Arrest

Beloved master, it is a rumor in the air that you are being arrested today or tomorrow. What is your comment?

Aha! That's really groovy. That's the only experience I have missed in my life. And knowing that this is my last life, I would certainly want to be arrested. Make sure that I am handcuffed, because whenever I do anything, I do it totally. Arresting me, an absolutely innocent person who has done no wrong, is the beginning of the end of American hypocrisy about democracy. It will be a great help to the whole world to understand that America is not what it pretends to be. It is not following its Constitution. It has the best Constitution in the world, but the worst politicians also. The politicians of America are prostituting the Constitution. They should stop calling it "Constitution," they should start calling it "prostitution." I have been for three and a half years in isolation, in silence, just remaining in my room, no contact with sannyasins, and still…

Q:* WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOUR IMMIGRATION STATUS THAT YOU DON'T SEE YOURSELF AS A RELIGIOUS LEADER ANY MORE? OR DO YOU SEE YOURSELF AS A RELIGIOUS LEADER WITHOUT A RELIGION? A:* It makes no difference, because I had told the immigration officers in the very beginning -- and we have the tape, they have the tape -- that this is not an ordinary religion like other religions. It is a kind of religiousness. It is not Christianity, it is not Judaism, it is not something fixed, dead, defined. It is an open and growing experience. It has no belief systems. It gives every individual total freedom, no bondage. So it is difficult for me to call it religion. But they said, "This is difficult. We have only the category for religion." So I said, "Then you can put it as a religionless religion." This is their problem.

Beloved Osho, I am feeling closer than I have ever felt and deeper into something that I do not want to let go of, something I have been longing for for a long time -- the light, the warmth, the love that is surrounding us. Seeing myself changing fast, coming closer to home from being far, far away for such a long time, is exciting to see happen. But there is a nagging feeling inside, a feeling that you may be taken away from us, the not knowing where you will go, and if we will ever be able to have the blessing of sitting in your presence again. Would you please comment?

He said, "Don't make a joke of me. I am already condemned for forcing you to sign under a false name. But I am wondering, how did you manage to reach the media?" I said, "You had completely forgotten that we were two prisoners and the other prisoner was sitting in the corner listening to the whole conversation. She repeated everything word for word." They failed. They immediately changed the jail so they could say that I had never been there, that all these reports were false. I said, "You cannot do that. That form is there. My signature is there, and my signature is world famous -- and it is not easy to copy it. Even I cannot copy it! Each time it changes." In the second jail what they did was they put me in a cell with an inmate who was suffering from a fatal disease --…

Beloved master, when I heard about the possibility that you could be arrested, and they could hurt or kill you then, unprotected as you are, my first reaction was of turning into a wounded lion, of spending the rest of my life burning embassies and living as a fascist anarchist, as a reaction to this incredible pain. What can my meditative response be to these dirty actions of politicians?

No need to be worried. They cannot dare to arrest me, for the simple reason that arresting me means America loses its mask of democracy, and its real face of hypocrisy comes before the world. I have not committed any crime. To be silent is not a crime. To be in isolation is not a crime. I was silent, in isolation -- that is my birthright. If somebody takes advantage of it, I am not responsible for it. For example, if you are asleep and somebody steals from your house, it can be said you are responsible for the stealing. Why were you asleep? You gave the opportunity to the person; he took advantage of it and stole. Does that mean nobody can sleep? Do you mean to say that nobody can go into silence, into isolation, because advantage can be taken of it? This is sheer nonsense, this is…