“When you tell somebody to believe in something, you are creating a neurosis in him, you are creating a division,” states Osho. From our series 1001 Tales, compiled by Shanti.
By the very nature of consciousness it is impossible to believe unless you know – all belief is against nature. And all belief is just a repression of your doubts. Yes, you can repress your doubts if there is great fear, you can repress your doubts if there is great greed – if you are offered heavenly pleasures in paradise and you are threatened by hellfire and devils who are going to torture you. If these things are put into your mind you start believing. But you know all the time, all the time underneath, that you doubt.
How can one believe? How can anyone believe unless one has known oneself? Unless you have faced reality as it is, there is no possibility of having faith. Faith does not come by fear, faith does not come by greed, faith comes only through experience.
Sufis teach a different kind of world view – not based on beliefs but based on experiments, experience, and the conclusions that come naturally through those experiments and experiences. Then there is a totally different kind of faith. No doubt is repressed in it, it is total. It does not divide you, it does not split you.
Christians and Hindus and Mohammedans and all kinds of believers are split personalities, schizophrenic. Schizophrenia is one of the commonest traits of man. And why is man schizophrenic? The reason has to be found in the so-called religious teachings, indoctrinations.
When you tell somebody to believe in something, you are creating a neurosis in him, you are creating a division. Now he will never be one, he will be two. One part, the real part, will go on doubting, and the unreal part, the superficial part, will go on believing. And this rift will go on becoming bigger and bigger, rift will always create great anxiety.
Look into any of your beliefs. If you believe in God, and look, you know that you doubt.
I have heard…
A little boy came home from Sunday school and his father asked, ‘What did you learn today?’
“Well,” said the youngster, “two thousand years ago the Jews wanted to escape from the bad Egyptians. So Moses had the Jews build this suspension bridge across the Red Sea. Then they loaded it down with dynamite. The Jews escaped across the bridge and when all the Egyptians chased them they blew up the bridge, and all the Egyptians were drowned.”
“Is that what the teacher told you?” asked the surprised father.
“No,” said the boy, “but you would never believe the crazy story he did tell us!”
He has improved upon the story.
All your so-called scriptures are full of nonsense. But you go on believing just because you are afraid, because you are not grounded in your being, because you are not rooted in reality.
Osho, Sufis: The People of the Path, Vol 1, Ch 15
Series compiled by Shanti
All excerpts of this series can be found in: 1001 Tales
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