When the Shoe Fits - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 3. FLIGHT FROM THE SHADOW
Where are you going, so fast? Man and man’s mind have always been mad about speed, as if we
are going somewhere and speed is needed. So we go on becoming more and more speedy. Where
are you going?
Finally, whether you go slow or fast, you reach death.
There is a Sufi story. A King dreamed that his death was coming. He saw a shadow standing in the
dream so he asked: Who are you? The shadow said: I am your death and tomorrow, by the time
the sun sets, I will be coming to you. The King wanted to ask if there was any way to escape, but
he couldn’t because he became so afraid that the dream was broken, and the shadow disappeared.
He was perspiring and trembling.
In the middle of the night he called all his wise men and said: Find out the meaning of this dream.
And as you know, you cannot find more foolish people than wise men. They ran to their houses and
brought their scriptures. They were big, big volumes. And they started to consult and debate and
discuss and fight with each other and argue.
Listening to their talk the King became more and more confused. They were not agreeing on any
point; they belonged to different sects, as wise men always do. They don’t belong to themselves,
they belong to some dead tradition. One was a Hindu, another was a Mohammedan, another was a
Christian. They had brought their scriptures with them and they tried and tried. And as they got into
discussion they became mad, and argued over and over again. The King was very much disturbed
because the sun was rising, and when the sun rises, it is not long until the sun will set, because
rising is really setting, it has already started. The journey has started and within twelve hours the
sun will set.
He tried to interrupt them, but they said: Don’t interrupt, this is a serious question. Then one old
man, who had served the King for his whole life, came near and whispered in his ear: It is better
that you escape, because these people will never come to any conclusion. Wise men have never
reached any conclusion. They will discuss and debate, and their death will come, but the conclusion
will not come My suggestion is that when death has warned you, it is better that you escape from
this palace at least! Go anywhere! And go fast! This advice appealed, it was absolutely right. When
man cannot do anything, he thinks of flight, escape.
The King had a very fast horse, he got onto it and escaped. He had told the wise men: If I come
back alive and you have decided, tell me – but right now, I am going. He was very happy, and faster
and faster he went, because it was a life and death problem.
Again and again he looked back to see if the shadow was coming, but there was no shadow. He
was happy, death was not there, and he was escaping. By the time the sun was setting, he was
hundreds and hundreds of miles away from the capital. Under a big Banyan tree he stopped, got
down from his horse, thanked it and said: It is you, you who have saved me. Suddenly, as he was
talking to and thanking the horse, he felt the same hand that he had felt in the dream. He looked
back. The same shadow was there, and Death said: I would also like to thank your horse, he is
really fast. I have been waiting under this Banyan tree all day and I was worried whether you would
be able to reach it or not The distance was so great, but this horse is really something. You have
arrived at exactly the moment you were needed here.
When the Shoe Fits 42 Osho