Governance

Osho, many beings in this creation live a natural, spontaneous life in accordance with nature, but the human race is living a base life. Will human life turn toward spontaneity or not? What is our duty?

It is both man’s misfortune and his good fortune that he is not spontaneous. Misfortune—because the peace and ease available to plants and birds is not available to man. Good fortune—because if he wishes, man can become a Buddha, a Krishna, a Christ. Plants and animals cannot become a Krishna, a Buddha, or a Christ. Man’s defining trait is his freedom. Man is entitled to choose the order of his life. A dog is born a dog and dies a dog. A rosebush is born a rose and dies a rose. No revolution occurs in its life. Life remains confined within a fixed mold. There is dependence. There is peace, yes, but it is the peace of slavery. There is naturalness too—no cunning, no hypocrisy; a rose is simply a rose. It never cheats by posing as champa, nor does it contrive to be a lotus. It is content with…

Osho! From your talks it seems you are against celibates, against rules, codes, and ideals. You also keep criticizing rishis and monks. You even say we should be free of the scriptures. In the end, what do you mean? What is your religion? For society, will you lay down any rules?

The poor emperor went. They say he took a chariot filled with gold and jewels. He overturned it before Raikva and said, “Gurudev, this is my offering at your feet.” Raikva said, “Hey Shudra, take it away! I have no taste for wealth.” Vinoba Bhave loved to tell this story—but only up to here. He would say: since Raikva said, “Hey Shudra, take this away! I have no faith in wealth,” it means that one who has faith in wealth is a Shudra. During his Bhoodan movement he repeated this often. No one objected. When he came to Jabalpur, I was there. I said, “The story is incomplete. Please tell it whole.” He said, “Whole? I’ve always told it like this.” I said, “It’s not a matter of how you tell it. The story is incomplete; tell it whole and the meaning changes.” And I narrated the rest: “The emperor…

Question: BELOVED OSHO, WHAT IS THE BEST GOVERNMENT? No government. The very idea of somebody governing somebody else is inhuman. Government is a game, the ugliest and the dirtiest game in the world. But there are people in the lowest state of consciousness who enjoy it: these are the politicians. The only joy of a politician is to govern, to be in power, to enslave people The greatest desire of all those who have reached to the peaks of consciousness has been the dream that one day we can get rid of all governments. That day will be the greatest in the whole history -- past, present, future -- of man, because getting rid of all governments will mean destroying the ugliest game, the game the politicians have been playing for centuries.

Osho, in many ashrams around the country I have seen that the residents are assigned some mandatory practice they must do regularly. But it is surprising that here there seems to be no such practice or discipline. Kindly shed some light on this distinctiveness!

I am here; I am your discipline. When I am not, then you will need rules, order, discipline. When the Master is, governance is unnecessary. When the Master is not, governance is a substitute. You must have seen this in dead ashrams. This ashram is alive. For now it is alive. It will die someday—and then be sure: there will be rules and discipline. The moment I go, there will be rules and discipline, because you cannot live without them—you are such slaves! Even though I try in every way, again and again you start asking: some rules, some discipline! My whole effort is to make you understand that nothing is in your hands. What discipline? What rules? If you get up at five in the morning, will you attain knowing? What foolishness are you clinging to? Whether you get up at five or at four or at three, you…