Osho's views on Swaminarayan Sampraday, comments about BAPS swami's not seeing women and keeping themself physically away as hypocritical, but say Jain Digambar muni can stands nude in front of women with their purity and consciousness through their intense spiritual practices via tapas and sadhanas
Osho was a known critic of many traditional religious figures and organizations, and he did express critical views about the Swaminarayan Sampraday and its BAPS leaders, specifically regarding practices like the strict separation of sexes.
- Suppression vs. Transformation: Osho argued that merely physically avoiding women (or any object of desire) does not eliminate desire; it only suppresses it, creating "granthis" (psychological knots or blockages). He believed that suppression was unhealthy and that true spirituality required transformation, not escape.
- Fear-Based Morality: He viewed rules that mandate avoiding the opposite sex due to fear of "bad thoughts" as stemming from fear and an undeveloped consciousness, rather than true inner purity.
Osho explicitly criticized the Swaminarayan Sampraday and figures like Pramukh Swami Maharaj of BAPS. His criticism focused on the aspects of their ascetic discipline that he found limiting or hypocritical, particularly the rules around interaction between sadhus and women, which he saw as outdated and not conducive to authentic spiritual freedom.
You can view complete Osho video on YouTube here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5BfmtGgvF0
https://reddit.com/link/1pb1juv/video/o9159uet9i4g1/player
Later, he gives example of Jain Digambar Muni who stands completely nude in front of a women but has developed true inner consciousness, and purity.
A Digambara monk, or muni, a male ascetic from the Digambara sect of Jainism who practices nudity as a sign of complete renunciation and detachment from worldly possessions. Digambara monks are believed to have achieved a high level of spiritual purity and consciousness through their intense spiritual practices (tapas and sadhana). Their nudity is a physical manifestation of their complete renunciation of all material attachments, as well as an expression of their inner purity and non-attachment to possessions and desires, including passions like attachment and aversion.
Nudity as a symbol of renunciation: For Digambaras, clothing is considered a possession and an attachment, so renouncing it signifies a complete detachment from the material world to attain liberation (moksha)
- Inner purity: This outward nudity is considered a reflection of an even more important inner state of being, a "naked mind and body" free from passions.
- Higher spiritual stage: Nudity represents the highest stage of monastic life, achieved after many years of spiritual discipline.
What are your thoughts?
Posted Dec 1, 2025, 3:01 AM UTC