Existentialism

Beloved Osho, is there any existential question in existence? Are all existential questions man-made?

He ran back to his home and asked his father, "What has to be done, because I had never expected such an experience?" The father said, "Don't be worried, I have also experienced it. But it is very simple. You just go back, sit under the tree and throw your cap!" The boy said, "What is that going to do? Only one cap is left and you are saying throw it?" His father said, "You simply go and do what I am saying." The boy threw his cap, and all the monkeys threw their caps. They are imitative. All these religions are teaching you to imitate. Imitate Jesus Christ, imitate Gautam Buddha, imitate this, imitate that. By imitation you will become a saint, a holy man. I would like to say to you, "You will only become a monkey again." All your saints and all your holy men have fallen…

Many of the existentialist thinkers of the west -- sartre, camus etc. -- have come to realize the frustration, hopelessness and meaninglessness of life, but they have not known the ecstasy of a patanjali. Why? What is missing? What would patanjali have to say to the west at this point?

I don't know what Patanjali would have said to the West. How can I know? Patanjali is Patanjali; I am not Patanjali. But this is what I would like to say: the West has come to a point where either suicide or a spiritual revolution will happen. These are the only two alternatives. I'm not saying this only about individual people, individual persons. This is so for the West as a whole. Either the West will commit suicide through atomic war for which it is preparing, or there will be a spiritual awakening. And there is not very much time left. Within this century, in just twenty five years more, the West will either commit suicide or the West will know the greatest spiritual awakening that has ever happened in the history of man. Much is at stake. People come to me and they say, 'You go on giving sannyas…

Osho, what is the meaning of existence?

Buddha says: The inner emptiness is so beautiful, don't stuff it with junk, leave it as it is. And that's what meditation is all about, that's what Zen is. It means living out of emptiness, asking nothing from life, living moment to moment for no other reason, just enjoying being alive. It is more than you can ask for! What more meaning do you need? Is breathing not enough? Is this chirping of the birds not enough? Is the green and the red and the gold of the trees not enough? Is this vast existence with all its splendor not enough? You want some meaning? Yoka says: <q>THE MOON RISES ABOVE THE RIVER. ON THE BANK THE WIND PLAYS SOFTLY IN THE PINES ALL NIGHT LONG, PURE AND CALM. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THAT SERENITY? LOOK ON THE BUDDHA'S PRECEPTS OF NATURE. WINTER AND AUTUMN MISTS, DEW, CLOUDS, SPRING…

As I have heard from you, the whole existence is the answer, not the question. So when the answer exists, not the question, why does the question come from the answer?

It does not come from the answer, it comes from you, and it comes from you because you have not seen the answer yet, you have not heard the answer yet. To know existence you have to be existential. You are not existential, you live in thoughts. You live in the past, in the future, but never here and now. And existence is right here now. You are not here, hence the question arises. The question arises because of you not meeting with existence. You think you live, but you don't live; you think you love, but you don't love -- you only think about love, you think about life, you think about existence, and that very thinking is the question, that thinking is a barrier. Drop all thoughts and see. You will not find a single question there, only the answer exists. That's why I insist again and again…