Ghosts

Beloved Osho, why is it that all over the world, throughout the ages, people have had such a great capacity to imagine ghosts?

And they said, "Now it is becoming too difficult! Such a respected brahmin, well versed in the ancient law -- and the ghosts are not afraid even of him. And this is not right" -- because when they removed the can, the teacher was smelling of kerosene because it was a fresh tin, I had just emptied it. They all smelled him, and they said, "This is strange! And why were you going there? And what happened to your lamp?" The lamp was dropped there; in such a critical moment to remember it.... Somebody said, "Go and bring his lamp," but nobody was ready to. So I told his student, "You can go. You know the mantra, `Hare Krishna, Hare Rama.'" He said, "That mantra is useless! Even my teacher could not... he was repeating the mantra, and just as he was repeating the mantra, the can came down with…

Question: BELOVED OSHO, SHUNYO IS SEEING GHOSTS AGAIN. ANY SUGGESTIONS? Milarepa, she must have seen you! A few other people have also reported that a ghost has been seen around who looks like Milarepa.

Beloved Osho, when you said that there are no ghosts, it is only man's fear, I thought, "well, that's that; there are no ghosts. Osho says so." I was happy to believe you and put the matter aside, comforted that I knew something for sure. But this is belief. You have told us not to believe blindly. And my experience with ghosts is not connected with fear but with friendliness. I feel I am now in a predicament. I have pulled a nail out of your neem tree. Please help!

Chetana, if you have friendly experiences of ghosts then ghosts exist. Friends are such a valuable thing that even if ghosts need to exist for friendship, they have to be allowed to exist! If you are having friendly relationships, that's great. Just Milarepa has to be afraid now. Do you think Milarepa is a ghost? Poor Milarepa, he is a real man. And if you have other ghosts as friends then he should be alert.

Beloved Osho, I have noticed that when you leave the discourse and pass through the door, you often look to your left. Are you simply saying "hello" to the ghost?

"Well," says Goldstein, "I guess that's the way it goes. You have got your friends, I have got mine." People think Anando lives alone -- she has such a beautiful congregation! Right now I am telling her to have some conversations, and soon you will see her addressing the congregation. There will be nobody, but she will enjoy her own revelations. And one thing is good about ghosts: you can say anything to them, in any language; right or wrong, it does not matter. Ghosts are almost like God. People are praying all over the world every morning, every evening, to a god. And it is not that their prayer is absolutely useless -- although there is no God. If they are praying with tears in their eyes and love in their hearts, and a feeling of gratitude surrounding them, whether God exists or not is not the point. The…