On Osho: Seriousness versus playfulness

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Take life easily, lovingly, playfully, non-seriously.

Seriousness is a disease, the greatest disease of the soul,

and playfulness the greatest health.

~ Osho

Question: Acharya Ji, Pranaam! It is easy to say that don’t take things seriously, this seriousness comes from fear. Even you have said, “Fear is our primary motivator.” And to get work done, fear is often used by others.

But we don’t know any other way of living. How to make sense of what Osho is saying?

Acharya Prashant (AP): I will repeat the quoted lines again.

“Take life easily, lovingly, playfully, non-seriously. Seriousness is a disease, the greatest disease of the soul and playfulness the greatest health.”

What is meant by ‘seriousness’ first of all? It’s important to understand this because another contemporary mystic J. Krishnamurti was a great advocate of this word — ‘seriousness’. He would often say that we need to be very serious. And Osho says, “Seriousness is a disease.”

In fact, Osho has gone on to say that the only thing he doesn’t quite like about J.Krishnamurti is that Krishnamurti is quite serious. We need to understand what these two mean by this word, and why does Osho says, “Seriousness is a great disease. Not only great, the greatest disease of the soul.”

Why does he say so?

When Krishnamurti says, ‘Serious’, he means sincere.

He means a particular commitment towards the Truth.

It is in this sense he uses the word ‘serious’.

When he says, “We all need to be very serious in enquiring, in seeking what is going on in the world, he doesn’t mean to suggest that we need to be heavy, or loaded, or gloomy. All he means to communicate is — sincerity.

And ‘sincerity’ means — a certain earnestness, a certain honesty, a certain dedication. It means that you are not divided. It means that if you are saying you want to know, then…