A Zen story for the Youth

There is a Zen story I have loved very much. Three friends had gone for a morning walk, and then they suddenly saw on the hill a Zen monk standing.

One of the friends said, ”I think he must have come with his friends; they must have been left behind and he is waiting for them.”

The Zen story

The other said, ”I cannot agree with you, because seeing that man I can say one thing is certain; he is not waiting for somebody who has been left behind, because he never looks back. He is just standing like a statue. Anybody who is waiting for somebody who is left behind will once in a while look, to see whether the fellow has come or not. But he is unmoving.

”He is not waiting for any friend. I think... I know this monk; he has a cow and the cow must have been lost in the thick forest. And that is the highest place from where he can look all over the forest and find the cow.”

The third man said, ”You have forgotten your own argument. If he was looking for the cow then he would be looking all around. He would not just stand there like a statue, focused in one direction; that is not the way of looking for a lost cow.” He said, ”As far as I can tell, he is doing his morning meditation.”

But the other two said that the basic philosophy of Zen is that you can meditate anywhere, you can meditate doing anything. What was the need to go to that hill in the early morning, in the cold, and stand there to meditate? ”He could have meditated in his cozy monastery where they have a special meditation temple. He could have been there – what was the need to go? No, we cannot agree.”

They argued; finally they said, ”It is better we go to the hill. It will be a waste of time but there is no other way to settle what he is doing.” Such is the curiosity of the human mind – very monkeyish. Now why trouble yourself? Let him do whatever he is doing. If he is searching for his cow it is his business; if he is waiting for his friend, it is his friend; if he is meditating it is his business – why should you poke your nose into it? But that’s how people are.

They became so excited arguing with each other that they decided, ”We have to go.” They forgot that they had come just for a small morning walk, and going to the hill will take hours, then coming down the hill... the sun will be almost directly overhead. But the question... they have to come to a conclusion. And in fact they want to prove that ”I am right.” Each of them wants to prove that ”I am right.” Now the only man who can decide is that monk.

They reached – huffing, puffing. The monk was standing there with half-closed eyes. That is the Buddhist way – to keep the eyes half closed when you are meditating, because if you close your eyes completely you may doze into sleep; that is more possible than going into meditation. If you keep your eyes fully open you will get interested in thousands of things. A beautiful woman passes by, and meditation is lost, anything can disturb. So keep the eyes half closed so you don’t see exactly what is happening outside, and you have to keep your eyes half open so you don’t fall asleep.

The first man asked, ”Master, we have heard much about you but we never had any chance to come to your monastery. Fortunately we had come for a morning walk and we saw you. We have a question I want you to answer: Are you not waiting for somebody who has been left behind?”

The monk with half-closed eyes said, ”I have nobody, I am alone. I was born alone, I will die alone, and between these two alonenesses I am not trying to fool myself that somebody is with me. I am alone and I am not waiting for anybody.”

The second man said happily, ”Then certainly your cow has got lost in the thick forest and you must be looking for it.”

The monk said, ”It seems strange idiots have come here! I don’t possess a single thing. I don’t have any cow, the monastery has it; that is not my business. And why should I waste my time looking for a cow?”

The third man was immensely happy. He said, ”Now you cannot deny: you must be meditating. Is it not so? – you are doing your morning meditation!”

The monk laughed; he said, ”You are the worst idiot of the three! Meditation is not done, it is not a doing. You can be in meditation but you cannot do it. It is a state. So certainly I am not doing meditation. I am in meditation, but for that I need not come to this hill; anywhere I am in meditation. Meditation is my consciousness. So you all get lost! And never disturb anybody who is standing with half-closed eyes, remember it.”

But they all three said, ”Forgive us – we are stupid, certainly we are stupid to walk miles and to ask you such.... We are feeling embarrassed. But now that we have come and now that we accept we are stupid, just one question from all of the three, not separate: Then what are you doing?”And the master said nothing.

In that nothing is the witness.

When you witness, you will be surprised that the boredom, the sadness, the blissfulness, the ecstasy – whatever it is – starts moving away from you. As your witnessing goes deeper, stronger, becomes more crystallized, any experience – good or bad, beautiful or ugly – disappears. There is pure nothingness all around you.

Witnessing is the only thing that can make you aware of an immense nothingness surrounding you. And in that immense nothingness.... It is not empty, remember. In English there is no word to translate the Buddhist word #shunyata. In that nothingness... it is not empty, it is full of your witness, full of your witnessing, full of the light of your witness.

You become almost a sun, and rays from the sun are moving into the nothingness to infinity.

Why should I ask forgiveness from the door?

A great Zen Master, Rinzai, was sitting. A man came. He pushed the door very hard – he must have been angry – he slammed the door. He was not in a good mood. Then he threw his shoes, and came in. Rinzai said 'Wait. Don't come in. First go and ask forgiveness from the door and from your shoes.'

Why should I ask forgiveness from the door?

The man said 'What are you talking about? I have heard that these Zen people are mad, but it seems true. I was thinking it was just rumour. What nonsense you are talking! Why should I ask forgiveness from the door? And it looks so embarrassing... those shoes are mine!'

Then Rinzai said 'You get out! Never come here again! If you can be angry at the shoes, why can't you ask their forgiveness? When you were angry, you never thought that it was so foolish to be angry with the shoes. If you can relate with anger, then why not with love? Relationship is relationship. Anger is a relationship. When you slammed the door with such anger, you related to the door; you behaved wrongly, immorally. And the door has not done anything to you. First go, otherwise you don't come in.'

Under the impact of Rinzai's silence, and the people sitting there, and that presence... like a flash, the man understood. He understood the logic of it, it was so clear. 'If you can be angry, then why can't you be loving? You go.' And he went. Maybe in his whole life that was the first time. He touched the door and tears started flowing from his eyes. He could not hold back those tears. And when he bowed down to his own shoes, a great change happened in him. The moment he turned and came towards Rinzai, Rinzai took him in his arms and embraced him.


This is reconciliation. How can you pray if you are unreconciled? How can you come to a Master if you are unreconciled with existence?

