Long Hair or Clean Shaved ?

For thousands of years there have been two types of sannyasins in India: one with beard, long hair; one without beard, without hair.
Those who have beards and long hair have a certain deep reason for it—they may not be aware of it. Long hair has always been anti-social.
The beard, and long hair particularly, have always belonged to the bohemians: artists, painters, asocial elements, rebellious people, crazy, eccentric.
This is one extreme.
The other extreme is the shaven-headed monk. Between the two is the straight person, the common man, who is not eccentric this way or that.
On one hand are the rebellious people— rebellious in the sense that their religion will be non- traditional. The shaven-headed people are those who have a certain affinity with the tradition.
They will be religious but they will not be anti-traditional. They may be as asocial as the long-haired ones, but they will not be anti-tradition.
They will feel a continuity with the past, they will have a certain heritage, they will have a feeling of belonging …
Long hair gives individuality. If you shave one thousand people and have them standing naked, you will not be able to find out who is who—the shaven-heads look almost the same.
Much individuality comes about through hair. That’s why women are so interested in hair: it gives them indivi- duality, personality.
With shaven-headed women you will not see much difference between the homely and the beautiful, In fact, in the African tribes, to find out the real beauty they shave the women, because then only rarely does one woman stand out as beautiful; the other ninety-nine percent will simply disappear in the mob ..
And religion happens in two ways: either it is traditional or it is rebellious.
The rebellious person will like a beard, long hair. The rebellious person does not want to belong— he wants to be separate, he wants to an island.
Both are good; whatsoever suits you is the question.

~ OSHO – THIS IS IT!

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