Religion in the East vs. the West

"The West has missed having a Gautam Buddha. Jesus is not at all a comparison to him. Jesus is simply a Jew, believing in all the Jewish dogmas. He is faithful—in fact, a little too much. Gautam Buddha is a rebel; he is not a follower of anyone. Nor is Lao Tzu a follower of anyone. They don't have any scriptures, they don't have any belief systems. They have searched on their own, alone—risking, because they are moving away from the crowd on the lonely path, not knowing where this journey is going to end, but trusting their heart, experiencing small indications that peace is growing, that love is flowering, that a new fragrance has come to their being, that their eyes are no longer full of dust, of the past. A tremendous clairty and transparency . . . and they know they are on the right path.

There is no guide, and you will not meet anybody on the path to inquire how far the destination is. It is a flight from the alone to the alone. But once a man finds truth on his own, naturally he becomes aware that no organized religion is needed—it is a hindrance—that no priest, no mediators are needed; they will not allow you to reach the truth. Such a man, who has found the truth, becomes a master.

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The greatest contribution has come from a few masters who attained not only their own freedom but also the freedom of those who loved them. It is simply inconceivable: if you love me, how can I enslave you? If you love me, I will only rejoice in your freedom. When I see you opening your wings into the sky towards the unknown, the far away, the mysterious, that will be my joy; not that you are tethered to a certain dogma, creed, cult, religion, philosophy. These are different names of chains, manufactured by different kinds of people, but their purpose is the same.

Because the West has not known masters . . . . It has known popes, it has known prophets, it has known saviours, it has known saints. It is absolutely unaware that there is a dimension it has missed, and that dimension is the most valuable dimension . . . . Because it has missed it, a great misunderstanding has arisen."

-Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh