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The Empty Boat - Osho.pdf - Oshorajneesh.com

The Empty Boat - Osho.pdf - Oshorajneesh.com The Empty Boat - Osho.pdf - Oshorajneesh.com

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CHAPTER 3. THE OWL AND THE PHOENIX And if the world is to become a sane, normal world, then two types of persons have to be cured: madmen and politicians. Both are ill. One has gone the long route round, one has taken the shortcut. And remember well that the madman is less harmful than the politician, because he simply declares his superiority, he doesn’t bother to prove it; the politician bothers to prove it – and the proof is very costly. What was Hitler trying to prove? That he was the most superior, the suprememost Aryan. It would have been better for the world if he had gone mad, used the shortcut; then there would have been no second world war. Politicians are more dangerous because they are madmen with proofs. They are madmen working, reaching, achieving a goal, just to hide the inferiority in them. Whenever somebody feels inferior, he has to prove or simply hypnotize himself into believing that he is not inferior. You cannot be religious if you are mad. Not mad in the way a Saint Francis is mad – that madness comes through ecstasy, this madness comes through inferiority. The madness of a Saint Francis or a Chuang Tzu comes out of superiority, comes out of the heart, comes out of the original source. This other madness comes out of the ego. The soul is always superior and the ego is always inferior. So an egotist has to become a politician somehow or other – whichever profession he chooses, through it he will be a politician. What do I mean when I say politics? I mean the conflict between egos, the struggle to survive. When your ego and my ego are in conflict then we are politicians. When I am not in conflict with anybody’s ego, I am a religious man. When I don’t try to be superior, I am superior. But this superiority is not in opposition to inferiority, it is absence of the feeling of inferiority. This distinction has to be remembered. There are two types of superiority. In one you have just hidden the inferiority, covered it, you are using a mask – behind the mask the inferiority is there. Your superiority is just superficial, deep down you remain inferior, and because you go on feeling it you have to carry this mask of superiority, of beauty. Because you are aware that you are ugly you have to contrive to be beautiful, you have to exhibit, you have to show a false face. This is one type of superiority; it is not real. There is another type of superiority, and that superiority is the absence of inferiority, not the opposite to it. You simply don’t compare. When you don’t compare, how can you be inferior? Look: if you are the only one on earth and there is nobody else, will you be inferior? With whom will you compare yourself? Relative to what? If you are alone what will you be, inferior or superior? You will be neither. You cannot be inferior because no one is above you; you cannot declare yourself superior because there is no one beneath you. You will be neither superior nor inferior – and I say to you that this is the superiority of the soul. It never compares. Compare, and the inferiority arises. Don’t compare, and you simply are – unique. A religious man is superior in the sense that the inferiority has disappeared. A politician is superior in the sense that he has overcome his inferiority. It is hidden there, it is still inside. He is just using the garb, the face, the mask of a superior man. When you compare, you miss; then you will always be looking at others. And no two persons are the same, they cannot be. Every individual is unique and every individual is superior, but this superiority The Empty Boat 50 Osho

CHAPTER 3. THE OWL AND THE PHOENIX is not comparable. You are superior because you cannot be anything else. Superiority is just your nature. That tree is superior, that rock is also superior. The whole of existence is divine, so how can anything here be inferior? It is God, overflowing in millions of ways. Somewhere God has become a tree, somewhere God has become a rock, somewhere God has become a bird, somewhere God has become you. And only God exists, so there can be no comparison. God is superior, but not to anything – because only God is, and there cannot be any inferiority. A religious man comes to experience his uniqueness, comes to experience his divineness, and through his experience of divineness comes to realize the divineness of all. This is nonpolitical because now there is no ambition, you have nothing to prove, you are already proved; you have nothing to declare, you are already declared. Your very being is the proof. You are...it is enough. Nothing else is needed. Hence, remember this as the basic law. If in religion also you go on comparing, you are in politics, not in religion. That is why all religions have become political. They use religious terminology, but hidden behind is politics. What is Islam? What is Hinduism? What is Christian-ity? They are all political groups, political organizations, doing politics in the name of religion. When you go to the temple to pray, do you simply pray or do you compare? If someone else is praying there, does comparison arise in your mind? Do you wonder if he is doing better than you, or if you are doing better than him? Then the temple is there no more. The temple has disappeared, it has become politics. In religion comparison is not possible; you simply pray, and prayer becomes your inner being. It is not something outward to be compared. This incomparable prayer, incomparable meditation, will lead you to the intrinsic superiority of all existence. Buddha says: Don’t be ambitious, because through ambition you will remain inferior always. Be nonambitious and attain to your intrinsic superiority. It is intrinsic. It doesn’t have to be proved, or achieved, you already have it, you have got it. It is already there – it has always been with you and it will always remain with you. Your very being is sup-erior but you don’t know what being is there. You don’t know who you are. Hence so much effort in seeking your identity, in searching, in proving that you are superior to others. You don’t know who you are. Once you know, then there is no problem. You are already superior. And it is not only you that is superior – everything is superior. The whole of existence is superior without anything being inferior, because God is one, existence is one. Neither the inferior nor the superior can exist. The nonambitious mind comes to realize this. Now let us take Chuang Tzu’s sentences. This beautiful incident really happened. Chuang Tzu was on his way to the capital and the prime minister became afraid. He must have heard the news that Chuang Tzu was coming through the secret police, the cid. And politicians are always afraid, because everybody is their enemy, even friends are enemies, and one has to protect oneself from friends because they too are trying to pull you down. Remember, nobody is a friend. In politics, everybody is an enemy. Friendship is just a facade. In religion there is no one who is an enemy. In religion there cannot be any enemy; in politics there cannot be any friend. The Empty Boat 51 Osho

