Osho: What is the most significant thing about enlightenment?

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This much I can certainly say that enlightenment is the most insignificant phenomenon in existence. That’s why people are not interested in it.

If it were significant then millions would have been running after enlightenment, just as they are running after gold, after money, after power. Just go and stand at the Pentagon or before the White House and ask everybody, “Where are you going?” Everybody is going, and going fast. I don’t think you will come across a single person who will say, “I am going to enlightenment” – not in Washington, not at the Pentagon. Everybody is going, and is in a hurry; in fact, will be greatly disturbed by you: “What kind of nonsense.. stopping me in the middle of the road and asking, “Where are you going? What business is it of yours!”

And you say, “I am simply doing research on enlightenment, on how many people are going for enlightenment. I have not come across a single man yet.” The simple reason is that enlightenment is not going to make you significant. You will not become Ronald Reagan. You will not become even Jesus Christ; nobody will crucify you. You will not even become AI-Hillaj Mansoor; nobody will murder you. If you become enlightened you will become so ordinary, so simple, that nobody will take any note of you. You will become almost absent. Let that become my definition of enlightenment: You will become almost absent. You will pass just like a breeze – not like a storm: Adolf Hitler is coming! You will just pass like a small breeze of no significance.

To the world you will be nobody. To yourself you will be the whole world.

To the universe, you will be all that you can be, all that you are meant to be. To the universe it will be a tremendous joy that you have dropped all running after significant things. At least there is one man who lives insignificantly, ordinarily, not going anywhere; no heaven, no God, no nirvana. He is not concerned even about the next moment, because all his energies which were involved and invested in all directions are now falling back upon himself. He has become a tremendously fulfilled reservoir of peace, silence, beatitude. He is so full of bliss that without his knowing he will be showering bliss wherever he moves. Whatever he touches will feel the vibe of bliss. But as far as he himself is concerned, if you ask him, “Who are you?” he will say, “I do not know. I have no idea at all.”

Enlightenment, thought to be a simple, insignificant ordinariness, makes religion nonpolitical, makes religion a true religion.

~Osho~
From misery to Enlightenment