December Times 2009
December Times 2009
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Editorial
Swami Anand Neelambar [email protected]
Enlightenment is Rebellion
Gurdjieff
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Osho – enigma of the 20 Century
Ramakrishna
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EDITORIAL
The choice to be on the spiritual sojourn is an
attitude against the status quo. It is the real
revolution that can transform this world in the
Promised Land in an instant.
Each master, each Buddha is rebellion. He The greater the role a particular Buddha has to
breaks the old structure and then creates a new perform in the process of transformation and
structure that may last for some time again. the longer his influence has to linger in the
There is nothing life negative in it, It is life minds of the people will determine how your
affirmative. When a builder demolishes the existing systems will treat him.
existing structure and in place creates a new
structure according to existing techniques and History bears ample testimony and conspiracy
facilities no one resents. However, when a of Pontius Pilates, Hitlers, Nixons and so on
master or a Buddha does this there is who have been responsible for atrocities
resistance from all corners. The resistance inflicted upon buddhas.
comes from the custodians of religion – the It was the Rabbai – the high priest who is
priest. And priestly organizations are supported responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus. A Mary
by the power of the state. Together the priest Madgline is transformed of her ways and
and politics create an invincible team to revolt means. But the high priest remained
against the Buddhas. blindfolded.
A Buddha is the most delicate flower in the It is the high priest at the time of Gautam
existence. He is even more delicate than the Buddha who tried to harm him in every possible
lilies or lotuses. Yet still there is revolt against way. Mad elephants were released to kill him.
these flowers. And when the flowers are no more And a mad elephant rushed towards Buddha
the same custodians create organizations, and full of rage. Buddha remained tranquil. He was
business around the buddhas. When the meditative. His eyes were half open and half
Buddha is no more physically alive the same closed. No fear. Total harmony with all that was
custodians of religion who, once were critical of happening. Buddha’s tranquility and inner
all that a living Buddha preached, start harmony changed the beastly nature of the
business in the name of the Buddha and elephant. The beastliness gone and in a posture
interpreting the words to suit their of reverence he sat in front of Buddha. The
organizational values. A living Buddha is threat beastliness transformed. But the priests could
to the existing values and systems. He wants to not see all this. They were blind fold because of
eradicate all that is unwanted. Like a surgeon their vested interest. Yet still rocks were hurled
he wants to remove rotten and damaged parts at him. As the rock came down mid air it
so that longevity is increased. decomposed. A court dancer became her
Resistance is bound to be there. Society cannot disciple but no priest could see the change in
tolerate a Buddha. He is a threat to their Buddha. The priest remained blind to it and
business and the organization. The society will continued atrocities.
not revolt against a Sai Baba, or a Srila
The result was that the roots of Buddhism Once visa refused even for his Sanyasins
almost disappeared from India where it was occupies the CYBER SPACE. And now Osho’s
born. Instead Buddhism merged with the message needs no visa. Only an open and loving
existing Taoism in China. One stream flowed to heart is needed. Openness and Love is the only
Japan and flourished as Zen. Visa needed to travel along with Osho.
Sufi mystic Al Hillaj Mansur declared ‘Anal Wait a minute! I will have to pause to say all
Haq…’ I am the light…I am the truth. The that I was to say. I was to speak –
Islamic priest could not tolerate this and his Enlightenment is Rebellion… And here I am
limbs were cut off. speaking of something that is close to my heart.
This will come in subsequent pages.
Socrates is said to have been corrupting the
youth. He was poisoned. Not only that his own Enlightenment means inner flowering.
wife disapproved of him. It was she who threw Enlightenment means a space beyond time and
boiling water from kettle on the face of Socrates space. Man lives within the finite boundaries of
and this made him ugly. time and space. Mind cannot conceive of
anything beyond the linear thinking. Buddhas
Mira was rejected by the society, and the power dwell in a space beyond mind. Like free bird he
that was her own husband. And ma y atrocities soars in the vast sky. He is no more consumed
were inflicted from sending snake in disguise to by the finiteness. Finiteness, for him has
poison. In every way efforts were made to make dissolved into the infinite. And all that is infinite
her life miserable. She was not allowed to enter is beyond time and space and beyond the reach
the temples of her eternal beloved. And finally, of the mind and its psychology.
at the temple of Ranchorji at Dwarka, Mira
dissolved into her beloved. Mind lives in past which is no more or the
future which will never come. Between these
During the times of scriptures atrocities were two imaginary situations exists the realm of
inflicted upon Bhibhishan, the brother of the NOWNESS. This is the realm of Buddhas. His
king of Lanka, Prahlad the son of teachings, psychology and understanding are
Hirnakashyapu, and Dhruva. the outcome of this experience. This ‘nowness’
Dnyandev, Nivrittinath, Sopandev and is the name given to the inner harmony,
Muktabai had to face the similar fate as their oneness, dissolution into totality etc. This is his
father who once entered the life of a monk religiousness. This is his understanding. And
entered the family life once again at the plea of this is his message. He simply propagates
his wife and his master. The children were not religiousness beyond all Mind religions. All the
accepted. Vitthalpath could not bear the agony religions that you see around are nothing but
and he ended his life by drowning at Sangam in organizational institutions established in the
Prayagraj. names of those who were once rejected by the
society. See the hypocrisy of this all.
Much atrocity of false immigration charges and
others were inflicted upon Osho. Osho was Enlightenment is rebellion.
detained at the whims of the fundamentalists,
and the Nixon administration for 12 days that
shook the entire world. His visas were rejected
or cancelled in 21 countries throughout the
world. His plane was not even allowed to land at
Heathrow airport for fuelling. Osho was
administered the dose of Thallium through his
teeth.
Essential Zen
Gibberish the way of Inner Cleansing
CHAPTER 8
KYOZAN ONCE RETURNED TO ISAN TO INTERVIEW HIM. ISAN SAID TO HIM, “YOU ARE
NOW CALLED A GOOD AND CLEVER TEACHER. HOW CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
THOSE WHO COME FROM ALL PARTS AND KNOW IT, AND THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW IT;
THE MASTERS WHO HAVE INHERITED IT, AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT; THE PROFOUND
LEARNING, AND THE MEANING LEARNING? EXPLAIN AND LET ME HEAR.”
KYOZAN REPLIED, “KYOZAN HAS HAD THIS EXPERIENCE. WHEN MONKS COME FROM
ALL DIRECTIONS, HE RAISES HIS STICK, AND ASKS THEM IF THIS IS EXPOUNDED
WHERE THEY COME FROM OR NOT. FURTHER, HE SAYS TO THEM, LEAVING THIS ASIDE,
‘WHAT ARE THE OLD MASTERS WHERE YOU COME FROM TEACHING?’”
ISAN ADMIRED HIM AND SAID, “THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE CLAW AND FANG OF OUR
SECT.”
Maneesha, the silence here is so dense, one feels a But Jabbar was saying something through his gibberish.
little afraid even to utter a word. It may disturb the He was saying, “All that we can say about existence is
silent lake of your consciousness. But always gibberish.” He was very much in tune with existence.
remember that in the wake of words, silence is
deepened. The higher the mountain, the greater will be It seems unbelievable that he had one thousand
the valley surrounding it. A great mountain cannot disciples. Sitting by his side, when he was silent they
have a small valley. There is a tremendous balance in would be silent; when he would go into gibberish, they
everything as far as nature is concerned. would go into gibberish – and near about twenty-five
people became enlightened. Not a word was said by
The essential Zen is an effort to bring you to the Jabbar, nothing was heard by anybody.
language of existence that you have forgotten
completely. You have forgotten completely the most You cannot write a treatise on Jabbar because he never
important, and you are filled in your mind with all spoke anything except gibberish. But he was a radiant
kinds of gibberish. You may know, you may not know, man, a man who had come to flowering, whose spring
that gibberish is not an English word. It comes from had come, and who was not afraid to be vulnerable and
Persia, the old name of Iran, and it comes from a very open and receptive. He went along with the wind.
mystical person, Jabbar, because he never spoke
anything relevant. Not only was it irrelevant, there was Zen has done the same from a different angle, but you
no grammar, there were no words at all, but only must be aware of the fact that any authentic master – to
sounds. Because of Jabbar, the name ‘gibberish’ came whatever age, to whatever country he belongs – is not
into existence. interested in preaching you a doctrine. His interest is to
bring you in communion, in balance with the reality They took the man finally to a psychoanalyst. The
that surrounds you. psychoanalyst said to the family, “Don’t be worried. It
will take a little time. You leave him with me. He has to
Zen has used many methods never known before. You come for a one hour session twice a week.”
cannot conceive in a Greek context the validity of any
method of Zen. Even Socrates and Plato would have All this time, the madman who had now become dead
been at a loss if they had met Bodhidharma or Jabbar. was smiling.
I always think what a hilarious meeting it would be: The first question the psychoanalyst asked him was,
Jabbar meeting Socrates. Socrates was so logical, so “Why are you smiling?”
rational. His honesty was exactly the same as Jabbar’s;
he was ready to risk his life for his truth, but still he did He said, “Strange... a single man is alive amongst a
not rise, until the last moment of his life, to group who are all dead. But just to convince themselves
enlightenment. The day he dropped all knowledge, all that they are alive, they are trying to convince me that
wisdom, the day he dropped language as such, that ‘You are also alive’ – and I have never seen anything
very moment a tremendous silence descended upon living in me.”
him. And those of you who are slowly slowly moving The psychoanalyst was at a loss himself, because this
towards the great experience will become aware of it – was an absolutely new case. He had never dealt with
not because I say so, but because you experience it so. dead people, but he figured out a way. He took a knife
and cut the madman’s finger. Blood started coming out.
How can you say anything about the tremendous The psychoanalyst said, “Have you ever heard that
silence that is here now? Our minds are preventing us... dead men don’t bleed?”
our minds are taking us away from the very center of
our being. The mind is not interested at all in an The man said, “Yes. While I was alive I heard this
interior exploration. It is absolutely committed to the saying.”
outside and the objective.
The psychoanalyst felt great pride, but the madman
Before I talk about Isan’s sutra... because this sutra will said, “Don’t be proud. It does not prove that I am not
be the last of this series and also this sutra is the last of dead. It only proves that the proverb is wrong. Dead
Isan’s life. This sutra ends exactly at the time Isan dies. men do bleed. I am an example, a living example!”
The death of a person indicates how he has lived, After two, three sessions, the psychoanalyst was
whether he has lived at all or not. You may be believing continuously thinking about the man. And slowly
that you are living, but don’t be so certain. slowly a doubt started arising in him,” If somebody
asks me to prove it, how am I going to prove that I am
Every madman in all the madhouses in the world alive?”
believes absolutely that he is not mad. He wonders why
people consider him to be mad. Slowly slowly he comes That night he could not sleep. Next day was his session.
to the conclusion that the world is mad: “Poor fellows, He said to the man, “I will not charge you anything, but
they cannot understand my state.” A man who had please leave me alone. You can find some other
been crazy all his life went beyond the boundary. Small psychoanalyst – they are a rupee a dozen – because I
trips beyond the mind can be tolerated, but he went a am becoming suspicious about my own life. Rather
little too far; he started saying that “I am dead.” than convincing you that you are dead, you are by and
by convincing me that who knows? – I may have died!
Everybody laughed, everybody said, “This is too much. Perhaps I am dreaming that I am alive.”
You have already been doing great things.... And how
can you be dead? – you are speaking!” What proof have you that you are not dreaming? Death
is the criterion in the tradition of Zen. How a man dies
He said, “So what? Dead people speak.” proves whether he has lived or not. Only a living man
can die; you cannot afford to die if you have not lived.
They told him, “You are walking, you are eating, you are
sleeping.” I have heard about a great scholar. He became aware
He said, “That does not prove that I am alive. That that he was alive only when he was dead. Then
simply proves that I am vegetating. But as far as my suddenly he realized, “My God! I used to be alive, and I
deadness is concerned... I am absolutely certain.” never took any notice of it.”
Particularly in Zen, the masters show the highest peaks somebody knows or not? whether somebody is a
of consciousness. Death is the criterion. If you can die master or only a pretender?” And Kyozan has forgotten
gracefully, blissfully, almost dancingly, that proves that completely that he has come to interview Isan, and he
you have lived, and you have lived so deeply that you is being inter viewed – the craftsmanship of a great
know that death is only the changing of the house. master.
KYOZAN REPLIED, “KYOZAN HAS HAD THIS
KYOZAN ONCE RETURNED TO ISAN TO INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE. WHEN MONKS COME FROM ALL
HIM. DIRECTIONS, HE RAISES HIS STICK, AND ASKS THEM
IF THIS IS EXPOUNDED...” He is not asking about the
You will be surprized... That is another speciality in Zen stick, he is raising the stick to indicate “thisness.” Are
that disciples come to interview the master – nowhere you coming from a master who has explained to you
else. But Zen is very playful. Its playfulness is so deep ”thisness,” the present moment of splendor, the great
that it takes nothing seriously. moment of being nobody? Because a master never hits
a disciple unless a disciple is really able to be awakened
KYOZAN ONCE RETURNED TO ISAN TO INTERVIEW by a single hit.
HIM. ISAN SAID TO HIM, “YOU ARE NOW CALLED A
GOOD AND CLEVER TEACHER. HOW CAN YOU Kyozan said, “WHEN MONKS COME FROM ALL
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THOSE WHO COME FROM DIRECTIONS, HE RAISES HIS STICK, AND ASKS THEM
ALL PARTS AND KNOW IT, AND THOSE WHO DON’T IF THIS IS EXPOUNDED WHERE THEY COME FROM OR
KNOW IT; THE MASTERS WHO HAVE INHERITED IT, NOT. FURTHER, HE SAYS TO THEM, LEAVING THIS
AND THOSE WHO HAVE NOT; THE PROFOUND ASIDE, ‘WHAT ARE THE OLD MASTERS WHERE YOU
LEARNING, AND THE MEANING LEARNING. EXPLAIN COME FROM TEACHING?’”
AND LET ME HEAR.”
In fact, if you have found a master you have found your
KYOZAN REPLIED, “KYOZAN HAS HAD THIS home; there is nowhere to go. Or wherever you go you
EXPERIENCE. WHEN MONKS COME FROM ALL will find your master and nobody else.
DIRECTIONS, HE RAISES HIS STICK, AND ASKS THEM When Gautam Buddha became enlightened his first
IF THIS IS EXPOUNDED WHERE THEY COME FROM OR words were strange: “Not only I am enlightened, the
NOT. FURTHER, HE SAYS TO THEM, LEAVING THIS whole existence is enlightened with me. This music,
ASIDE, ‘WHAT ARE THE OLD MASTERS WHERE YOU this music of silence, soundless, these flowers, and
COME FROM TEACHING?’” invisible, falling all over the place – I was just keeping
my eyes closed. Today my eyes are open, but that does
ISAN ADMIRED HIM AND SAID, “THIS HAS ALWAYS not make me superior. From the smallest blade of grass
BEEN THE CLAW AND FANG OF OUR SECT.” to the greatest star everything is in blissfulness.”
A few things to be noted. Man has created only one thing: miser y for himself and
miser y for others. We are great creators of miser y. If
Kyozan succeeded Isan. But to interview the master someday nothing terrible happens to you, that day is
before he became enlightened shows his daringness, wasted – something terrible so that you can talk about
his courage. And it also shows the grace and greatness it, rejoice about it, some great tragedy. People don’t like
of Isan that he did not object to it: “You don’t know to see comedies, people like to see tragedies.
anything about it, and you are trying to interview me?”
When there is a war going on, everybody gets up early
But without saying it, if you look at the whole thing, it in the morning to find the newspaper, what is
becomes just the opposite. It is an interview not of Isan happening. Everybody looks fresh; something terrible
by Kyozan, but an interview by Isan of Kyozan. He did is happening, so many thousands of people are dying.
not say anything to hurt him, he did not reject the We have become so accustomed to tragedy, and
interview or say that “You are not of the quality yet; comedy seems to be tasteless.
you have not experienced your inner most core.”
Rather than rejecting, Isan accepts it and starts the When you have found a master, you have found him.
interview himself. You can remain, you can go, but the master has settled
in your heart.
KYOZAN REPLIED, “KYOZAN HAS HAD THIS
EXPERIENCE...” because Isan has asked, “How do you Those who go on and on are simply indicating that they
teach people? And how do you know whether have not found the man who makes your heart dance.
They have not clicked with somebody. They have not THE AGE OF EIGHTY-THREE. HIS STUPA WAS
found a man of presence who engulfs you with love and ERECTED ON MOUNT KUEI, HOME OF HIS
joy, compassion and light, life and love, beauty and MONASTERY.
truth, and all that is divine in existence. Unless you THE EMPEROR GAVE HIM THE POSTHUMOUS TITLE
have seen those two eyes in which all that is divine TA YUAN (GREAT PERFECTION).
reflects, you have to go on in the hope that somewhere
you may find. Isan must have worked hard in polishing an ordinary
stone into a diamond. The whole glory and credit goes
But remember always, because you can miss a real to Isan. He turned an ordinary man into a great
master, that you have to be absolutely receptive, utterly perfection.
open, with no doors closed, with no windows closed.
The fresh breeze comes with great fragrance, the Kyozan does not show much insight, intelligence,
coolness of it... the perfume of it is always available; meditativeness, but it is the compassion of the master
just your doors were closed. to do his best. Forty years he worked on Kyozan. It is a
long time, but for compassion neither time means
So if you don’t find a master, don’t think that there is no anything nor space means anything. Isan succeeded in
master. First, begin to see: Are you able to receive a bringing him home.
master? Is your hear t open? Is not your mind
burdened with many kind of prejudices? I am reminded of a great emperor who dreamed one
night that a great black shadow was standing before
What are all your religions except prejudices? No man him. With trembling hands and throbbing heart, he
of intelligence can depend on birth; birth is accidental. asked, “Who are you?”
You are bor n a Hindu, that does not make you a Hindu.
You are born a Mohammedan, that does not make you a The shadow said, “That we will discuss later on. I have
Mohammedan. Such a great phenomenon as religion come to inform you that tomorrow evening as the sun
cannot be lefthanging on the accidental phenomenon of will be setting you will die.” And the shadow
bir th. You have to choose it. You have to find it. disappeared, and with the shadow the sleep also
Everybody has to go into deeper search. disappeared.
Inward journey The king was perspiring. He called the attendant. In the
middle of the night all the astrologers, palmists,
ISAN ADMIRED HIM.... prophets were called to interpret the dream: What
does it mean?
