Support

Osho, Mahavira refused to take anyone’s support—that is right. But along with that, a question arises: just as it is important not to take support, it should be equally important not to give support. Yet his way of expressing himself, and then the whole structure of shravaks and shramans and all that—this amounts to giving support to others. So why was this aspect not considered: if I do not take support, who am I to give support to another?

They would say… Sicily is a small island to the south. The Sophists offered an example: a man came from Sicily and, on arriving in Athens, said, “In Sicily, everyone is a liar.” Someone stood up and asked him, “Where are you from?” He said, “I am from Sicily.” The man said, “Now we are in trouble! You say everyone in Sicily is a liar, and you are from Sicily; so you are a liar—what shall we do with your statement? And if we accept that everyone in Sicily is a liar, then at least one person in Sicily must be telling the truth, and your statement becomes false. If we do not accept that everyone in Sicily is a liar—if we take you to be lying—again we land in a difficulty.” Someone stood up and said, “What shall we do?” Perhaps the man himself had no idea what to…

Osho, Buddha has said: Be a light unto yourself. Then is there no need for any support at all in the search for truth?

If only you had listened to gurus like Buddha, there would have been no reason for slavery in this land. If only you had learned individuality, privacy of being; if only you had learned: I have to be myself; I am not a copy of anyone; and I have to be my own lamp—then you would have stood firm in the outer world as well. This disgrace would not have happened—that a nation of forty crores becomes the slave of a handful! Anyone comes and the country becomes enslaved! Surely a deep imprint of slavery was stamped on the soul of this land. Who stamped it? Who poured this poison into your blood? Who made your soul toxic? Who taught you methods for remaining in darkness? Your so‑called gurus. They were not gurus. Gurus are people like Buddha, who say: Appo deepo bhava—be a light unto yourself. Only in aloneness…

Osho, Mahavira preached asharan—seek no refuge—and yet he also made disciples. Are these two not mutually contradictory?

They look contradictory; they are not. And whoever has been a truly awakened being in this world will always appear paradoxical. Life is paradoxical, so whoever mirrors life in its suchness will also appear paradoxical. Only the pundit is not paradoxical. The knower will always be paradoxical, because the knower does not prune life, he does not force a framework onto it. For him, life as it is, is accepted. He simply reflects life, and whatever is in life gets reflected in him. He functions as a mirror. Now Mahavira says, asharan—seek no refuge. Do not go into anyone’s shelter. Yet disciples come to Mahavira and say, “Siddhe sharanam pavajjhami.” O perfected one! We come to your refuge. “Arihante sharanam pavajjhami.” O victorious, realized one! We come to your refuge. Mahavira accepts them too. Then it seems all upside down: Mahavira says, “No refuge,” and yet those who seek refuge…

Osho, in shaktipat, does a psychic binding form between the seeker and the person who functions as the conductor? What harms can this bring to the seeker? Are there any beneficial uses of it?

Blind imitation to escape the labor of sadhana Understanding is painful. To understand, you will have to change yourself. Understanding is an effort, a sadhana. It is a labor; it is a revolution. In understanding there will be a transformation; the old will change; the new will have to be created. Why take so much trouble! The one who knows—we will just grab him; we will follow behind him. But in this world no one can reach truth by following someone else; there you have to arrive alone. The path itself is deserted. The path itself is solitary. Therefore any kind of bondage is an obstacle there. So learn, understand; take whatever glimpses you can from wherever you can—but do not stop anywhere. Do not make any place your destination, do not grab anyone’s hand and say, ‘Now it is fine; we have arrived.’ You will meet many who will…