When the Shoe Fits - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 8. THE TURTLE
precious stones? They are human foolishnesses, a turtle never believes in them. The turtle believes
in the mud, the turtle drags its tail in the mud and enjys it.
The symbol is very meaningful because mud for us is something dirty. But mud is nature; dirty or
not dirty – those are your interpretations. Mud is nature, and a turtle dragging its tail in the mud and
playing the game for the time it lasts, enjoying the mud, is a good symbol. This is how a natural man
should be: not condemning the mud, not saying this body is nothing, dirt unto dirt, dust unto dust,
this body will fall back into the mud, this is just mud.
... DRAGGING HIS TAIL IN THE MUD. Nature is muddy, it is there. You are made of it and you will
dissolve into it. But if you want to be worshipped for thousands of years then there is no problem.
If you want a cult around you, if you want to become a deity, placed in a temple shrine, enshrined,
canonised, then it is okay, but then you have to give your life. Is it worth it? Is it worth it to give your
life and gain respect? Is it worth it to lose a single moment of life and gain the respect of the whole
world? Not even then is it worth it, no. If the whole world worships you, that too is not enough to
lose a single moment of being alive. Only life is precious, there are no precious stones, only life is
gold, there is no other gold, only life is the temple, there is no other temple. Only life is the incense,
the fragrance, there is no other fragrance. This is what Chuang Tzu says: Let me be alive. You may
condemn me, because I am just a turtle dragging his tail in the mud, but for the turtle this is the best.
Even you agree with me, so go home. I am not coming to the palace, I am not going to become a
prime minister, that is not for me, because you will kill me.
There are many ways to crucify a man, crucifixion is only one. You can also put him on the throne,
then too he is crucified, and in a subtler way; very non violently you kill him. Whenever you start
respecting a person you have started killing him, because now he has to pay; he has to look at you
– what to do, what not to do.
I once stayed in a home with a Jain family. They had never met me but they had read my books and
through books they had much respect for me. Then they invited me to stay with them as I was in
their town, a very rich family. So I stayed.
At evening time, a few people had come to see me, and Jains take their food before sunset, they are
very traditional. The woman came and she said: it is getting dark, you must finish with these people,
otherwise you will be late for your food. I said: I can take my food a little later, there is no hurry.
But these people have come from very far, from a far-off village, and they are really seekers, so I
must tell them something; before they go I must give them something. She wouldn’t believe me and
by the time those people left it was already late, the sun had set, it was dark. So again the woman
came and said: Now you cannot eat, or are you ready to eat even at night? So I said: For me there
is no difference, because hunger knows no day, no night. I am hungry and I will eat.
As if her whole image of me was shattered, she said: We thought that you were an enlightened man
but now you have shattered the whole image. How can an enlightened man eat at night?
It is impossible for a Jain to conceive, because they live by rules and they go on living by dead rules.
If you want their respect you have to follow their rules. If you follow their rules, you are imprisoned.
So I said: It is better not to be enlightened, because I would not like to go to sleep hungry, that is too
much. I can leave enlightenment.
When the Shoe Fits 115 Osho