Remember, admiration is not the real appreciation of a
master. If Isan had given him a good slap, or a good They started looking in their great scriptures, “Is there
stick, that would have been appreciation. any precedent?” There was no precedent at all, because
Our stickholder – because I am a lazy man, I cannot death never informs anybody; it just comes without
carry the stick – has come from Ger many. Just show even knocking on your door. The sun was rising. The
your stick and hit poor Maneesha! old attendant of the emperor, who was almost like his
father – because his mother died early, and his father
(NISKRIYA TAKES THE STICK AND TAPS MANEESHA was so much engaged in wars that he had given the
ON THE HEAD. IT MAKES A LOUD, SHARP CLICK.) small child to this old servant to take care of... The
servant had taken care perfectly, so although he was a
Good! servant, the emperor almost respected him like a
father. He was a substitute father.
ISAN ADMIRED HIM AND SAID, “THIS HAS ALWAYS
BEEN THE CLAW AND FANG OF OUR SECT.” The old servant came close to him and said, “I am not a
scholar, I am not an astrologer, and I am not an
Seeing that Kyozan would not understand, he is not yet alchemist. I don’t know anything about these great
ripe, Isan avoided the stick. things. One thing I know: that you should not stay in
ISAN TAUGHT FOR OVER FORTY YEARS DURING this palace. Take our best horse and move as fast and
WHICH TIME HE GATHERED INNUMERABLE far from the capital as possible. If possible enter into
DISCIPLES. ON FEBRUARY 20TH, 853, HE WENT another kingdom.
THROUGH A RITUAL ABLUTION, SEATED HIMSELF IN
THE MEDITATION POSTURE AND, SMILING, DIED AT
“And as far as these scholars are concerned, they have But Isan continued to teach Kyozan for over forty years.
never come to any conclusion – never! They discuss Enlightenment can happen in this very moment. It
and discuss and ever y argument leads to another depends on your urgency, totality. Time is not a
argument, but in the end the hands are empty. So let question, neither is causality. Nothing is needed for it
them discuss. You should not wait, because once the to happen, because it is already there; you only have to
sun has started rising, the setting will not be too far turn your vision to look inside.
away. In the rising sun itself, the setting of the sun is
intrinsic.” For forty-two years, Isan, a great compassionate
master, worked on Kyozan, and finally managed for an
It appealed... so he left without saying anything to the almost dead man to become a buddha.
great scholars, leaving them to confute each other and
fight and argue. He took his best Arabian horse, told the Isan’s stupa – stupa is the Buddhist word for a
horse, “We have to reach as far away as possible. It is a memorial – still exists on Mount Kuei where after his
very critical moment.” Horses and their lovers have a enlightenment he established his monastery.
certain way of communicating, just as dogs have a Certainly he must have been enlightened; his death
certain way of communicating. shows it.
The horse started with full speed. They never stopped ON FEBRUARY 20TH, 853, HE WENT THROUGH A
for a single moment even to drink water or to eat RITUAL ABLUTION, SEATED HIMSELF IN THE
something. They were happy that before the sun set MEDITATION POSTURE AND, SMILING, DIED AT THE
they had crossed the kingdom; they had reached into AGE OF EIGHTY-THREE. HIS STUPA WAS ERECTED ON
another kingdom. MOUNT KUEI, HOME OF HIS MONASTERY.
Outside the kingdom there was a great mango grove. THE EMPEROR GAVE HIM THE POSTHUMOUS TITLE
The sun was already setting, and the king thanked the TA YUAN (GREAT PERFECTION).
horse. He said, “I had no idea that you could go so fast. I
knew that you were one of the greatest horses, but this Soseki wrote:
speed...”
ONCE IN A THOUSAND YEARS
And just at that moment he felt a hand on his shoulder. THE UDUMBARA BLOSSOMS...
He looked behind him and saw the same black shadow. Udumbara is a metaphorical tree.
The black shadow said to the horse, “I was also worried ONCE IN A THOUSAND YEARS
whether you would be able to come this great a THE UDUMBARA BLOOMS.
distance or not, because the emperor is destined to die IT HAS OPENED ITS AUSPICIOUS FLOWERS.
in this mango grove. I never inform people, there is no MANY LABORED TO BRING IT
need. The need arose because the distance was so FROM INDIA TO CHINA.
great, and there was no reason for him to leave the ITS HEADY FRAGRANCE LINGERS,
palace and to come to this mango grove. Just as the WITHOUT FADING,
emperor is grateful to you, I am also grateful.” AND IS NOT LOST
AMONG THE THOUSAND GRASSES,
A beautiful story, but some deeper approach is needed. THE COUNTLESS WEEDS.
Mind always takes you far away. The servant was The same fragrance reached to its crescendo in Japan.
perfectly intelligent, rational – far more intelligent than Anybody who realizes the fact of his being a buddha
those so-called scholars. But mind is mind. becomes the flower that blossoms once in thousands of
years. And even if the body of the buddha dies, the
If an enlightened master had been there, he would have fragrance remains. Those who have the right sensitivity
said, “It is time enough; you just go in. No horse is can smell even this moment Gautam Buddha or
needed; you don’t have to move a single inch outside. Bodhidharma.
Just go in and there is no death. Death exists only for
those who live their lives in the outside world. To those It is not a question of time. Buddhahood is such an
who have known their inner most core, death is just a experience... in the body the buddha will die, but in the
shadow. It has no solidity, no substance, no reality.” spirit he will float around you for eternities to come. He
has melted in the universal and you can find him even
this very moment. We are searching for him ever y “Sure I want to go to heaven,” replies Sally looking
moment. The buddha is our nature. around. “But not with these guys!”
IS WITNESSING LEARNING OR A REMEMBERING? “He was an atheist, he never believed in heaven and
hell, you know,” Hymie says to Grandpa Finkelstein,
Maneesha: it is both and it is both not. who is standing by the coffin, looking somber.
It is both in the sense that in the beginning you have to “Really?” replies the Fink, looking at the dead Mendel’s
learn to enter into your inner temple. And then you immaculate suit and tie. “Then I guess he is all dressed
have to remember continuously, because to forget up with nowhere to go!”
again and again is human. But as your remembrance
becomes a silent breathing in you, the moment you star Gorgeous Gloria is fed up with her usual boyfriends, so
t breathing buddha in and out, then it is neither she decides to join a computer matchmaking service.
learning nor remembering. It is simply you. She sends in all her personal information and
preferences and then waits excitedly for the result.
You have not achieved anything, you have not
discovered anything; it has always been there. And The very next day she gets a phone call from her first
whether you remember it or not, it will always remain prospective date. After ten minutes of chatty
there. conversation, the guy suddenly says, “I’m nine inches
long and four inches around! Are you interested?”
That’s why Zen does not take things seriously. What
does it matter? – in this life or in some other life you “[Interested?” cries Gloria. “I’m fascinated! And how big
are to become a buddha. The buddha is the New Man. is your prick?”
He is the man of the future. Nivedano...
The whole human consciousness is moving towards (Dr umbeat)
buddhahood. (Gibberish)
Strangely, it is already there within you, but you are not Nivedano...
aware. Hence, a master can be helpful to you. (Drumbeat)
Be silent. Close your eyes. Feel your body to be
It is just like tickling you (THE MASTER MAKES completely frozen.
TICKLING GESTURES TOWARDS US)... and you start Now look inwards with your totality of consciousness,
laughing, and I have not tickled yet! (AGAIN HE MAKES with urgency as if this is going to be your last moment
THE MOVEMENT)... And you will star t feeling... (FOR of life.
THE THIRD TIME, HE STRETCHES HIS FINGERS
TOWARDS US) the master’s work is to tickle you. And it Deeper and deeper...
is a joy to tickle ten thousand buddhas!
Silence starts deepening. A subtle, undefinable bliss
Now it is time for Sardar Gurudayal Singh. He waits and starts arising, a fragrance of udumbara tree. You are
waits for his time. If I go on continuing to tell jokes to very close to buddha; just a little more and you ARE the
you, one thing is certain: I may die, but Gurudayal Singh buddha. The only quality that buddha has is witnessing.
is not going to die. He will still wait. Both the words mean the same: be a witness and you
are a buddha.
At the end of the Sunday school class, the teacher, Miss
Holynose, turns to the kids and says, ”Now, how many To make this witnessing clear, more clear,
of you children would like to go to heaven?” Nivedano...
Everybody shoots up their hand, except for one little (Drumbeat)
girl.
Relax. The body is there, the mind is there, but you are
“Come on, Sally,” says Miss Holynose. “Don’t you want neither. You are the witness. This witness is your only
to go to heaven?” treasure. Everything will be burned on a funeral pyre;
only the witness cannot be touched by any fire, by any Nivedano...
sword. The witness is your eternity. (Drumbeat)
The evening was great on its own, but your silence, Come back silently. Sit for a few minutes recollecting
your peace, your blissfulness have made it a thousand the experience you have been through, because you
times more beautiful. If you can keep witnessing have to keep this experience around the clock. A day
through the day, twenty-four hours, your whole life will will come when you will not need to remember it. It
become just an ecstasy. will be there whether you look at it or not.
A man who dies without knowing ecstasy lived in vain, That day comes! – I can say it with absolute authority,
or lived not. because it has come to me; why can it not come to you?
Before Nivedano calls you back, collect as much Every human being is a seed of the buddha. Blessed are
fragrance as possible to bring with you. You are coming those seeds which come to their total flowering.
back as a buddha, with the same grace, with the same
joy, with the same fulfillment. Okay, Maneesha?
The finest and the most beautiful things in life can be lived, can be known, but they are
difficult to define, difficult to describe.
Man’s misery is this: for the last four to five thousand years he has simply talked and
talked about something he should have been living earnestly, about something that
must be realized from within – about love. There have been great talks on love, countless
love songs have been sung, and devotional hymns are continuously being chanted in the
temples and in the churches – what all isn’t done in the name of love? – still there is no
place for love in man’s life. If we delve deeply into mankind’s languages, we will not find
a more untrue word than “love”.
All the religions carry on about love, but the kind of love that is found everywhere, the
kind of love that has enveloped man like some hereditary misfortune has only succeeded
in closing all the gates to love in man’s life. But the masses worship the leaders of the
religions as the creators of love. They have falsified love; they have blocked all love’s
streams. In this case there is no basic difference between East and West, between India
and America.
The stream of love has not yet surfaced in man. And we attribute this to man himself.
We say it is because man is spoiled that love has not evolved, that there is no current of
love in our lives. We blame it on the mind; we say the mind is poisonous. The mind is
not poison. Those who degrade the mind have poisoned love; they have not allowed the
growth of love. Nothing in this world is poison. Nothing is bad in God’s whole creation;
everything is nectar. It is man alone who has transformed this full cup of nectar into
poison. And the major culprits are the so-called teachers, the so-called holy men and
saints, the politicians.
Reflect upon this in detail. If this sickness is not understood immediately, if it is not
straightened out right away, there is no possibility – now or in the future – of love in
man’s life.
OSHO
LOVE’S Rebelliousness
Love is the very essence of a Buddha. Love is rebel. call it politics or not is not the question. It is
Because it transforms you! It gives birth to you. political.
Love is the buddhahood within. Love is the
fragrance of a Buddha. And like millions you never know the difference.
You never come to know that love that you call
Just as love’s lanes are narrow two can never exist. love is nothing but politics. Even between
Love is oneness. So too buddhahood is oneness. It husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends it
is the disappearance of duality. However before is this kind of love exists. It is politics, the whole
love attains to its oneness it has to go through the thing is political. You want to dominate the other.
alchemical process. This is rebelliousness of love. And this process of domination you enjoy.
Or this is transcendence of love. In the process
love passes through many layers, or many planes And LOVE is nothing but sugar – coated politics. It
of love. is unpleasant and a bitter sugar-coated tablet.
The number of layers or planes it depends. It is You talk about love. You celebrate love occasions.
like when you are digging a well it is the soil and But the deep desire is to exploit the other. And I
area that will determine the depth where water am not saying that you are doing it deliberately or
source will be. So too it will depend on the consciously. This is your nature. This is the way
individual to individual. Each individual is you operate at this plane. This is called falling in
different. And this difference will determine the love. People are falling in love with horses, dogs,
layers below which the treasure of love is to be animals, machines, things. Why? It takes courage
discovered. to be in love with another human being. For this
first you have to be in love with you. And by love I
There are as many loves as there are people. Love mean harmony within. And when there is harmony
is a hierarchy. It is spread from the lowest rung to within love springs forth as its fragrance. As a
the highest. Love spreads from your sexuality to result being in love with human beings has
super consciousness. In your sexuality love is become difficult. There is continuous conflict. The
embedded and remains in prison. Through your two are always at each other’s throats. This is the
super consciousness love attains wings. Your lowest form of love. Nothing is wrong with it if you
super consciousness is the freedom of love. can use it as a stepping stone. If you can use it as a
meditation then this very love becomes the
There are many layers, and many planes of love. It stepping stone. Then love’s energy transforms you.
all depends on you. If you are embedded on the
lowest rung, you will have a totally different idea If you can be a witness to it! Try to understand it!
of love than the person who exists on the highest In that very understanding you will reach the
plane. Adolf Hitler will have a different idea of love higher plane. You will start moving upwards. Then
that Jesus or Buddha. The two will be diametrically love can no more remain a relationship. Although
opposite. These represent two extremes. the inner has not yet separated from the outer yet
still you start getting the glimpse. Only at the
At the lowest plane, love is the nature of politics. highest peak, when love is no more a relationship,
Politics hinges around power and ego. Wherever it becomes a state of your being. The lotus opens
love is contaminated by the idea of domination, it totally. Its fragrance is released. But this happens
is politics in a different garb. You may call this as only at the highest peak.
love or politics or sex it is same. The feminine
mind uses the power to control the other. It is this At its lowest plane, love is just a political
energy that woman uses as a tool. Whether you relationship. At its highest, love is a religious state
of consciousness. This is the state of a Buddha. A being no more an idea, only then you will know its
master loves you. Buddha loves, Jesus loves, but freedom. Then love is God. Then love is the
their love demands nothing in return. ultimate truth. Let your love move through the
process of meditation. Be a witness. Be aware of
Their love is given for the sheer joy of giving it. It is the ways of your mind, and its power-politics. And
not a bargain. As a result love has radiant beauty nothing else except continuous watching and
of it. It is transcendental in nature. It surpasses all observing is going to help.
the joys that you have known.
When you say something to someone, be aware!
When a buddha talks about love, he is talking Witness the unconscious motive. Why are you
about love as a state of being. It is unaddressed. saying it? Is there any motive? Then what is it? Be
Yet still it is rebel in nature. You do not love this conscious of all motives. Bring it to consciousness.
person or that person, you simply love. You are Consciousness is one of the secret keys for
love. Rather than saying that you love somebody, it transforming your life. Anything that becomes
will be better to say you are love. So whosoever is conscious disappears. Your motives remain
capable of being a part can indeed share this unconscious. And this unconsciousness keeps you
flowering and celebration. enslaved.
Whosoever wants to drink out of such an infinite It is as pulling the tree with roots. The moment
sources of being a Buddha is available. And this roots are exposed to the sunlight they will die.
availability is unconditionally. That is possible Roots can exist only in the darkness of the soil.
only if love becomes more and more meditative. Your motives also exist only in the darkness of
This meditativeness of love is its rebelliousness. your unconsciousness as roots of your misery.
Love as you know it is a kind of disease. Your love
needs the taste of meditation as a medicine. So the only way to transform your love is to pull
everything from the unconscious into the
Meditation sanctifies love. Meditation gives wings conscious. Slowly and slowly, those motives will
to love. Meditation makes love fearless. Meditation disappear. And when love is unmotivated, then
makes love rebel against the existing system If love is the greatest thing that can ever happen to
love passes through meditation, it is purified. And anybody. Then love is something of the ultimate, of
the more purified it is, the more ecstatic and the beyond. This beyondness of love is its
blissful. rebelliousness and the very quality of a buddha.
Love is the bridge. Love is the process of
Everybody has their own idea of love. And only alchemical change in your consciousness. That is
when you come to the state where all ideas about why I call love, to be a rebel.
love have disappeared! Where love is simply your
Books can be written, can be dictated to a machine, but what I am going to start is totally different. It is an UPANISHAD.
Long forgotten, one of the most beautiful words in any language, a very living word, ‘upanishad’ means sitting at the feet
of the master. It says nothing more: just to be in the presence of the master, just to allow him to take you in, in his own
light, in his own blissfulness, in his own world.
The master has got it. The disciple also has got it, but the master knows and the disciple is fast asleep.
The whole work of a mystery school is in how to bring consciousness to the disciple, how to wake him up, how to allow
him to be himself, because the whole world is trying to make him somebody else.
There, nobody is interested in you, in your potential, in your reality, in your being. Everybody has his own vested
interest, even those who love you. Don’t be angry at them; they are as much victims as you are. They are as unconscious
as you are. They think what they are doing is love; what they are really doing is destructive. And love can never be
destructive.
WITH FOREWORD
BY
ANIL SOHONI
hirpaQ
ADWAIT DHYAN SADHNA
TAOSHOBUDDHA
HEMANT MOGHE
Foreword
Anil Sohoni
TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS
COPY FOR REVIEW
Foreword
Anil Sohoni
Retired Mechanical Engineer
Sadhak of Chinmaya Mission
Devotee of H.H. Swami Chinmayanadjee Maharaj
Haripath
and
Sufi master “Taoshobuddha”
and
Hemant Moghe
T his modern era is full of mere enjoyment popularly known as materialism. Most of the people living
on mother earth are in misery despite the abundance of food and materials of entertainment. This is
nothing but the tragedy of this age.
We have seen that though The Creator of universe is The Absolute, is super intelligence and extremely
kind. To establish order and righteousness in the world and to repair from harmful destructions, from
time to time he sends master minds in form of Saints to our mother earth. As per demand of time He
created Saint Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and guided the people who had lost their path.
Haripath is the best creation of Saint Dnyaneshwar Maharaj. This consists of simple but sweet twenty
Seven verses. He insisted common man to follow path of devotion i.e., Bhakti Marg and suggested a very
simple practice to recite God Name.
Sufi master, “Tashobuddha” has done wonderful work to translate Haripath into English and written the
most meaningful discourse on it. This is a joint mission by Sufi master, “Taoshobuddha” and Mr. Hemant
Moghe who worked together to bring about this work.
We know that Sufi tradition believes in monism and advocate devotees to sing and sing which is just
similar to chanting god’s name with love i.e. Naam Sankirtan.
We have the great pleasure to forward this book for Global Circulation.
It will be most appropriate to take a few glimpses or do a brief overview of this work. In Sanskrit it is
known as Ras-Grahan which means to drink sweet honey of poetry.
The beauty of Haripath and greatness of Dnyaneshwar Maharaj is in his simplicity. Without giving
difficult aspect of philosophy he simply says, “Spend moment in remembering Him and chant HIS name,
“Hari Mukhe Mhana’. “Taoshobuddha start his commentary in so simple way,
Chant God!
Seek God ever!
Each moment chant the name!
This is the way to inward journey!
Seek within therefore this enchanting ‘Melody of Path’ to Divinity!