Contentment is the most precious treasure [ Inspirational story ]

There once was a king who led his mighty army across the snowy peaks that bounded his kingdom, into his neighbor's realm. On the lofty pass thick with snow, he saw a mendicant or ascetic sitting on a bare rock, with his head between his knees evidently to protect it from the chill wind that cut across the gap in the peak. He had no clothes on his body.

The king was overcome with pity; he took off his own shawl and coat and offered them to the Yogi (ascetic; one who has mastered the senses and the mind).

The Yogi refused to accept them, for , he said "God has given enough clothing to guard me against the heat and cold. He gives me all that I need. Please give these to some one who is poor".

The King was surprised at these words. he asked him where that clothing was.

The Yogi replied "God himself has woven it for me; I am wearing it since birth and will wear it until the grave. Here it is, my skin! Give this coat and shawl to some mendicant beggar, some poor man".

The king smiled for, who can be poorer than he, he thought. He asked him, "But where can I find a poor man?"

The Yogi asked him , where he was going and why.

He said, "I am going into the realm of my enemy so that I can add his kingdom to my own".

The Yogi it was who smiled now. He said, "If you are not satisfied with the kingdom you have and if you are prepared to sacrifice your life and the lives of these thousands to get more land, certainly, you are much poorer than I. So offer the clothes to yourself. You need them more than I do".

At this the King was greatly ashamed and he understood the futility of fame and fortune.

He thanked the Yogi for opening his eyes to his own innate poverty.

Contentment is the most precious treasure, he realized.

Moral - Great men spread the light of their wisdom through their every word and deed.

How to stop Negative Thoughts [ Story ]

It happened that one man came to a monk named 'Tilopa'. The man wanted to attain buddhahood and he had heard that this Tilopa has attained. And Tilopa was staying in a temple somewhere in Tibet. The man came; Tilopa was sitting, and the man said, ”I would like to stop my thoughts.”

Tilopa said, ”It is very easy. I will give you a device, a technique. You follow this: just sit down and don’t think of monkeys. This will do.”

The man said, ”So easy? Just not thinking of monkeys? But I have never been thinking about them.”

Tilopa said, ”Now you do it, and tomorrow morning you report.”
 

You can understand what happened to that poor man... monkeys and monkeys all around. In the night he couldn’t get any sleep, not a wink. He would open his eyes and they were sitting there, or he would close his eyes and they were sitting there, and they were making faces.... He was simply surprised. ”Why has this man given this technique, because if monkeys are the problem, then I have never been bothered by them. This is happening for the first time!”

And he tried, in the morning again he tried. He took a bath, sat, but nothing doing: the monkeys wouldn’t leave him. He came back by the evening almost mad – because the monkeys were following him and he was talking to them. He came and he said, ”Save me somehow. I don’t want this, I was okay, I don’t want ANY meditation. And I don’t want your enlightenment – but save me from these monkeys!”

If you think of monkeys, it may be that they may not come to you. But if you want not... if you want them NOT to come to you, then they will follow you. They have their egos and they cannot leave you so easily. And what do you think of yourself: trying not to think of monkeys? The monkeys get irritated, this cannot be allowed.

This happens to people. Tilopa was joking, he was saying that if you try to stop a thought, you cannot. On the contrary, the very effort to stop it gives it energy, the very effort to avoid it becomes attention. So, whenever you want to avoid something you are paying too much attention to it. If you want not to think a thought, you are already thinking about it.

Remember this, otherwise you will be in the same plight. The poor man who was obsessed became obsessed with monkeys because he wanted to stop them. There is no need to stop the mind. Thoughts are rootless, homeless vagabonds, you need not be worried about them. You simply watch, watch without looking at them, simply look.

If they come, good, don’t feel bad – because even a slight feeling that it is not good and you have started fighting. It’s okay, it is natural: as leaves come in the trees, thoughts come to the mind. It’s okay, it is perfectly as it should be. If they don’t come, it is beautiful. You simply remain an impartial watcher, neither for nor against, neither appreciating nor condemning – without any valuation. You simply sit inside yourself and look, looking without looking at.

And this happens, that the more you look, the less you find; the deeper you look, the thoughts disappear, disperse. Once you know this then the key is in your hand.

I want to know what the difference is between me and you [ Inspiring Story]

A king was very much interested in a young man who always remained underneath a tree, sitting silently. Every night the king passed around the city in disguise to see whether everything was right or not. He always found that young man sitting like a statue, without any movement. 

Finally, he could not contain his curiosity. He stopped his horse and he said, “Young man, forgive me for disturbing your meditation.”

The young man opened his eyes and he said, “There is no need for any apology because I am not meditating, I am meditation — nobody can disturb it. But whatever your curiosity is, please fulfill it.”

The king said, “I would love you to come to my palace. I will take care of you. There is no need to sit under this tree. Seeing you so silently, like the ancient story of Buddha, I have fallen in love with your silence, your gestures, your utter undisturbance. I invite you to come with me to my palace. I am the king.”

This is how the barbarous mind functions. The king asks the young man to come to his palace — inviting him — but deep down his unconscious wants him not to accept his invitation because that will mean he is still desirous of luxuries and palaces.

But that young man simply stood up, and he said, “I am coming.”

Immediately the whole scene changed. The mind of the king was thinking, “What have I done? This man is still interested in the luxuries of a palace, being the guest of a king. This is not a great saint.” This is the old idea of the saint, that he should be as uncomfortable as possible. Discomfort is religion. Sick, hungry, torturing oneself in thousands of ways… and then you become a great saint. This fellow has suddenly fallen from his sainthood, in the mind of the king. But now it was too late. He could not take his word back; it would be to ungentlemanly.

But the young man was watching everything. He didn’t say anything. The king provided for him in the best part of the palace, servants, young girls to look after him — and he accepted everything. With each acceptance he was falling down in the scale of saintliness: what kind of saint was he? He accepted a beautiful king-size bed. He accepted all the delicacies of the palace.

The king said, “My God. What kind of a stupid person am I? This man has deceived me. It seems like he tricked me. Just sitting there every night, he knew I passed at that time, sitting silently like a buddha, he knew that I would be caught — and he caught me. And now it is very difficult either to swallow him or to spit him out. He is inside the palace.”

