Enjoyment

Osho, just as you described gradations for renunciation—as more and more self-inflicted suffering—how would you describe gradations for enjoyment? Wouldn’t enjoyment be invisible?

Enjoyment is visible too. Enjoyment is visible too. Because we have reflected on renunciation, gradations appeared; if we reflect on enjoyment, gradations will appear as well. Enjoyment is visible too. It is visible who is how blissful, who is how serene, who draws how much delight from each thing. Understand it this way: a man is standing by a flower, by a rosebush. The man who is pricking his hand on the thorn is visible to us; then will the man who is breathing the fragrance of the flower not be visible? He will be visible too. But we have not looked! We have behaved as if a man becomes visible only when he pierces his hand on the thorn. Breathing the fragrance of the flower does not make him visible! Yet up to now we have honored the man who has pressed the rose’s thorn into his hand and…

Why is it so difficult to enjoy?

That's the reason why people were against Jesus and against Buddha, and why they are against me. They would like me also to be fasting, living under a tree like a beggar, then they would be very happy. They would come in thousands, they would worship me. But if I live in my own way -- and my way is the way of the feast, my way is the way of festivity -- then they are shocked. They are perfectly happy if somebody leaves the palace and becomes a beggar. They are perfectly happy -- they love the man. But if a beggar moves into the palace, they will all be against him. They will not like the idea at all. Just watch. You also do such things. If a man is Lying on a bed of thorns, immediately you prostrate yourself as if he were doing something great, as…

Cannot one enjoy life alone? Because I am not so aware, that moving into water without getting wet, or going through fire without getting burnt can be possible for me. Cannot one enjoy life alone?

When you are moving with people, in relationship, you are always in danger. Life becomes sharp. Then you have a tone; then your energy is not just rusting, it is flowing. Look at the people who have lived too long in the caves or in the monasteries: you will see that a certain rust has settled on their faces. They will not look alive. They will be dull almost to the point of being stupid. That's why monks have not created anything beautiful in the world. Nothing has come out of them. They are wastages; they are not fertile soil. They proved impotent. All escape makes you more of a coward, impotent. And the more you escape, the more you want to escape. All escape is suicidal. Then what do I mean? Am I saying to you, never be alone? No, not at all. But I am saying, never be…

Osho, you support the Upanishadic utterance “tena tyaktena bhunjīthāh”—first enjoyment, then renunciation. If one has to renounce anyway, why enjoy? Why bring in enjoyment at all?

But if you get hasty, half-baked, and say, “If one has to renounce, why enjoy?”—then how did it occur to you that you “have to” renounce? The thorn has not pricked you, so why think of removing it? You must have heard the words of one whose foot was pierced by a thorn—one who knew the pain, removed it, and knew the relief—some awakened one. You heard a Paltu, a Kabir, a Nanak, and borrowed their words. The thorn had pricked them, so there was pain; they removed it and found ease. You have not been pricked and you begin to remove a thorn that is not there—what will you remove? You will deceive yourself that there must be a thorn! A sick man takes medicine and becomes well; you, hearing of a sick man’s recovery, buy the medicine—being healthy, you will become ill. And this is what happened here.…