Darkness

Osho, will our darkness never be dispelled? Will we remain forever sunk in foolishness? Swami Akshayanand Maharaj has also said that Osho is misleading people by calling what he teaches “Indian culture.” His teaching is not in accordance with Indian culture or the scriptures. Osho belongs to the Kali age. Would you say something about this?

When did I ever say it was? I am anti-scripture. I certainly support the truths I have experienced—not because they are in the scriptures, but because I have known them. And if the scriptures happen to support them, I pat the scriptures on the back and say, “Child, you speak well.” Beyond my own experience, I trust nothing. What I have not known, what is not my own lived truth—I will not tell you. What have I to do with scriptures? Therefore, those who listen to me do face a little inconvenience. At times I support one saying of a scripture, and at times I refute another saying of the very same scripture. Naturally, this confuses them. They think I should either support the entire scripture or oppose it entirely. No—I have no interest in wholesale support or wholesale opposition. Whatever meets the touchstone of my own truth—wherever it is,…

Osho, there have been Buddhas and Mahaviras and Gorakh, there have been Nanak and Kabir—so many lights have been lit; then why is there still darkness in the world?

The lamps have kept burning, but dawn is far. The sun has not yet risen. Buddhas burned, Mahaviras burned, Krishna, Christ… these are lamps. Dawn has not yet come. When will dawn come? When a religious radiance spreads over all humanity. When the aura of meditation shines on every face. That is still far away. And those who could have brought it near—you blow them out; you turn against them; you become their enemies. The lamps are lit, but there are mischievous children— They may not overturn these burning lamps. Beware of the pranksters! The lamps are lit, but there are mischievous children— There are many mischief-makers in the world; they do not like lamps to burn. At once they are ready to overturn them. A mad elephant was set upon Buddha. Even the mad elephant was not as mad as men are. For the story says the elephant, reaching…

Sometimes running here and there, talking, laughing, working, reading, writing and cleaning -- the fact is: when the door closes behind and the eyes are shut -- it is dark. Thoughts or no thoughts feelings or no feelings it is dark. Morning or night any time inside it is dark. Looking inside for the looker it is dark. Is 'I' darkness who is is writing this question?

So, remember it: whatsoever you know about light and darkness -- both have to be left behind. When you close your eyes, you have left the light outside; now you enter darkness. Love it. Sing? a song with it. Have a dance with it. Don't fight with it, don't be afraid of it, don't keep a distance from it. And don't go on looking for light. Forget about light. This darkness is there -- it has to be enjoyed; one has to be grateful to God for this darkness, this silence, this stillness, this velvety expanse. And then, one day, the observer and the observed are no more two. When you love something, the duality disappears. If you love darkness, you become darkness. And when there is no duality, there comes a luminousness of a totally different quality. It is not the light that comes from the sun, and it…

Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT DARKNESS? I have much to say about darkness, because nobody has taken notice of the mystery that darkness is. Much has been said about light, almost nothing about darkness. But darkness is a much deeper phenomenon than light is. Light comes and goes -- darkness remains; it never comes, it never goes. Light is not eternal, because it needs fuel, some kind of fuel, and the fuel will be exhausted sooner or later. Darkness needs no fuel, no cause; hence darkness is not an effect and can remain eternally there. In the morning, you see the sun arises and there is light; in the evening the sun sets, the light disappears, and suddenly all over there is darkness. It does not mean that when the sun disappears, darkness comes in.