Saint

Question: BELOVED OSHO, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT A SAINT CAN BE A RASCAL? The question reminds me of a small story -- it happened in a Christian monastery. Two monks were discussing in the garden of the monastery -- every day they were given one hour to walk in the garden and meditate on God.... They were discussing, "Is it possible to smoke while walking in the garden?" They were not in the church, they were not in the monastery; they were outside the church, outside the monastery. Both decided it would be better to ask the abbot of the monastery. Next day, the first was sitting under a tree very dejected, very sad, and the other came along, smoking a cigarette. The first could not believe it.

Par-svarath ke kaarane, santan dharai sareer. Paltu is giving the right definition. He says: A saint does not live for himself. As far as he is concerned, his work is done. His dreams have vanished, his thoughts have gone. He is free of mind. As far as his private affair goes, he has arrived. But one who has arrived—Paramatma begins to take work from him. A calling begins within him—for those who are still wandering on roads, still groping in darkness. Paramatma begins to work through that person—for those whose eyes have not yet opened. Just as fruits appear on trees—not for themselves, but for others. And the river does not drink itself; it gives to others. This is the definition of a saint: one who spends lavishly—who spends Paramatma! One who distributes the divine! Everything else you can distribute is trash.

the so-called saints i don't count as sages the so-called saints live a structured life according to certain prescriptions of others they are basically slaves they are performing certain rituals but doing it efficiently hence the people who believe in those rituals will call them saints so a christian saint may not be thought of as a saint by the hindus because their rituals differ their definitions differ for example, no hindu has ever thought that saints should go and serve the poor -- that has not been part of their definition a saint has to be served he is not to be a servant a saint being a servant is sacrilege to the hindu but to the christian the saint is one who serves the poor, the down-trodden there are three hundred religions in the world and three hundred definitions of saints all those definitions are manufactured according to…

Osho, just seeing sadhus and saints makes me bristle, even angry. I see nothing in them but hypocrisy. But with you—God knows what you’ve done—reverence wells up! What is the secret of your influence?

Buddha asked, “What are you doing?” They said, “This is not killing; not violence. The souls of these animals will go to heaven.” Buddha joked, “Then why not kill your parents? Send them to heaven. The door is open—why send animals? Send your parents, your wife, your children. Send everyone—and then go yourself! But don’t send these animals. They don’t want to go—they’re writhing, they want to run. They are pleading for mercy. They cannot speak—look into their eyes, they are beseeching. They are bleating: ‘Let us go.’ They don’t want heaven—and you are sending them. The yajman who is funding this sacrifice wants heaven—send him!” Clever folks have always been around. Tricks kept running; we kept bearing them. Sin and merit are difficult to determine. On one side are people along the Amazon who eat humans—and it is no sin to them. On the other side are the Quakers…