From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 16. LET’S NOT FACE IT – YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY ALONE
In India the ancient traditional dress is not like western dress. Now it is changing because western
dress is more utilitarian; Indian dress is more luxurious but is not utilitarian. If you are working in
the field or in the factory, Indian dress is dangerous because the robe is long and loose, it can get
caught in any mechanism. Then the dhoti, the lower dress, that too is very loose. It reminds us that
once the country must have been in a very comfortable time.
You cannot give the Indian dress to soldiers; otherwise they will not be able to fight, their dress will
be enough to finish them. Even if they had to run away they would not be able to. Can I run in my
robe? Impossible. It would be easier to die rather than to run.
He became so afraid.... When the tin can fell on him with a loud noise, his dhoti opened up and he
was so afraid that he entered his house without it, naked! His dhoti was left there. I came down the
tree, took the dhoti, and with my can I escaped from there.
His whole house was in a mess. Everybody, all the neighborhood people around were asking what
had happened. He said, ”That boy disturbed everything. He told me this morning,’Don’t do the
mantra. If you are not afraid, don’t do the mantra.’ He gave me a challenge. Tomorrow I am going
to see him about what happened to me: that in my old age I have become a laughingstock. The
whole neighborhood has seen me naked!” And in India to be naked, and that too for one of the very
respected priests and scholars of the town....
He came the next day and was very serious. I knew that he was coming, so I took the tin with his
dhoti inside. When he saw me coming with that tin, he said, ”What is that?”
I said, ”First, you start. You have threatened... you have told the neighbors that you will see me. I
have also come to see you – now it is a question of who sees whom. You can impose any punishment
you want on me, but remember, I will open this can before the whole school.”
He said, ”What is in it?”
I said, ”Bhoot! Ghost! I have caught in it the ghost that made you afraid.”
He said, ”Ghost? Is this the tin can that fell from the tree?”
I said, ”Of course.”
He said, ”You take it back, it is dangerous.”
But I said, ”Please look inside and see what is there.” I opened the tin can and took out his dhoti and
said, ”At least take your dhoti back.”
He said, ”But how did you manage it?”
I said, ”Whom do you think was managing it all? You should thank me for taking all the trouble of
climbing the tree, drumming the tin can, and then throwing it on top of you; then collecting your dhoti
in darkness, and escaping before I was caught. It was just to show you... not to lie to me.” And since
that day, although he knew that I was the person who did the whole thing, he stopped coming by
that path, he would go around. I asked him why – ”You know perfectly well I was the person.”
From Ignorance to Innocence 222 Osho