Really speaking this is enough. No further explanation is required. A wise man will follow, The Master
immediately. But wise men are rare. Therefore additional explanation has become necessary.
Many scholars of different religion have misconception that Hinduism is based on duality or have faith in
many deities. Dnyaneshwar emphatically affirms that,
As per Dnyandev Feelings towards God i.e., “Bhav” is very important, no action or rituals is important
He appeals,
Therefore, my friend, do not strain yourself unnecessarily. Be in peace Day and night with all that is. This
is flowing with Divine Will. Or existential law as Nanak calls this.
First let me rephrase the question. Never ask who is a master? Ask instead what is a master? And how is a
master? From language point this seems absurd. But this is how the question should be asked.
Then how can you ask who is a master. Sufis say master is Roohani Meraj – inner state of emptiness – or
awareness. For this you have to ask what a master is.
One must read this very carefully and contemplate over it.
“Taoshobuddha” further rightly expresses the spirit of Dnyaneshwar and his verses,
These Abhangas are not any definition or description. It is like the one who has tasted the sweet fruit.
What will he do? He will enjoy. He will go on narrating to others. He may start singing the glory. You will
try to correlate your experiences with those who have experienced themselves. It is like you want to
enter the temple. Yet still you have not yet entered the temple. This is an effort to bring the taste of being
in the temple to those who have not yet been to the temple. For such people there can be no definition.
Definition can only happen between those who know. Therefore this explanation!
As per Dnyaneshwar Naamsmaran or chanting name of the God is direct way of sublimation of oneself to
the higher plane of consciousness.
HariPath is the essence of Naamasmaran. Following Naamasmaran one reaches the same abode as that
of the Path of Yoga takes you to. HARI PATH IS THE ADVAIT –SADHANA. Let me explain something of
Narad and his Bhakti Sutras. -----
Please, read this part with more attention. Regarding company of saint, Taoshobuddha says,
Though chanting thy Name is such an easy thing, Rare are the one indeed who chants the Name with his
mind and intellect ever fixed in it.
hirnaama saar ijavha yaa naamaacaI È ]pmaa %yaa dOvaacaI kaoNa vaanaI È
&anadovaa saaMga Jaalaa hirpaz È pUva-jaa vaOkuMz maaga- saaopa È
Along the spiritual journey you have to abandon, arguments, rituals, desire for the life beyond (%kba) and
lastly the master (maEla) one by one only then you can reach the beyond. You use a ladder to reach the top
or a vehicle to reach the temple. Then holding on to the ladder or the vehicle will keep you deprived of
something more valuable.
Most important notes added by Taoshibuddha on this verse ---- you must read in details
Taoshobuddha continues his own reflection --------
Dhikr or chanting cleans the heart or qulb. Constant chanting strengthens the inner being of the
aspirants. Just as breathing is to the body! Meditation is to the soul! Constant chanting or dhikr is
the breathing of the qulb or heart. Together these constitute the SUFI TRINITY. Together these
bring annihilation of ego to merge with God.
See Dnyanedeo exactly tells the same thing - Just by chanting God Name, tongue or in subtle sense mind
becomes pure.
I am tempted to mention that “THE TONGUE OF TAOSHOBUDDHA HAS BECOME SO SWEET’. Yes, Allah
Mehrbaan Hai ------ God is graceful to him!!!!
Hari path is such a sweet poetry that one cannot explain its sweetness. One must taste to know the
sweetness for his own. Now lets us try to understand verse by verse in brief the essence of Haripath.
Taoshobuddha must have done good work during his last so many births, the result of which is this
explanatory notes and discourse on Haripath. Lord is already showering grace on him as a torrential rain
or like a shower with a hose pipe. Lord is already showering grace on him with hose pipe. Let us also
enjoy that holy shower by standing near to him and going through this holy critic on Haripath.
To Sum up
Shree Dnyandev and his Vedantic approach trough Haripath ----
Why a Human being (Individual small I) should seek god? “ hirvaINa mana vyaqa- jaaya”, only human has got most
developed mind. He can think and choose. In animal kingdom there is no choice. Dnyandev specifically
points out a mind without God is useless. The point is when He has given us such a super instrument and
we utilize it only for eating and mating for which animal level mind is good enough. So if we do not use
our best tool i.e. mind to seek and understand God then the given instrument is not been properly used.
laiTka vyavahar sava- ha saMsaar vaayaa yaorJaar hirvaINa Moreover this life, this word of name and form is illusory. It is ever
changing. It is nothing but assembly of five basic elements (92 elements as per physics) Therefore
Dnyaneshwar mauli says -----
Start listening
sava-sauK gaaoDI sava-Saas~oM inavaDI È irkamaa AQa-GaDI rahUM nakao È
laiTka vyavahar sava- ha saMsaar È vaayaa yaorJaar hirvaINa È
Dnyandev says, don’t waste time, don’t remain idle even for moment. Learn scriptures. This cycle of life
and death is just useless time pass if you don’t seek God.
This life and death, your so called pilgrimage from womb to tomb is just useless time pass if you don’t
seek God.
The only path is to become devotee of God. Dnyandeo advocates that be with God at least for a moment to
start with. How one will be with God? Simple way is CHANT HIS NAME. Just repeat his name with your
mouthpiece. Chanting Name is the path.
He further adds Yogabhyas i.e. Deep Meditation and other rituals are difficult and they give rise to pride.
So don’t go by these ways. Just chant Hari Nam. Chant God Name.
Moreover to talk on bookish knowledge is just doing blab blab. He is unlucky as he is not devotee. He will
never seek God.
Moreover all sins are burned at once, you are freed from evil power and you need not understand difficult
principals from Vedas or text books. So chanting name is good.
jaat iva<a gaaot kuL SaIL maat È Bajao kaM <vairt Baavanaayau> È
A significant aspect of this path of Nam-Sankitana is that it does not forbid any one of any religion, any
cast, any creed or any color.
It is very interesting to note that Dnyandev advocates Chanting name of God. So one may think he is from
school of dualism i.e. Dwaita. We can see many pointers which will show that Dnyandev was from school
of Monism i.e. Adwaita Vada.
He says one Hari means God principal is abode of all living bodies including all Gods obviously mentioned
by all religions.
The whole manifestation of name and forms is material having properties. But Hari, the God principal is
formless, property less, un-manifested.
We must understand that ‘vishwatmak or universal feeling does not mean to say like, “We all Indian”, or
“We All Christians” or “we all Muslims” etc. Even it not like saying “we all human beings”. There is no
scope for any classification.
Veda and Upanishad declare in roaring voice that, One and Same Principal has en-shrouded complete
universe. This Principle is omni-present – present everywhere and all pervasive – occupying every thing.
Rather in real sense only HE does exist and whatever is seen is an illusion like mirage in desert.
Human mind cannot perceive or hold onto this idea. Therefore it urged to try to see God everywhere. This
is Universal Vision of saints.
In all things and beings the same God exists. To see God Principal every where in all things and beings is
nothing but seeing ourselves everywhere. This is Universal vision. Effect of this is natural vision of
brotherhood. Point to be noted.
Conclusion
There is a belief of some that there are further two abhangas in Haripath. And according to them
Dnyandeo is believed to have concluded as -
ABaMga hirpazI AsatI A{avaIsa È ricalao ivañasao &anadovao È
ina%yapaz krI [Md`yaNaItIrI È haoya AiQakarI sava-qaa tao È
Asaavao ekaga` samaica<a mana È ]lhasao k$naI smarNa jaIvaI È
AMtkaLI tOsao saMkTacao vaoLI È hir %yaa saaMBaaLI AMt-baa*ya È
saMt sajjanaaMnaI GaotlaI P`aicatI È AaLSaI maMdmatI kovaI tro È
EaI gau$inavaRi<a vacana P`aomaL È taoYalaa ta%kaL &anadova È
Those who read and contemplate on Haripath the God Hari himself looks after them. Dnyaneshwar
Maharaj says this is the assurance of the master Nivrittinath.
With Love
OM TAT SAD!
Anil Sohoni
Retired Mechanical Engineer
From Tata Motors, Previously Worked with Philips India,
Mahindra Tractors, Madhav Capacitors.
Pune, Maharashtra, India
Email: [email protected]
Scribd.Com: Anil Sohoni
CORRRESPONDENCE - HEMANT AND
TAOSHOBUDDHA
Leading to HARIPATH
Dear Hemant,
The corrections you have done are alright and essential. As a result I have
removed green highlight and thus it shows that I agree with you.
Kindly do correct all spelling mistake, grammatical mistake if you find any. In
such cases you need not inform me. Let us not be formal.
Do feel free to edit as and when required, as per your and Taoshobuddha's
discretion.
Prem anil
I request you to give phone call to Dada, he will be happy to hear you.
******************************************************************************
Dear Anil Sohoni,
I know in Haripath there are 29 abhangas as per some thought; some believe
there are 27 abhangas. The parampara believes there are 29 abhangas and
then one abhanga of Tukaram Maharaj is sung and again the first abhanga is
repeated thus making total number to be 31.
I had referred to K V Belsare's Book which has 27 Abhangas. I also had Abhang
Gatha of Dnyaneshwar as per no less authority than Nanasaheb Sakhare. This
Gatha also gives 27 abhangas. You will find this Gatha on scribd uploaded by
me. Since both these stalwarts speak of 27 abhangas, I have followed them in
full trust and faith.
The intention is not to create any argument or dispute or seek any proof or
doubt your knowledge or the authority. You are very senior to me by your age,
study, knowledge and understanding. In comparison I am an infant learning to
walk.
The whole idea came about in the month of September perhaps as the saint's
wish when I casually sent my translation to Taoshobuddha with an audio
recording done about 4 years back later on. Immediately Taoshobuddha
responded with an amendment to the translation while he was on his North
American tour. This confirmed of the wish of the saint. He had chosen the
right one for his work.
I had never in wildest dream thought of publishing this work. It is very kind of
Taoshobuddha to have put my name with him. As the days went by and work
progressed I became even more convinced of the will of the saint.
Taoshobuddha has captured the essence of Dnyandev when fluently he
overflowed the essence through the meditations as Pdf and as Audio file as
well. Each time I read the meditations emotions overflowed profusely. I
cannot express this in words. Each step was a confirmation of Dnyandev’s Will
and grace.
I do not say that you should not mention about these two abhangas in your
conclusion. What is requested that it could be reworded accordingly
otherwise there could be confusion when one does not find these abhangas in
the Book. I am sending your work highlighting the suggestion. If you approve
we will incorporate the changes.
Prem anil
*************************************************************************
Dear Sohoni Saheb,
I have gone through your excellent work which depicts truly your deep love
towards your beloved Guru and heartfelt feelings towards Dnyandev Mauli.
I have some suggestions. This is not an effort to correct your work. Your work
is already very beautiful.
Hari Om!
Thanks for your encouragement. I have gone thro' the file sent. I could not
control my temptation to add few lines in context with Verse 20-21-22.
Also I tried to correct some mistake as well that I found.
ATTACHED ARE THE ABHANGAS 19, 20, 21. LET THY WILL PREVAIL. I HAVE
ONLY A HEART KINDLED UP WITH LOVE IT IS LIKE A POT THE CHEFF CAN
COOK ANY DISH IN IT.
LOVE TAOSHOBUDDHA
******************************************************************************
Sir, (TAOSHOBUDDHA)
Well done. Marvelous! Still you have entire freedom to change it as you like,.
Most important is Danyaneshawr Mauli's Thoughts are being carried to all
people.
If my mother is being phrased and revered I will most happy child and so owe
you. Here just I want to mention (I feel little shy) I am doing pay-wari of
pandharpoor on Kartiki Ekadashi for last 20 years. We walk along with vari
from Malshiras to Pandharpoor through Maval County Dindi which is consist
of all farmers.
So I do not have wish other than my mauli is made Well known worldwide.
With Om and Prem
anil
******************************************************************************
BELOVED ANIL JI,
TAOSHOBUDDHA
******************************************************************************
Beloved Taosho Buddha,
After reading a lot I realize that the Test of True Wise is that he can
communicate with anyone in simple language. I find this as a peculiarity in
Literature of Saints. Your writings
also has this quality and therefore it touches heart. This is perhaps the reason
that I prefer words of an illuminated one to that of a Pandit - or PADHAT
Pandit.
Love Hemant
******************************************************************************
Beloved Taoshobuddha,
If you recollect I had mentioned to you in my earlier messages that elite and
learned Maharashtrian has formed an opinion that Haripath is meant for
masses and therefore not much is spoken and written about it by them.
Yes, Haripath is meant for masses who are engaged in action and not for
intellectuals who are engaged in unproductive debates, in the same way
Bhagwad Gita was told to Arjuna - the Mahaveer and the man of action and
not to a monk. Haripath therefore does not discuss Philosophy much but it
shows the way to live the philosophical life. One can explain things by logic
and reason if they are within the perview of these two, but Lord - the absolute
which is beyond the beyondness how can he explained with reason & logic.
The same thing Dnyaneshwar says in one line EK HARI AATMAA JEEVA SHIVA
SAMAA, VAAYA TU DURGAMAA NA GHAALI MANA, know that one ABSOLUTE
is filled everywhere, there is no need to break your head with intellectual
debates.
You have indeed taken lot of efforts on the introduction. After going through I
wish to list down my thoughts on this.
The Overall format is fine.
1. Point No A & B are fine.
2. Point C would be repetition as this already forms the Part of the Book. You
may therefore elaborate the importance of Dnyaneshwar for creating his
impact on Indian Philosophical Thought and on Maharashtra in particular
from your own perspective.
3. With this Para D can be dispensed with. Para F, G may therefore form the
Philosophical thought and Importance of Dnyaneshwar.
5. You may do the Ras Grahan and highlight the Importance of the "original
Haripath" in brief from your own Understanding.
6. Para H is OK
The essence of Advaita has come in one line in Haripath and that is "EK HARI
AATMA JEEVA SHIVA SAMA. VAAYA TU DURGAMAA NA GHAALI MANA".
Philosophy is not for mere intellectual reading but that is to be practiced &
lived which is more clearly stressed in Haripath. I shall be grateful if are able
to give pointers from Original Haripath which will benefit the reader and help
spread Vishwaatmaka Bhaava of Dnyaneshwar. I feel Dnyaneshwar stands for
HARMONY and therefore is a perfect expression of YOUTHFULNESS which is
for one who is in search of LIFE which is ever-eternal and therefore FRESH as
YOUTH. - SANJEEVAN
Dear Vishwasji
You may have received excerpts of Haripath from Taosho Buddha. I look
forward to have contribution from you. It would be great idea if you could
write an introduction or forward or preface to the book - Haripath. You have
done good study of the scriptures and you would be in position to highlight
the importance of Haripath better. The effort is to spread Dnyaneshwar
Mauli's message to non - Marathi Sadhakas.
I have made some suggestions which are highlighted. In Abhanga 18, I have
suggested some modification for the area highlighted by you. I have suggested
certain additions which are also highlighted.
I have not so far received any feedback from Vishwas Bhide, in case you have -
let me know.
Love Taoshobuddha
*****************************************************************************
Beloved Taoshobuddha,
The exposition as usual is excellent. I am sending back the attachment with
minor corrections. Abhangas 16, 17
Love Hemant
******************************************************************************
Beloved Taoshobuddha,
After I sent you the message, I realized that Namdev was shown the Path
through Visoba Khechar. Namdev was stuck with the Symbol and for his
further advancement on the Path, it was necessary for him to be free from the
symbol. This was arranged by Dnyandev through Visoba Khechar. We may
incorporate this correction when we work on preface.
Love Hemant
First Patriarch of Chinese Zen Lineage
(470 - 543)
Bodhidharma's Teachings:
Bodhidharma instructed his disciples that the the cause can be bought to an end. To bring it to an end
Lankavatara Sutra be used to seal the mind. The Bodhidharma introduced Shakyamuni’s Eightfold
method of cultivating practice transmitted by Noble Path of right views, right thought, right speech,
Bodhidharma pointed out that we should pay attention
right action, right livelihood, right effort or devotion,
closely to this important sutra. His major teaching is
there are two paths to enter Dharma Gate: Study and right mindfulness, and right Zen.
Practice. Study: through the study of Buddhist sutras
and scriptures, you will understand Buddha Nature. Suffering injustice
Your Buddha Nature doesn't manifest because it is
clouded by defilements, such as: greed, attachment, When those who are searching for a path encounter
passion, aggression and ignorance. Practice: when you adversity, they should think to themselves ‘In countless
follow Buddhist principles in your daily life, you ages gone by. This is reliving or entering the past: I
discover that your Buddha Nature is equal to the have turned from the essential to the trivial and
Buddha's. Bao Yen Hsin: The willingness to accept, wandered through all types of existences, often angry
without complaining, suffering and unhappiness without cause and guilty of numerous transgressions.
because you understand it is your own karma. Now, though I do no wrong, I am being punished for
my past. Neither gods nor men can foresee when an
Earlier I had explained Bodhidharma’s teaching on evil deed will bear its fruit. I accept it with an open
‘reason’. Bodhidharma explained that one could enter heart and without complaint of injustice’. The sutra
the Way or Path by realizing through instruction. He says ‘When you meet with adversity do not be upset,
briefly outlined the basic theory of the Dhyana. This because it makes sense’. With such understanding you
theory was to be studied and then realized. are in harmony with reason. And by suffering injustice
you enter the path.’
As the other aspect of his teaching ‘Outline of Practice’
Bodhidharma said ‘Many roads lead to the Way, but The first Noble Truth is often explained by
basically there are only two: reason and practice. enumerating all the types of suffering that happen.
However, Bodhidharma indicates how not to deviate or
To enter by practice refers to four all-inclusive give up because of these. First he points out that these
practices: sufferings appear as adversities. Secondly he
1. Suffering injustice, emphasizes how to accept and embrace them, thus
2. Adapting to conditions, ceasing any resistance to them. This is done by
3. Seeking nothing, and understanding that it is our karma that gives rise to our
4. Practicing the Dharma. circumstances and state of being. By patiently
accepting these results from the past we are no longer
emotionally reacting to them. We come to accept
Bodhidharma is here referring to Shakyamuni’s first injustices as part of life. This provides a calmer state of
teaching, which is the Four Noble Truths. Namely, all being, one that is more able to practice the Dharma.
existence is marked by suffering; suffering has a cause;
Adapting to conditions phenomena are empty. They contain nothing worth
desiring. ‘Calamity forever alternates with Prosperity’.