But how long can you carry such a state of mind?

After six months, one day early in the morning when they were taking a walk together in the gardens, the king said to him, “One question has been continuously harassing me and I want to get rid of it. Because of it, for six months I have not slept well.”

The young man said, “You can ask any question.”

The king said, “It hurts me to ask, but I want to know what the difference is between me and you. You live in the palace, you enjoy all the luxuries… what is the difference between me and you?”

The young man said, “I knew that this question was going to arise one day. In fact, it arose the same moment I stood up to follow you. You are not a very courageous man. You should have asked immediately. Why waste six months, and for six months unnecessarily disturbing your sleep. I can answer your question but not here. You have to come with me outside the boundary of your kingdom.”

It was not far away. Just a few miles away was the river, the boundary of his kingdom.

The king said, “What is the need to go there? You can answer me here.”

He said, “No. There is a need.”

Both went past the river. Standing on the other shore, the young man said, “My answer is that I am going ahead. Are you coming with me?”

He said, “How can I come with you? I have a palace, I have a kingdom, I have my wife, my children… I have thousands of worries and problems to solve. How can I come with you?”

The young man said, “Do you see the difference? I am going. I don’t have any palace, I don’t have any wife, I don’t have any problems. I was as happy under my tree as I have been happy in your palace — not a bit more or a bit less. My awareness is the same whether I am in a palace or in a forest.”

The king felt very sad at his ugly mind, that he thought such an ugly thing. He touched his feet and he said, “Forgive me even to think this. In my own eyes I have fallen.”

The young man said, “No. Don’t do it. Seeing your tears and you touching my feet I have no difficulty, I can come back, but you will still start thinking, `My God. Has he deceived me again?’ I have no difficulty but so as not to be uncompassionate towards you, I will not come. Just let me go. The whole world is there and I don’t need much, just a tree to sit underneath. It does not matter to me at all.”

ANNAM BRAHMA: food is God, the first God [ Story]

In the Upanishads there is a beautiful story. Shvetketu, a young man, came back from the university full of knowledge. He was a brilliant student, he had topped the university with all the medals and all the degrees that were possible, available. He came back home with great pride.

His old father, Uddalak, looked at him and asked him a single question. He said to him, "You have come full of knowledge, but do you know the knower? You have accumulated much information, your consciousness is full of borrowed wisdom -- but what is this consciousness? Do you know who you are?"

Shvetketu said, "But this question was never raised in the university. I have learned the Vedas, I have learned language, philosophy, poetry, literature, history, geography. I have learned all that was available in the university, but this was not a subject at all. You are asking a very strange question; nobody ever asked me in the university. It was not on the syllabus, it was not in my course."

Uddalak said, "You do one thing: be on a fast for two weeks, then I will ask you something."

He wanted to show his knowledge, just a young man's desire. He must have dreamed that his father would be very happy. Although the father was saying, "Wait for two weeks and fast," he started talking about the ultimate, the absolute, the Brahman.

The father said, "You wait two weeks, then we will discuss about Brahman."

Two days' fast, three days' fast, four days' fa st, and the father started asking him, "What is
Brahman?" In the beginning he answered a little bit, recited what he had crammed, displayed. But by the end of the week he was so tired, so exhausted, so hungry, that when the father asked, "What is Brahman?" he said, "Stop all this nonsense! I am hungry, I think only of food and you are asking me what Brahman is. Right now, except food nothing is Brahman."

The father said, "So your whole knowledge is just because you were not starved. Because you were taken care of, your body was nourished, it was easy for you to talk about great philosophy. Now is the real question. Now bring your knowledge!"

Shvetketu said, "I have forgotten all. Only one thing haunts me: hunger, hunger - day in, day out. I cannot sleep, I cannot rest. There is fire in my belly, I am burning, and I don't know anything at all. I have forgotten all that I have learned."

The father said, "My son, food is the first step towards Brahman. Food is Brahman -- ANNAM BRAHMA." A tremendously significant statement. India has forgotten it completely. ANNAM BRAHMA: food is God, the first God. -- Osho

Make haste in doing good deeds [ Story]

There was once a brahmin couple in Savatthi, who had only one outer garment between the two of them. Because of this they were also known as Ekasataka. As they had only one outer garment, both of them could not go out at the same time. So, the wife would go to listen to the discourse given by the Buddha during the day and the husband would go at night. One night, as the brahmin listened to the Buddha, his whole body came to be suffused with delightful satisfaction and he felt a strong desire to offer the outer garment he was wearing to the Buddha. But he realized that if he were to give away the only outer garment he had, there would be none left for him and his wife. So he wavered and hesitated. Thus, the first and the second watches of the night passed. Came the third watch and he said to himself, "If I am so miserly and hesitant, I will not be able to avoid falling to the four Lower Worlds (apayas); I shall now offer my outer garment to the Buddha." So saying, he placed the piece of cloth at the feet of the Buddha and cried out "I have won" three times.

King Pasenadi of Kosala, who was among the audience, heard those words and ordered a courtier to investigate. Learning about the brahmin's offering to the Buddha, the king commented that the brahmin had done something which was not easy to do and so should be rewarded. The king ordered his men to give the brahmin a piece of cloth as a reward for his faith and generosity. The brahmin offered that piece of cloth also to the Buddha and he was rewarded by the king with two pieces of cloth. Again, the brahmin offered the two pieces of cloth to the Buddha and he was rewarded with four. Thus, he offered to the Buddha whatever was given him by the king, and each time the king doubled his reward. When finally, the reward came up to thirty-two pieces of cloth, the brahmin kept one piece for himself and another for his wife, and offered the remaining thirty pieces to the Buddha.

Then, thinking again commented that the brahmin had truly performed a very difficult task and so must be rewarded fittingly. The king sent a messenger to the palace to bring two pieces of velvet cloth, each of which was worth one hundred thousand, and gave them to the brahmin. The brahmin made those two pieces of valuable cloth into two canopies and kept one in the Perfumed Chamber where the Buddha slept and the other in his own house above the place where a bhikkhu was regularly offered alms-food. When the king next went to Jatavana monastery to pay homage to the Buddha, he saw the velvet canopy and recognized it as the offering made by the brahmin and he was very pleased. This time he made a reward of seven kinds in fours (sabbacatukka), viz., four elephants, four horses, four female slaves, four male slaves, four errand boys, four villages and four thousands in cash.

