"Because what is unknown to you is known to me; so on my part there is no question of any hesitation.

"You say, 'Yet in all these years I have never experienced it myself.' You will never experience it. You are one of those fortunate people who need a very tender and loving treatment – a hit can destroy you, a hit can make you more afraid of the future and the unknown.

"The master works according to the need of the disciple; each according to his need.

"You say to me, 'You are like a potter. I feel your hands molding me, guiding me, leading me, strong and firm, but also with such tenderness and love as I have never experienced before. It is such a joy to be formed by your gorgeous hands.' To you I am a potter, because to me you are a pot! Now, to hit a pot is to destroy it – and a very immature pot; you have not even gone through the fire test – that's why you have not experienced it.

"But if you want to experience, it is up to you: just wait a little! Once you have passed through the fire and you have become hard and capable of receiving a hit…because the hit is also so beautiful, so loving, that you will forget all the tenderness and all the love that I am showing to you – it is out of pity. And when I strongly hit somebody – that too is out of love – my hit gives you dignity. It is a recognition of your strength, your integrity, your centeredness.

"You are asking, 'Osho, in my doubting mind, a question arises: can it really be true that you are guiding me ever so gently?' I have to, you are fragile. But you will not remain fragile forever. And it is a spiritual surgery, not a butcher's shop.

"Rejoice in whatever you are getting. The hits will also come in their right time. Perhaps they are also a basic need, finally – just as a child is born and the cord that joins him to the mother has to be cut, although it has been his life for nine months."