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According to Osho, no. Constant proximity to a Master can become an addictive overdose, creating bondage rather than liberation. He advocates a rhythm of nearness and distance—creating hunger, balance, and independence—so disciples test their insights in ordinary life. The ashram is only a school; real attainment proves itself in the world. Each seeker’s needs differ, so he sometimes sends people away.
Don’t stay with the Master all the time; come close, then go live and test your growth, returning when needed.
From the Discourses
Passages where Osho speaks to this question — each links to the complete discourse.
You talk a lot to us about how important satsang is, being in the presence of an enlightened, liberated man. Yet a lot of your sannyasins spend most of their lives away from you. If it was up to you would you have all of us live here in poona with you all the time?
Sometimes I allow somebody to be here because he is so dead he takes a long time to evolve. Somebody evolves so soon -- then within weeks I say, "Go." So just being here don't feel elated, and don't feel hurt if I send you away. Sometimes I retain somebody because he is very balanced and there is no fear yet that he will eat too much, fall the victim of the disease of overdose; then I allow him. Sometimes when somebody, I feel, has attained something, then too I send him away; because only the world can be the proof of whether you have attained or not. In the isolation of an ashram, in a different atmosphere, you may have glimpses because you become part of the collective mind that exists here. You start riding on my waves; they may not be yours. But when you go home you…
Beloved Osho, in the land of money, power, designer drugs like "ecstasy" and enlightened insurance, many of your sannyasins are now working, with a job, and earning their livelihood. Laughter, a sense of humor, and a deep love and gratitude towards you, keep us all connected with each other somehow. With your people in the world now and physically so far away, has your work with us taken on a new significance?
But when ten thousand people have to live together, you have to make houses, you have to make roads, you have to prepare food, you have to prepare clothes; a thousand and one things are needed, they go on taking all your time. Slowly, slowly you completely forget the real reason you had come. You go on getting into other things, and the original intention is completely forgotten. This time I am working in a totally different way, so these two things can be avoided. To me, I always want to be just a holiday. To me, I always want to mean nothing but ecstasy, music, dance. It is good to be only for a few days with me and then go into the world. Take the music, take the ecstasy with you, spread it, and whenever you feel thirsty, come back again. So it will be a world school…
Last night you spoke of satsang and the importance of the disciple's proximity to the guru. Does this mean physical proximity? Is the disciple who lives at a great physical distance from the guru at a loss?
Yes and no! Yes, a physical closeness is necessary in the beginning because you cannot understand anything else right now, as you are. You can understand the body; you can understand the language of the physical. You exist at the physical, so yes, a physical closeness is necessary -- in the beginning. And I say no also because as you grow, as you start learning a different language which is of the non-physical, then physical closeness is not necessary. Then you can go anywhere. Then space doesn't make any difference. You remain in contact. Not only space, but time also doesn't make any difference. A Master may be dead, you remain in contact. He may have dropped his physical body, you remain in contact. If a trust happens, then time and space both are transcended. Trust is the miracle. You can be in closeness with Mohammed or Jesus or Buddha…
And the whole thing has to be done by you. I am not saying that "Just follow me. I am the savior. I will save you." All that is crap. Nobody can save you, except yourself. And the spiritual independence is the only independence worth calling independence. All other independences -- political, economic, are just so so, superficial. But the real and authentic independence is that you are not dependent for your inner growth on anybody. Those who have come to me have become more and more independent. More and more themselves. That's why they love me. I am not making them a crowd, I am making them absolutely individuals. I am not even giving them ideologies to be practised... disciplines to be practised, I am simply sharing my own experience. Out of that experience they have to find their own discipline.
Beloved Osho, can you say something again about coming to the master and going back to the world?
And his whole life he continued. People were amazed seeing him every morning, every evening, "What are you doing?" But he was such a luminous figure, nobody could think that he was mad. In fact, they had never seen such a man of genius, intelligence, awareness, love, compassion, blissfulness -- twenty-four hours in ecstasy. So they could not think that he was mad, but what was he doing?" He said, "I bow down to my master's feet. He must be a thousand miles away, just in the direction... I cannot forget my gratitude towards him. If he had not tricked me I would have remained unenlightened forever. "Just for me to become enlightened, my master was even ready to lie. He promised me -- knowing perfectly well that he was not going to keep his promise -- and he is a man of his word; I have never seen him…