The rebel is the only hope for the future of
humanity.
The rebel will destroy all religions, all nations, all races –
because they are all rotten, past, hindering the progress of human evolution.
They are not allowing anybody to come to his full flowering: they don't want
human beings on the earth – they want sheep.
Jesus continuously says, "I am your shepherd, and you are
my sheep...." And I have always wondered that not even a single man stood
up and said, "What kind of nonsense are you talking? If we are sheep, then
you are also a sheep; and if you are a shepherd, then we are also
shepherds."
Not only his contemporaries... but for two thousand years NO
Christian has raised the question that it is such an insult to humanity, such a
great humiliation to call human beings sheep and to call himself the shepherd,
the savior.
"I have come to save you"... and he could not save
himself. And still almost half of humanity is hoping that he will be coming
back to save them. You cannot save yourself; the only begotten son of God,
Jesus Christ, is needed. And he had promised to his people, "I will be
coming soon, in your own lifetime"... and two thousand years have passed –
many lifetimes have passed – and there seems to be no sign, no indication....
But all the religions have done the same in different ways.
Krishna says in the Gita that whenever there will be misery, whenever there
will be anguish, whenever there will be need, "I will be coming again and
again." Five thousand years have passed, and he has not been seen even
once – never mind "again and again."
These people, howsoever beautiful their statements may be, were
not respectful to humanity. A rebel respects you, respects life, has a deep
reverence for everything that grows, thrives, breathes. He does not put himself
above you, holier than you, higher than you; he is just one amongst you. Only
one thing he can claim: that he is more courageous than you are. He cannot save
you – only your courage can save you. He cannot lead you – only your own guts
can lead you to the fulfillment of your life.
Rebellion is a style of life. To me, it is the only religion
which is authentic. Because if you live according to your own light you may go
astray many times, and you may fall many times; but each fall, each going
astray will make you wiser, more intelligent, more understanding, more human.
There is no other way of learning than by making mistakes. Just don't make the
same mistake again.
There is no God, except your own
consciousness.
There is no need for any pope, or for Ayatollah Khomeini, or for
any shankaracharya, to be mediators between you and God. These are the greatest
criminals in the world, because they are exploiting your helplessness.
Just a few days ago, the pope declared a new sin: that one
should not confess directly to God; you have to confess through the priest.
Confessing directly to God, communicating directly with God, is a new sin.
Strange... you can see clearly that this is not religion, this is business –
because if people start confessing directly to God, then who is going to
confess to the priest and pay the fine? The priest becomes useless, the pope
becomes useless.
All the priests are pretending that they are mediators between
you and the ultimate source of life. They know nothing of the ultimate source
of life. Only you are capable of knowing your source of life. But your source
of life is also the ultimate source of life – because we are not separate. No
man is an island; we are a vast continent underneath. Perhaps on the surface
you look like an island – and there are many islands – but deep down in the
ocean, you meet. You are part of one earth, one continent. The same is true
about consciousness.
But one has to be free from churches, from temples, from mosques,
from synagogues. One has to be just oneself, and take the challenge of life
wherever it leads. You are the only guide.
You are your own master. OSHO