As mortal beings we are ruled by conditions not by One situation unfolds into another. To dwell in the
ourselves. All the suffering and joy we experience three realms is to dwell in a burning house. To remain
depend on conditions and circumstances and your in body and its consciousness is suffering. Does anyone
response to these. If we should be blessed by some with a body and its consciousness know peace? Those
great reward, such as fame or fortune, it is the fruit of a who understand this detach themselves from all that
seed planted by us in the past. When conditions change, exists and stop imaging or seeking anything. The sutra
it ends as well. Just as the season of spring comes to says ‘To seek is to suffer. To seek nothing is bliss’.
end so too season for the fruits of your action comes to When you seek nothing, you’re on the path.’
an end one day. Why delight in its existence? But while
success and failure depend on conditions, the mind Journey begins by seeking. This includes looking for
neither waxes nor wanes. Those who remain unmoved enlightenment, peace, happiness, etc. Bodhidharma
by the wind of joy silently follow the path.’ says it is only when we stop seeking outside that we
can find the treasures of our mind and life. When we
Before meeting the Dharma people live by reacting to get attached to phenomena then our mind is inflicted
circumstances and situations moment to moment. by bad and good fortune. Bodhidharma uses the phrase
Grasping what seems pleasurable, avoiding what seems ‘Calamity forever alternates with Prosperity’ referring
unpleasant, people strive to hold on to dependent to the two goddesses responsible for these in the
pleasure and happiness. However, circumstances keep Nirvana sutra. Spring is followed by autumn and other
on changing. Also there is no way people can make seasons. There is an unfailing sequence of happening in
situations that will provide them happiness. the existence.
Bodhidharma asks people to keep a steady mind. By The three realms body, mind, and consciousness, with
steady mind he means one that is not swayed by many sub realms, create states of confusion. These
circumstances and situations. This way one remains states are likened to a ‘burning house’ in the Lotus
centered no matter what is happening on the surface. sutra. Confused attachment to phenomena is what
Bodhidharma calls ‘custom’ and today we may say as
Seeking nothing conditioning.
Today, at Bodhidharma's Temple at the foot of the Mt Song, nuns tend the vegetable garden.
You have to think it couldn't have looked very different 1500 years ago.
GURDJIEFF PHOTO GALLERY
TOMB OF GURDJIEFF
FUNERAL OF GURDJIEFF
What kind of fear is this? It is the fear of truth; because He does not know the difference between master and
politics is the profession of lying, just as priesthood is. teacher; he has no right to call Tokusan ‘master’. In the
We have to fight around the world against all kinds of dictionary it means the same thing, but life is not a
priests and all kinds of politicians. It is a question of the dictionary. The master is one who can transmit his
very survival of freedom on the earth. being to you, who can – just by being present – create a
situation in which you become a fire. The teacher can
In translation, the most significant part is always lost. only talk about what the scriptures say. The master is a
Tokusan is a great master. Ganto was a student, not presence, a silence. Even in his words, he is trying to
even a disciple, because a disciple never takes leave of help you to move towards the wordless.
the master. A disciple becomes almost a par t of the
very being of the master. There arises an invisible But Ganto was in sheer confusion. He said, “FOR NOW I
connection between the two hearts. They dance AM TAKING LEAVE OF YOU, MASTER ...”
together. If I had been in the place of Tokusan, I would have
ordered Sardar Gurudayal Singh to take care of this
But Ganto must have been just a student, collecting fellow Ganto, to hit him three times. He cannot use the
knowledge from this master, from that master. He was word ‘master,’ he is making it synonymous with
not even aware of the distinction between the teacher ‘teacher’.
and the master, nor about the distinction between the
disciple and the student. A student is concerned with “...AND GOING DOWN THE MOUNTAIN.” TOKUSAN
knowledge, a disciple is concerned with being; he just SAID,” AFTER THAT, THEN WHAT?
wants to be at the highest peak of his own potentiality.
He does not want to carry scriptures unnecessarily on What will you do down the mountain? From THERE,
his back; he wants the lotus to blossom within his own WHERE ARE YOU GOING?”GANTO SAID, “I WON’T
FORGET YOU, MASTER.” There is no question of No master can force anybody to be enlightened. No
forgetting the master. The disciple carries the master in master can create a fetter for the disciple. No master
his heart, not in his memory. He is carrying the same will say, “Remain with me.” It is the disciple’s heart that
flame within him, not in his thoughts. wants to remain. It is not an order from the side of the
master; it is the love from the side of the disciple. It is a
GANTO SAID, “I WON’T FORGET YOU, MASTER.” great love affair, ‘the great matter’. You can understand
Again and again, it is becoming clearer that he is simply it because you are not students and this is not a
a student. university. This is simply a gathering of seekers who
Tokusan asked him, “BY VIRTUE OF WHAT DO YOU have fallen in love with a master, who have recognized
SAY THIS?” He is saying, “You have not even known me. in their deepest hear t that this is the place where they
On what grounds are you saying that you will not forget belong.
me? How can you forget someone you have not known
either? Before you can forget, the basic requirement is But it is not an order. From my side, you are absolutely
at least to know. By what virtue are you saying this?” free. If nobody comes here, I will still come ever y
evening to talk to the bamboos. It is your decision to be
GANTO SAID, – and this is a quotation from ancient here or not to be here. But Tokusan is compassionate,
Buddhist scriptures – saying that, “If you are leaving, then just be on guard.
You can go astray very easily. You have not understood
“HAVEN’T YOU HEARD THAT WHEN A MONK’S anything.”
KNOWLEDGE IS EQUAL TO HIS TEACHER’S, HE HAS
LESS THAN HALF HIS TEACHER’S VIRTUE; WHEN HIS A haiku by Bokyu:
KNOWLEDGE SURPASSES THE TEACHER’S, ONLY
THEN IS HE QUALIFIED FOR THE TRANSMISSION?” CLOUD ABOVE LOTUS –
IT TOO
He does not understand what he is talking about. This BECOMES A BUDDHA.
statement in the Buddhist scriptures has nothing to do
with knowledge; it has something to do with knowing. I love this haiku particularly for this series. It is
That’s how things change their color in translations. dedicated to the clouds. CLOUD ABOVE LOTUS – IT
Knowing is an existential thing, knowledge is just TOO BECOMES A BUDDHA. To be a buddha is
memory. Even a computer has knowledge because it everybody’s right. If you don’t claim it, it is only your
has memory. By memorizing scriptures, you don’t fault. Recognize it and live it and you will be suddenly
prove your intelligence; you only prove that you are a surprised that everything in your life is changing – just
good computer. from the recognition that your inner being is already a
buddha, already awakened. But you have not taken
The scriptures certainly say this, “If the disciple’s care.
knowing is even half of his master’s knowing, he also The English word ‘ignorance’ is beautiful, but not in the
has half the virtue that his master has. But if his sense that it is usually understood. To me it means
knowing surpasses the teacher’s, only then is he ignoring your buddhahood. That is ignorance, the only
qualified for the transmission.” ignorance. Ignoring your buddhahood – the only
In the translation, everything has become topsy-turvy. ignorance; knowing your buddhahood – the only
You cannot surpass the master’s knowing because the knowledge.
master in the ultimate sense knows nothing. How can
you surpass nothing – do you think there is any Saigyo’s verse runs:
possibility? Something can be surpassed, but nothing
cannot be surpassed. Nothing is vast and limitless, how WHAT IT IS
can you surpass it? But Tokusan is one of the great I KNOW NOT;
compassionate teachers. Rather than hitting Ganto, out BUT WITH GRATITUDE
of compassion he simply says, “Yes. It is so, SO IT IS. MY TEARS FALL.
GUARD IT WELL ON YOUR OWN. I take back my
responsibility for you, now you are on your own, be on Just today, Leela has sent a question to me: “People
guard.” In fact what he is saying is, “Now I am no more who are doing the Mystic Rose meditation in the third
concerned with you. You are breaking all the bridges stage, the watcher on the hills – many start feeling tears
between you and me. Whatever you think, whatever coming for no reason at all. What has to be done about
you have understood, guard it well and be on your it?” Leela, nothing has to be done about it. This is
own.” simply beautiful. These tears are not of pain. These
tears of people in silence are of gratitude. These are At this moment you are the buddha. Remember it,
just flowers, they are pouring unto the feet of existence guard it, because it is your ultimate treasure. This is
itself. Rejoice in their tears. Remember this saying of your height, this is your depth. This is you in your
Saigyo – a great master – WHAT IT IS, I KNOW NOT; eternity.
BUT WITH GRATITUDE MY TEARS FALL. To make it more clear, Nivedano...
It is a beautiful morning. Again and again the sun rises Madhu malti is the most beautiful tree one can imagine.
and it is always new. It never grows old. Scientists say God must have created it on the seventh day. Relieved
it is millions of years old; nonsense! Ever y day I see it. of all the worries and hurries of the world, finished
It is always new. Nothing is old. But scientists are with everything, even men and women, He must have
grave-diggers, that’s why I say they look so grave, created madhu malti on His day off, a holiday, a
serious. This morning, again the miracle of existence! Sunday... just His old habit of creating. It is difficult to
Each moment it is happening, but only very few, very, get rid of old habits.
very few ever encounter it.
Madhu malti flowers with thousands of flowers all at
The word encounter is really beautiful. To encounter once. Not one flower here and there, no, that is not the
the moment as it is; to see it as it is, without adding, way of madhu malti, nor is it my way. Madhu malti
without deleting, without any editorial work, just to see flowers with a richness, with luxury, with affluence –
it as it is, like a mirror.... The mirror does not edit, thank thousands of flowers, so many that you cannot see the
God, otherwise no face in the world would be able to fit leaves. The whole tree becomes covered with white
its requirements, not even the face of Cleopatra. No flowers.
face at all would be able to fit the mirror, for the simple
reason that if it starts cutting you, editing you, adding Snow-covered trees have always reminded me of
to you, it will star t destroying you. But no mirror is madhu malti. Of course there is no perfume, and it was
destructive. Even the ugliest mirror is so beautiful in its good for me that snow has no perfume. It is
undestructiveness. It simply reflects. unfortunate that I cannot hold the flowers of madhu
malti once again. The perfume is so strong it spreads
Before coming into your Noah’s Ark, I was standing for miles, and remember I am not exaggerating. Just
looking at the sunrise... so beautiful, at least today – and one single madhu malti tree is enough to fill the whole
who cares for tomorrow? Tomorrow never comes. neighborhood with immense perfume.
Jesus says, “Think not of the morrow....”
I love the Himalayas. I wanted to die there. That is the
Today it is so beautiful that for a moment I was most beautiful place to die – of course to live too, but as
reminded of the tremendous beauty of the sunrise in far as dying is concerned, that is the ultimate place. It is
the Himalayas. There, when the snow is surrounding where Lao Tzu died. In the valleys of the Himalayas
you, and the trees are looking like brides, as if they Buddha died, Jesus died, Moses died. No other
have flowered white flowers of snow, one does not care mountains can claim Moses, Jesus, Lao Tzu, Buddha,
a bit about the so-called bigwigs, the prime ministers Bodhidharma, Milarepa, Marpa, Tilopa, Naropa, and
and the presidents of the world, the kings and queens. thousands of others.
In fact kings and queens are going to exist only in
playing cards that are where they belong. And the Switzerland is beautiful but nothing compared to the
presidents and the prime ministers will take the place Himalayas. It is convenient to be in Switzer land with
of the jokers. They don’t deserve anything more. all its modern facilities. It is very inconvenient in the
Himalayas. It is still without any technology at all – no
Those mountain trees with their white flowers of roads, no electricity, no air planes, no railroads, nothing
snow... and whenever I saw the snow falling from their at all. But then comes the innocence. One is transported
leaves I was reminded of a tree from my childhood. to another time, to another being, to another space.
That kind of tree is possible only here in India; it is
called madhu malti – madhu means sweet, malti means I wanted to die there; and this morning, standing and
the queen. I have never come across any fragrance that looking at the sunr ise, I felt relieved, knowing that if I
is more beautiful and more penetrating – and you know die here, particularly on a day as beautiful as this, it is
that I am allergic to perfume, so I immediately know. I okay. And I will choose to die on a day when I feel I am
am very sensitive to perfume.
par t of the Himalayas. Death for me is not just an end, a Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Maxim Gorky –
full stop. No, death for me is a celebration. they all disappeared. Yet in Russia today, the writer, the
novelist, the artist, is the most highly-paid and honored
Remembering the snow falling from the trees, just like person. So what happened? Why don’t they create any
flowers falling from madhu malti, a haiku flashed.... more books like BROTHERS KARAMAZOV, ANNA
KARENINA, FATHERS AND SONS, THE MOTHER, or
The wild geese NOTES FROM THE UNDERGROUND? Why? I want to
Do not intend to make their reflections. ask a thousand times, why? What happened to the
The water has no mind Russian genius for writing novels?
To receive their images.
I don’t think any other country could compete with
Ahhh, so beautiful! Wild geese not intending to make Russia. If you count only ten novels of the world, just
their reflections, and the water not intending to receive out of necessity you will have to include five Russian
them either, and yet the reflection is there. That is the novels, leaving only five for the whole remaining wor
beauty. Nobody has intended, and yet it is there – that’s ld. What happened to this great genius? It died!
what I call communion. I have always hated Because flowers cannot be ordered, there are no ten
communication. To me communication is ugly. You can commandments for them. Flowers flower, you cannot
see it happening between a wife and a husband, the order them to flower. Snow falls – you cannot issue a
boss and the servant; and so on and so forth. It never commandment, you cannot make a date with it. That is
really happens. Communion is my word. impossible. And that is so with the Buddhas. They say
what they want to say, when they want to say it. They
I see Buddha Hall with all my people... just for a will say, even to a single person, something which the
moment like a flash, so many moments of communion. whole world would have liked to hear.
It is not just a gathering; it is not a church. People do
not come to it formally. People come to me, not to it. Now, you are here, perhaps only four. I say “perhaps”
Whenever there is a Master and a disciple – it may be because my mathematics are poor, and with closed
only the Master and just one disciple, that does not eyes... you can understand... and with tears in my eyes,
matter – communion happens. It is happening right not because only four are present but for this beautiful
now, and there are only four of you. Perhaps with my morning, for the sunrise. Thank God. He thinks of me;
eyes closed I can’t even count, and it is good; only then although He does not exist, still He thinks of me. I deny
can one remain in the world of the unaccountable... and Him, and yet He thinks of me. Great God! Existence
tax-free too! If you can count, then taxation comes in. I seems to take care. But you do not know the ways of
am unaccountable, nobody has ever taxed me. existence; they are unpredictable. I have always loved
the unpredictable.
I was a professor in a university. When they wanted to My tears are for the sunrise. Existence has taken care of
raise my pay, I said no. The vice chancellor could not me. I had not asked. Nor did it reply. But still the care
believe it; he said, “Why not?” has been taken. The wild geese do not intend to cast
I said, “Beyond what I am getting now I would have to their reflections.
pay taxes, and I hate taxation. I would rather remain
with the pay I am getting right now than get more and The water has no intention to reflect their images....
be bothered by the income tax department.” I never That’s how I am speaking. I do not know what the next
went beyond the limit which was allowed to remain sentence is going to be or whether it is going to be at
tax-free. all. Suspense is beautiful.
I have never paid any income tax; in fact there is no I am reminded again of the small village where I was
income. I have been giving to the world, not taking born. Why existence should have chosen that small
anything from the world. It is outcome, not income. I village in the first place is unexplainable. It is as it
have given out of my heart and my being. should be. The village was beautiful. I have traveled far
and wide but I have never come across that same
It is good that flowers are allowed to be tax-free, beauty. One never comes again to the same. Things
otherwise they would stop flowering. It is good that come and go, but it is never the same.
snow is allowed to be tax-free, otherwise it would not
snow, believe me! I can see that still, small village. Just a few huts near a
pond and a few tall trees where I used to play. There
I must tell you that after the Russian revolution was no school in the village. That is of no great
something happened to the Russian genius; Leo
importance, because I remained uneducated for almost That’s what he said to me, and yes, I understand. He
nine years, and those are the most formative years. was a nice villager with great insight. Sometimes
After that, even if you try, you cannot be educated. So in villagers have insight which civilized people lack. Just
a way I am still uneducated, although I hold many now I am reminded....
degrees. Any uneducated man could have done it. And
not any degree, but a first class master’s degree – that A beautiful woman comes to a beach. Seeing nobody
too can be done by any fool. So many fools do it ever y around she undresses. Just before she steps into the
year that it has no significance. What is significant is ocean an old fellow stops her and says, “Lady, I am the
that for my first years I remained without education. village policeman. It is prohibited to swim in the ocean
There was no school, no road, no railway, no post from this beach.” The woman looks puzzled and says,
office. What a blessing! That small village was a world “Then why did you not prevent me from getting
unto itself. Even in my times away from that village I undressed?” The old man laughs and laughs, with tears
remained in that world, uneducated. in his eyes. He says, “Undressing is not prohibited, so I
waited behind a tree!”
I have read Ruskin’s famous book, UNTO THIS LAST,
and when I was reading it I was thinking of that village. A beautiful villager... that type of people lived in the
UNTO THIS LAST... that village is still unaltered. No village – simple people. It was surrounded by small
road connects it, no railway passes by, even now after hills and there was a small pond. Nobody could
almost fifty years; no post office, no police station, no describe that pond except Basho. Even he does not
doctor – in fact nobody falls ill in that village. It is so describe the pond, he simply says,
pure and so unpolluted. I have known people in that
village who have not seen a railway train, who wonder The ancient pond
what it looks like, who have not even seen a bus or a Frog jumps in
car. They have never left the village. They live so Plop!
blissfully and silently.
Is this a description? The pond is only mentioned, the
My birthplace, Kuchwada, was a village with no railway frog too. No description of the pond or the frog... and
line and no post office. It had small hills, hillocks rather, plop!
but a beautiful lake, and a few huts, just straw huts. The
only brick house was the one I was born in, and that The village had an ancient pond, very ancient, and very
too was not much of a brick house. It was just a little ancient trees surrounding it; they were perhaps
house. hundreds of years old. And beautiful rocks all around...
I can see it now, and can describe its ever y detail... but and certainly the frogs jumped; day in and day out you
more than the house or the village, I remember the could hear ”plop,” again and again. The sound of frogs
people. I have come across millions of people, but the jumping really helped the prevailing silence. That
people of that village were more innocent than any, sound made the silence richer, more meaningful.
because they were very primitive. They knew nothing
of the world. Not even a single newspaper had ever This is the beauty of Basho; he could describe
entered that village. You can now understand why something without actually describing it. He could say
there was no school, not even a primary school... what a something without even mentioning a word. ”Plop!”
blessing! No modern child can afford it. Now, is this a word? No word could do justice to the
sound of a frog jumping into the ancient pond, but
I remained uneducated for those years and they were Basho did it justice.
the most beautiful years. Yes, I must confess I had a
private tutor. That first tutor was himself uneducated. I am not a Basho, and that village needed a Basho.