When the bhikkhus heard about this, they asked the Buddha, "How is it that, in the case of this brahmin, a good deed done at present bears fruit immediately?" To them the Buddha replied "If the brahmin had offered his outer garment in the first watch of the night, he would have been rewarded with sixteen of each kind; if he had made his offering during the middle watch, he would have been rewarded with eight of each kind; since he had made his offering only during the last watch of the night, he was rewarded with only four of each kind." So, when one wants to give in charity, one should do so quickly; if one procrastinates, the reward comes slowly and only sparingly. Also, if one is too slow in doing good deeds, one may not be able to do it at all, for the mind tends to take delight in doing evil.

 -- Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:

Verse 116: One should make haste in doing good deeds; one should restrain one's mind from evil; for the mind of one who is slow in doing good tends to take delight in doing evil.

How to Master Your Mind [ Inspiring Story ]

After having won many archery competitions, the town champion sought out the Zen master.

“I am the best of all,” he said. “I did not learn religion, I did not look for help from the monks, and I have been considered the best archer in the whole region. I heard that some time ago you were the best archer in the area, so I ask you: did you have to become a monk to learn to shoot arrows?

“No,” answered the Zen master.

But the champion was not satisfied: he took out an arrow, placed it in his bow, fired, and hit a cherry at a considerable distance. He smiled, as if to say: “You could have saved your time and just dedicated yourself to technique.” And he said:

“I doubt if you can do the same.”

Without demonstrating the least concern, the master took his bow and began to walk towards a nearby mountain. On the way there was an abyss that could only be crossed by an old rotting rope bridge that was almost falling down: with the utmost calm, the Zen master went to the middle of the bridge, took his bow, placed an arrow, aimed at a tree on the other side of the gulch, and hit the target.

“Now it’s your turn,” he said gently to the young man as he walked back to safe ground.

In trepidation, looking at the abyss below him, the young man went to the indicated spot and fired an arrow, but it landed very far from the target.

“That’s what one gets from discipline and practicing meditation,” concluded the master when the young man re-appeared at his side. “You can be very skilled with the instrument you have chosen to earn a living, but it’s all useless if you can’t manage to master the mind that uses the instrument.”

Mind goes on asking for more? There is no end to it. [ Story ]

One of the great kings, Yayati, was dying. He was a hundred years old, ripe enough to die -- one should be ready by that time -- but not grown-up enough; the seed of renewing life was not yet burnt. So when death came, Yayati fell at the feet of Death -- a great king, a great conqueror! -- and he said to Death, "Spare me only one hundred years more. I don't ask for more, just one hundred years more. And it is nothing for you, you can do it. All my desires are still unfulfilled because I had never thought about you. I was simply preparing and preparing. I have not enjoyed my life. Now that everything is ready -- I have conquered the whole world, I have all the riches, the most beautiful women, the most intelligent and courageous sons, the best army in the world, everything is settled, all enemies killed -- I was just thinking to relax and enjoy. Is this the time to come? All these hundred years have been spent simply in preparing for these moments. Spare me just one hundred years more so that I can live to my heart's content."

Image Source : Wikipedia

Death laughed and said, "I am ready to spare one hundred years more to you, but I will have to take one of your sons because I have to go with somebody who resembles you; if not you, at least one of your sons. I can't go empty-handed, I have to give the account to my boss himself. He will ask, 'Where is Yayati?' What am I going to say? Such a thing has never been done before, but I feel sorry for you. Just ask one of your sons."

Yayati had a hundred sons; he must have ha d a hundred wives too. He asked his sons.

The oldest was eighty, but he started looking downwards, was not ready to say yes. Why should he? He had lived only eighty years; if his father is not contented with a hundred years, how can he be contented with only eighty years? At least twenty years more he is entitled to live. In those days, the story says, people used to live a hundred years. Why should he die a premature death, an untimely death? And this old fellow has lived enough! He did not want to hurt the old man so he didn't say anything, he kept quiet.

The father was very much shocked; he used to think that his sons were ready to sacrifice themselves. But in this world nobody is ready to sacrifice himself for anybody else. He looked around. His sons also started looking at each other, meaning "Why don't YOU go?"

The youngest, who was only twenty years old, stood up and he said, "I am ready. Take me with you, I am coming with you."

Even Death felt sorry for the boy. Death came close to the young man and said, "Are you a fool or something? Your other brothers -- one is eighty, one is seventy-five, one is seventy, sixty, sixty-five, fifty -- these people are not ready to go and you are the youngest, you have not lived at all. Why are you ready to go?"

The young man said, "If my father could not live in a hundred years, if my eldest brother could not live in eighty years, if my other brothers... nobody has been able to live, then the whole project is nonsense. I don't want to waste time. If I have to die it is better to die now. Why wait for eighty years? If THESE people have not been able to manage, it is absolutely certain it is unmanageable. And let my father try a hundred years more."

Death tried to convince him, but he wouldn't listen. Death had to take him away. After a hundred years, Death came back and the situation was the same. Again Yayati fell at his feet and started crying and weeping and he said, "I know that now I should be ready, but nothing is fulfilled yet; all the desires are the same. I have LIVED all the desires, I cannot say that I have not lived them, but nothing is fulfilled. I want more! Now that I have lived a hundred years a new desire has arisen -- I want more! I want to live at least one time more, a hundred years more, just one time more."

And this went on happening again and again. When Yayati became one thousand years old and Death came, he was just going to fall at his feet. Death said, "Wait -- enough is enough! Can't you see the point, Yayati? Are you so blind? You have lived one thousand years, and you have been doing the same things again and again. You have done nothing new in these one thousand years, and still you want more? Can't you see the simple point that mind lives in the more, it goes on asking for more? There is no end to it. Now you come with me -- I am not going to listen anymore. Now even my boss is feeling angry with me. He says, 'This is too much! This man has been given too much time.' But I also wanted to try -- let us see what you can make out of one thousand years. You have not made any progress, you are exactly in the same place, going in circles."

