From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 14. SOCIETY CROWDS YOU OUT; RELIGON OUTS YOUR CROWD
I said, ”Why did you start working in the library as a librarian? – because this is again the same
kind of business. Now you are searching in ancient scripts found in Tibet, found in Ladakh, found
in Nepal. You are still not looking in yourself First you were searching for truth in printed books,
now you are searching for it in hand-written ancient scripts, thinking that these people must have
known. But you are again doing the same foolishness. Neither the printing press knows.... It goes
on printing Bible after Bible – millions of Bibles – and the printing press remains just a printing press;
it does not even become a Christian.
”And do you think in hand-written scripts you will be able to find? These people were just working as
writers. They were simply copying, and they were being paid for it. It is not that they were knowers,
they were copiers, and they were doing a primitive method of printing. In those days printing was
not possible so people used to write, copying from one manuscript to another manuscript, and from
that to another manuscript, and they would sell them. Do you think these people knew?”
He said, ”Again you are right. I have been here for twenty years in this underground library, looking
into all kinds of strange methods, ideologies – very impressive, very logical – but certainly I am doing
the same thing; I am not looking in. Now you will not find me anywhere.”
He dropped his job that very day. While I was still in Adyar he left. When I came back after walking
around.... It is a big place and once it was a very throbbing commune; when Annie Besant was
alive thousands of people lived there. When I came back to the main office and enquired about
Vidyananda they said, ”He has left. What have you told him? – because after you met him in the
library he came into the office and he said,’I am leaving, and leaving forever. I am finished with
books. Although I am much too old.... But perhaps a few days may be enough, or at least before
I die I should begin rightly. Perhaps in the next life I can complete my search, but at least I should
begin.’ ”
Nobody is asking, ”What you know, is it your knowledge?” If it is not your knowledge, put it aside;
it has no value. ”What you are doing, is it your aspiration? Do you really feel a bell ringing in your
heart?” If it is not so then don’t waste a single moment more.
People go on doing things which other people have forced them to do – and people are going to
continue to force them. It is most improbable that parents will stop forcing their children to be just
images of their own idea, that teachers will stop forcing on them whatsoever they ”know”, as if they
really know. They will go on pretending that they know.
My principal in high school was a mathematician. I was not a student of mathematics but I used
to go to his office whenever I saw that he was alone and talk about higher mathematics – because
now the older mathematics is not applicable any longer to physics, biology, chemistry, biochemistry.
They are going beyond it. So he told me, ”Why don’t you start attending my classes?”
I said, ”I have no problem, I am not a student of mathematics, but whenever I am free and you have
a class I would love to come if you allow me. But then don’t get disturbed by me because I will not
just be dead there, I will be alive.”
He said ”What do you mean by being’alive’?”
I said, ”Exactly what it means: being alive. You just give me a chance and see.”
From Ignorance to Innocence 191 Osho