Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy - Osho - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 16. ATHEISM, THEISM AND REALITY
West. Science is the child of that honesty. In fact, science cannot come out of dishonest thinking;
it is impossible. India could not create science because we have been victims of a deep-rooted
intellectual dishonesty; here it is difficult to decide who says what. Everybody is quoting scriptures,
everybody is citing authorities; everybody is mimicking the voice of everybody else.
Arvind’s excessive dependence on the VEDAS comes from his inferiority complex. It does not reflect
his profundity; it only says he is not certain if what he says is true, so he is seeking authoritative
support for his shaky ideas.
And the mind of India has been deeply influenced by the VEDAS, the UPANISHADS and the
GEETA. India’s mind has been heavily conditioned by Mahavira and Buddha. The Indian mind
is a prisoner of tradition; we accept anyone who says something on the authority of the VEDAS
or the DHAMMAPADA. We don’t care about scrutinizing him independently and finding out if what
he says is genuine. We blindly accept anything and everything that is said under the cover of the
VEDAS.
But the question is: Why take cover behind the VEDAS? Does truth need a cover? If I find some
truth I will say it in plain words. And I will also say that if the VEDAS see it the same way as I see,
they are right, and if they don’t, they are wrong. My perception of truth is self-evident; it is enough
unto itself. I am not going to be right or wrong on the authority of the VEDAS. For me, the Vedas
have to be right or wrong on my authority.
If someone comes and tells me that what I say is different from what Mahavira says, I will tell him
Mahavira is wrong. I cannot even be certain whether or not Mahavira really said it, but I am very
certain about what I am saying. Even if the whole world says the way I see it is wrong, I will say that
the whole world is wrong – just because I see it differently. I can be a witness to my own perception,
I cannot be a witness to the perception of others.
But it is a very simple and convenient way of putting oneself in the right place. If you encounter truth
directly, on your own, and say it exactly as you see it, history will take thousands of years to judge
if you have found something real. But if you take cover behind the Vedas, you receive cheap and
immediate recognition. Because you say the same thing the Vedas say, you become right on the
authority of the most ancient of scriptures. It is a very simple trick and a very dirty trick at that.
I would like to explain it with the help of a story.
A French countess was known for her demanding nature and extravagant lifestyle. Once she visited
China, brought home an ashtray from there, and she decided to have her living room painted in the
color of the ashtray. She invited the country’s greatest painters for this grand job. But no one could
match the paint for the walls exactly to the color of the ashtray, which contained a special Chinese
pig ment available nowhere in France. So all her efforts failed. Any number of renowned painters
came and went away defeated. Then came a painter who said he would do the job on the condition
that no one should enter the room for the month during which he would be painting it. The countess
agreed to his condition, and the man began his work in earnest.
For a whole month the painter came every day in the morning, closed the living room &om inside
and worked there till evening. After the month was over, he invited the countess to visit her living
Krishna: The Man and His Philosophy 304 Osho