The world is a vast stage

Many people come to me and ask, “Why do so many actors come to you?” My experience is this, that acting is one of the most spiritual professions in the world. Because an actor moves into so many actings – sometimes he is this, sometimes that – so many identities that he becomes loose. Then one day he suddenly starts thinking, “Who am I? One day I am Abraham Lincoln, another day I am George Washington, another day I become this and that,” and every day he goes on changing. In one film he is one, in another film he is another. Sometimes he is a saint, and sometimes he is a sinner. Only then can he be a perfect actor.

You can ask Veeten; Veeten is here. You can ask Vijay Anand, Vinod – they are my sannyasins. By and by he comes to know, a good actor comes to know, that all are acts. “Then who am I?”

In ordinary life you are identified with one thing: you are a doctor, so you are a doctor – morning, evening, night, you are a doctor; for thirty, forty years, you are a doctor – you become fixed with the identity, with the role. It is a role too – but you never change, so you become fixed. You forget; the role becomes your being.

When a person has to change many roles, he becomes loose. By and by the question arises: Who am I? All these are roles – then who am I? – who is this man who some day becomes a sinner and some day becomes a saint? And some day plays the role of a murderer, and some day becomes a great lover? Who is this man? Who is this being behind all these actings?

To me, acting is one of the most spiritual professions. And if you take life as an acting, you will start moving towards spirituality. Take life as an acting, you will start moving towards spirituality. Take life as acting, a great drama. The world is a vast stage. You are a mother – that is only one role. You are a father – that is only one role. You are a businessman – another role. You are a brother to somebody – another role. You are a son, husband – another role… a thousand and one roles if you watch. And you go on changing your faces. When your servant comes to see you, you have a different face. When your boss comes to see you, you have a different face. Watch it, become a little more alert, and you will see you have a thousand and one faces, continuously changing. It is automatic. You need not do anything – they change automatically. You have become very skillful. Once you understand this, you start moving inwards where there is no face at all.

Osho, The Divine Melody, Ch 2, Q 5 (excerpt)

Related discourse excerpt
Acting Is the Most Spiritual of Professions