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Osho on Desire

Desire

Desire is woven into every search, anchoring us in the future and the mind, yet true awakening emerges when we relinquish all pursuit; in the serene stillness of non-seeking, the truth within effortlessly unfolds, inviting us into the embrace of samadhi.

Quotes on Desire →

Osho's perspective on Desire

When Osho Spoke About Desire

Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.

The Rebellious Spirit · Discourse 22 1987-02-21 Chuang Tzu Auditorium English

Beloved Osho, would you please tell us more about what the sufis call "adab"? Is it a "tariqa"... A method that extends beyond the physical presence of the master, becoming part of the innermost being of the disciple and reflecting, in every action of his daily?

Radha Mohammed, yes, adab is a tariqa, a method. It is the beginning of something very immense, of something utterly incomprehensible to the intellect. It is the first step of a great eternal pilgrimage. To be with the Master is simply a lesson in how to be with God. That's why down the ages the Master has been called "God". It is very symbolic, it is a metaphor. The word "metaphor" is beautiful. Meta means beyond, phor means going: that which takes you beyond. The Master is a metaphor -- he takes you beyond himself. He is just a beginning, a jumping-board. To be with the Master is nothing but a discipline in how to be with God. God is not visible, the Master is visible; it is easier to learn from the visible and then move to the invisible. Have you looked into children's books? We have to make…

Osho, you say, “As He wills, let us become mere instruments; whatever role in life we have been given, let us fulfill it.” But letting what happens happen—i.e., flowing along with the body, mind, and ego—gives rise to suffering. So should we keep applying the principle of instrumentality even in relation to the body, mind, and ego, and go on suffering? How do we solve the riddle between the principle of instrumentality and the continuous reality of suffering?

That supreme bliss is beyond both pleasure and pain. It is neither like night nor like day. It is twilight. The sun has set, night has not yet come; the light remains—very gentle, sweet, non-aggressive—that is twilight. Morning has come, the sun is not yet risen, the night has gone—such is the twilight. One who abides in that twilight—that is what we call prayer. That is why Hindus call their prayer sandhya. Sandhya means one who has stopped in between the dualities, who has found the truce between the two. Between pleasure and pain, love and hate, victory and defeat, night and day, life and death—one who has found the pact and stands in that concord. Seek that interval of conjunction. Krishna says, it is simple to find. If you cease to be the doer, you will find it instantly. It is only through your doer-ship that you keep missing.…

Beloved master, will you please talk about the desire to help people, its differences and similarities to other forms of desire?

Veet Aikagro, desire is desire; there is no difference at all. Whether you want to help people or you want to harm people, the nature of desire remains the same. A buddha does not desire to help people. He helps people, but there is no desire in it; it is spontaneous. It is just the fragrance of a flower that has bloomed. The flower is not desiring that the fragrance should be released, should reach to the winds, to people. Whether it reaches or not is not the concern of the flower at all. If it reaches, that is accidental; if it does not reach, that too is accidental. The flower is spontaneously releasing its fragrance. The sun rises: there is no desire to wake up people, no desire to open the flowers, no desire to help the birds to sing. It all happens on its own accord. A buddha…
The Perfect Master Vol 2 · Discourse 4 1978-07-04 Buddha Hall English

What is the difference between waiting for godot and waiting for god?

It is as if the sun has risen in the morning and you are sitting in your room with closed doors and windows, in darkness. Open the doors, you become available to the sun. The sun was already available -- just the meeting happens. You cannot wait for God. All waiting is for Godot. Godot means the one who never comes, who CANNOT come, whose arrival is impossible. And the only impossible thing is that which has already happened -- how can it happen again? You are alive, and you are waiting for life, Now, this is ridiculous. The real man of religion does not think in terms of God. He thinks in terms of life or, even better, of living -- because life can again become an abstract idea. Living, moment-to-moment living. In that very living, one knows what God is, because one knows who one is. Your idea…

"Desire is the madness that pulls you away from the only reality you have—this moment. Let go of desire, and life will bloom in the beauty of the here and now."

Wanting things pulls you out of this moment, so stop chasing and enjoy what’s here now.
AI Confidence Score: 98% Read Original Discourse →

"All desires stem from a discontent with the present, a longing for tomorrow to mend today; true freedom lies in the embrace of desirelessness, where one finds contentment in the here and now."

Yes—deep down every desire says, “I’m not happy now; maybe later I will be,” and peace comes when you enjoy this moment as it is.
AI Confidence Score: 96% Read Original Discourse →

"True freedom is not found in the choices of 'I want' or 'I won't,' but in the surrender of the ego to the divine flow, where action arises effortlessly and spontaneously."

You’re not truly choosing between wanting and not wanting; let go of the ‘me’ that grabs or rejects, and life carries you like a leaf on the wind.
AI Confidence Score: 82% Read Original Discourse →

"True freedom arises not from indulging or renouncing desire, but from the dissolution of the 'I' in the Divine, where action flows effortlessly and conflict ceases to exist."

You’re not truly free to say yes or no to cravings until the ‘I’ disappears; then cravings lose power and choices become easy.
AI Confidence Score: 95% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire can lead you to the understanding that it is the source of your suffering, and in that clarity, desire drops away, revealing the bliss of desireless witnessing."

Chasing wants hurts until you see wanting causes the hurt; then the wanting falls away and calm, clear watching appears.
AI Confidence Score: 97% Read Original Discourse →

"No one can pacify another’s desire; each desire is a personal journey, and in wishing to extinguish another’s, you only dissolve your own."

