And by “religiousness” I mean that man, as he is, is not enough; he can be more, he can be enormously more. Whatever he is, is only a seed. He does not know what potential he is carrying within himself.

Religiousness simply means a challenge to grow, a challenge for the seed to come to its ultimate peak of expression, to burst forth in thousands of flowers and release the fragrance that was hidden in it. That fragrance I call religiousness. It has nothing to do with your so-called religions, it has nothing to do with God, it has nothing to do with priesthood: it has something to do with you and your possibilities of growth.

So I have removed all the barriers. And I can understand your problem. I have made you religious, I have made you a religious leader, and naturally, suddenly I have taken everything away from you.

The situation is such…I found you crying and weeping, in misery, in anguish, and it was not the time to talk about religiousness. You needed a few toys to play with – I gave you the toys. You enjoyed the toys; you stopped crying, you forgot your misery, you were happy, you were singing and dancing. But the problem is that that is not the end of your potential, and I was so much concerned that you may get stuck in this superficial happiness, joy…

I had to take away those toys – you may get too identified with them, you may cling to them because they gave you a moment of joy. Those toys have taken your tears away, you have forgotten your worries and your anguish. Those toys have proved something like opium. Before you get too addicted to those toys, a real master has to take them away.

Only a false master can be happy with your happiness, because you will be grateful to him – although you are living in an illusion. Toys cannot give you the authentic, the real. The original face cannot be revealed by them. Yes, they can keep you engaged, occupied, so that you can forget yourself. But the real question is not to forget yourself but to remember.

Now those toys are a hindrance. They did their work, they have taken away your tears. They did their work, they have given you a consolation; at least you are now in a position where something of the higher can be talked about. Those toys have to be taken away quickly. Given time, you will start carrying those toys with you twenty-four hours a day, just like little children with their teddy-bears; they cannot sleep without them, they cannot go anywhere without them. They have become almost part of their being.

Naturally, you will be in an embarrassing situation – because I gave you religion, I gave you a certain leadership. You created around you a following. You created, converted, convinced people of the truth of the new religion. And the more people were convinced by you, the more you were convinced that certainly you are a great leader.