From Death to Deathlessness contains Answers of Osho on Questions of Seekers
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Osho talks about Compassion“Compassion knows no conditions. It can do anything, it knows no right and no wrong. Compassion can lie to help you. In fact, in your sleep you can only understand lies, you cannot understand the truth. Many things are involved. First, the experience of enlightenment, awakening, illumination, happens when there is no mind present. Enlightenment is a no-mind experience. Words are not there, language is not there. In fact, you are not there either. It is such a silence, so profound and infinite, it cannot be expressed without lying. So in fact, anything that is great – if it has been experienced at any time, by any individual – out of sheer necessity that person has to use lies to speak of it. But the lie of the awakened one is far more true than the truth of the sleeping one.” Osho |
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“THE LIE OF THE AWAKENED ONE IS FAR MORE TRUE THAN THE TRUTH OF THE SLEEPING ONE.” WHICH STATEMENT OSHO ILLUSTRATES WITH A BEAUTIFUL ANECDOTE
“The moment the truth is said, it is no longer true. Just the process of saying it makes it a lie. To bring the wordless experience into words is to change the very quality of the experience.
So in fact, anything that is great – if it has been experienced at any time, by any individual – out of sheer necessity that person has to use lies to speak of it. But the lie of the awakened one is far more true than the truth of the sleeping one.”
I am reminded of a small anecdote…. A man went to a nearby big city. His children had asked,
”Bring us this, bring us that,” and he had promised that he would. But by the time he had returned home, his house was on fire. There was a great crowd around, and they were all concerned about the children who were inside.
The crowd told him, ”We have been shouting, ‘The house is on fire, and there is still time – you can get out.’
But they are enjoying the whole scene, they are not aware of the danger. Now you are here, somehow bring them out.”
He had forgotten to bring the toys, the trains, the cars and the dolls that the children had asked him to bring. He went to the only door which was not yet burning, but it was locked from inside.
He knocked on the door. He tried to tell them, to explain that the house is on fire. They said, ”We are enjoying it so much. It is so beautiful!”
The man was shocked. He said, ”Forget about what you are enjoying. I have brought your cars, your trains, your dolls” – and he had not brought anything. The moment they heard about their toys, they opened the door and ran out.
Then he could explain to them why he had to lie. ”Forgive me,
I could not manage time enough to find your things; next time I will bring them. But forgive me for saying a lie to you – because that was the only way to save you; you would not come out.”
Do you think this lie is a sin?
And this is about an ordinary man and his children. What about me and my children? It does not matter to me whether I lie or not, because it makes no difference to my consciousness anymore, it is just a game. But to you, it matters immensely.” Osho
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The Book From Death to Deathlessness is rarely available. You can try on Internet, far example: www.amazon.com or eBay. Next to this an Audio mp3 can be ordered in the Oshoshop. |
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IN FROM DEATHLESSNESS: THE TOUCHING STORY ABOUT ANGULIMAL
“There was a man in Gautam Buddha’s time whose name was Angulimal. He had taken a vow to cut off one thousand heads, and to take one finger from each dead person and make a garland of one thousand fingers. Angulimal means the man with the garland of one thousand fingers.
He was a ferocious man. People stopped going close to him. The road that passed by the hill where he was staying was no longer being used. He had already cut off nine hundred and ninety-nine heads; he was waiting for only one more. The road that passed by his hill was utterly empty, nobody was coming. And then Buddha came to pass. That road was the shortcut, but people were going the long way around, just to avoid Angulimal.
Naturally, Buddha took the shortcut.
His disciples said, ”Bhagwan, you don’t know what you are doing! Haven’t you heard about that madman, Angulimal? It is better to go the long, roundabout way, rather than to take the shortcut.”
But people like Gautam Buddha never turn back. He said, ”I cannot turn back, now even more than before. If I had not known about Angulimal, perhaps I might have taken the other road. That poor fellow is waiting for only one head! My work is done; I have known all that can be known, I have experienced all that can be experienced. Now there is no reason for me…. If I can be of some service to that poor man, it will be good.”
He went. Angulimal saw him. Buddha’s disciples, who were always clambering around him, by and by started creating a distance between him and themselves. If he was caught, at least they could escape. Angulimal saw Gautam Buddha coming. Even that dangerous man, who had murdered nine hundred and ninety-nine people already, felt for the first time that he also had a heart. Gautam Buddha was looking so innocent, so childlike and so beautiful in the early morning sun.
Angulimal shouted, ”You please turn back, because only one head is missing! Perhaps you are a stranger… but looking at you, something in me says ‘Let this man go – there are many idiots, I can cut off their heads.’ Even if my mother comes here, I will cut off her head! But you please go back.
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Don’t come close to me – I am dangerous! Do you see my sword? It is waiting for the last head.” Gautam Buddha continued. He stepped off the road and started moving into the mountains, closer to Angulimal. Angulimal said, ”It seems you are more mad than me. Why are you going on and on and on?” Buddha said, ”Angulimal, I stopped going anywhere a long time ago. I am not going anywhere, it is you who are.” Angulimal was standing there – Buddha was walking! |
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Buddha said, ”Just try to understand. Your mind is moving, thinking. My mind is silent, there is no movement. And you will not get a better head. It is really a joy to fulfill your vow. Prepare your sword.”
Angulimal could not understand what kind of man he was. He was in a great shock; he had never come across such a man! He was ashamed of himself for the first time in his life. He could not look at Buddha eye to eye, because those eyes were radiating compassion, love, grace, joy, blissfulness, ecstasy – things that he had never known, but the fragrance was reaching him.
He said again to Buddha, ”You please go, sir. I don’t want to kill you. You are unnecessarily insisting that I do something that I don’t want to do.” But Buddha went on coming closer and closer. And finally he was standing before Angulimal.
Angulimal said, ”I used to think I was a stubborn man – you are a thousandfold more stubborn. Now I cannot help you, I have to cut your head.”
Buddha said, ”It is an old tradition and convention to fulfill the last wish of a person who is going to die, and I have a very small wish. You fulfill it and then kill me.”
He said, ”What is your wish? Even if it is the biggest thing, I will manage it for you.”
Buddha said, ”No, it is a very small thing. Just cut off a branch of the tree under which you are standing.”
Angulimal said, ”What kind of thing are you asking? But okay, if that is your wish.” With his sword he cut off a branch. Buddha said, ”Now, put it back. Let it be part of the tree again. Let it blossom again.”
Angulimal said, ”That is impossible. How can I join it with the tree?” Buddha said, ”If you cannot even join a small branch to the tree, do you see the implications of it? Any child could have broken that branch off the tree, and you are a strong man – you have not done a great job. You can cut off my head, but can you manage to give me life again? And if you cannot create, what right have you to destroy?”
There was a moment of silence. The sword fell from Angulimal’s hands. He threw away that garlandof nine hundred and ninety-nine fingers, and fell at Buddha’s feet. He said, ”I never thought about it, that destroying something – any mediocre person, any coward, any idiot can do that. The real genius is creative – you are right. Please accept me as your disciple.”
Buddha initiated him.” Osho, From Death to Deathlessness # 1