He was not teaching me, but trying to learn by teaching Perhaps he would have made beautiful sketches,
me. Perhaps he had heard the great saying, “The best paintings, and haikus.... I have not done anything about
way to learn is to teach,” but he was a good man, nice, that village – you will wonder why. I have not even
not like a nasty schoolteacher. To be a school teacher visited it again. Once is enough. I never go to a place
one has to be nasty. That is par t of the whole business twice. For me number two does not exist. I have left
world. He was nice – just butter like, very soft. Let me many villages, many towns, never to return again. Once
confess, I used to hit him, but he would not hit me back. gone, gone forever, that’s my way; so I have not
He would simply laugh and say, “You are a child, you returned to that village. The villagers have sent
can hit me. I am an old man, I cannot hit you back. messages to me to come at least once more. I told them,
When you are old you will understand.”
through a messenger, “I have been there once already, The Buddhas do not want to reflect the beauty of the
twice is not my way.” world, nor does the world in any way intend to be
reflected by the Buddhas, but it is reflected. Nobody
But the silence of that ancient pond stays with me – wills, but it happens, and when it happens it is
again I am reminded of the Himalayas... the snow – so beautiful. When it is done, it is ordinary; when it is
beautiful, so pure, so innocent. You can only see it done, you are a technician. When it happens you are a
through the eyes of a Bodhidharma, a Jesus, or Basho. Master.
There is no other way to describe the snow; only the Communication is a par t of the world of the technician
eyes of Buddhas reflect it. Idiots can trample it, can – communion is the fragrance of the world of the
make snowballs out of it, but only the eyes of the Master.
Buddhas can reflect it, although... This is communion. I am not speaking about anything
in particular....
The wild geese The wild geese and the water....
Do not intend to cast their reflections.
The water has no mind An excerpt ch. 1: Glimpses of a Golden Childhood
To reflect their images... and still the image happens.
Download free: www. Docstoc.com/taoshobuddha.
Basho’s sadness is out of his compassion, it has nothing to do with anger. But your observation that he seems
to be a little sad in his haikus is right. He has to be. He is sad for you. He is sad for all of humanity. He is sad for
all those who will follow him, because he knows the truth. It is so close – just within your grasp – and still you
don’t raise your hand. That makes him sad. His sadness has a beauty and a splendor.
As far as Krishnamurti, he was sad out of anger. But again it was a different anger from your anger. Things are
so subtle.... He was angry as to why people could not understand him. He is so clear, so rational, why can
people not understand him? He used to beat his head in front of assemblies saying, “You have been listening
to me for forty years, fifty years, and I look at your faces and I feel immensely sad.”
He suffered for almost fifty years with migraine, with so deep migraines that he has written in his dairies that
sometimes he wanted to hit his head against the walls. The migraine had nothing to do with his physiology, it
was because he was talking to people, giving interviews, private interviews from morning until night, and
nobody was showing the light in their eyes that they had understood him.
You cannot blame him for his anger – although that is a very special case. As I have told you, every
enlightened person encounters the world in his own unique way. Krishnamurti lived long – ninety years –
and even at the last moment, he was angry. At the last moment he said, “I have wasted my whole life running
around the world telling people, and they thought that it was an entertainment. I was talking about
enlightenment, and they used to gather as if it was a circus.”….
….My own understanding is, that it was somewhat of a perversion of compassion. You should not be so
insistent; you should make available whatever you have. If somebody chooses it, it is his freedom; if
somebody does not, it is his freedom. You cannot impose your ideas upon others.
Even though the ideas were about freedom, the difficulty was that he was talking about freedom, but he
wanted you to agree with his ideas about freedom. He could not see that even this is forcing slavery, a
psychological slavery, on people.
You can simply share your vision of freedom, and that’s all. It is up to the people. If something rings a bell in
their hearts, good; if nothing rings into their hearts, what can you do? You cannot force somebody to freedom.
OSHO
THE MADMAN’S GUIDE
TO ENLIGHTENMENT
CHAPTER 6
6 June 1978 pm in Chuang Tzu Auditorium
E
verything is unreal – I am too – because certainty and that is that the witness is not unreal.
reality is not a thing. All things are unreal. Even to witness unreality a real witness is needed.
Reality is a nothing, no-thing. Things are only You may be just a fiction of my mind, I may be just a
appearances, forms of something which is formless. fiction of your mind, but even for the fiction to exist,
That formlessness is real but that cannot be seen by somebody is needed deep inside me to see that
the eyes and cannot be touched and felt is unreal; it fiction. That witness is not unreal; everything else is
is all dream stuff – and I am included in it. unreal.
All that can be experienced is a dream. Only the And the whole search of religion is for that witness:
experiencer is not a dream. I am just a dream to you, how to find that which is real. And it is there in each
but the witness of the dream is not unreal. And the experience – not as the experience but as the
witness is one. That witness is called god. Everything experiencer, not as the object but as subjectivity.
else is fictitious.
Soren Kierkegaard has said ‘Truth is subjectivity’.
The question is not strange; the question is worth That’s exactly how it is. Objectivity is a lie, it is false.
asking. But when I say that I am unreal or when I So when there is no thought, no experience, no
say that everything is unreal that does not mean object, no content in the mind, and your
that you can pass through the wall. That does not consciousness is just bare, naked, pure – pure of all
mean that you can jump off a mountain because the content, just content less, mirror mirroring nothing –
mountain is unreal and you are unreal. then you know what is real. That mirror mirroring
nothing is reality. For that one has to go deeper and
By ‘unreal’ I mean as it appears to you – that deeper into one’s own being. There are layers and
appearance is unreal. For example, the wall, as it layers of many things; all those layers have to be
appears, is unreal. Ask the physicist, ask even the eliminated.
materialist: he says it is unreal because there is no
solid wall, just electrons moving so fast that they When I say ’all is unreal’ it is just a device to
give the appearance of a solid wall. But there is no eliminate all those layers. Once it is said and
solid wall, there is nothing solid. And an electron is understood that everything is unreal, one starts
nothing but a wave – not even a particle, but a wave. moving inwards; there is no point in moving
Out of those waves, which are immaterial, the solid outwards. Then it doesn’t make any difference
wall is constructed. It looks solid to us because we whether you succeed in the outside world or you fail
cannot see deeply enough. And there is no way to see – all is unreal. Then it doesn’t matter much whether
deeply enough, because whatsoever we see will you have money or not. It doesn’t matter whether
remain on the surface. you are respected or not, whether you are known or
you live an unknown life. Nothing matters.
Matter is unreal in that sense. It is all energy, and
energy is just a concept. We say that this is If things are unreal then all is the same good
electricity that is giving us light, but nobody has ever dreams, sweet dreams or nightmares. Then nothing
been able to define what exactly it is. We have just is moral and nothing is immoral. It gives a great
notions about it – that it is something that is passing freedom it gives great detachment, and one simply
through the wires, coming to the bulb. But nothing starts falling into one’s own inner abyss. One day
is passing; it is not like a current, it is not like a river one comes to the centre of it, the centre of all. That
or a stream. centre is real. In the East we have called that centre
‘brahma’, god, the absolute, or whatsoever name you
So whatsoever we see is unreal; and that which is want you can choose – call it the ’soul’, the ’truth’,
real cannot be seen. Only one thing can be said with ’nirvana’, ’enlightenment’.
Enlightenment is nothing but seeing this fact, that healthy you will not know that you have a body. In
only one’s subjectivity is a certainty; everything else fact that is the definition of health in the eastern
is unreal. You are – that is the only truth about medical science: not to be aware of the body is the
which we can be absolutely certain. definition of health. An ill person cannot lose that
awareness. If your leg is hurting you will be aware; if
Your question is relevant, meaningful. Now start your stomach is in a cramp you will be aware. If your
asking ’Who am I?’ Translate the question into ’Who body is tired you will be aware. If your body is
am I?’ and you will come to know one day what is perfectly healthy you will forget all about the body.
real. So awareness basically is awareness of the negative.
[A sannyasin is upset about leaving for the West.] Man has awareness, so the first awareness that
happens to man is of the negative. The second
It is difficult to leave me but you are only leaving on awareness has to be attained – that is of the positive.
the outside and that is not leaving at all. Now that, That is something to be earned; it does not happen
contact has happened, where, I can be with you of its own accord. And there is a third awareness
anywhere. You can call me anywhere and you will which is beyond both: that is buddhahood.
find me! So this trip will be a great experience. You
will not miss me in your inner most core. Physically, Animals are not aware; their awareness is zero. Man
of course, you will miss me, but that is not is aware but the awareness is negative. Then there
important. The most important thing is not to miss are happy people, cheerful people – their awareness
in the heart. is positive; that has to be earned. Very few people
come to that. And even more rare is the third, where
There are many people who are here, physically positive and negative both disappear. One simply is –
close, and still they are missing but are not even neither sad nor happy, just calm and quiet and cool.
aware of it. Because if I am not in their hearts, then
they are simply deceiving themselves that they are Awareness is the natural state of humanity; that is
with me or I am with them. To be physically here has where you are. Don’t make much fuss about it –
no value. The value of physical presence is very very everyone is at that point. If you make much fuss
superficial. At the most it is just an occasion to allow about it, it becomes more difficult to get out of it.
the other contact to happen. Once that contact has Rather than focusing your whole attention on it, try
happened you can be anywhere you can move to to find ways to get out of it. Whatsoever makes you
another planet, it won’t make any difference, it won’t happy, do it! And don’t be in any way inhibited.
create any distance. There is a closeness in which no
space exists, no time either, and that is a real My feeling is: because your love affair has dwindled,
closeness, that is intimacy. And a disciple in love you are focused on sadness and you are not
with the master attains to those plenitudes. gathering enough courage to move with somebody
else. You go on clinging, you go on hoping, but the
So this trip will be good – don’t be shaken by it. You relationship has dwindled. And once a relationship
will come back ver y ver y happy because you will has fallen flat it is very very difficult to help it to
know that now you cannot lose me, now there is no stand again. At the most it can walk but it will walk
way to lose me. And that becomes a great strength – on crutches; it cannot dance. It is a broken mirror;
when you know that there is no way to lose me. Even you can glue it together but it can never be the same
by going far away you come and come closer and again. But there is no need to be worried, because so
closer. That process has started, it has set in. So go many other mirrors are available. So the real
happily, with great gladness and come back soon! problem is there. And there you are afraid – you are
even afraid to move with somebody, to fall in some
[A sannyas asks about sadness.] love, afraid that then you will lose [your husband]
forever. So you are stuck. That is your choice. Love
A few things have to be understood.... One: ever y will make you a little happier than you are, a little
man is sad, ever y woman is sad. Sadness is the very less sad at least. And then you will again have a little
situation of life. Sadness is not something like an thrill in life.
accident – on the contrary, happiness is an accident.
Sadness is very natural. There is a reason why it is The positive awareness needs some work, and love is
so. one of the greatest things that helps to bring it. So as
much love as one can afford one has to go into.
Man is the only animal who is aware, no other Creativity helps, small things help. Go and dance,
animal is aware. And awareness basically is sing, play some instrument, paint, or whatsoever
awareness of pain – of illness, of disease. If you have work you are doing, put your total energy into it,
a headache, you become aware that there is a pour yourself into it – these small things. And then
headache and a head. If you don’t have a headache, small joys – meeting a friend, gossiping, chit-
awareness disappears. If your body is perfectly
chatting, going to a musical concert... just small people will say ‘[She] is the first! Nobody can compete
things. with her.’ Or if you want to get out of it, take the
responsibility this is your choice. Start moving with
But what happens is that when you are not in love people, star t becoming a little cheerful, star t
all these things look futile. When you are in love all playing games of love again. These are games but it
these things look meaningful. So love gives you the is better to play them than to be negative. If one has
perspective, and that is missing. If love is missing to dream, why not dream beautiful dreams? Why get
you will become more and more sad, and the more hooked with nightmares?
sad you are, the more you will become unavailable to
people. People won’t approach you because they And then you star t thinking a thousand and one
want to love a happy person. Who wants to get things – that trust is not arising and meditation is
involved with a sad and unhappy and heavy person? not happening and this is not happening and that is
Nobody wants to – people are sad enough on their not happening. Only one thing is not happening and
own. They want somebody who will bring a little that is: you are not gathering enough courage to
cheerfulness in their life. create a new relationship in your life. And I am not
saying that a relationship will not bring misery, but
So there is a problem: when people are sad, nobody at least that miser y will have some moments of
loves them, nobody approaches them; they repel happiness in it.
people. When they repel people, they feel more sad;
they think ’Nobody loves me.’ But they are the cause Right now you are in pure misery. But somewhere
of it! Why should anybody love you if you are sad? If deep down you are enjoying this miser y. You are
he can find a better person, he will find a better creating it in the hope that [your ex-boyfriend] will
person. If he cannot find anybody then only.... So think ’How [she] is suffering!’ and he will sympathize,
you are becoming sad clinging to a relationship he will start loving you again as he used to. You are
which is no more there, still hoping against hope, calculating absolutely wrongly. Nobody loves a
becoming more and more miserable, and destroying miserable person – that’s an absolute principle.
all bridges to other people. People can sympathize but sympathy is not love, and
it doesn’t satisfy. It hurts, it wounds. To be in a
Open up all the doors. Love is good – with whom it situation where people have to sympathize with you
happens doesn’t matter – because love gives you a is not a good situation; it is humiliating.
jump into positive awareness. And with love many
things star t becoming meaningful. Then you can So this is exactly what the case is with you. I have
sing, you can dance, you can go out. Your life star ts put it plainly. I may even look hard to you, mm?
moving; there is something to look forward to and Because you come for consolation. But I cannot
everything fits together. Love functions as a centre console you because I never help any negative state.
and all the pieces that were falling apart suddenly This is simply ugly – drop it! Get out of it! Star t
are no more falling apart; they become one unity. moving and again singing, again dancing and again
Love becomes a magnetic force and everything comes fooling around. That will give you more positivity,
together. That togetherness is positive. and only out of that will tr ust towards me arise.
And only after that can you relate with me; only then Only loving people, people who are in love, will be
can trust towards me arise in you, not before it. Only able to look at me, to connect them with me.
love can make you capable of going into a higher
kind of love which is trust. Otherwise you will doubt, So start from this moment, mm? That’s exactly what
you will distrust. A sad person Cannot trust. So I mean – ’fooling around’. And right now you are
awareness one – that is negative awareness – cannot looking happy – just at the idea of it! (laughter)
trust, it can only doubt. Awareness two can trust, it
cannot doubt. And because it can trust, awareness [Another sanyasin says: I don’t know which way
becomes possible. To relate to me you will need to inside is.]
create the second; that is missing, so between me
and you there is a gap. Just allow it to happen. That question is irrelevant,
You have to understand it and you have to take the because inside is not any direction – neither north
responsibility... unless you choose to be miserable; nor south nor east nor west, neither up nor down.
then there is no problem. Don’t make any fuss about And there is no way to it; it is already where we are.
it; that is your work that is your painting. Some It is not really a movement from ’a’ to ’b’. It is just
people paint just sad paintings; that are their work. recognition, a remembrance. It is just awareness
Some people simply compose sad and dull music... arising in you and seeing the fact that you have
such music that it reminds you of death, not of life. always been here – you had never left this space for
Some people always sing sad songs, but that’s their a single moment. In fact, you cannot leave it, there is
choice. Then don’t be worried about it – it is perfectly no way to leave it. You had just fallen asleep.
okay. Then become the most miserable person here.
Never be second – why should you be? At least
In the morning when you wake up, it is the same children are getting ready to go to the school, and
place – the same room, the same bed in which you the wife is preparing the breakfast, and the sounds
had fallen asleep. From sleep to waking there is no from the kitchen, and even the smell.... Still
distance, no physical distance. You don’t travel it; fragments of the dream are floating about – you are
you don’t have to take a vehicle. When you open neither awake nor asleep, just in between. That is
your eyes you suddenly know you have been here the situation where you are. And then this question
the whole night, although you dreamed of a arises: now what to do? Which way to take? In what
thousand and one things and in those dreams you direction to move? No, it is not a question of
moved to faraway places. But even when you were in direction – it is just opening your eyes. It is just a
your dream in faraway places, you were here in this remembrance.
room, on this bed, under this sheet, under this
blanket. So when you wake up in the morning, you It is happening! Just go on doing whatsoever you are
don’t ask ‘How did I arrive in Poona from Peking? doing, because when it star ts happening that simply
Because I was dreaming of Peking.’ It was just a shows that whatsoever you are doing is right. So go
dream – you never left the place. That’s how it is: we on doing it. Go on digging in the same way and
are there; we are it, the inside. So it is not a question sooner or later more awareness will become
of which way to move, from where to move, what available.
direction to take. All that is needed is an awakening,
a remembrance, and that is happening slowly. The And there comes a moment when the eyes open and
sleep is getting thinner and thinner, and when the you are no more asleep. But then you will know that
sleep gets thinner and thinner and you are just this is not a new space. It is the old space with a new
hanging in between – a few dreams, fragments of the vision, the old space with a new awareness... a new
dreams, are still floating around and you have also insight, but the space is the ancient one.
started hearing sounds from the outside.... The
milkman is at the door talking to your wife and the But things are going well – just continue. Good.
Mm! That’s very good! That’s a good indication. When you become scared of me that means you are coming
close to me! Then only does one start feeling as if one will be burned. A master is a fire. You come close – first
it is warm, then it becomes fiery, but you cannot go back because that fire has a great magnetic attraction too.
In fact where can you find a place to die which will be better? So be consumed! Let this fire consume you...
and out of that is the resurrection. Out of that you become totally new. Out of that you become impregnable,
invulnerable.
This is the paradox: you have to be absolutely vulnerable to become invulnerable. You have to die to attain
deathlessness. You have to go through fire to become real gold.
You need not be afraid: only that which is not true will bum – that which is true will remain. Truth cannot be
burned, only the false, but we are too attached to the false, hence the fear. The ego will be in danger. You will
not be in danger but because you think you are the ego, the fear arises. Just a little detachment from the ego is
needed.
I am going to destroy the ego... and it is good that it is destroyed – the sooner the better – because only when
it is destroyed will you be able to see who you are.
The ego is very very ordinary and the being is tremendously extraordinary. The ego is just a shadow, it is not
really you: it is a reflection in the mirror. I am going to destroy the mirror and the reflection will be destroyed
but you are not going to he destroyed at all.
But it is natural, mm? – when somebody hits the mirror and the mirror is falling into pieces, you will see that
you are falling into pieces because your image will be falling into pieces. But only later on when the mirror
has fallen down on the ground into pieces – your image has disappeared – suddenly you find that you are still
there; you are not your image!
