The Great Path - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 2. THE STARS MIRRORED
gurudwara, the Hindu to the temple. They are all tied by their tethers. No one can break this
slumbering state of yours except yourself.
It is important for you to know that your waking state is just a stupor, whereas the deep sleep of
a yogi is a fully awakened state. You are a yogi – upside down! The day you become the reverse
of what you are today, the quintessence of life will come within your grasp. Know the three stages
separately, and the knower becomes separated from the three stages; you are sheer knowledge,
nothing else. You are sheer consciousness – but only when you break away from the three states.
I was reading about a Sufi fakir, Junnaid. When a person abused him he would say, ”I shall answer
you tomorrow.” Then the next day he would say, ”There is no need for any answer.”
The man who had abused him would ask, ”I abused you yesterday, why did you not reply yesterday?
You are very strange.” No one waits for a second when you abuse him. He retorts immediately.”
Junnaid answered, ”My master taught me not to hurry in anything. Take some time. I must wait a
little when someone insults me. If I were to give an immediate answer, the heat of the happening
would catch hold of me; the smoke would blind my eyes. So I have to wait and let the cloud pass.
When twenty-four hours have passed and the skies are clear again, then I can give my reply in full
consciousness. Now I realize how tricky my guru was. Because I have never been able to answer
my opponents since then.”
Is it possible to hold on to anger for twenty-four hours? It is impossible to maintain it for twenty-four
minutes or even twenty-four seconds. The truth is that, even if you hold back and watch for a single
second, the anger vanishes.
But you do not wait even for a moment. A person abuses you – as if someone switches the button,
and the fan starts whirring. There is not the slightest gap between the two, no distance! And you
pride yourself in your alertness! You have no control of yourself. How can an unconscious person
be master of himself? Anybody can push the button and goad him into action. Someone comes and
flatters you, and you are filled with joy; you are happy. Someone insults you, you are full of tears.
Are you your own master or anyone can manipulate you? You are the slave of slaves. And those
who are manipulating are not their own masters either! And the irony is that everyone is expert in
manipulating others and none of them is conscious. What greater insult can there be for your soul
than the fact that anyone can affect you?
Mulla Nasruddin worked in an office. Everyone was dissatisfied with his work. Most of the time he
was either dozing or was fast asleep. Everybody in the office was fed up with him. People started
rebuking him. The boss also called him in and scolded him for his behavior. Finally, due to the
trouble and humiliation, the Mulla thought it best to resign, because it was easier to resign than to
change his ways.
Many people who run away from the world and embrace sannyas are actually resigning from the
world for this very reason. Transformation is difficult, resigning is easier. Everyone in the office was
relieved to hear the news. However, since he had been there for a long while and he was leaving of
his own free will, they decided to give him a farewell party. They were so troubled by him and they
could not get rid of him. He had become a burden. So they were really happy. They made elaborate
The Great Path 32 Osho