represents Mahavira. Even the priests cannot say which is Mahavira. First he has to look. You may not understand how he manages to tell that this is…