OSHO
THE MASTERS OF
GURDJIEFF
GURDJIEFF PRODUCT OF SUFI NISBET
LARS JENSENS
SWEDEN
The untold story of the Sufi from the Qur'an. After he had finished
connection reading, Gurdjieff approached him and
told about his inner experience. According
In reality nobody really understands to the Naqshbandi Haqqani Sufi Order the
I
much about the signification of the following dialog occurred between them.
teaching and the life of Gurdjieff. The Gurdjieff said:
teaching of Gurdjieff is a mystery, which
you can never really understand, unless
you know the specific orders under which “As soon as you finished the prayer and
he was acting. began to recite (the Surat Ya Sin from the
Holy Qur'an), I saw you come to me and
If you want to come close to Gurdjieff and took my hand and we were transported to
understand his teaching you have to a beautiful rose garden. You told me that
follow in his footsteps and meet the this garden is your garden and these roses
people that did know him. You have to are your murids (adepts), each with his
listen to the voices from those who really own colour and perfume. You directed me
did know him and understood him and to one particular red rose and said, ‘That
from whom he learned the teaching. one is yours. Go smell it.’ As I did, I saw
the rose open and I disappeared within it
Gurdjieff was one of the very first and became the rose. I entered its roots
westerner that really tried to absorb the and they led me to your presence. I found
mystery of the east. He had many myself entering into your heart and
contacts with Sufis of various orders. At becoming a part of you.
one occasion he met Shaykh Abdullah of
the Daghestani Naqshbandi Sufi lineage. It Through your spiritual power I was able
is told that during this meeting they to ascend to the knowledge of the power
prayed together and after the prayer of the Nine Points. Then a voice,
Shaykh Abdullah read some holy texts addressing me as `Abd an-Nur, said: ‘This
light and knowledge have been granted to understand the secrets of the Sufi mystics.
you from the Divine Presence of God to Because these two are very closely linked
bring peace to your heart. However, you to each other and if you understand the
must not use the power of this Sufi mystics you will also understand
knowledge.’ The voice bid me farewell Gurdjieff.
with the salutation of Peace and the vision
ended as you were finishing the recitation However all that was said in Gurdjieff's
from the Qur’an” books of the meeting with Shaykh
Abdullah was that he met some saints in
Sheikh Abdullah replied: Damascus and Baghdad with no mention
of names. Gurdjieff did not get permission
“Surat Ya Sin was called ‘the Heart of the to explore all secretes and powers of the
Qur’an’ by the Holy Prophet and the Sufi masters. So Gurdjieff did not pass all
knowledge of these Nine Points was his inner wisdom to his followers. He
opened to you through it. The vision was could not speak directly of it, since these
by the blessings of the verse: ‘Peace! A were his orders. It remained a secret in
Word (of salutation) from a Lord Most his heart, as he had promised.
Merciful!’ [36:58].
In the book “The teachers of Gurdjieff”,
“Each of the Nine Points is represented by the author Rafael Lefort, travelled to
one of nine Saints who are at the Highest many places in the Middle East to meet
Level in the Divine Presence. They are the the masters of Gurdjieff. During one of his
keys to the untold powers within man, but travels he arrived in Jerusalem to meet
there is no permission to use these keys. another Naqshbandi Sufi master named
This is a secret that in general will not be Sheikh Hassan Effendi, who also had
opened until the Last Days when the been one of the masters of Gurdjieff. He
Mahdi appears and Jesus returns. wanted to put some question to the
Sheikh about Gurdjieff (in order to
This meeting of ours has been blessed. understand the teaching of Gurdjieff), so
Keep it as a secret in your heart and don’t he sent a letter to the Sheikh, in which he
speak of it in this life. ‘Abd an-Nur,’ for told that he wanted to meet him.
that is your name with us, you are free to According to the book the following
stay or go as your responsibilities allow. interaction accord between them:
You are always welcome with us. You
have attained safety in the Divine “It went several days until a messenger
Presence. May Allah bless you and brought me a reply. It said in English:
strengthen you in your work.” “You wish to see me, but what prompts
you to suppose that I want to see you?” I
So according to the above statement had discovered by this time that this is a
Gurdjieff was one of the flowers in the classic Sufi technique by which means Sufi
garden of the Sufi adepts. So if you want to discourage random enquires by off-
understand Gurdjieff you have to putting rudeness. I replayed, ‘My desire to
add to my knowledge prompts me.’ Back could Gurdjieff stay with the Sufi Sheikh
came the replay, ‘Can you use knowledge?’ for almost 20 years only to learn how to
I replied, ‘Not yet, but I aspire to.’ The breathe? Everyone is breathing naturally
answer, ‘Come to the Zawiyah at and by automatic, then why do you have
sundown.’ I went. to learn how to breathe?
That’s why awareness and mindfulness is You can only become aware by doing it
so essential in the spiritual teaching. We practically, not by speaking about it or
should be awake and aware. asking question about it. Our friend Rafael
(the author), who searched for the these happenings occurred as told here,
masters of Gurdjieff, would surely object but I let you, dear reader, make the
with an intellectual question: “How can I conclusions of your own, about the
learn if I do not ask?” You learn by doing meaning of these meetings. The people
and not by asking. You can never learn from west always want to have everything
swimming if you do not enter into the explained from the level of intellect and
water. Some knowledge is good, but if you arguments, but I will leave you dear
don’t go beyond it, it will be an reader with your own impressions and
obstruction to your spiritual development. conclusions.
This is one of the many secrets of the east.
This is the wisdom of the soul. Let the mystery enter into your soul and
try to figure it out by your own effort. Let
The sun rises in the east, and the wisdom the answer arise from your own heart,
also comes from the east. However the only for once, otherwise you will never
west never seems to really understand the understand Gurdjieff and the mystery of
mystics of the east, since the wisdom of the east.
the east is beyond the wisdom of the
intellect. In the same way, west may never A Sufi speaks with the silence of the heart.
understand the true signification of It is the language beyond the level of
Gurdjieff, because he had become a part of intellect. You can only listen to it at level
the eastern mystery. of your own heart.
NOTE:
Once the flower is blossomed its fragrance spreads. Kokushi called his disciple Hoshin At the voice of
It does not matter whether the flower adorns a the master Hoshin responded, ‘yes master.’
bouquet or wreathe or a wedding garland or
anything else wherever the flower is its beauty and Again Kokushi called “Hoshin” Second time again
fragrance is the one that works. This beauty and the Hoshin responded saying, ‘yes master.’
fragrance that surrounds the flower is its Third time when Kokushi called, “Hoshin”
consciousness because it transforms. A flower is a
smile as its presence brings joy to sadness. That is And Hoshin responded saying, ‘yes’
why I say a flower transforms. This beauty and Kokushi said, “Hoshin I need to ask your forgiveness
fragrance is the bliss of the flower and is the for calling you again and again.”
outcome of inner oneness. However the flower is
delicate, fragile and short lived. Thus comes thus Sufis and Zen have unique way of explaining subtle
goes. matters.
This is buddhahood. A Buddha blossoms. Spreads Man is in a state of deep slumber. It is not proper to
beauty and fragrance wherever he is or whatever he call sleep either. It is unconsciousness. It matters
does. Then nothing matters except the sharing of not how many times you call; the sound never
this flowering. Whatever path, masters or anything crosses the veil of slumber. Man is in his dreams. No
else he does or shares it is his inner blossoming, noise can really wake him.
onenesss or bliss. His presence becomes contagious.
His life is benediction so too is his death. He is never Buddha is one who wakes you up from your
born never dies. slumber. Buddha is one who shatters your dreams;
and brings you to a state of total wakefulness. This
You asked if a Buddha is a rebel. Yes indeed a is difficult. Not only difficult but the disciple thinks
Buddha is a rebel. Before I go into this question it is master is disturbing his sleep. So there is
important to know WHAT a Buddha is. Yes I did not resentment. That is why Kokushi asks for
say who is a Buddha? Instead I said what a Buddha forgiveness.
is. First let me rephrase the question.
Certainly the work is difficult. And disciple feels
Never ask who is a buddha. Ask what is a buddha? master is constantly disturbing. To receive any help
And how is a buddha? From language point this form the master the disciple has to be ready. Sufis
seems absurd. But this is how the question should say master appears when disciple is ready. You
be asked. Never ask who is a master or who is a should not even ask what a master is; instead you
buddha? Because master is not a person! Master is should explore how to be a disciple.
not a person. Master or a Buddha is a state of
awareness. Then how can you ask who is a master. When the buddha wakes you, resentment is
Sufis say master is Roohani Meraj-- inner state of necessary. His effort is to hit your ego and keep you
emptiness – or awareness. For this you have to ask awake so that wakefulness becomes your nature. It
what a master is. seems Hoshin is not a disciple as yet that is why
master has to ask for forgiveness. When someone
Masters have used many ways to explain the role of tries to wake you from ordinary sleep you feel the
a master. His effort is to wake you from your deep person is your enemy not the friend. Sleep is good.
Maybe you are dreaming. And want dream to
continue. You want to sleep longer. And this man is often. At the back of this shop there was a huge
constantly disturbing you. piece of marble. For years it remained lying
uselessly. One day while cleaning the shopkeeper
Mind means laziness. That is why you do not like decided to throw that piece of marble. When
anyone who tries to wake you. You like the one who Michelangelo heard of this, he asked for that piece
consoles you, put you to sleep and sing for you. You of marble. The shop owner felt grateful that at least
want consolation not truth. In this world of someone wants that piece of marble. So he arranged
consolation you will find ninety-nine percent to get that piece to Michelangelo’s home.
masters who are ready to fulfill your desires. This is
simple demand and supply, law of economics. If Few years went by, and then one day Michelangelo
thousands of people want consolation someone will asked the shop owner to visit his place as he wanted
be ready. Look at yourself. For how long you are to show him something. The shop owner went to
going to your place of worship! Praying ardently! see what Michelangelo wanted to show him. It was a
Doing yagnas! Chanting scriptures! Following beautiful sculpture of Jesus and Mary. Jesus’ body
various priests! What inner change has all this when taken down from the cross lies on the lap of
brought to you? Are you getting less angry? Are you Mary. No one can imagine the beauty and splendor
more loving? Have you grown in awareness? Omar of this sculpture – Jesus lying with his head resting
Khayyam says, “What shall you gain O fool by on Mary’s lap. Tears began to flow from the eyes of
talking about those who are full of bliss?” the shop owner. Michelangelo told him it was the
same piece of useless marble behind his shop. The
Another yardstick, in the last decade; churches, shop owner could not believe his eyes. He asked
temples have mushroomed. More and more Yajna Michelangelo how he did that. Do you know what
and religious activities are taking place on a daily Michelangelo told him? The sculpture was in the
and weekly basis. Has all this made your life any piece of marble. But it was hidden. I could see. To
better? Are you really more religious? If it is not so, you huge piece of marble was useless. All I did was
then certainly your approach is wrong. You have to chisel out the superfluous marble that was hiding
investigate. Only then a new enquiry can begin. the beauty of the sculpture. This reply is that of a
master.
A real master will not console you. Anyone in whose
presence your sleep or unconsciousness grows will Every master has to chisel out the superfluous in
not help you in any way. Master will shake your you. This is the meaning when Jesus says he has
basic structure on which you are standing. come with a sword. You cannot understand the
words of masters in their dictionary meaning. You
One of Jesus’ statements is, “People say I brought have to know the art of decoding the message of the
peace into this world. But no! I say to you I came masters. When a Buddha uses his chisel on you
with a sword.” This statement has just put resentment is bound to be there. And without this
Christians into trouble. On one hand Jesus says, if chisel there can be no transformation. He has to
someone hit you on one side of your cheeks then chisel out all that is superfluous in you. This makes
turn the other side towards him. Now he says he has him a rebel. The society that survives on the
come with a sword. What kind of sword is this? If ignorance and unconsciousness of the man resents
you try to understand the message of master the advent of a Buddha. Buddha gives you vision.
literally, as usually happens, you are bound to ben And when you have vision then you can see. And
trouble. Jesus’ sword has nothing to do with the once you are awake nothing will imprison you. This
sword you see hanging from the waist of a soldier. is the resentment. Hust as when everyone is healthy
Jesus’ sword is that of a master. It is invisible. It will no one will bother a doctor.
kill you as you are without any drop of blood. Only
then you can be resurrected. It will chisel out the Everyone talks of health. Seminars are held. You
superfluous in you. It will burn your impurities so have to pay heavy amount to attend to these
that gold may shine. sessions. All these give you a feeling and you think
You would certainly have heard the name of Italian that you are feeling healthy. In reality none of these
sculptor Michelangelo. He used to visit a shop quiet want you to be healthy. If you are healthy in the
process then by and by all will be healthy and soon “Abandoning all religions and rituals of body mind
there will be no one to attend. There is a conspiracy. and intellect come to me. I shall liberate thee of all
Give them a feeling of wellness. Never give then the sins of thy mortal existence.”
secret. Today one company promotes a new health
product. Then after sometime a new counter Only a buddha can say this. What is the religion of
product is advertise. And healthy business goes on. body mind and intellect? Body follows rituals. This
If you expose this you are bound to be a rebel. is gross. Mind follows Gyana. Krishna tells Arjuna to
abandon all dharma through meditation; and come
A Buddha exposes all this. The society is against to me alone while in a state of meditation, and stop
him, the polity is against him. Every Buddha is worries. Then I shall liberate you from all sins.
rejected during his time and after him all those who
have once criticized him carry business in his name To renounce implies severing all connections with
and set up organizations. Now the Buddha is no your existing structure and understanding. Only
more alive. His words can be manipulated to suit then is there a possibility that you may not fall again
the business. A Buddha is bound to be a rebel and a into this state of identification with outer envelops
threat to this organizational set up. of matter around us.
Every Buddha has to carry a sword ten. He wants to This is what happens when you go in the company
wake you. A buddha is your death as you are. And of a buddha. If in his company you still remain as
he is your resurrection as well. Such a person will you were? If your original religious structure
appear to be an enemy. And your sleep is very old. remains; you are in the company of a counterfeit.
Your sleep is not your ordinary sleep. That sleep Krishna’s statement explains the role of a master
contains your greed, lust, anger, attachment, love, who has the capability to transform you.
hate, jealousy. The roots of these are deeper. Master
has to be careful while waking you. He not only Religion is blind man’s stick. He uses stick to feel.
wakes you, instead he has to destroy all roots and Scriptures happens in state of consciousness
old structures before something can be poured into beyond human understanding. To understand the
you. message of scriptures your level of consciousness
has to undergo transformation. In the company of a
Remember when you wake up from your slumber, master all your religions, religious belief everything
not only your world will vanish, all that you have will vanish.
known as God in your sleep and dream state will
also shatter. What is the significance of all that you To be in the company of a master requires great
have known in a state of unconsciousness? Neither courage. And to stay with a master when he starts
your businesses will remain nor your temples. If using his sword of many dimensions requires even
your state of unconsciousness is wrong; then all that greater courage. People come and run away when
you have done or known in that state will vanish. So their sleep is being hammered. In Bhagavad-Gita
when a master takes away your sleep he will take you see how many times Arjuna gave arguments to
away everything that comes out of this. All your escape from what Krishna was doing. But in front of
understanding of religion, Moksha, scriptures is a master like Krishna all his arguments prove futile.
wrong. In Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna shatters People remain pleased when you do not destroy
everything, all structures on which Arjuna’s life was their structure! Or deepen their slumber! A Hindu is
based. He asked him to abandon all religions and allowed to remain a Hindu! But the moment you
ritual and come to him alone. start shaking, trouble starts; society does not want
its structure to be shattered.
SARVA dharmaan parityaijya
Maam ekam sharanam vraja Jesus was not crucified unnecessarily. Socrates was
Aham twaam sarva paapebhyo not poisoned just like that. Jesus was crucified
Mokshayishyaami maa shucha! because he was waking people from their slumber.
You are so restless, and troubled that you want a bit
of comfort. And when someone wakes you up
resentment starts from organized traditions. Jesus With this understanding old will vanish and you are
was crucified by the organized traditions, not by the reborn, resurrected. This new state is Moksha. Not a
criminals. So was Socrates. If you really understand, dream seen during sleep. When you wake up from
the entire search of the world is the search of your slumber then whatever is in front of you is
slumber; so that you can forget your agony. God. When you wake up then your state of
Someone finds in wine, others find in music, next awareness is your prayer. Prayer is the state of your
one finds in sex. Still more find in meditation or wakeful awareness. Not that which you utter in
religion. deep sleep.
A buddha will wake you. He will break your Now the Zen sutra! It is indicative of the way of a
structures and states of intoxications. He will take master. Certainly the disciple would have known
away your bhajans, your mantra, in fact all religions what the master is doing.
of body, mind and heart. You will have to wake from
your slumber. Only then you will know who you are. Yes indeed a Buddha is a rebel. And this rebelness is
Or what is your potentiality. his beauty. This rebelness is transforming.
And you will grow.... Growth is very easy if we allow it to happen, and the
way to allow it to happen is to be joyful, cheerful. Growth happens in
laughter... growth happens in innocence. Growth happens when you are
dancing and singing. When you are moving, your spirit moves too. When
you are not moving, your spirit also gets stuck.
OSHO
hjarae< sal nrigs ApnI benUrI pe raetI hE,
T
o commemorate this event I will take you During his life time Osho spoke on almost all the
through the totality of this consciousness. paths, and Masters. In fact he infused a new life
Consciousness is total. We as human into scriptures. Made them alive, pulsating with
beings exhibit it only in fragments. Very new life force! Also brought back the master from
rarely a master who attains to inner oneness great beyond forgotten.
exhibits the consciousness as ‘summon bonum’.
Be it a Rumi, a Bahauddin, Rabia, All Hillaj,
As a child of rebellious nature his rebellion was Junnaid, Bayzid he spoke of these masters their
against the morbid rituals and seed that have been teachings. The teachings that were the copyright of
destroying the entire crop of human beings. a few were made available to the wider
Vivekananda called for 100 men to change the community. Who are we to chose or decide a
destiny of human consciousness. Osho created not particular path for someone. He gave freedom to
the aspirants to choose the path on one’s
own. Many came out of this tradition
and many travelled along this path as
well.
thinking to arise. Mind functions in the non- He indicated to the immediate reality: This.
existential, in the fictitious, in the imaginary. Mind Vedanta, the greatest philosophical effort in India,
is a faculty of dreaming -- it is a dream faculty! talks about 'That': TATWAMASI Swetketu -- That
Truth is not known by mind; that's why I say it is art thou, Swetketu. Zen people talk about 'this'.
not known at all. Truth is felt by the heart, by your Certainly their understanding is deeper -- because
totality; by you, not by your head; by you as an 'that' is again in the future, far away; 'this' is
organic unity. When you know truth, you know by present. This is that. This shore is the other shore.
the head and by the toes; you know by your bones This life is the only life, and this moment is
and by your guts; you know by your heart and by eternity. If you can live this moment, if you can be
your blood; you know it by your breathing -- just here this moment, then everything takes care of
by your very being. Truth is known by being. That itself. Then you need not be anxious. Then there is
is the meaning when I say truth is felt. It is an no need to ask -- before you ask, the answer is
experience. delivered. The answer has been always there, but
we are not aware. So the whole effort of Zen is how
I have heard: A monk asked Joshu: "What is the to bring awareness to you.
