Faith

Question: First question: Osho, can doubt arise even in faith? Santosh Saraswati! In faith it is impossible for doubt to arise. If doubt arises in faith, then it was never faith. You must have mistaken belief for faith, acceptance for faith. It must have been blind—without eyes. Blind faith is what is called belief. And blind faith has no value—not even worth two cowries. Compared to blind faith, a doubt with eyes is worth a hundred thousand times more, because what truly has value is the eyes. Faith and doubt come later; first come the eyes. If your doubt has eyes, a faith with eyes will also come. But for centuries man has been told: Do not doubt; doubt is sin. Suppress doubt, sit on its chest, throw it into the unconscious—throw it as deep as you can, so deep that you don’t even remember you ever had doubt.

Osho, what is the relationship between meditation and patience?

If you sit to meditate to remove mental restlessness, you will keep looking back again and again: “Has it gone yet?” And the irony is that when you begin to meditate, restlessness will increase. Because what has been repressed will start surfacing; catharsis will begin. The rubbish you have kept hidden within and never allowed to express—meditation will break open those doors too. It will clean the house. Dust piled up for years, for births, will rise again; there will be gusts and storms. For a while even the little peace you had will be lost. Then you will panic: “I came for peace, and even what I had is gone.” Without patience, you could even become unhinged, because meditation brings such a great storm. The disease is not from a day or two; it’s from lifetimes. Meditation will break through all the layers to reach your innermost core. In…

A friend has asked, Osho, what should one do so that faith does not turn into blind belief?

I have heard: Saint Francis was a supremely faithful man and would trust anyone. His disciple was Leo. They were traveling. Whoever came along, Francis would take him along. Often someone would stay for a night and then steal their belongings and go. He would stay one night, and by morning their bedding, their bag—the few things they had—would be gone. Leo, his disciple, was very troubled. He said that at least some checking should be done. You take anyone along and then suffer. Give up this trust in people. So many have deceived you, and still your trust in people does not leave you. Saint Francis said, they are all testing my faith. There are two ways. A man stays the night and leaves stealing. One way is: the things are gone anyway—which are of little value—and along with them let faith also go, which is of great value.…

I have faith in god but you say faith is harmful. Should I give up my faith?

What is the mind? It is both the collector and the collection of whatever is perceived by the senses. Anyone who considers the mind as his self has mistaken the servant for the master. And if you want to realize your real self you will have to give up what you know and will have to follow one who knows. Your mind is only what you know about; the self is the means by which you know all. The witness, the knower is the self. This self is different from birth and death, different from maya and moksha, from illusion and liberation. It is only a witness, a witness to all things -- to light, to darkness, to the world, to nirvana. The self is beyond all dualities. As soon as a person knows this witness he becomes like a lotus -- separate from the mud of which it was…