When you listen to me, forget about being impressed. When you listen to me, just listen. Be with me, open – don’t try to judge either way. Whatsoever I am saying, you simply be open, listen, allow it and allow me to penetrate you, but don’t judge. Don’t say, “Yes, it is right,” because then you are impressed. If you say, “No, this is not right,” then you are trying not to be impressed. One is a positive impression, another is a negative impression, and both ways will be wrong. Don’t say yes to me, don’t say no to me. Why can’t you just be here without saying yes or no? Listen, watch, allow things to happen. If you say yes, that yes means: now you are ready to imitate. If you say no it means: no, you are not going to imitate me, you are going somewhere to imitate somebody else. You have some other guru, some other master whom you will imitate. This man is not for you. You are seeking somebody who can become an ideal for you, and you can become a shadow. And you can find many – many enjoy becoming the ideals because ego feels very, very good. When so many people imitate a person, it feels wonderful for the ego – “I am the ideal of so many people. I must be absolutely right, otherwise why are so many people following me?” The greater the crowd behind a man, the more strong the ego becomes. So there are people who would like you to imitate but I am not one of them, I am just the opposite. I don’t enjoy your imitation. Once you start, I feel very sorry for you. And I discourage it in every way.

Don’t imitate me. Just watch, listen, feel. In this listening, watching, feeling, just being aware here with me, by and by your energy will start falling on your own center. Because, listening to me, the mind stops. Watching, the mind stops. Being here with me, open, the mind stops. In that stopping of the mind, the phenomenon is happening – you are going back to the source of your own being, you are falling to your own center. The disturbance of the mind is not there; suddenly you gain a balance, you are centered.

And that is what I would like. From that falling to your own source and center will arise your life. Not because of the impressions that I leave on you; I don’t want to leave any impressions. And if they are left, I am not responsible. You must have done something yourself. You must be clinging to those words, impressions. It is subtle just to be without judgment, just to be listening, watching, being, sitting with me.

My talking is nothing but an excuse to help you to sit with me, to help you to be here with me. I know, because I can sit in silence, but then your mind will chatter. You will not be silent. So I have to talk so that your mind is not allowed to chatter. You become engrossed, involved in listening. The mind stops. In that gap you reach to your own source. I am to help you to find your center, and this is the real discipleship. It is really totally different to what people think that discipleship is. It is not following, it is not imitating, it is not making an ideal of the master. It is nothing of that sort. It is to allow the master to help you to fall toward your own center.

The fourth question:

Osho,
You say to do that which fits your own nature. But I have difficulty knowing whether what I do fits my nature or my ego. How does one distinguish the voice of one’s nature from the many voices of the ego?

Whenever you listen to the voice of the ego, sooner or later there will be trouble. You will fall into the trap of misery. This you have to watch: ego always leads into misery, always, unconditionally; always, categorically, absolutely. And whenever you listen to nature, it leads you to a well-being, a contentment, a silence, a bliss. So this should be the criterion. You will have to make many errors; there is no other way. You have to watch your own choice, from where the voice is coming, and then you have to see what happens – because the fruit is the criterion.