Buddha calls this tanha -- going in circles -- this constant desire for more. One becomes a master when this desire for more disappears, when the seed is burnt in the fire of awareness. HE IS CALM. Then of course he is calm.

When there is no desire, when the winds of desire are blowing no more, there are no waves in the inner ocean, then the ocean becomes absolutely calm. In fact, the ocean is not the cause of waves -- the cause is the invisible winds. You see the waves in the ocean so you think the waves are caused by the ocean; they are not. The waves are caused by invisible winds blowing over the ocean. If the winds stop the ocean will be absolutely calm.

Why are you in a turmoil? Why are there constantly so many waves inside you, so many thoughts and so many memories, fantasies? Why does this whole circus go on? For the simple reason that there are invisible winds of desire blowing upon you.

The watchful person, the intelligent person, becomes aware of the root cause: it is in the winds, the winds of desire. He stops desiring. Seeing the futility of desire he drops desiring. The seed is burnt and then there is calm. This calm is not the calm of your so-called polished, cultured man. This calm is totally different, its quality is different, its source is different -- it comes from the innermost core.

The Buddha is calm because the winds are not blowing anymore. And they cannot blow because the very seed has been burnt. HE HAS CONQUERED ALL THE INNER WORLDS. There are worlds upon worlds inside you too, just as outside there are worlds upon worlds. Scientists go on discovering new solar systems, new stars, new galaxies of stars, new milky ways. They go on discovering, there seems to be no end. There seem to be universes and universes unending. So it is in the inner world: there are also many planes and many universes, but all are rooted in a single seed.  

Story-By-Osho

Power is one - Ramakrishna Paramahamsa

A man came to Ramakrishna and said I can walk on water, what can you do? Ramakrishna said, you really can walk on water? How much time did it take for you to learn this art?

He said, it took eighteen years. Ramakrishna started laughing. He said, idiot of idiots! I give two cents to go across the river. You took eighteen years to walk across water? What’s the use? Go and walk on water, keep on walking. You really can walk on water, can’t you? Just give two cents to sit in a boat and you can go across. For this two cent crossing you wasted eighteen years?

Let go of powers, only then will you receive power, will you attain realization. There is a beautiful difference between powers and power. Powers means: I can do miracles, I receive nectar, I can change iron to gold, I can fly in the sky, I can walk through walls. These are powers. If you drop all of these you will find power. Power is one. The meaning of power is, totally merge into what is hidden within. There is no need to fly in the sky, nor any need to walk through walls. The door is sufficient. And birds go on flying in the sky – none of them has become awakened. And if you really have your heart set on it, there are airplanes. Sit in one.

Drop this kind of things. These are all new ways for the ego. Story-by-OSHO

Just be insane

A journalist came to visit Gurdjieff. He came for an interview. Gurdjieff was drinking tea. He sat the journalist down next to him. Then Gurdjieff said to a disciple sitting nearby, what day is it today?

 
The disciple said, today is Sunday.

Gurdjieff banged his fist hard on the table and said, how can it be Sunday? Yesterday was Saturday.

When the journalist heard this he was shocked out of his wits – what kind of man is this? He got so angry he banged the table with his fist saying how can it be Sunday? Who are you trying to befool? Who do you think you are? Yesterday was only Saturday, and today is Sunday?

The journalist stood up. He said, good-by, I’ll be going now.

When he left he looked quite ridiculous. Gurdjieff laughed. The disciples too were very happy. They said, you were outrageous! He said, what’s the use wasting time with this idiot?

Until a true seeker comes, be a complete idiot, as if you can’t speak, a deaf-mute. Mad, be a madman, so that people don’t start to ask you on their own – why ask that madman?

Just be insane if you see that some muddled, stinking, superfluous person etc... just be insane. He will go on his own and will never come back again. -- Story-by-OSHO

Greatest Archer

One man declared to the emperor of China, ”Now you have to announce it and recognize me as the greatest archer in China. I am ready for any challenge.” And he was absolutely perfect, one hundred percent successful.
 

 But the king said, ”Have you heard about an old archer who lives deep in the mountains?”

He said, ”I have heard about him, but I am ready to contest.”

The king laughed. He said, ”You should go and meet that old man. If he recognizes you, I will recognize you, because I don’t know archery.... But he is a great archer, perhaps the greatest, so you should go. Bring his recognition, and my recognition is available. But without asking him I cannot do it. It is not a question of a challenge.”

So the man had to travel to the high mountains, where he found a very old man whose back was bent, who could not stand straight. He asked, ”Are you the archer?”

The man said, ”I used to be. But perhaps half a century has passed, and when I became a perfect archer, according to my master, I had to throw away my bows and arrows. You think you are a perfect master; have you come for recognition?” The king had sent information to him that he was sending somebody.

The man said, ”Yes.”

The old man said, ”Then why are you carrying the bow and the arrows?”

The man said, ”Strange... That’s what my mastery is.”

The old man laughed. He brought him out of his small cottage to a mountain cliff. The old man was so old, maybe one hundred and forty years old, and the cliff went so deep underneath, thousands of feet into the valley. If you just missed a single step or trembled or hesitated, you were gone. The old man walked to the very edge of the cliff, half his feet hanging off the cliff, half his feet on the cliff.

The young man could not believe his eyes. The old man said, ”Now you also come. There is enough space here for one more!” The young man tried just two steps and sat down, trembling, seeing the situation.

The old man laughed and he said, ”What kind of archer are you? How many birds can you kill with a single arrow?”

The young man said, ”Of course one bird.”

The old man said, ”You have to learn under a Zen master. It is a sheer wastage of one arrow, just one bird. My master never allowed anybody the certificate unless he was able with one arrow to bring down the whole flock.”

The young man said, ”How many can you bring down?”

He said, ”You say the number.”

Just then a flock of birds flew over. The old man just looked, and seven birds fell down.

The young man said, ”My God!”

The old man said, ”When you can look with totality, your very eyes become arrows. But you are a novice; you could not come to the edge of the cliff. If you are trembling inside, then your archery cannot be perfect. You may manage to hit the targets, but that is not the point. The point is that you have an untrembling total presence. Then your total presence becomes as sharp as any arrow.

