From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 11. TRUTH: NOT A DOGMA BUT A DANCE
I don’t believe that there is any heaven or hell. What dialogue is possible? Yes, in other religions
you can have dialogues because these are the points of agreement. A Mohammedan, a Christian,
a Hindu, a Jew – they can discuss God. One point is certain, that God is. Now, the question is only
about His form, attributes, qualities – but the basic thing is agreed. They all agree on heaven and
hell. Now, it may be that somebody believes in seven hells, somebody believes in five, somebody
believes in three. This is only a question of numbers, not so very important. With me what kind of
dialogue is possible?
When I heard the panel, I started wondering that if a dialogue has to happen, how is it going to start?
From where? There is not a single point of agreement, because all those religions are pseudo, they
are not true religions; otherwise there would have been some possibility.
With Bodhidharma I can have a dialogue. He says, ”I do not know who I am.” That’s enough
agreement. Now we can hold each other’s hand and go for a morning walk. Now there is no
need to say anything more: all is said.
After nine years, when Bodhidharma was returning to India, he gathered four of his chief disciples
and he asked them, ”Condense religion into a single statement so that I can know whether you have
understood me or not.”
The first one said, ”Compassion is religion. That is Buddha’s basic message: compassion.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my bones, but nothing else.”
The second disciple said, ”Meditation. To be silent, to be so utterly silent that not a single thought
moves inside you: that is the essence of religion.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my flesh, but nothing more; because in what you are saying, you are
only repeating my words. In your eyes I don’t see the silence; on your face I don’t see the depth that
silence brings.”
The third one said, ”It cannot be said. It is inexpressible.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my marrow. But if it cannot be said, why have you used even these
words? You have already said it. Even in saying’It cannot be said, it cannot be expressed,’ you are
saying something about it; hence I say you have only the marrow.”
He turned towards the fourth. There were tears in the disciple’s eyes and he fell at Bodhidharma’s
feet. Bodhidharma shook him and asked him again and again, ”What is religion?” But only tears of
joy... his hands holding his feet in gratitude. The disciple never spoke a single word, not even that it
cannot be said, it is inexpressible.
Bodhidharma hugged him and said, ”You have me. Now I can go in peace because I am leaving
something of me behind.”
Now with these rabbis, Catholic priests, Protestant priests, what dialogue is possible? Two thousand
years have passed and the rabbis have not apologized yet for crucifying Jesus. He may have been
From Ignorance to Innocence 149 Osho