Buddha?" "The one in the hall." The monk said,
"The one in the hall is a statue, a lump of mud." Man is as if asleep. Man lives in a stupor -- moves,
Joshu said, "That's so." "What is the Buddha, then?" works, is born, lives and dies, but almost fast
asked the monk again. "The one in the hall," said asleep, snoring. Man's mind is very dull. Mind is
Joshu. Now what is this Joshu trying to do? He is dullness. Mind has no intelligence in it. There has
saying: "Your question is absurd. Because you are never been an intelligent mind. I don't mean that
asking an absurd question, I am answering it in an there have never been intelligent people; there
absurd way. Your question is stupid, and there can have been intelligent people, but there has never
be no intelligent answer to a stupid question." He been an intelligent mind. Intelligence is something
is trying to show to this monk that the very that comes when mind is dropped. Mind is never
question: What is the Buddha? is nonsense, original, never radical.
because there is no way to say anything about the
Buddha. It is an awakening. It is an experience. It Mind is always orthodox. Mind is always
happens within you. You cannot read it through repetitive, mechanical; it functions like a robot. It
the scriptures, and you cannot ask those who have goes on repeating the same thing again and again.
come to know it. The only way is: you have to go to It is like a computer: whatsoever you feed into it, it
goes on chewing it again and again. Have you don't assert, don't state, don't say. Simply be. And,
watched your own mind and its functioning? by and by, you will start feeling glimpses of
Nothing new ever happens to it. Nothing new can awareness, sudden glimpses of awareness -- as if a
happen to it. And because of it you remain fresh breeze has entered into your room which
oblivious of all that is happening all around you; was getting stale and dead; as if a ray of light has
you go on ignoring it. You are too much attached to entered into the dark night of your soul; as if,
this mediocre, stupid instrument. It is good to use suddenly, life has called you back.
it; it is good as a reservoir, as memory; it is good to
keep records -- but it is not a way to see into Osho: Sudden Clash of Thunder – talks on Zen
reality. It has no eyes. Mind is blind like a bat. It stories
has no eyes.
collected in the past, the flame arises -- clean, clear, All scriptures of the East begin with a salutation to
alive, young. Your whole life becomes a flame, and God. This salutation is not just a formality; it is not
a flame without any smoke. That is what merely following a tradition or a convention. The
awareness is. Consciousness without thinking: salutation is indicative of the fact that the path
that's what awareness is. Being alert and with no ahead is of surrender. Only the humble will attain.
thought. Try it! whenever you see thinking Those who are aggressive and full of ego, those
gathering, disperse it! pull yourself out of it! Look who wish to attain even truth by grabbing at it,
at the trees with no screens of thinking between those with the attitude of conquering nature will
you and the trees. Listen to the chirping of the be defeated. They can possess the trivial, but that
birds with no chirping of the mind inside. Look at which is so immense, so vast, can never be theirs.
the sun rising and feel that inside you also a sun of They may succeed in grabbing the worthless, but
consciousness is rising... but don't think about it, nothing meaningful can ever become part of them.
Hence, a scientist discovers all that is unessential, available to science – it never can... not because
but misses the essential. He succeeds in gathering there is no soul, but because the scientist has
details about the soil, the stones, matter, but an chosen a wrong method. The method he uses is not
understanding of the soul and God escapes him. It the way to discover the soul. The very means
is like one attacks a woman passing by. One may applied to its discover y is the means good for
become successful in raping her, one may even finding the trivial. That which is of great value
have her body in one’s control, but one can never cannot be attained through aggression.
have her soul; one will never be able to win her
love. You will be able to find the mystery of life only if
you enter through the door of surrender. If you
So those who approach God aggressively are the bow down, if you pray, you will be able to reach
rapists. They may bring the physical body of God the center of love. Courting God is almost as good
under their control; they may dissect and analyze as courting a woman. One needs to approach Him
nature manifesting all around, they may discover with a hear t full of love, gratitude and humility.
some of its secrets, but the discover y will be as And there is no hurry! Any haste on your par t, and
trivial as someone attacking and raping a woman. you miss. A great deal of patience is required. Your
The man may succeed in securing the woman’s haste... and His hear t will be closed. Even rushing
body, but such an achievement is not worth a things is an act of aggression.
straw because he won’t be able to even touch her
soul. And if the soul has remained untouched, the Hence those who set out in search of God, their
possibility of love that is hidden within her, the life-style is contained in two words: prayer and
hidden seed of her love can never sprout. Her love patience. So the scriptures begin with prayer and
can never shower upon him. they end with awaiting. The search therefore,
begins with the prayer.
Science is an act of rape. It is an assault on nature – The first line of this scripture says:
as if nature were some kind of an enemy, as if it
has to be conquered, defeated. That’s why science OM! I BOW DOWN TO LORD SHIVA – THE ONE
believes in cutting things into pieces. Analysis, WHO IS SELF-LUMINOUS, DELIGHTING IN HIS
destr uction; it believes in dissection. OWN BEING.
If you were to tell a scientist, ‘The flower is And now, the beginning of the Shiva Sutra! Let this
beautiful,’ he will immediately sit down and star t salutation penetrate deep in you because if you
pulling apart the flower, dissecting it, analyzing it. miss the door, you will not be able to understand
He has no idea that in the very tearing of it into me when I star t describing the palace. Push aside
pieces, the beauty of the flower disappears. The the male within you, a little. Drop your aggressive
flower looked beautiful in its wholeness, but when attitude a little. This understanding is not going to
divided into parts, it lost its beauty. Of course, in come out of intellect, it is going to rise from your
doing the analysis the scientist can find out the hear t. This understanding will not depend on your
chemical elements contained in the flower; he may logic, it will depend on how much love there is
show the substance, the minerals the flower is within you.
made of. He may place them in different bottles
and label them accordingly. But he won’t be able to You will be able to understand this scripture; but
say,” Here is a bottle which contains the beauty this understanding will not be the same as
once present in the flower,” because the beauty following a mathematical problem. The
will have disappeared already. By making an understanding will be similar to the one you have
assault on the flower, you will only come upon its from appreciating poetry. You don’t pounce on
body, not the soul. poetry. You enjoy poetry leisurely, sip by sip, just
as you enjoy drinking tea. You don’t swallow it just
This is the reason why science doesn’t believe in in one shot as if it were some kind of bitter
the soul – how can it? Even after making so much medicine. Rather, you relish its taste bit by bit; you
effort, not even a glimpse of the soul becomes let its taste dissolve slowly.
In order to appreciate even a single poem you is that eventually the text of the Gita and the
need to read it over and over again... which is not reader of it should merge into each other. That no
the case with a mathematical problem. You don’t distinction be left between the Gita and its reader.
need to go over it again once you have understood This is the feminine state. This is the way of
and solved it – then the problem is done with. surrender. Keep this in mind.
Poetry never ends, because the hear t is limitless.
The more you love, the more it unfolds. So these sutras of Shiva can be understood if we
follow the path of humility. Let them sink in you.
That’s why in the East we don’t study scriptures – Make no haste in arriving at a conclusion whether
we read them over and over. Scriptures can’t be they are right or wrong. As far as these sutras are
studied anyway. To study means: once you have concerned, make one thing clear to you: it is not up
understood, you throw the book away in the to you to decide of their rightness or wrongness.
garbage. Now that you have understood it, what is How can you? One who is living in darkness, what
the need to go through it again. So you feel you are judgment can he pass about light? And the one
done with it. who has never known what it is like being healthy,
one who has always been confined to a sickbed,
Patha, reading over and over means you will need how can he understand what it means to be
to go over this scripture savouring in unhurriedly healthy.
– reading and re-reading. Who knows how many
times, but knowingly or unknowingly, you’ll have One who has never been stirred by the feeling of
to repeat it in your different moods, in different love – who has lived all along a life of hate,
states of mind. Sometimes, when the sun is on the jealously, enmity – he can, of course, read love-
horizon, or when night covers everything under its poems, because he will follow the words easily:
darkness, when the mind is cheerful, or sometimes nevertheless, that which is hidden in the words,
when the mind is sad. You’ll have to enter this which is interwoven in the words, access to that
scripture in different moments in different will always remain closed to him. So don’t be in a
conditions, only then by and by will its facets hurry to judge what is right and what is wrong.
become apparent to you. And yet it will remain You simply imbibe these sutras – I am not saying
inexhaustible. understand them – simply drink them, soak
yourself, absorb the whole taste of it. And if this
No scripture can ever be used up. The more it will taste could help unfold the secrets hidden within
appear you have found what you were looking for, you, and if in the savoring of these sutras a new
the more you’ll realize there is much more left flower may blossom within you releasing its
undiscovered. The more you dive deep into it, the fragrance and making you realize even for a
more it grows deeper. No reader can ever exhaust moment your stinking life has disappeared
a scripture. Patha, means reading over and over forever, and if with the kindling of a lamp inside,
again – many times. you could come to recognize you are not the
People in the West fail to understand this. It is darkness and if the sutras could create an impact
beyond them to figure out why people have been of a lightning inside you offering just a glimpse –
reading the Gita for thousands of years. They then this alone will cause the understanding to
wonder, ”the same man reads the same Gita every emerge, it will not come through your intellect or
morning – has he gone crazy or something?” They reasoning. Even a flash of experience will be
have no idea that the whole technique of patha, enough to cause the understanding to arise in you.
reading and re-reading is to let the scripture Hence, I say, treat these sutras with humbleness.
penetrate the heart. It has more to do with Secondly, a sutra means: the most concise,
enjoying the taste of it rather than understanding quintessential, telegraphic. Each and every word of
it. a sutra is highly condensed. A sutra is never long
and elaborate, it is crystallized, encapsulated, very
It is not even remotely connected with logic and small like a seed. Even if you wished to see, you
calculation. It’s main purpose is to dissolve the can’t find the tree inside the seed. You need
distance between the reader and the text. The idea penetrating eyes – the kind of eyes which can see
the tree within the seed, which can see in the You breathe in these places and yet you are as
present what future will be like, which can see good as dead. The temples are very festively
today what tomorrow will be, which can discover decorated but there is not a ray of festivity in your
the invisible in the visible – you require very sharp life. There is plenty of light in your temples, but it
eyes indeed. doesn’t eradicate the darkness from your life. So
don’t be afraid of these sutras, although they are
You don’t have such sharp eyes yet. Right now you sure to put you in difficulty. Because Shiva is not
will see nothing but the seed. The only way you some kind of a priest! A priest’s language always
can see the tree is by sowing the seed. Only when seems satisfactory to you. The priest is basically
the tree will break open and sprout will you be interested in exploiting you, not in transforming
able to see the growing tree. These sutras are the you. His interest lies in keeping you as you are. His
seeds. You will have to sow them in your heart. So business is to see that you remain as you are –
hold your judgment, because, if you reached a sick, diseased.
premature conclusion about these seeds, you may
throw them away as trash. I have heard. A doctor’s son returned home after
completing his education. The father had never
Actually, there is not much difference between a been on a vacation so he told his son, ‘I want to go
seed and a rock. In fact, sometimes, rocks are more on a vacation for three months. In the meantime,
colorful, shining, beautiful, precious than seeds. you carry on my practice. I have spent my whole
And yet there is a difference between the costliest life earning money without a break. So now you
diamond kohinoor and a seed. Nothing will sprout look after the business for a while.’
if you sowed the kohinoor. Regardless of how
costly the kohinoor is, the diamond is dead. No Having completed a world tour, he came back at
matter what pr ice the fools may assign to it, the the end of three months. He asked his son how
stone is lifeless – just a corpse. things were going, the son replied. ‘Everything is
going just fine. You will be surprised, but the
Irrespective of how ugly a seed may look, it may patients you couldn’t cure your whole life, I cured
not cost even a penny, but it contains life. If you them in three months.’ The father couldn’t believe
sow it, it can produce a huge tree and then one his ears. He said, ‘You fool! They gave us the
seed can create millions of seeds. One small seed business. I could have cured them too but then
can give birth to this whole universe, because a how could I have paid for your education? Those
single seed causes millions of seeds to appear, and patients made it possible. I could have helped the
again one of these millions of seeds can create yet schooling of other children as well. You ruined the
other millions of seeds. A small seed can contain whole thing!’
the entire universe within. The priest likes you to be the way you are – sickly,
unhealthy. That’s what helps them r un their
So the sutra is the seed – you can’t be impatient business. Shiva is not a priest. He is a teerthankara.
with it. Only when you have sown the seed in your Shiva is an avatara. He is the seer, the paigambara.
hear t and it has sprouted and flowered, will you His words are like fire. Come near him only if you
be able to know. Only then can you come to a are ready to be burned; accept his invitation only if
conclusion. The third thing – before we went the you are ready to disappear as you are. Because, the
sutras – is that, religion is a great revolution. new will be born only when you would cease to be
Whatsoever you have lear ned in the name of as you are. Not until you have turned yourself into
religion has almost nothing to do with religion ashes, will the new life emerge. So keeping these
really. Therefore, Shiva’s Sutras will surely startle things in view, now try to understand each sutra.
you. You will be scared, fr ightened too because
your religions will be shaken up. Your temples, The first sutra is:
your mosques, your churches will simply collapse
if you understood these sutras. Don’t make any THE CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE ATMAN, THE SOUL.
effort to save them because even if they are saved, Although conscious we all are, yet we never come
you won’t get anything out of them. to know the soul. If consciousness is indeed the
soul, then we should all have the knowledge of it. very suspicious mind., So he hired a detective in
We all possess consciousness, but what is really order to keep an eye on the actress and find out if
the meaning of, ‘consciousness is the soul?’ she was of a lose character. He wanted to have this
in black and white before his proposing to her for
The first meaning is: in this world, only marriage.
consciousness is yours. The word atman means: The detective went ahead and did a lot of
that which is your own. Regardless of how much investigating. After a week he sent his repor t. The
the rest may appear to you as your own, it is alien. report stated, ‘The woman is absolutely clean,
All of that which you otherwise claim as yours – innocent and without blemish. There is not a trace
friends, loved ones, family, wealth, fame, high of evidence which can place her character in
position, a great empire – it is all a deception. doubt, except that she has been seen in the last few
Because one day death will snatch it all away from days moving with a suspicious looking marwari.’
you. So death is the criterion for deter mining who The businessman himself was that suspicious
is your own and who is the stranger. That which looking marwari.
death can separate you from, know that it didn’t
belong to you, and that which it can’t, was indeed The eye sees the other. Hands touch the other. The
your own. This is how the ego finds its ways mind thinks of the other. But you always remain in
through. Superficially it looks as though you are the dar k. Your situation is similar to that of a lamp
doing service to others, but deep down it is your – the light of which reaches all around except
ego that is being serviced by you. And the more underneath, except itself. That’s how you function.
subtle the way of the ego becomes, the more it gets In the light of your own lamp, in the light of your
out of reach. The others are unable to gauge it, of consciousness, you wander around and look in all
course, but even you yourself fail to have a handle directions; only one remains unknown, unseen,
on it. Others are deceived by you, of course, but and that is none other than yourself.
even you become the victim of your own
deception. Even you get lost in the enigma, the So the first sutra is:
puzzle, you create for others. We have created our
respective mazes with the intent and purpose of CONSCIOUSNESS IS THE SOUL. Let this sutra
befooling others not realizing that someday we penetrate deep in your hear t. Your voyage to the
may ourselves be duped by it – and in fact we whole world is meaningless if you remained
already are. unaware of your own self. If you earned
knowledge of all the rest but remained ignorant of
So remember one thing: no one belongs to you yourself, even the entire sum of that knowledge
except your own self. The moment this will equal to nothing.
remembrance becomes crystallized within you
that consciousness is the being, that except You may have seen the whole universe, scanned
consciousness nothing else is mine – all the rest is the moons and the stars, but if you have failed to
extraneous, disparate – the first ray of see yourself you remain a stranger among all.
transformation enters your life. With that, a Because he alone can claim to have eyes who has
crevice appears between you and the society, seen himself; he alone can claim to have attained
between you and your relationships. But the man knowledge who has known himself. He alone is
doesn’t want to take a look at himself. It is difficult purified who has cleansed himself in the self-
to talk such a look because it requires one to go luminous consciousness. Consciousness alone is
through a process that is extremely arduous. holy, purifying. Except consciousness, there is no
other holy place for pilgrimage. Consciousness is
One marwari businessman fell in love with a film your innate nature. You have not been away from
actress. It was undoubtedly an unusual happening it even for a moment. But the fact is, it is dark
– a marwari businessman falling in love! Ordinar underneath the lamp. You can’t go too far away
ily, this kind of a person would always stay away from the lamp, the illuminating consciousness –
from love. But sometimes even the impossible even if you wished to. You can, of course, have an
happens. He fell in love of course, but his was a illusion of having been moved too far apart from it;
you can be in a dream world. But a dream cannot father in his own, his father cherished some other
be the reality. Consciousness is your inherent dreams – but they don’t meet anywhere.
nature and that is the only reality there is.
Ever y father dies unhappy. What can be the
Consciousness is the being. And so the first thing reason? Because, the fact remains that whatever
is: no one, nothing is mine except the dreams he creates, they all fall apart. Moreover,
consciousness. Should this feeling become everyone here is to see his own dreams – not your
crystallized in you, it will give birth to sannyas. dreams. And if you wish to attain an ideal
Because, essentially, samsara means to carry the situation, a satisfaction, then never create your
feeling that someone other than myself can be dreams around someone else; otherwise, you are
mine. sure to get lost.
Hence, the first sutra is tremendously radical; it
can spar k off a revolution in your life. It’s a Samsara simply means: the boat of your dreams is
provocation for making you realize for the first tethered to others. Sannyas means you have
time the truth that you alone belong to yourself – awakened; and that you have accepted one fact –
there is no one else for you. This realization will regardless of how painful, how hurting, how
naturally depress your mind; because you have terribly tormenting it may feel in the beginning –
built great relationships, you have saved lofty that you are alone. That, all relationships, all
dreams around other people. You are carrying a lot companionships are pseudo. This does not mean
of hopes from them. however that you should escape to the Himalayas.
Because, one who is heading to the Himalayas
A mother is carrying high expectations from her shows that he still looks upon his relationships, his
son. A father is hopeful of his son. They are ties as real – that they haven’t become false and
completely lost in their hopes. Your father, for meaningless to him yet.
example, died carrying similar hopes. What did he
gain from you? The same will apply to you; you too
will meet death and gain nothing from your son.
And your son will continue to follow the same
stupidity – he will keep expectations from his son.
