From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 19. RELIGION IS REBELLION
So in the market it was a difficult thing to sell. Hence they had to raise the tirthankara to the
same status as the avatara, the messiah, even higher. This is simply the market economics. The
tirthankara is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent; he has the qualities of God. The messiah is
only the messiah, the messenger is only a messenger, but the tirthankara has all the qualities of
God Himself. This created the base, the loophole for turning the religion into a cult.
Hence I am insisting that I am an ordinary man. You cannot put me up for sale – who is going to buy
me? When Jesus is available, Mohammed is available, Krishna is available, Mahavira is available,
Buddha is available, do you think anybody is going to go for me? – a simple man, an ordinary man,
himself insisting continually on his ordinariness.
I have been denying miracles, saying that they have never happened, they never happen, and they
will never happen. Mahavira and Buddha both faltered on that point – but they were pioneers. I have
twenty-five centuries of experience behind me. I am standing on their shoulders; I can see far away.
They could not think that these things would become their very weaknesses. They all – because
Krishna was doing so many miracles, Rama was doing so many miracles.... What to say of Rama –
even his devotees, just in his name can do miracles.
For example, between India and Sri Lanka there is an ocean, and it was a problem for Rama to cross
the ocean to attack Sri Lanka and get his wife back. But his disciple, the monkey god, Hanumana,
said, ”Don’t be worried. Your name is enough.” And in his name he started throwing stones in the
ocean – and because of Rama’s name the stones were floating, not drowning.
The whole army of monkeys and of donkeys, and perhaps yankees, all were there; so he started
throwing stones, rocks, in the name of Rama, and the rocks started floating – soon there was a
bridge. They passed over the bridge just by the using the name. Hanumana said, ”You need not be
worried, your name is enough. You don’t need to do anything.”
Now, where such stories are going around what chance you have got to compete? Buddha’s
disciples had to invent stories, Mahavira’s disciples had to invent stories. They are all invented
stories; and invented in such a way that they made Mahavira and Buddha superior to Rama, to
Krishna, to the Hindu trinity, the trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh.
When Buddha became enlightened, the story is that all the gods – Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh – all
three came down to touch his feet, because an enlightened person is far higher than any gods. You
should note that in Judaism, Christianity, Mohammedanism, God is always singular; in Hinduism
God is always plural – it is ”gods”, thirty-three million golds.
The chiefs of all these thirty-three million gods are these three, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh. The
moment Buddha became enlightened, all three ran down from paradise to touch his feet. For seven
days Buddha remained silent. It was Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, these three gods, who persuaded
him to speak because even gods don’t know the supreme truth. Even gods are eager to hear from
you: What have you attained? What’s your realization? What has it done to you? Buddha argued in
many ways, but finally he was persuaded by the three gods.
His argument was very good. He said, ”If I speak, in the first place what I have experienced will not
be conveyed through the words. Secondly, even if a little fragrance of it goes with the words, where
From Ignorance to Innocence 267 Osho