According to Osho, the crowd always vilifies living rebels as evil and only sanctifies them later; Jesus was crucified, Buddha and Mahavira were attacked, and even Krishna is condemned by some. Feeling threatened, the orthodox mind grabs a modern byword for depravity—Rasputin—to smear him, rather than recognizing the same liberating spirit found in Buddhas.
People fear living truth-tellers, so they call them bad names like “Rasputin” instead of seeing their deeper goodness.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
Osho, why are you being compared with rasputin rather than with jesus, krishna, mahavira or buddha? And especially when you are continuously and bitterly criticizing present politics and politicians and giving the world a dynamic view of religiousness?
So they will make every effort to destroy me -- but because they cannot destroy they become enraged. Then at least they can write in newspapers and spread rumors -- and I love it! I love all those rumors! Even respected newspapers, news agencies go on doing stupid things, but it creates sensation and they live on sensationalism. This is absolutely natural; it has to happen in this way. It can only happen in this way -- this is inevitable. Only my people will understand what I am, and I don't care what others say -- not a bit! In fact, I would like them to create as many rumors as possible, because their rumors bring people to the ashram -- and once they are here I can always hypnotize them! Those rumors are bringing many people here. Once they are here their vision changes, their perspective changes. They start…
Osho, are you in the same category as Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Jesus, and Mohammed? Please dispel my doubts.
This whole world is a great stage where many dramas are running. Behind the onstage roles is one single essence—one paramatma. The same essence at times stands holding the bow in Ram, at times plays the flute in Krishna, at times sits in silent meditation in Buddha, at times practices naked austerity in Mahavira, at times hangs on the cross in Jesus, at times takes the sword in hand with Mohammed to “defend the religion.” But all of it is play—roles. If you divide into categories, each person is a category unto himself. And you say: “Please dispel my doubts.” How can I dispel your doubts? Become free of mind, and you will be free of doubt. As long as mind remains, doubts will arise. In the mind, doubts sprout like leaves on trees—one thing gives rise to another. The mind is full of prejudices. Now if you are a…
Beloved Osho, many contemporaries and enlightened ones -- raman maharshi, meher baba, george gurdjieff and j. Krishnamurti -- have worked with people, but people get more offended by you than by anybody else. Osho, where does your technique differ from that of other enlightened ones?
The question is very fundamental. It arises in many people's minds, and it needs a very deep insight into the workings of different masters. We will take each of the masters named in the question separately. Raman Maharshi is a mystic of the highest quality, but a master of the lowest quality. And you have to understand that to be a mystic is one thing; to be a master is totally different. Out of a thousand mystics, perhaps one is a master. Nine hundred and ninety-nine decide to remain silent -- seeing the difficulty, that whatever they have realized is impossible to convey in any possible way to others; seeing that not only is it difficult to convey, it is bound to be misunderstood too. Naturally, one who has arrived to the ultimate peak of consciousness will most probably decide not to bother with the world anymore. He has suffered…
Osho, why are so many people attracted towards you from all parts of the world?
DON'T know! I am also surprised; it should not be so. The government is against me, the society is against me, all the religions are against me, and still people go on coming. All kinds of barriers are created, still people go on coming. Something mysterious is happening, something which cannot be explained. Something is transpiring which is elusive. That's why those who come as observers or spectators or journalists cannot catch hold of it. So they collect rumors in the town from people who never come here, and they go on reporting. Almost all over the world, in almost all the languages, there are rumors and rumors. This is very strange! The people have not experienced what is happening here, they have not been participants, and yet they think they have understood. There are things which can be understood only when you participate. You cannot know what love is…
Beloved Osho, history shows that when a great master appears on the earth, other, lesser leaders recognize him and bring their followers with them. Do you see this happening here?
Except this Nicodemus, no rabbi ever approached Jesus -- and Nicodemus approached him in the night. It would have been better that he also had not approached Jesus, because he shows the cowardliness of your so-called religious people and who crucified Jesus? The high priest and the supreme command of rabbis who overruled the whole community of Jews -- they decided that he should be crucified. There were many attempts made on Buddha's life by religious people, and I have always suspected -- although it is impossible now after twenty-five centuries to find out whether my suspicion is right or wrong, but there is a ninety-nine percent possibility that it is right .... It has to be right because some fundamental principles are involved. Buddha died of food poisoning. I suspect he was given poison, that it was not a coincidence. There were many attempts on the life of Mahavira.…