A
master who defied all existing traditions, by many of his disciples, and is considered as such
understanding and ways to deliver his by many of his devotees today.
message is Ramkrisna. Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa (Bangla: রামকৃ ষ্ণ পরমহংস Ramkṛiṣṇo Ramakrishna was born in a poor Brahmin
Pôromôhongśo) was born on February 18, 1836 Vaishnava family in rural Bengal. He became a
born as Gadadhar Chattopadhyay (Bangla: গদাধর priest of the Dakshineswar Kali Temple, dedicated
to the goddess Kali, which had the influence of the
চট্টাপাধযায় Gôdadhor Chôţţopaddhae).
main strands of Bengali Bhakti tradition.
He was a famous mystic of 19th-century India. His
religious school of thought led to the formation of Ramakrishna and many paths
the Ramakrishna Mission by his chief disciple
Swami Vivekananda. Both were influential figures Ramakrishna is said to have followed many paths.
in the Bengali Renaissance as well as the Hindu He followed one path and reached the ultimate
renaissance during the 19th and 20th centuries. through that path. Then he choose another path
He was considered an avatar or incarnation of God and continued the Sadhana until light dawned
through that path. Thus he followed several paths.
Some consider it crazy. One aspires to reach the other religions, notably Islam and Christianity, and
ultimate. Thus having attained to that he wants to said that they all lead to the same God. Though
remain there alone and never return to the world conventionally uneducated, he attracted attention
of duality. Ramakrishna followed his own unique of the Bengali intelligentsia and middle class.
way. Each time he reached the ultimate through
one path he returned to begin his inward journey a Ramakrishna belonged to humble settings of
fresh. undivided eastern state of India. There in humble
yet a very poor but pious, orthodox brahmin
This makes him unique in many ways. In east family settings Ramakrishna was born in 1836, in
Bengal there is a tradition called ‘Sakhi the village of Kamarpukur, in the Hooghly district
Samprayaya’. ‘Sakhi’ means a female friend or of West Bengal. Located far from the railroad and
what we call in the modern terminology other means of transport, Kamarpukur was
‘girlfriend’. And the word ‘Sampradaya’ means a untouched by the glamour of the city. Yet it was
likeminded group. The followers consider innocent, pulsating with all that is natural and
themselves as the friend of Krishna (Sakhi). spontaneous – the rice fields, tall palms, royal
Krishna is the only male and all the devotees both banyans, a few lakes, and two cremation grounds.
male and female are milk maid, or gopis or friends. That was all this holy place has along with a
These followers dress as milkmaid, sing and dance. consciousness and devotion of parents that
provided background for the birth of the mystic.
Ramakrishna went beyond the physical. He
practiced at emotional level as well. He went so It is in sanctity pristine setting of sanctity
deep into his Sadhana that his biology started Ramakrishna was born. His parents were
showing feminine biological changes. He Khudiram Chattopâdhyâya and Chandramani Devî.
developed breasts like a female as is evident in the According to traditional accounts, Ramakrishna’s
attached picture. Also he had developed others parents experienced supernatural incidents, as
physiological changes. Such was the profundity of visions before his birth. His father Khudiram had a
Ramakrishna. dream in Gaya in which Lord Gadadhara (a form of
god Vishnu), said that he would be born as his son.
Let us together live those moments in retrospect. Chandramani Devi is said to have had a vision of
light entering her womb from Shiva's temple.
Satori at age 6
Satori is Japanese Zen origin. It explains the first
spiritual experience. The first experience always
comes like a framed picture of open sky. It is as if
you reach a new place and you are keen on having
a look at the scenic beauty of the place. It is still
His first spiritual teacher was an ascetic woman dawn. Sun light is still hidden in the womb of the
skilled in Tantra and Vaishnava bhakti. Later an dawn. The breeze and coldness too surges through
Advaita Vedantin ascetic taught him non-dual the bones. You open the window to have a glimpse.
meditation, and according to Ramakrishna, he What you get is the framed glimpse of the totality
experienced nirvikalpa samadhi under his of the sky and the scene. This is framed view.
guidance. Ramakrishna also experimented with
Satori is such a framed view of the vastness of the activities like eating of parched grain, fish and
unknown ecstasy. meat along with drinking of wine and sexual
intercourse.
Ramakrishna describes his first ‘spiritual ecstasy’
at the age of six. While walking along the paddy According to Ramakrishna and his biographers,
fields, a flock of white cranes flying against a Ramakrishna did not directly participate in the last
backdrop of dark thunder clouds caught his vision. two of those activities; all that he needed was a
He became so absorbed by this scene that he lost suggestion of them to produce the desired result.
external consciousness and experienced Ramakrishna acknowledged the left-hand tantric
indescribable joy in that state. Ramakrishna path, though it had ‘undesirable features’, as one of
reportedly had experiences of similar nature a few the ‘valid roads to God-realization’, he consistently
other times in his childhood—while worshipping cautioned his devotees and disciples against
the goddess Vishalakshi, and portraying god Shiva associating with it.
in a drama during Shivaratri festival. From his
tenth or eleventh year on, the trances became Ramakrishna took the attitude of a son towards
common and more intense. the Bhairavi. The Bhairavi on the other hand
looked upon Ramakrishna as an ‘avatara’, or
Ramakrishna and Tantra Sadhana incarnation of the divine, and was the first person
to openly declare that Ramakrishna was an
In 1861, Bhairavi Brahmani, an orange-robed, ‘avatara’. The Bhairavi also taught Ramakrishna
middle-aged female ascetic, appeared at the ‘kumari-puja’, a form of ritual in which the
Dakshineshwar. She carried with her the Raghuvir Virgin Goddess is worshiped symbolically in the
Shila, a stone icon representing Ram and all form of a young girl. Under the tutelage of the
Vaishnava deities. She was thoroughly conversant Bhairavi, Ramakrishna also became an adept at
with the texts of Gaudiya Vaishnavism and ‘Kundalini Yoga’. The Bhairavi, with the yogic
practiced Tantra. According to the Bhairavi, techniques and the tantra played an important
Ramakrishna was experiencing phenomena that part in the initial spiritual development of
accompany ‘mahabhava’—the supreme attitude of Ramakrishna.
loving devotion towards the divine–and quoting
from the ‘bhakti shastras’, she said that other Vaishnava Bhakti
religious figures like Radha and Chaitanya had
similar experiences. The word ‘Vaishnava’ comes from Vishnu one
aspect of God of Hindu trinity. Vishnu has
Thus Bhairavi initiated Ramakrishna into Tantra. assumed many incarnations and performed many
Tantrism focuses on the worship of shakti and the roles. Out of these eveloved the conscept of
object of Tantric training is to transcend the vaishnava Bhakti.
barriers between the holy and unholy as a means
of achieving liberation and to see all aspects of the The Vaishnava Bhakti traditions speak of five
natural world as manifestations of the divine different affective essences, referred to as bhāvas.
‘shakti’ or energy or force. Each Bhava expresses different attitudes that a
devotee can take up to express his love for the
Under her guidance, he went through a full course God. These are:
of sixty four major tantric sadhanas which were
completed in 1863. He began with mantra rituals 1. Śānta, the serene attitude;
such as ‘japa’ and ‘purascarana’ and many other 2. Dāsya, the attitude of a servant;
rituals designed to purify the mind and establish 3. Sakhya, the attitude of a friend;
self-control. He later proceeded towards tantric 4. Vātsalya, the attitude of a mother toward
sadhanas, which generally include a set of her child; and
heterodox practices called ‘vamachara’ (left-hand 5. Madhura, the attitude of a woman towards
path), which utilize as a means of liberation, her lover.
Through his lila Krishna exhibited all these Ramakrishna later engaged in the practice of
Bhavas. He also explained how emotions or bhavas ‘madhura bhāva’— the attitude of Gopis and
get mixed up or muddled in the process of Radha towards Krishna. This Bhava goes together
interaction without inner transformation. In with ‘Sakhya bhava’. During the practice of this
Bhagwat Purana this is explained through the bhava, Ramakrishna dressed himself in women’s
Putna a demon was sent to kill Krishna. She came attire for several days and regarded himself as one
with poison smeared on her breasts thus mixing of the Gopis of Vrindavan. He considered himself
hate and motherly love sentiments together. Such as the female friend of Krishna. According to the
is the situation of each one of you. Ramakrishna, ‘madhura bhava’ is practised to root
out the idea of sex, which is seen as an impediment
At some point in the period between his vision of in spiritual life. According to Ramakrishna,
Kali and his marriage, Ramakrishna practiced towards the end of this Sadhana, he attained
‘dāsya bhāva’. He started worshiping Rama in the ‘Savikalpa samadhi’—vision and union with
attitude of Hanuman, the monkey – god, who is Krishna.
considered to be the ideal devotee and servant of
Rama. According to Ramakrishna, towards the end Ramakrishna visited Nadia, the home of Chaitanya
of this sadhana, he had a vision of Sita, the consort and Nityananda, the 15th-century founders of
of Rama, merging into his body. Bengali Gaudiya Vaishnava bhakti. According to
Ramakrishna, he had an intense vision of two
In 1864, Ramakrishna practiced ‘vātsalya bhāva’ young boys merging into his body. Earlier, after his
under a Vaishnava guru Jatadhari. During this vision of Kali, he is said to have cultivated the
period, he worshipped a metal image of Ramlālā ‘Santa bhava’—the passive ‘peaceful’ attitude —
(Rama as a child) in the attitude of a mother. towards Kali.
According to Ramakrishna, he could feel the
presence of child Rama as a living God in the metal
image.
My effort is to make you really clear that all these intellectuals may have written very
beautiful books... I appreciate their scholarship, I appreciate their articulateness of
expression, but they are not men of Zen, to say nothing of masters of Zen. Hence this
manifesto is absolutely needed to make the whole world clear that Zen is not a mind
affair. It is a no-mind space.
I told you that all the religions are saying, “Drop the ego.” Zen goes beyond the ego
and beyond the self. Except Zen, no religion has come to the point of going beyond
the self, beyond the atman, beyond your spirit, beyond your individuality. It is
absolutely a single man’s contribution to human consciousness – Gautam the
Buddha’s.
Zen is the ultimate flowering. Slowly, slowly improving the image of Gautam the
Buddha, each master has contributed something, a new dimension to it. Gautam
Buddha is the only person in the whole history of mankind who said, “Just dropping
the ego will not help. It can be easily dropped if you drop God.” He dropped God, the
ego disappeared. The moon disappeared. The reflection disappeared. He went away
from the mirror, the mirror was empty. His reflection in the mirror disappeared. He
had been fighting with the reflection.
OSHO
Gurdjieff and Occultism
G
urdjieff grew up in Sufi tradition and ‘OCCULTISM has its basis in a religious way
he is connected to Naqshbandi of thinking, the roots of which stretch back
Nisbet. This he translated into into antiquity and which may be described
western adaptation. Everywhere this as the Western esoteric tradition. Its
impact is seen through his work. Therefore principal ingredients have been identified
before I take you deeper into this it will be as Gnosticism, the Hermetic treatises on
important to say something on Occultism. alchemy and magic, Neo-Platonism, and the
Kabbalah, all originating in the eastern
Occultism is the study of occult or hidden Mediterranean area during the first few
wisdom. To the occultist it is the study of centuries AD.’
‘Truth’, a deeper truth that exists beneath
the surface has always attracted. 'The truth Gurdjieff was very interested in occultism.
is always hidden from the common sight’. It As a result new cosmology grew from
can include subjects as magic, alchemy, Gurdjieff's knowledge of the occult
extra-sensory perception, astrology, understanding and tradition. Accordingly
spiritualism and numerology. There is Gurdjieff said that there are two cosmic
often a strong religious element to these laws that govern the universe. These he
studies and beliefs, and many occultists called the ‘Law of Three’ and the ‘Law of
profess adherence to religions such as Seven or the Octave’.
Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Luciferianism,
Thelema, and Neopaganism. While The Law of Three controls the workings of
Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, the universe. It evolves because of three
and Islam are generally not considered forces: active, passive, and neutral. Human
occult, some of their modern beings possess three bodies: carnal
interpretations can be, as the (physical), emotional, and spiritual. Each of
interpretation of Hinduism within these body feeds on three different type of
Theosophy or the various occult food ranging from edible, and air, to
interpretations of the Jewish Kabbalah. impressions. By working on these one can
Orthodox members of such religions are rise from the carnal to the spiritual. And as
likely to consider such interpretations the consciousness changes higher
false. substances from the food can be created for
consumption. This is alchemical process of
The word ‘occult’ is somewhat generic, in transmutation.
that almost everything that isn’t claimed by
any of the major religions can be The Law of Seven on the other hand
considered the occult. Even religious corresponds to the Pythagorean theories of
scientists have difficulties in defining harmonics. Gurdjieff viewed life’s
occultism. However a broad definition is processes as being governed by the
given by Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke: repetition of the seven stages of
development. These stages proceed only if
given a boost, or shock, much as music
continues along the octave over slower and uses the word ‘cunning trick’ for
faster intervals. possibilities
The ultimate symbol for Gurdjieff's world During his last years Gurdjieff was ill, part
view was the ‘enneagram’: a circle whose of his illness was due to illnesses and
circumference is divided by nine points, injuries that he suffered during his years of
yielding an uneven six-sided figure and a traveling and also the injuries that he
triangle. The enneagram shows the whole received from several automobile
universe, the laws of three and seven, and accidents. Within weeks following his last
how people cross the intervals via shocks visit to the United States in 1925 he was in
by the Man Who Knows masters. These an automobile accident that nearly killed
shocks are like situations that master him. As a result of this accident he lost his
creates to move the aspirant from one layer memory for months, and only slowly
of level to another. recovered it. This made him realize that his
time to live was short, and he resolved to
Gurdjieff called this as The Fourth Way. put his ideas in the form of a written
Gurdjieff explained that traditionally there exposition, so composed as to lead people
were three paths toward immortality: step by step to a practical way of working
upon them. So for the next ten years, this
1. those of the fakir, endeavor, except for business matters,
2. the monk, and consumed all of his time.
3. the yogi.
G
urdjieff has divided art into two categories Objective art helps you to become healthy and
the Subjective and the objective art. This is whole. Watching the Taj Mahal in the full moon,
very significant classification.
you will fall into a very meditative space. Looking
Let me take you into the explanation. at the statue of Buddha, or just sitting silently by
the side of the statue of the Buddha, something in
Subjective art you will become silent. Something settles in you
and becomes still. Something in you will become
This is an expression of the inner being of the
artist. As is evident from its name this form of art Buddha like. It is objective art, it has tremendous
evolves out of the subjectivity of the artist. This significance. This has been created purposefully.
form of art is catharsis. Subjective art according to
Gurdjieff is quite comprehensive one. It includes In spite of its utility objective art has disappeared
painting, music etc. Subjective art is like vomiting. from the world because mystics have disappeared
You are feeling sick, nauseous; a good vomit helps from the world. Objective art is possible only when
you to feel good. The poison is thrown out, you feel somebody has attained to a higher plane of being.
relieved. It is good for you, but not good for others. It is created by those who have reached the peak.
Art is a process first you have bring about They can see the peak and they can see the valley
transformation within and only then your art form
too. They can see the peak, the beauty, the sickness
will be instrumental in bringing about
transformation. Now, in the name of modern and the ugliness of humanity as well. They can see
painting, you are hanging vomited, nauseous, deep down in the dark valleys where people are
sickening things in your rooms. In the name of crawling and they can see the sunlit peaks as well.
modern music you are simply getting into crazier Thus such art forms are created as devices which
spaces within you. will help the people who are crawling in the
darkness to reach to the sunlit peaks.
Objective art
This art form, sculpture, music and writing will be
Objective art means something that helps you to
become centered. When you look at a flower just a device for your inner growth, for maturity.
suddenly something begins to happen in you. This Modern art is childish. Instead of being innocent it
kind of art is created by men of substance. This is is stupid, insane, and pathological too.
ancient art form. This is the real art. The people,
who built the pyramids, the Taj Mahal, and the We have to get rid of this trend. We have to create
caves of Ajanta and Ellora, were indeed of a totally a new kind of art, a new kind of creativity.
different kind. They created something that has
become the source of something that sets in the We have to bring to the world again what Gurdjieff
process of transformation. Gurdjieff calls this form calls objective art.
of art as objective art.
Grow inwards, that is your earth
Just two hundred enlightened people can transform the whole character of humanity!
A
nd yes, Gurdjieff is right: if even two a vehicle. Hence, I am not depending on old
hundred people are aflame, enlightened, the strategies; they have all failed. I am depending on
whole world will become enlightened, living human beings.
because these two hundred torches can give fire to
millions of people. Those people are also carrying And that is the only way to save humanity without
torches, but without any fire. They have everything, becoming a savior, to save humanity without
just the fire is missing. And when fire passes from creating in them greed for heaven and fear of hell.
one torch to another, the first torch is not losing The only way to save humanity is to give them some
anything at all. taste of what it means to be enlightened, a little
fragrance, so they can feel the invisible.
I don't give you any tradition.
I don't give you any scripture. And I am absolutely certain, utterly happy, that I
I don't give you any discipline. have got the right people: people who are going to be
my books, my temples, my synagogues. This is the
Those are all non - essentials. I simply concentrate reason I call this the first religion, because it depends
my whole work on making you more conscious. on living human beings, not on dead holy scriptures,
Consciousness is the key to transform the whole of traditions, beliefs.
humanity.
I am giving you the taste of my being, and preparing
The enlightened consciousness is an infinite you to do the same, on your part, to others. It all
reservoir: it can give to you and yet it remains the depends on you, whether my words will remain
same. Its quantity does not decrease, because it is not living or will die. As far as I am concerned, I do not
a question of quantity at all; it is a question of care.
quality. Qualities can be shared without losing
anything. While I am here, I am pouring myself into you. And
I am grateful that you are allowing it to happen. Who
You can love as many people as you want -- that bothers about the future? There is nobody in me who
does not mean one day you will go bankrupt, and can care about the future. If existence can find me as
you will have to declare, ‘Now I have no love.’ You a vehicle, I can remain assured that it can find
cannot go bankrupt as far as love is concerned. Yes, thousands of people to be its vehicle.
you can go bankrupt as far as money is concerned.
Money is a quantity; love is a quality. What to say of I am simply giving you a little opportunity to
enlightened consciousness? It is the highest quality become vehicles of the whole.
possible; there is nothing higher than that.
For
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Brij Saksena –Taoshobuddha
TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS
E mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-954-381-1227
The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‘tao,’ ‘sho,’ and ‘Buddha’. The word Tao
was coined by the Chinese master, Lau Tzu. It means that which is and cannot be put into
words. It is unknown and unknowable. It can only be experienced and not expressed in
words. Its magnanimity cannot be condensed into finiteness. The word Sho implies, that
which is vast like the sky and deep like an oc carries within its womb a treasure. It also
means one on whom the existence showers its blessings. And lastly the word Buddha
implies the Enlightened One; one who has arrived home. Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one
who is existential, on whom the existence showers its blessings and one who has arrived
home. The Enlightened One!