The Empty Boat - Osho.pdf - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 2. THE MAN OF TAO
he had become a great doctor of astrology he was coming back to his home town to practice. He
looked at the footprint on the wet sand and he became disturbed: These footprints could not belong
to an ordinary man walking on the sand without shoes during such a hot summer, at noontime!
These feet belong to a great emperor, a CHAKRAVARTIN. A chakravartin is the emperor who rules
the whole world. All the symbols were there showing that this man was a chakravartin, an emperor
of the whole world of the six continents. And why should a chakravartin walk barefoot on the sand
on such a hot summer afternoon? It was impossible!
The astrologer was carrying his most valuable books. He thought, ”If this is possible I should throw
these books in the river and forget astrology forever, because this is absurd. It is very, very difficult
to find a man who has the feet of a chakravartin. Once in millions of years a man becomes a
chakravartin, and what is this chakravartin doing here?”
So he followed the footprints to their source and he looked at Buddha who was sitting resting under a
tree with closed eyes, and he became more disturbed. This astrologer became absolutely disturbed
because the face was also the face of a chakravartin. But the man looked like a beggar, with his
begging bowl just there by his side, with torn clothes. But the face looked like that of a chakravartin,
so what should he do?
He said, ”I am very disturbed, put me at ease. There is only one question I have to ask. I have seen
and studied your footprints. They should belong to a chakravartin, to a great emperor who rules over
all the world, the whole earth is his kingdom – and you are a beggar. So what should I do? Should I
throw away all my astrology books? My twelve years of effort in Kashi have been wasted and those
people there are fools. I have wasted the most important part of my life, so put me at ease. Tell me,
what should I do?”
Buddha said, ”You need not worry. This will not happen again. You take your books, go to the town,
start your practice and don’t bother about me. I was born to be a chakravartin. These footprints
carry my past.”
All footprints carry your past – the lines on your hand, your palm, carry your past. That is why
astrology, palmistry, is always true about the past, never so true about the future, and absolutely
untrue about a buddha, because one who throws off his whole past moves into the unknown – you
cannot predict his future.
Buddha said, ”You will not come to such a troublesome man again. Don’t you worry, this will not
happen again, take it as an exception.”
But the astrologer said, ”A few more questions. I would like to know who you are: am I really seeing
a dream? A chakravartin sitting like a beggar? Who are you? Are you an emperor in disguise?”
Buddha said, ”No.”
Then the astrologer asked, ”But your face looks so beautiful, so calm, so filled with inner silence.
Who are you? Are you an angel from paradise?”
Buddha said, ”No.”
The Empty Boat 45 Osho