The master said, ”You go back and learn from this point. The target is not the target; you are the target. Become total – and if I am alive, I will visit you after five years to see whether I can give you the recognition. Or if I am gone, my son will come after five years. He is as great an adept as I am, and you will be able to recognize him, because whatever I can do with my eyes, he can also do.”

After five years the old man came. These five years the archer tried his best to be total, and he succeeded. The old man asked, ”Where are your bows and arrows?”

He said, ”It must be two years by now, but it seems like centuries have passed and I have not seen the arrows and the bow. Now I can do what you were able to do.”

The old man did not ask for a test, he simply gave the recognition. He said, ”I can see in your eyes the unwavering totality. I can see in your body the spontaneous relaxedness. You can go to the king and tell him that the old man gives the recognition, and just for your recognition I have come down from the hills.”

Zen brings a new valuation into everything. It is not a life-renouncing religion, it is a life-transforming religion. It transforms everything, it negates nothing. But one thing has to be remembered: unconditionality, totality, spontaneity – strange values and they are the authentic values that will give you the alchemy to change your being.

This a beautiful anecdote, and Kyozan is saying, ”WHEN ONE WINS, ONE WINS UNCONDITIONALLY.” There was no desire to win, one was simply playful, enjoying the very art and enjoying the meditativeness and spontaneity. Now whatever happens, that is not the concern.

Ofcourse when two persons will be fighting, one will be defeated, one will be victorious. What does it matter who is victorious and who is defeated? All that matters is whether both are at the same degree of concentration, at the same degree of unconditionality. Whoever is higher in unconditionality – he may be the defeated one, but according to Zen he is at a higher point of consciousness, and that is real victory. The formal victory is another thing. - Story-by-OSHO

Consciousness is a vast sky

One great Indian mystic went to America. His name was Ramteerth. He always used to speak in the third person. He would never use'I'. It looked awkward because people who didn't know him couldn't follow what he was saying.

One day he went back to the house where he was staying in America. He went in laughing, enjoying, his who]e body laughing a belly laugh. The whole body was shaking with laughter.

The family asked, 'What is the matter, what has happened? Why are you so happy? Why are you laughing?'

He said, 'It happened on the street. A few urchins started throwing stones at Ram' -- Ram was his name -- 'and I said to Ram, "Now see!" And Ram was very, very angry. He wanted to do something but I didn't cooperate, I stood aside.'

The family said, 'We cannot follow what you mean. You are Ram. About whom are you talking?'

Said Ramteerth, 'I am not Ram, I am the knower. This body is Ram and those urchins cannot throw stones at me. How can a stone be thrown at consciousness? Can you hit the sky with a stone? Can you touch the sky with a stone?' 

Consciousness is a vast sky, a space; you cannot hit it. Only body can be hit with a stone because body belongs to matter; matter can hit it - Story by OSHO

Samurai and a Zen Master

A samurai, a very proud warrior, came to see a Zen Master one day. The samurai was very famous, but looking at the beauty of the Master and the Grace of the moment, he suddenly felt inferior.

He said to the Master, "Why am I feeling inferior? Just a moment ago everything was okay. As I entered your court suddenly I felt inferior. I have never felt like that before. I have faced death many times, and I have never felt any fear -- why am I now feeling frightened?"

The Master said, "Wait. When everyone else has gone, I will answer. "

People continued the whole day to come and see the Master, and the samurai was getting more and more tired waiting. By evening the room was empty, and the samurai said, "Now, can you answer me?"

The Master said, "Come outside."

It was a full moon night, the moon was just rising on the horizen. And he said, "Look at these trees. This tree is high in the sky and this small one beside it. They both have existed beside my window for years, and there has never been any problem. The smaller tree has never said to the big tree, 'Why do I feel inferior before you?' This tree is small, and that tree is big -- why have I never heard a whisper of it?"

The samurai said, "Because they can't compare."

The Master replied, "Then you need not ask me. You know the answer."

Everything returns to its source finally

One of the great Sufi Masters, Junaid, was asked when he was dying. His chief disciple came close to him and asked, "Master, beloved Master, you are leaving us. One question has always been in our minds, but we could never gather courage enough to ask you. And now that you are leaving there will be no more opportunity to ask, so all the disciples have forced me to come to you and ask. Who was your Master? This has been always a great curiosity amongst your disciples because we have never heard you talk about your Master."

Junaid opened his eyes and said, "It will be very difficult for me to answer because I have learned from almost everybody. The whole existence has been my Master. I have learned from every event that has happened in my life and I am grateful to all that has happened, because out of all that learning I have arrived. But I had not any single Master. I was not so fortunate as you are," Junaid said to them. "You have a Master."

I can understand Junaid because this has been the case with me too. I never had any Master; you are far more fortunate. I had to learn the hard way: from every experience, from every event, from every person I came across. But it has been an immensely rich journey.

Junaid said, "Just to satisfy your curiosity I will give you three instances. One: I was very thirsty and I was going towards the river carrying my begging bowl, the only possession I had. When I reached the river a dog rushed, jumped into the river, and started drinking.

"I watched for a moment and threw away my begging bowl, because it is useless - a dog can do without it. I also jumped into the river, drank as much water as I wanted. My whole body was cool because I had jumped into the river, sat in the river for a few moments, thanked the dog, and touched his feet with deep reverence, because he has taught me a lesson. I had dropped everything, all possessions, but there was a certain clinging to my begging bowl. It was a beautiful bowl, very beautifully carved, inlaid with gold. It was presented to me by a king and I was always aware that somebody may steal it. Even in the night I used to put it under my head as a pillow so nobody can snatch it away. That was my last clinging - the dog helped. It was so clear: if a dog can manage without a begging bowl, I am a man, why can't I manage? That dog was one of my Masters.

"Secondly," he said, "I lost my way in a forest and by the time I reached the village, the nearest village that I could find, it was midnight. Everybody was fast asleep. I wandered all over the town to see if I could find somebody awake to give me shelter for the night. I could only find a thief who was searching to find some house to enter.

