Materialism

Osho, you often say that material prosperity is the foundation of spiritual growth; but in your last discourse on non-possession you said that the fewer things one has, the less enslaved one is, and the more things one has, the more enslaved one becomes. Please clarify this fundamental paradox between prosperity and non-possession, and also explain how more things make a person more enslaved. And how does the possessor become possessed?

Material prosperity is the foundation of spiritual life, but a building is not raised by the foundation alone. It can happen that the foundation is there and the house is never built. A house never exists without a foundation, but a foundation can exist without a house. One may lay the footings and leave them filled in—then there will be a foundation, not a building. But wherever there is a building, it cannot be without a foundation. Prosperity is the base of detachment. Without becoming prosperous, no one ever really discovers that prosperity is futile. Without having wealth, no one ever realizes that nothing essential is gained by wealth. The greatest gift of wealth is not wealth—it is the breaking of the illusion about wealth; it is disillusionment. If wealth is never attained, its futility is never known. The poor, the needy, the destitute find it very hard to be…

Material prosperity is the basis of spiritual life, without which no building is constructed Foundations can be there without buildings. Some one may leave the foundation as it is after filling it to the top; then the building will not be there in spite of the foundation. Prosperity is the basis of the condition which is above passions and passionlessness. Without being materially prosperous none can realize the uselessness of prosperity; without getting wealth, none can know that nothing is achieved by wealth. The greatest gift of wealth is the disillusion about its worth. If one does not get wealth, one can never know the worthlessness of wealth. The distressed, the needy and the poor will find great difficulty in being free from the Lure of riches. How can one be free from that which one has not got. To be free from a thing, one should have it.

Do you miss the rolls royces?

I never miss anything. But it seems the whole world is missing my Rolls Royces. It is a very insane world. When the Rolls Royces were there, they were jealous; now that they are gone, they are missing them. I am simply left out! They may be again there, and people will start feeling jealous.... Just the other day a few beautiful photographers were here. All my people tried to prevent me from being photographed by the side of a Honda, but I insisted that this picture should be taken. The Honda does not belong to me; neither did those Rolls Royces. But let people at least enjoy; they will feel good. It is very strange that people's minds should be concerned about things with which they have no concern at all. I am reminded of two alcoholics on a full-moon night, completely drunk. They were lying down under a…

So, Osho, you seem to be placing more emphasis on material prosperity rather than on spiritual growth coming first!

Spiritual growth is a stage that comes after material development; it cannot come first. Individually it may be possible—one or two people can do it—but they will have to pass through great austerities. Austerity is required precisely because such a person is trying to act against the very laws of nature. In my understanding, the body comes first; the soul follows. The material comes first; the spiritual follows. One whose body is still unsatisfied, troubled, and tormented cannot even think about the soul. And for someone in whose life we have not yet been able to make ordinary arrangements for material comfort, talk of spirituality is opium. Marx said that rightly. He is speaking of spirituality only to forget his misery. Therefore my view, my emphasis, is that there should be a complete and well-ordered provision of the material. But do not think my goal is materiality. My emphasis is…