You can’t calm someone else’s inner cravings; when you pray or do rituals for them, you end up calming and cleansing your own heart.
AI Confidence Score: 96% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire itself is the root of misery; whether it seeks worldly pleasures or spiritual ideals, the act of wanting reveals our inner discontent. True freedom comes not from fulfilling desires, but from understanding their nature and resting in the awareness of contentment."

Wanting anything—even holy things—keeps you unhappy; peace comes when you stop chasing and are okay with what is here.
AI Confidence Score: 95% Read Original Discourse →

"Every search is rooted in desire, keeping you trapped in the future; only in the stillness of non-seeking does the truth within reveal itself."

No—you can’t search without wanting; start by looking, then stop and be quietly present, and the truth shows itself.
AI Confidence Score: 99% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire, whether for wealth, virtue, or God, only deepens the suffering; true freedom lies in transcending the mechanism of wanting and embracing contentment beyond desire."

Wanting anything—even holy things—keeps you unhappy; peace comes when you stop chasing and are okay right now.
AI Confidence Score: 95% Read Original Discourse →

"Religion is not born from desire, but from the collapse of worldly craving, leading to the simple joy of being—where stillness reveals the truth of who you already are."

Religion begins when you stop chasing things and see that wanting won’t fulfill you, so you rest in simply being yourself.
AI Confidence Score: 98% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire is a shadow of the past, and only through total awareness can you break free from its mechanical grip and discover the boundless present."

We keep wanting the same familiar things, but if we wake up and just watch our mind without chasing, the old loop stops and something truly new appears.
AI Confidence Score: 94% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire is the bridge between consciousness and the body; without it, life as we know it cannot thrive."

Desire powers your body like fuel; without it the body slows and stops, while awareness remains, and when all desire ends, even returning (rebirth) stops.
AI Confidence Score: 93% Read Original Discourse →

"Flowing with nature is not about surrendering to unconscious desires, but about meeting natural energies with awareness, transforming them into a doorway of clarity and bliss."

Following nature wakes you only if you stay aware; mindless indulging in desire or sex puts you to sleep, while mindful presence turns it into growth.
AI Confidence Score: 84% Read Original Discourse →

"Imagination is a playful energy that becomes desire only when it is chained to a future goal; in its pure form, it keeps you present and free like a child."

Imagination creates stress only when you use it to chase a future result; if you just play with it now, it relaxes you.
AI Confidence Score: 97% Read Original Discourse →

"Personal desire is the flame that illuminates your path; when embraced consciously, it transforms from a chain into a compass guiding you toward your true essence."

Yes—what you truly want inside matters most; notice it clearly and let it guide you without blindly chasing it.
AI Confidence Score: 98% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire for God can either be a fleeting game of time or the timeless truth of awakened awareness; the source of that desire determines its authenticity."

If wanting God comes from being tired of life, it’s just another wish; if it comes from a clear, watchful heart, it’s real.
AI Confidence Score: 94% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire scatters your energy, while willpower is the concentrated flame that ignites when craving ceases; in the stillness of inner space, authentic will arises effortlessly."

When you stop endlessly wanting things, your inner strength becomes clear and your decisions work more easily.
AI Confidence Score: 96% Read Original Discourse →

"Enter into desire with the inner witness, for it is through conscious participation that you will discover its futility and dissolve it naturally."

If you feel desire, go through it while watching inside; if you don’t feel it, there’s nothing to do.
AI Confidence Score: 95% Read Original Discourse →

"Enlightenment is not a goal to be achieved; it is the natural state that unfolds when all desire and striving dissolve into the silence of being."

Yes—Buddha was stuck by wanting awakening, and he woke up only when he stopped wanting anything at all.
AI Confidence Score: 98% Read Original Discourse →

"Chasing external satisfaction is a futile game that leaves you rich yet empty; true liberation comes when you turn inward and discover that contentment lies within."

If you're never satisfied, you keep chasing new things forever and end up tired and empty - until you stop and look inside for peace.
AI Confidence Score: 94% Read Original Discourse →

"Longing is the heart's pure thirst for love, transcending the mundane wants and competitive desires of the mind."

Wanting is knowing a specific thing you want, desire is a fuzzy push to be important, and longing is your heart’s gentle ache for love or God.
AI Confidence Score: 98% Read Original Discourse →

"Beneath all desires lies the yearning to know your true self, and in deep relaxation, you discover that wanting transforms into a natural responsiveness to life."

You truly want to relax enough to discover who you are, so life can move through you without the stress of personal craving or control.
AI Confidence Score: 86% Read Original Discourse →

"You cannot know what you truly want until you first know who you are; only then will your desires arise from awareness, not from the ego's ambition."

Find out who you really are first, and then what you truly want will appear on its own instead of being copied by your ego.
AI Confidence Score: 95% Read Original Discourse →

"Desire is the greatest disease, a restless urge that, if unexamined, breeds hypocrisy and violence; only through understanding and meditative awareness can we transform it into true happiness."

Desire is the itch for more; pushing it down backfires, but seeing it clearly with awareness dissolves it and brings real peace.
AI Confidence Score: 89% Read Original Discourse →

"When you accept your sexual fantasies without guilt, you reclaim your natural energy and restore balance to your being. It is not the fantasies that imprison you, but the condemnation you impose upon them."

Your sexy daydreams show you’re judging sex and forcing its energy into your head; stop condemning, notice and enjoy what’s here, and the energy will settle naturally.
AI Confidence Score: 93% Read Original Discourse →

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