The following excerpt is from Osho’s discourses on the Songs of Kabir. They have been compiled into a book titled “The Path of Love”. This is from discourse number 8, a Q&A. The format of Osho’s discourses are that he speaks on the topic on day one and the next day sannyasins ask him questions, either related to the topic or anything that comes to their mind. By that design all odd discourses are about a topic and even discourses are Q&A.
To read the full transcript click here – God Still Hopes.
The question asked is, Why did God Create this world ? The excerpt is from Osho’s answer –
” ……………… First thing: it may be a surprise to you that God never created THIS world. This world is your creation. God has created a world, but you don’t know about that world at all. THIS world He has not created at all: this world where Richard Nixon exists, where Vietnam exists, where Idi Amin Dada exists. This world God has not created: this world of Adolf Hitlers and Mussolinis, and fascism and communism, and Stalin and Mao. This world God has not created: this world where such tremendous poverty exists because people are so greedy, because people go on hoarding; this world where such ugly life exists, where not even a shower of love happens – desertlike, loveless, people just competing, fighting, conflicting – where such IMMENSE violence exists… THIS world God has not created. This is your world. You are the creator of it. You are this world. This world is your projection. This world vibrates on your ugliness.
So the first thing: God has not created this world. Please don’t make Him responsible for it; He is not. Otherwise He would be the greatest criminal if He had created this world. At least I for one declare that He has not created this world. This is your creation.
But you will say, and logically too, that He has created us, and if we create this world then finally He is responsible. No, still I say He is not responsible – because He has created you as freedom. That is the thing to be understood.
This ugly world wouldn’t exist if God had created you as slaves. If God has created you as robots, mechanisms, then this ugly world would not exist. Then you all would be Buddhas, but meaningless buddhas. If a Buddha cannot be an Adolf Hitler, if the very possibility is denied, then the Buddha is just a statue, meaningless. If you HAVE to be good, and there is no freedom to be bad, then what is the point of being good? The world would have been good if God had not created you as freedoms.
If He had forced you to be just mechanical repetitions, gramophone records, then you all would have been delivering a Sermon on the Mount, or writing a BHAGAVADGITA. But a gramophone record is a gramophone record.
God has created you as freedom. Of course, in freedom, the opposite is implied. Good you can do if you choose, bad you can do if you choose it that way, and the choice is yours. God has given you all freedom to choose.
That is the glory of man, and the agony – the glory, because man is free. Can’t you see it? A tree is not free; a rosebush is a rosebush. Whatsoever is going to happen is already predestined. The rosebush is not free. If it decides not to grow roses, nothing will happen; roses will still come. If the rosebush decides to change the color of the roses, nothing will happen; the rose will remain of the same color as before. If the rosebush decides to become a lotus plant, nothing will happen; the rosebush will remain a rosebush. It is destined to be a rosebush. It is beautiful, but not free.
That’s why I say: Nothing can be compared to man’s beauty. Even roses are nothing compared to man’s beauty. Because a rose has to be a rose, it is in a sort of bondage. It cannot do otherwise.
It cannot go astray: it has to be a saint. It has to be a Jesus, it cannot be a Judas. That’s why a rosebush is just a rosebush – good to look at, but nothing to be compared to the beauty of human beings. The beauty comes because a person can be a Jesus or a person can be a Judas, and everybody carries both possibilities – Jesus and Judas.
Everybody is totally free, and the range is big – the whole spectrum. Man is a rainbow – all the colors.
Man is not predestined. Hence we have created this world out of our freedom. The responsibility is ours. If you want to become a Buddha, you CAN become one. Nobody can force you to become a Genghis Khan. The choice is yours. God is not dragging you anywhere. He has given you enough rope… you can go astray, you can come back. Because of this possibility of going astray this world exists. This world can be changed, can be utterly changed. Once we change our consciousness, this world can become a totally different affair.”
“…….. The Christian word ‘sin’ is very significant. Its original root means: missing the target. The original root for the word ‘sin’ comes from ‘missing the target’. You can miss; it is up to you. Sin is missing the target, it is going astray. And God will not prevent you: His love is so infinite that He will love you even if you have gone astray. He loves the sinners as much as the saints. And if you listen to Jesus, Jesus says he loves the sinners even more, because they need more love.”
“…….. THIS world is our going astray, our sin. It has nothing to do with God.
The second thing: “Why did God create this world?” The second thing is that in the Christian, in the Judaic, in the Mohammedan world, a very wrong conception exists about God, as if He is separate from His creation; as if one day He created the world and then forgot all about it; as if God is a painter – the painting is finished and the painting becomes separate from the painter. No, the East knows far better. The East says: God is not separate from His creation. The creator is not separate from His creation. He is involved in it, He is in it, He IS it. Creator is creation. That’s why I insist again and again: don’t call God “the creator”, call him “creativity”. God is a DYNAMIC creativity.”
“…… God is not yet finished: God still hopes. Hence, we can also hope. In His hope is our hope too. He has not utterly failed. He still trusts you, He still goes on creating. So this concept of a dead creator somewhere in the past….”
“……That’s what Kabir goes on saying: Feel the awe, the reverence, the wonder, because He is still working everywhere. You can catch hold of Him, still painting, still sculpting, still dancing. It is not something that happened sometime in the past. It is happening right this moment: He is speaking through me, He is listening through you. The creation is still going on. It is never going to end, it is an endless journey.”
What a beautiful way to think of God …. everything is HIM, everything is his work, yet we are free to choose. Free to be who we want to be.
I guess this effectively seals the discussion on destiny and free will. In an earlier blogpost, I had shared a story that Osho narrated – What leg did you lift today ?. Anytime we have doubts about our lives, these two blog posts can help. We have the freedom to choose and the choice brings consequences which is destiny ! So in reality, we create our destiny.
Thank You Master ๐๐ฟโค๏ธ
Disclaimer – I post excerpts from Osho’s books and discourses and sometimes share his quotes. In most of the posts, the link to the full audio or full transcript is given. Osho is the Master, and to understand him, please listen to him or read his books. These excerpts are my limited interpretations with my limited understanding. Nothing original and I could be totally off the mark. The highlights and italics/bold font is also done by me.
May The World Be Healed ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฟ
My explorations have led me to believe the essence of what Osho says, but I have come to it by different paths. Free will gives the creativity and ability to see, smell, taste and touch the rose, and to modify color or characteristics, or to make perfumes from it, but we don’t have the ability to change its nature. Free will also gives us the choice about how to react to circumstances, come what may. The choice about how to live each individual life is unique and moment to moment.
I just read the post about following one’s own nature on your website, but was unable to comment there. It wanted me to download a What’s Ap program, or something. So here I am, following my own nature back to WordPress, where I already have passwords and all the techno-loops in place, for my convenience.
Only to say this: I have learned by experience that seeking others’ approval is futile, so I learned to go my own way, not apologizing or making excuses. I remain true to myself, meaning It’s important that I be kind and respectful to others, including animals and even plants.