The Great Path - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 6. THE MAD PROJECTIONIST
by the world. Liberation is exactly the opposite: it is where we shall be free, tranquil, blissful, where
there is no pain. In our minds liberation stands in opposition to the world, but when a person is
liberated he finds nothing opposing or conflicting in this world. All conflicts and opposition cease, all
distances between the within and the without fade away, because all distances are created by the
ego.
What within and what without? All is one! But the ego stands as a wall between them and creates
the differences. If we were to step into the river with a pot and fill the pot with the river water we
could say that there is water inside the pot and water outside of it; but what is the difference? Merely
a wall of clay! What happens when this wall breaks? Then what is outside and what is inside? What
is within is without; what is without is within.
That is why Kabir says, ”When I sit and when I stand that is my worship. When I walk it is my prayer.”
Now Kabir no longer goes to the temple, for there is no distance between shop and temple; they are
one and the same. Now Kabir does not run to the Himalayas for there is no difference between the
marketplace and the mountains. Kabir does not even renounce the house, for he sees no difference
between ’mine’ and ’your’. What is the person to run away form then?
All distances fall when the ego falls. Then there is nothing within and nothing without. Then there
is neither matter nor God; then both are one. That is non-duality, the indivisible – where all is one
and all boundaries fall, but this can only happen when natural freedom enters one’s life. Then such
a person, because of his independent nature, can go out into the world and, remaining in the world,
he can also live within his own self. For him there are no obstructions. Inside a palace he is as
much a sannyasin as he is outside on the road. If he has a million rupees he is still not possessive,
not an owner; and if he has nothing he is still the greatest of possessors, for all the world is at his
command.
It is however very difficult for us to recognize, for we are familiar with only one side of existence. You
assert the difference between the water outside and the water inside the vessel. What is hidden
within you is what is outside of you. The space within is the space without. Your body is the vessel
of clay that creates this slight difference.
Samsara, the world, and sannyas are not two things. They seem to be two, for you know only one of
them – the world; you do not know sannyas. Therefore you think of sannyas in terms of the world.
Your concept of sannyas springs from your concept of the world; therefore you call him a sannyasin
who is completely the opposite of a worldly man. You say: See! What a great sannyasin. He walks
barefooted! He remains naked, stand in the sun and rain, and sleeps in the grass.
You can never think of a sannyasin in any other terms. King Janak can never be a sannyasin to you.
How can he be? He lives in a place. Krishna cannot be a sannyasin to you. How can he be? He
wears his peacock crown and plays his flute. No! For you they cannot be sannyasins.
When your slavery to your mind ends and the essence within you is liberated, you will come to know
that liberation is everywhere. Then the shop is no longer a hindrance nor the palace an obstacle.
For liberation is the state of your experience. When you reach salvation the world is no mere; then
there is no within and without. All is one! Then worship and work are the same. Then a person
accepts life as it comes, as it is. There is no need to make the slightest change. Thus even butchers
The Great Path 119 Osho