"I asked the thief, 'It seems only two persons are awake in the town, you and I. Can you give me shelter for the night?'

"The thief said, 'I can see from your gown that you are a Sufi monk....' "

The word "Sufi" comes from suf; suf means wool, a woolen garment. The Sufis have used the woolen garment for centuries; hence they are called Sufis because of their garment. Just as you are called in the world "the orange people," they are called the Sufis.

The thief said, "I can see you are a Sufi and I feel a little embarrassed to take you to my home. I am perfectly willing, but I must tell you who I am. I am a thief. Would you like to be a guest of a thief?"

For a moment Junaid hesitated. The thief said, "Look, it is better I told you. You seem hesitant. The thief is willing, but the mystic seems to be hesitant to enter into the house of a thief, as if the mystic is weaker than the thief. I am not afraid of you. In fact, I should be afraid of you - you may change me, you may transform my whole life! Inviting you means danger, but I am not afraid. You are welcome. Come to my home. Eat, drink, go to sleep, and stay as long as you want, because I live alone and my earning is enough. I can manage for two persons. And it will be really beautiful to chit-chat with you of great things. But you seem to be hesitant."

And Junaid became aware that that was true. He asked to be excused. He touched the feet of the thief and he said, "Yes, my rootedness in my own being is yet very weak. You are really a strong man and I would like to come to your home. And I would like to stay a little longer, not only for this night. I want to be stronger myself!"

The thief said, "Come on!" He fed the Sufi, gave him something to drink, helped him to go to sleep, and he said, "Now I will go. I have to do my own thing. I will come early in the morning." Early in the morning the thief came back.

Junaid asked, "Have you been successful?"

The thief said, "No, not today, but I will see tomorrow."

And this happened continuously for thirty days; every night the thief went and every morning he came back, but he was never sad, never frustrated, no sign of failure on his face, always happy, and he would say, "It doesn't matter.

I tried my best. I could not find anything today again, but tomorrow I will try. And, God willing, it can happen tomorrow if it has not happened today."

After one month Junaid left, and for years he tried to realize the ultimate, but it was always failure. But each time he decided to drop the whole project he was reminded of the thief, his smiling face and his saying "God willing, what has not happened today may happen tomorrow."

And finally when he achieved the ultimate, Junaid said, "I remembered the thief as one of my greatest Masters. Without him I would not be what I am.

"And third," he said, "I entered into a small village. A little boy was carrying a candle, a lit candle, obviously going to the small temple of the town to put the candle there for the night.

And Junaid asked, "Can you tell me from where the light comes? You have lighted the candle yourself so you must have seen. From where does the light come? What is the source of light?"

The boy laughed and he said, "Wait!" And he blew out the candle in front of Junaid. And he said, "You have seen light gone. Can you ten me where it has gone? If you can tell me where it has gone I will tell you from where it has come, because it has gone to the same place. It has returned to the source."

And Junaid said, "I had met great philosophers, but nobody had made such a beautiful statement: 'It has gone to its very source.' Everything returns to its source finally.

"And secondly, the child made me aware of my own ignorance. I was trying to joke with the child, but the joke was on me. He showed to me that asking foolish questions: 'From where has the light come?' is not intelligent. It comes from nowhere, from nothingness, and goes back to nowhere, to nothingness."

Junaid said, "I touched the feet of the child. The child was puzzled. He said, 'Why you are touching my feet?' And I told him, 'You are my Master - you have shown me something. You have given me a great lesson, a great insight.

"Since that time," Junaid said, "I have been meditating on nothingness, and slowly I have entered into nothingness. And now the final moment has come when the candle will go out, the light will go out. And I know where I am going - to the same source.

"I remember that child with gratefulness. I can still see him standing before me blowing out the candle."

And Junaid asked, "Can you tell me from where the light comes? You have lighted the candle yourself so you must have seen. From where does the light come? What is the source of light?"

The boy laughed and he said, "Wait!" And he blew out the candle in front of Junaid. And he said, "You have seen light gone. Can you ten me where it has gone? If you can tell me where it has gone I will tell you from where it has come, because it has gone to the same place. It has returned to the source."

And Junaid said, "I had met great philosophers, but nobody had made such a beautiful statement: 'It has gone to its very source.' Everything returns to its source finally. - Story by OSHO

Eight worldly Concerns

There was a well-known scholar who practiced Buddhism and befriended a chan master. Thinking that he had made great stride in his cultivation, he wrote a poem and asked his attendant to deliver it to the master who lived across the river. The master opened the letter and read the short poem aloud:

"Unmoved by the eight worldly winds,
  Serenely I sit on the purplish gold terrace."

A smile broke up on the lips of the master. Picking up an ink brush, he scribbled the word "fart" across the letter and asked that it be delivered back to the scholar. 

 Imagesource

The scholar was upset and went across the river right away to reprimand the master for being rude. The master laughed as he said, "You said you are no longer moved by the eight worldly winds and yet with just one 'fart', you ran across the river like a rat!"
 

Eight worldly winds : Gain and loss, honor and disgrace, praise and blame, happiness and pain.

The Young Monk Who Saved The Ants

Once upon a time in the deep mountains forest there lived an old monk and a young monk. The old monk was a great practitioner of Buddha-dharma and was frequently in deep meditation. Normally when he started meditation, it could last for half a day or one full day. In addition, during his meditation he would know what was going to happen in the future. 

One day, the old monk meditated again. Suddenly he found out that his little disciple was going to pass away in eight days. Therefore the old monk called the young monk and said, "My child, I am going to give you an eight-day holiday so that you can go home to see your mother and father." 

"Really? That's very good, thank you Shifu." 

In fact, lately I have been feeling quite homesick too." 

"However, you must remember to come back here by the eighth day." 

"Okay, Shifu, please take care of yourself. I am leaving now." 

"Go home now!" 

Delightedly the young monk went down the mountains, without realising that in the eyes of the old monk, there was sadness and a sense of reluctance to see him leave. After a long walk, the young monk stopped at the bank of the stream to drink some water as he was getting thirsty. Then he saw there was an ant cave in which countless ants were going into and out of it. He stayed to observe for a while with interest. When he was just about to leave, 

"Oh! Why is the water level of the stream is rising? Oh no!! The ants will be drowned!!"

