Will my worship and prayer ever be accepted despite my flaws?

Osho, will my worship and prayer ever be accepted? I am extremely meek and weak—lustful, greedy, egoistic... all sins are in me.

The one drinking wine in the tavern, and the one going to temple or mosque praying, “O Lord, call me to paradise where streams of wine flow—call me soon”—what is the difference between them? One asks for wine here, the other asks for wine there. One is short-sighted; the other sees a little farther—into the hereafter. What is the difference? One’s greed is small, the other’s greed is large. One says, “A mugful here will do”; the other says, “That won’t satisfy me; I want cascading fountains.” One is short-sighted, another a bit far-seeing; There is no real difference in the intent of the ascetic and the wine-drinker. There is no difference in the outlook of your so-called ascetic and your so-called indulger. Whoever asks is an indulger; whoever gives thanks is a renunciate. Give thanks for what is given—it is so much! This golden existence! This honey-sweet existence! Each…

Question: First question: Osho, isn’t prayer nothing but repentance? By whose support I walked, By whom my art blossomed, By whom my heart found joy— Even the burden of sorrow he gave I accept, I accept. And that acceptance is not ordinary; it is not the acceptance of the helpless, the powerless; not the acceptance of weakness, of the defeated. It is acceptance born of joy, of celebration—with the doorway festooned, rows of lamps lit, flowers showered, the aarati waved. There are two kinds of acceptance. One is that of a dead man, the defeated—“the grapes are sour.” Such acceptance. Since he could not attain. Who does not want to get wealth! But not everyone can. When it is not obtained, then to console one’s ego, an attitude of acceptance: I am a contented man. When did I ever desire it!

Osho, what should I do? How should I pray? How should I worship?

“What should I do? How should I pray? How should I worship?” Bid farewell to the word “how.” Move into inactivity. Sit for an hour—do not think what to do—just sit for an hour. If birds are singing, listen. If sunrays are dancing upon you, feel them. If a breeze comes and rustles your clothes, makes them quiver, feel it. Just sit. You will be amazed to discover that if you can sit for an hour without any occupation, one day prayer will be born within you—like a wonder. But when you ask “how,” you don’t realize what you’re asking. You are saying, “All right, I will sit for prayer—just give me some occupation. Should I turn a rosary? Chant a mantra? Arrange a puja tray? Perform aarti?” You want some device to keep busy. You cannot remain without doing. Doing is your disease, your madness. In the shop you…

Osho, you always emphasize experience. I have done everything—worship and rituals, yoga and meditation, vows and fasting! And for some years I even lived like an old-style sadhu. Yet nothing came of all that. What should I do now?

You have done nothing. Do you even know what fasting is? Fasting—upavas—means to dwell near, to sit close to the Divine. It does not mean starving. Yes, it often happens that sitting close to Him you forget food; you forget to eat. In real fasting, food is not in the focus—God is; and God is so much in focus that you forget the body. Then food does not come to mind: that is fasting. When you fast, the exact opposite happens. What you do should not be called upavas; that is why we have another word—anashan, a hunger strike. You go on a hunger strike: “Today I will not eat.” But have you seen what a man does when he decides to fast? “Tomorrow I mustn’t eat”—so tonight he stuffs himself. He makes up for tomorrow today. Is that fasting? And what will you do tomorrow all day? You will…

Osho, what should I call you—Prabhu, Vibhu, or Shambhu? I ask this so that I may bow at your feet continuously. Only there do I wish to bow for all three times. Now please hear my prayer!

So absorbed in worship that one forgets even to raise the hands. You don’t remember to bow—you are bowed. So immersed in devotion! “Now, for prayer, my hands no longer rise; the heart seems lost in surrender and consent.” The temperament is so drowned in worship, in prayer: who remembers when to raise hands, when to offer flowers, when to mark the forehead? Bowed is bowed. Bowing is not an outer affair. It is inner—an inward mood. You ask to bow for three times. You will be in trouble, and you’ll put me in trouble too. If you must bow, bow—just spare me! “Because I may bow at your feet continuously.” What is the fear? Why make it “continuous”? Is this moment not enough? Settle this moment within itself. The next moment will care for itself. Why keep accounts of tomorrow? Surely your today is poor. Talk of tomorrow arises…