From Ignorance to Innocence - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 25. JESUS – THE ONLY SAVIOR WHO NEARLY SAVED HIMSELF
Every April first we will declare three Idiot Generals: Idiot General of Oregon, Idiot General of
America, Idiot General of the world. And you cannot fill in the name of anybody who is outside
Oregon because those idiots are lukewarm idiots. Here you will find real hotcakes.
Okay, you can ask one question more. My hands are not tired yet.
Question 2
OSHO,
WERE YOU NOT PUNISHED FOR YOUR MISCHIEVOUS ACTS IN CHILDHOOD?
I have been punished, but I have never taken any punishment as punishment. From my very
childhood that has been my attitude: that how you take a thing makes all the difference. Nobody
can punish me if I don’t take it as a punishment.
One of my teachers in the primary school when I was in the fourth grade.... It was my first day in
his class, and I had not done anything very wrong, I was just doing what you do in meditation: ”Om,
Om...” but inside, with closed mouth. I had a few of my friends, and I told them to sit in different
places so he could not figure out from where the sound was coming. One time it was coming from
here, another time it was coming from there, another time it was coming from here; he went on
looking from where the sound was coming. So I told them, ”Keep your mouths shut, and do the ’om’
inside.”
For a moment he could not figure it out. I was sitting at the very back. All teachers wanted me to sit
in the front so they could keep an eye on me, and I always wanted to sit at the back from where you
can do many more things; it is more feasible. He came directly to me. He must have heard from the
third grade teacher, ”You keep an eye on this boy!” So he said, ”Although I cannot figure out who the
people are who are doing it, you must be doing it.”
I said, ”What? What am I doing? You have to tell me. Just saying, ’You must be doing it’ does not
make sense. What...?”
Now it was difficult for him to do what I was doing, because that would have looked foolish, and
everybody would have started laughing. He said, ”Whatsoever it is, hold both your ears in your
hands and sit down, stand up, sit down, stand up – five times.”
I said, ”Perfectly okay.” I asked him, ”Can I do it fifty times?”
He said, ”This is not a reward, this is a punishment.”
I said, ’This morning I have not done any exercise so I thought that this was a good chance, and you
would be very happy. Instead of five I will do fifty. And always remember, whenever you give me any
kind of reward” – that’s exactly the word I told him – ”whenever you give me any kind of reward, be
generous.” And I started doing fifty.
He went on, ”Stop! It is enough. I have never seen such a boy. You should be ashamed that
you have been punished.” I said, ”No, I am doing my morning exercise. You helped me, you have
rewarded me; this is a good exercise. In fact, you should do it too.”
From Ignorance to Innocence 366 Osho