The reason was it had been raining upstream for a few days continuously. Therefore the water level downstream was starting to rise. 

He quickly took off his cloth and he put some hard soil in it to made up a protection wall along the cave. Not only did he managed to stop water from covering the cave, but also skilfully diverted the flow of the waterto somewhere else. 

Hence he saved the lives of countless ants. Eight days passed quickly. The old monk was strolling in the mountains forest sadly. Suddenly from a distance, he saw the little monk coming back upto the mountains cheerfully. Happily he asked the young monk to recount what he has done in the pass eight days while he had been away. When he pondered on this story he finally understood that because the young monk had saved the lives of countless ants this has caused his fated eight-day life expectancyto lenghten into a long and happy life.This is the merit of cultivating good deeds, however seemingly insignificant they be.

Be kind and share with Everyone

After traveling through Middle East and many other countries, the #GuruNanak Ji reached a place called #HassanAbdal. It is about fifty kilometers from Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Guru Nanak Ji stayed at Hassan Abdal near the foothills. People came to know about Guru Ji and began to gather around him. Guru Nanak Ji talked to them about God. He told them the greatness of God and His creation. Numerous people began to gather around him every day.

A Priest used to live on the top of a hill. His name was Bawa Wali Qandhari. His house was near a spring of fresh water. The water flowed down to the town from spring on top of the hill near Wali's house. The spring was the only source of water for the town. People relied on the spring to carry their basic needs.

Wali Qandhari was an arrogant person. When he saw people gathering around Guru Nanak instead of his place, he became very jealous and angry. He stopped the spring water from flowing down to the town. The people became frustrated. How could they and their cattle live without water? A group of them went to Bawa Wali Qandhari and begged him to let the water flow down as before. Bawa Wali Qandhari in full anger said, "Go to your Guru, the one you visit everyday and ask for water from him." The poeple went to the Guru and told him the whole story. Guru Ji said, “Don't lose your heart, trust in God. God will not let you die of thirst”. Guru Ji then asked Bhai Mardana to go and appeal to Bawa Wali Qandhari and request him to let the water flow down to the town. When Bhai Mardana went to the top of the hill, Bawa Wali Qandhari shouted angrily, “Go back to your Guru and ask him to give water to the people.”

Bhai Mardana returned to the Guru and narrated what Bawa Wali Qandhari said to him. The Guru sent him once again but Mardana came back with the same story. People got more and more frustrated each second. The Guru said, “Don't lose your heart. God is great and merciful. God can make springs flow from whereever He wishes. Let us all pray to Him.” They all prayed. Then Guru Nanak Dev Ji lifted a stone. At once, a stream of fresh water began to flow from the place Guru lifted the stone.

At the same time, Bawa Wali Qanhari's spring dried up. He was filled with anger and pushed a large rock from the top of the hill towards the Guru. The rock came rolling down towards the Guru. Bawa Wali Qanhari thought that the rock would crush Guru Ji to death but the Guru quietly raised his hand and the rock stopped at the instant it struck Guru’s hand. Guru ji’s hand was imprinted on the rock. Bawa Wali Qundhari's pride was broken. He came down and fell at the Guru's feet.

The Guru said, “Rise my friend. Live as devotees of God should live. Be kind and share with everyone” The rock still exists. There is a beautiful Gurdwara at that place called the Panja Sahib.

The story of Bahiya and Buddha

The story of Bahiya is very interesting. He started as sort of a cheat. People thought that he was a holyman and would give him alms. The sub-plot of how Bahiya got to be mistaken as a holyman was even more interesting: Bahiya was on a ship, it wreaked and he was washed ashore naked. He tied a piece of bark to his body and went around begging for food. And because he walked around almost naked, people thought he was a holyman!

Bahiya survived on those alms and was living quite happily. After a while, he even started to believe that he really was a holyman. This went on happily until he got a visit from Great Brahma (God, Himself) one evening. God gave him a scolding for what he was doing. Apparently, God and Bahiya were best friends in recent past lives and He was upset to see His best friend living life as a cheat.

 

 
 
After the good scolding, Bahiya decided that he wanted to seek the true teaching. At the recommendation of Great Brahma, he went to the town of Savatthi to ask the Buddha for advice.
It was said that the Buddha knew, from reading the mind of Bahiya, that he was highly cultivated in a past life and he was about this close to Nirvana. So the Buddha uttered one verse to him. It went something like:

"Where there is seeing, there is only the seeing, there is no see-er. Where there is listening, there is only the listening, there is no listener. Where there is feeling, there is only the feeling.....etc...."

 

It was a very profound verse. Immediately after hearing this verse, Bahiya broke through the final barrier and attained Nirvana on the spot!

The Buddha was telling his disciples that Bahiya attained Nirvana after hearing just a single verse. One monk asked how it is possible that a single verse can lead one to Nirvana. The Buddha answered,
 

"Better than a thousand verses, comprising useless words, is one beneficial single line, by hearing which one is pacified."

Contentment means: Look at what you have!

Lao Tzu says, ”No one can insult me because I don’t want respect.” This is what receiving respect is.

Lao Tzu says, ”No one can defeat me because I have dropped the very idea of winning. How can you defeat me? You can only defeat one who wants to win.” It is a strange fact.

In this world those who do not desire respect receive it. Those who do not want success get it, because those who do not want success already accept that they are successful: what more success do you want? You are already honored by the being within you: what more do you want? Existence has already given you respect by giving birth to you: who else’s respect do you want? Existence has given you enough glory. It gave you life. It has blessed you with eyes – open them and see these green trees, the flowers, the birds. It has given you ears – listen to music, to the splashing of a water fall. It has given awareness so you can become a buddha: what more do you want? You have already been honored. Existence has certified you: who are you asking, like a beggar, for a certificate? Those who beg a certificate from you?

It is a very hilarious situation, two beggars face to face begging from each other. How can you get anything? Both are beggars. From who are you asking respect? Who are you standing in front of? You are insulting yourself this way. And the insult will deepen.

Contentment means: Look at what you have!

OSHO