Osho's perspective on Suffering
When Osho Spoke About Suffering
Passages from the discourses where this theme comes alive.
Question: Last question: Osho, you said, in suffering, live it, find its cause, and wake up. Once awake, then what? The dream will not remain; whatever you have known up to now will not remain at all. And that is why it is difficult to say what happens when you awaken; because your language belongs to sleep. For now, whatever can be said to you and whatever you can understand will be in the language of the dream. If I say, “You will have happiness,” you will take it to mean the very happiness you have known in the dream. If I say, “There will be no suffering,” you will think of the suffering you have known in the dream—you will think, that will not be there. Therefore the enlightened ones fell silent. Whenever someone asked, “What will happen upon awakening?” they fell silent; they said—wake up and see.Read the full discourse →
Question: BELOVED OSHO, YOU SAID, WHILE IN MISERY LIVE IT THOROUGHLY, FIND OUT ITS CAUSE AND WAKE UP. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE WAKES UP? Waking up or awakening means that the dream is over -- whatever was known up to now remains no longer. So it is difficult to say what awakening means, because your language is of sleep. At present, whatever can be told you or whatever can be understood by you will be in the language of the dream. If I say that you will get happiness, then you will think of the happiness which you have known in the dream. If I say that you will not get misery, then you will think of the same misery which you have known in the dream. If you think, you will not attain. That is why all the buddhas have kept quiet.Read the full discourse →
Question: Second question: Osho, life is suffering, yet man does not wake up. Despite the hell of life, how does man keep on going? Not one or two, but twenty-six lamps— I lit them one by one. One lamp called Freedom: With burning lips it said, “Beg wheat from whatever land you like— You have the freedom to hold out your hand.” One lamp called Prosperity: As soon as it was lit, it became clear How great the distress is— My belly is empty, my pocket is empty. One lamp called Unity: Wherever its light reached I saw the nation brawling and fighting. As many patches as there were on Mother’s veil, I saw them all rip open at once. From afar my wife scolded, “Oil is costly, and scarce besides— Why have you kept so many lamps burning?Read the full discourse →
Question: The last question: Osho, there is nothing but suffering; even in dreams there is no glimpse of happiness, yet still awakening does not come—there is no experience of wakefulness. “Nothing but suffering”—is that your own experience, or have you picked it up from someone else’s words? “Not a trace of happiness”—is that your experience, or have you memorized the sayings of the enlightened? I suspect you have learned the sages’ words by heart. Because if it were truly your own experience, awakening would have to happen. It is inevitable. If a thorn is stuck in your foot, there will be pain. If suffering is in fact your lived experience, awakening will come of itself. Suffering wakes you, it scours you, refines you. That is its value. People ask me, “Why has God given the world so much suffering?Read the full discourse →
"When jealousy and passion fade, their energy can transform into love and compassion, but remember, life is a continuous evolution—stay alert and present to let love blossom."
"Only by ending your own suffering through awareness can you truly contribute to the world; external solutions merely shift the form of pain, never abolishing it."
"True renunciation does not impoverish; it reveals the inner richness of fearlessness, peace, and truth, awakening us to the highest flowering of life."
"You do not truly know suffering; you become it. Witness your pain without identification, and bliss will naturally reveal itself as your innate nature."
"Recognizing the inherent misery of life does not deepen your gloom; it liberates you to see the truth without fear of worsening your experience."
"Suffering on the path is not inevitable; it is born from our resistance to growth. Embrace the present, let go of the past, and allow your journey to unfold in bliss."
"Your suffering arises not from your identity, but from the burdens of borrowed labels; embrace your true self and watch the conflict dissolve into joy."
How can one be free from suffering?
practice"Drop the profit you take from pain, and watch as suffering fades effortlessly in the light of awareness and joy."
"Hope outwits experience, leading us to chase a tomorrow that ultimately remains empty; true freedom and joy arise only when we turn inward and embrace the present."
"You stop creating suffering the moment you realize it is your own creation; true knowledge transforms you, and in that awareness, the cycle of pain dissolves."
"Darkness is not a substance; it is merely the absence of light. Awaken to your own ever-burning light, for suffering dissolves in the presence of awareness."
"Awakening reveals life as it is, and if it sounds extreme, the distortion lies not in their clarity but in our own misunderstanding."
"Suffering begins the moment we are born, as we are thrust from the blissful womb into a world of separation, forever longing to return to that original harmony."
"Injustice is a dance between the urge to dominate and the desire to be dominated; true liberation comes when awareness dissolves these hidden invitations."
"Happiness is not found in the world of seeking; it is the fragrance of your being, discovered when you turn your awareness from the outside to the present moment."
What are the causes of suffering?
definition"Suffering is born from our attachments and expectations; when we learn to witness without craving or aversion, we transcend the cycle of pleasure and pain."
"Suffering arises from the disconnection between you and existence; to cure it, restore the harmony within through awareness and inner awakening."
"A true devotee chooses God over happiness, embracing even pain as a reminder of the divine, for in the hands of God, suffering transforms into joy and a path to deeper understanding."
"Awakening dissolves the entire dream of life, revealing a reality so profound that it transcends all concepts of joy and sorrow, leaving only the bittersweet regret of not having woken up sooner."
"Love's cross burns away the false, allowing your authentic being to resurrect into truth, freedom, and unborrowed joy."
"Step out of the bag of your habits, and you will find that the cycle of suffering can end with a single act of decisive awareness."
"When emotional suffering flattens you like a steamroller, it is not about reassembling the old form, but about embracing the end of what you were to discover the new."
"Suffering is born from the mind's addiction to complexity; when you shift from mind to heart, the burdens dissolve and existence reveals its effortless, playful nature."
"When suffering arises, the mind's tricks only deepen the poison; true transformation comes from the radical act of non-doing—accepting the feeling without reaction."
"When you let go and flow with life, the doer dissolves, and you become a vessel for existence, where pain loses its sting and pleasure its grip, revealing the serene bliss of non-duality."
Profound Quotes on Suffering
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