Talking about truth as it is

The moment I became capable of seeing I started talking about truth as it is – naked. But nobody was ready even to listen to it. I was puzzled: I had found the original face, I had seen it, I wanted to share with those who were searching for it, but they were not ready to listen to it.

For a few years I struggled hard, but then I saw that they were not wrong, I was wrong. They could not digest truth raw and naked; when you have been eating cooked food for many many lives you cannot digest raw food. I was wrong, they were not wrong.

Then I started cooking things! Then I started saying things which they could digest. I became less and less concerned about truth and more and more concerned about the people who were to digest it; I had to see how much they could digest. And I had to prepare the food in such a way that it was sweet, not bitter, that it tasted good, it looked good. Whether it was nutritious or not, that was secondary. Who bothers whether Deeksha’s cakes are nutritious or not? whether the ice cream is going to make you healthy or ill? Who bothers about these things? It tastes good. It may destroy you finally…

And I was amazed – when I started serving cooked food people became very much interested and excited. That was a device: that’s how I have been able to hook you all! Otherwise I was sitting on the riverbank day in, day out – not a single fish! Once I started serving cooked food – cooked according to your desires, not according to your needs…. I didn’t need to think at all about the truth in the beginning days, I forgot all about it. I stopped going to the river – the fish started coming to me on their own, walking long distances.

So don’t be too bothered about what I have said in my earlier works. I have said many things which I don’t mean! What I am saying today is closer to truth than what I said yesterday, and every day it will become closer and closer to the truth. Before I am gone I will again have told you the naked truth.

I had to take such a long route because there was no other way; I had to be very indirect. The moment I became enlightened I started telling people that there is no God – and they were shocked! Then I cooked it. I said, “There is God, but God is not a person, only a presence.” This is cooked food. I am simply saying there IS NO God. But now it tastes sweet – no person, only a presence.

But what else can you do? If people are foolish you have to be careful with them.

I wanted to say the naked truth from the very beginning, but to whom to say it? I had to drop that. For a few years I tried my hardest, but all the doors remained closed; nobody was even ready to listen. Then I changed the whole strategy, I became a little more diplomatic. Then whatsoever I wanted to say I started saying through Mahavira, through Buddha, through Zarathustra, through Lao Tzu, through Jesus….

I continued to say things but I was using other people’s names. And Christians became very much interested when I said the same things in the name of Jesus! Whatsoever I said in the name of Jesus is simply my own; it has nothing to do with Jesus at all. And if I meet Jesus there is going to be a great argument. They all must be waiting for me – let this guy come! – because I have been telling things in the name of Buddha which he never meant… but Buddhists became very happy.

So one thing: whenever you want to try to understand me, don’t bring in what I have said in the past; that is not going to help. The latest has to be taken into account. And when tomorrow I say something, that will be even better. Before I enter into my grave, my last statement will be just the naked truth.

But I had to take this long route for the simple reason that – whom to get hold of, with whom to share your experience? With whom? There are Hindus, there are Mohammedans, there are Christians, there are Buddhists, there are Sikhs, there are Parsis… not a single human being is available, all are already divided. The only way is to catch the Christians through Jesus and the Jews through Moses and the Hindus through Krishna. Once they are with me then they will be able to understand.

And now I have found my people so I don’t care much. Now I can start giving you my original experience.

Osho, Philosophia Ultima, Ch 15, Q 2