From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 12. FAITH: THE SUICIDE OF INTELLIGENCE
A simple fact... and I say it is fortunate that nobody has succeeded; it would have been unfortunate
if somebody had succeeded. Nobody could succeed because every being has some uniqueness to
him: Gautam Buddha has his uniqueness, you have your uniqueness. Neither has he to follow you,
nor have you to follow him. Following creates imitators.
The moment you become an imitator you lose contact with your life. That’s what I mean when I say
you start vegetating. You are playing somebody else’s role, you have completely forgotten your real
life.
In my village, every year, the drama of Rama’s life is played. Once it happened when I was present
– it was so hilarious, and so meaningful.... In the story, Rama’s wife, Sita, is stolen by Ravana.
Rama and his brother Lakshmana both gather armies and go to fight. After three years of Sita being
imprisoned in Sri Lanka, they start fighting. Ravana was a great warrior; Rama and Lakshmana
were also great warriors, but they were young. Ravana was very experienced; his first arrow hit
Lakshmana... and it was known that whoever is hit by his arrow, it is impossible for him to survive.
The greatest physician was called immediately to do something. He said, ”There is only one
possibility. There is a mountain, Arunachal, in south India. On Arunachal there is found a small
plant sanjivani, a lifegiving plant. If within twenty-four hours that plant can be brought here, then
there is a possibility; otherwise, after twenty-four hours nothing can be done, the poison will have
spread all over” – he was already in a coma.
One of the disciples of Rama, Hanumana, who was a great warrior himself, said, ”I will go
immediately and I will find it, but just give me an indication – because by the time I reach there
it will be night – how am I to find this sanjivani, this life-giving plant?”
The physician said, ”It is very simple, particularly in the night. In the day it is very difficult to find, but
that plant gives off light in the night, so you can find it easily wherever it is. You will find it surrounded
by rays as if it is aflame.”
Hanumana, in the story, is the king of the monkeys and is himself a monkey – all the Hindus say that
it is a fact. Hanumana flew – but monkeys can do that, perhaps with a little bit of jumping from tree
to tree. I don’t know how he managed but he flew. I know how it is done in the drama; a rope is tied
to him; the rope moves and he is shown to the public, flying.
When he reached the mountain there was trouble. The trouble was that the mountain, the whole
mountain, was aglow with light. Now, Hanumana was at a loss what to do. Which plant was the
sanjivani? – because so many plants were like flames – were they all sanjivani? He tried to look;
those plants were different... now what to do? But he was a crazy devotee – he took the whole
mountain!
And in religious stories everything is possible. Jesus walks on water, turns water into wine, turns
stones into bread: everything is possible. So he came back with the mountain.... But what happened
in the drama?
He comes in with the mountain – the mountain is made of cardboard – and he is carrying the
mountain while suspended by the rope. Somehow the rope gets stuck, and he is left hanging in
From Ignorance to Innocence 162 Osho