CHAPTER 3. THE OWL AND THE PHOENIX<br />

is not <strong>com</strong>parable. You are superior because you cannot be anything else. Superiority is just your<br />

nature. That tree is superior, that rock is also superior. <strong>The</strong> whole of existence is divine, so how can<br />

anything here be inferior? It is God, overflowing in millions of ways. Somewhere God has be<strong>com</strong>e<br />

a tree, somewhere God has be<strong>com</strong>e a rock, somewhere God has be<strong>com</strong>e a bird, somewhere God<br />

has be<strong>com</strong>e you. And only God exists, so there can be no <strong>com</strong>parison. God is superior, but not to<br />

anything – because only God is, and there cannot be any inferiority.<br />

A religious man <strong>com</strong>es to experience his uniqueness, <strong>com</strong>es to experience his divineness, and<br />

through his experience of divineness <strong>com</strong>es to realize the divineness of all. This is nonpolitical<br />

because now there is no ambition, you have nothing to prove, you are already proved; you have<br />

nothing to declare, you are already declared. Your very being is the proof. You are...it is enough.<br />

Nothing else is needed.<br />

Hence, remember this as the basic law. If in religion also you go on <strong>com</strong>paring, you are in politics,<br />

not in religion. That is why all religions have be<strong>com</strong>e political. <strong>The</strong>y use religious terminology, but<br />

hidden behind is politics. What is Islam? What is Hinduism? What is Christian-ity? <strong>The</strong>y are all<br />

political groups, political organizations, doing politics in the name of religion.<br />

When you go to the temple to pray, do you simply pray or do you <strong>com</strong>pare? If someone else is<br />

praying there, does <strong>com</strong>parison arise in your mind? Do you wonder if he is doing better than you, or<br />

if you are doing better than him? <strong>The</strong>n the temple is there no more. <strong>The</strong> temple has disappeared, it<br />

has be<strong>com</strong>e politics.<br />

In religion <strong>com</strong>parison is not possible; you simply pray, and prayer be<strong>com</strong>es your inner being. It is<br />

not something outward to be <strong>com</strong>pared. This in<strong>com</strong>parable prayer, in<strong>com</strong>parable meditation, will<br />

lead you to the intrinsic superiority of all existence.<br />

Buddha says: Don’t be ambitious, because through ambition you will remain inferior always. Be<br />

nonambitious and attain to your intrinsic superiority. It is intrinsic. It doesn’t have to be proved, or<br />

achieved, you already have it, you have got it. It is already there – it has always been with you and<br />

it will always remain with you. Your very being is sup-erior but you don’t know what being is there.<br />

You don’t know who you are. Hence so much effort in seeking your identity, in searching, in proving<br />

that you are superior to others. You don’t know who you are.<br />

Once you know, then there is no problem. You are already superior. And it is not only you that<br />

is superior – everything is superior. <strong>The</strong> whole of existence is superior without anything being<br />

inferior, because God is one, existence is one. Neither the inferior nor the superior can exist. <strong>The</strong><br />

nonambitious mind <strong>com</strong>es to realize this.<br />

Now let us take Chuang Tzu’s sentences. This beautiful incident really happened. Chuang Tzu<br />

was on his way to the capital and the prime minister became afraid. He must have heard the news<br />

that Chuang Tzu was <strong>com</strong>ing through the secret police, the cid. And politicians are always afraid,<br />

because everybody is their enemy, even friends are enemies, and one has to protect oneself from<br />

friends because they too are trying to pull you down.<br />

Remember, nobody is a friend. In politics, everybody is an enemy. Friendship is just a facade. In<br />

religion there is no one who is an enemy. In religion there cannot be any enemy; in politics there<br />

cannot be any friend.<br />

<strong>The</strong> <strong>Empty</strong> <strong>Boat</strong> 51 <strong>Osho</strong>

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