From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 15. THEY SAY BELIEVE; I SAY EXPLORE
Muni Nathmal was even more at a loss, nervous – what to say? Morarji Desai at that time was
finance minister of India and that’s why they had invited him. They were making efforts to create a
university of Jainism, and he was the man. If he was willing, then finance would not be a problem.
Muni Nathmal said, ”It is not any discourtesy to the guests, it is just our tradition that the head of
the sect sits higher. And just a convention is being followed, nothing else is meant by it. Nobody is
insulted by it.
Morarji is not an easy person to be silenced by such answers. He said, ”We are not your disciples,
you are not our head. None of these twenty people here recognize you as their master or head.
You may sit on any pedestal you want amongst your disciples, your sect, your people – but we are
guests. Secondly, you proclaim yourself a revolutionary saint, so why cling to a convention, tradition
which is so uncivilized, uncultured?” That was one of the claims of Acharya Tulsi, that he was a
revolutionary saint.
Now Nathmal was silent, Acharya Tulsi was silent, and all the other guests started feeling a little
uneasy: this was not a good beginning.
I asked Morarji Desai, ”Although this is not my business, and I am not concerned at all, but seeing
the situation, would you like me to answer you? It is just to start the conversation so this group does
not end in an awkward situation.”
He said, ”I am concerned about the answer. Yes, you can answer.”
I said to him, ”A few things: first, there are nineteen other persons, you are not alone here. Nobody
else asked the question – why did only you ask it? It didn’t occur to me.” And I asked the people,
”Had the question occurred to you? If it has not occurred, please raise your hands.” All the eighteen
hands were raised, that it didn’t occur to them.
Then I said to Morarji, ”You are the only person who felt hurt. You must be carrying a wound, you
must be suffering from some inferiority – you are a psychological case. You can see: you know
Doctor D.S. Kothari perfectly well, because he is chairman of the atomic commission of India; you
know these other prominent people – nobody is bothered by it. And what does it matter?
Do you see the spider walking on the ceiling? – he is higher than Acharya Tulsi.... Just being higher,
do you become greater? But somehow it hurts you. There is a wound in you which has not been
filled even by being the finance minister of India. You would like to be one day the prime minister of
India.”
He was very angry. He said, ”You call me psychologically sick?”
I said, ”Certainly. These eighteen hands were raised for what? They are supporting me, they are
saying,’This man seems to be very vulnerable as far as his ego is concerned, shaky’ – just a monk
sitting a little higher, and it disturbs you.”
I said, ”Let us assume, for example: if Acharya Tulsi invites you also to sit with him on the high
pedestal” – and let me remind you, even then Acharya Tulsi did not invite him. I said, ”For example,
if he invites you and you are on the pedestal, will you ask the same question again for these eighteen
poor souls who are sitting on the floor? Will the question ever arise?”
From Ignorance to Innocence 199 Osho