The Great Path - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 6. THE MAD PROJECTIONIST
There is no ardor in bliss; it is a cold ray, a cold light; there is no passion. Bliss is like sadness in a
way. Sadness is in the middle of joy and sorrow. Bliss is beyond joy and sorrow. Sadness is a state
of darkness where everything has become motionless, a state of death where everything languishes
in inertia. Bliss is a radiant state of awareness – where there is neither joy nor sorrow. In this respect
bliss is also like sadness, where there is no joy or sorrow. There is light there but the light is not that
of joy, because the light of joy also has an edge to it, an intensity which makes you perspire.
Therefore, people get tired of happiness. You cannot remain happy for a long time. Happiness is
tiring because there is a fever, an intensity to it. If you were to win a lottery every day, you will die,
you will not live. It is all right if you win it once in a while. If you get it everyday, the tension would
be so much that you will not be able to sleep. Your heart will beat so hard that you will not be able
to rest. The excitement would be so great that it would kill you. So happiness can only be taken in
homeopathic doses. You will not be able to bear an allopathic dose. A lot of unhappiness along with
just a little joy is about all you can bear, for it is also a tension. It also has a heat and intensity to it.
Sorrow is tension, as is joy.. There is an excitement in both. Bliss is the state of a non-excited,
non-stimulated mind; there is light but no heat. There is dance but no excitement. There is a silent,
serene dance where there is no sound. It is a dance in emptiness, which does not bring any fatigue.
It is not of the body. Joy and sorrow are of the body, and bliss is of the soul. It is a different dance
altogether.
That sadhu was an ordinary sadhu – the kind found everywhere. Ibrahim was surprised to see him
sad, for his idea of a sadhu was that he should be blissful. So he asked the sadhu, ”What are the
characteristics of a sadhu?”
That sadhu said, ”If he gets food he accepts; if he does not he is content.” Ibrahim said, ”Those
are the qualities of a dog. What is so saintlike in it? This is exactly what a dog does. If he gets
something he is happy, if he does not, he is contented.”
The sadhu was shocked. He asked, ”Then how do you define a sadhu?” Ibrahim answered, ”If he
gets something, he shares it and if he does not then he dances and thanks God that you gave me
an opportunity to practice austerity. The definition of sadhu is: one who shares with others when
he gets something. One who shares whatever he gets is a true sadhu. If he holds on to it, he is a
householder, a family man. If he hoards it he is a householder, if shares it he is a sadhu; whatever
it may be-it may be bliss or knowledge or even meditation-he shares them all.
It is an interesting fact that worldly things, if you share them, become less and less; therefore we
hold on to them. If you start sharing from your vault then your vault won’t remain a vault for long.
Because everything in the world is limited-the moment you start sharing it is gone. That is why you
have to hold on to what is limited in the world. But we need not apply this to the soul – for that
treasure is boundless; the more you give away, the more it becomes. The more you draw out, the
more new comes out. It is a boundless ocean.
Ibrahim is right; if he gets, he shares it; doesn’t eat alone. If he does not get, then he dances and
thanks God. To be contented is not enough, for there is still sadness in contentment.
People usually say, ”A contented man is a happy man.” It is not true. A contented man is not happy.
He just thinks he is happy. Deep within he is unhappy, but there is nothing he can do about it. He is
The Great Path 107 Osho