When the Shoe Fits - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 5. MONKEY MOUNTAIN
eat, never otherwise. Man kills not only to eat, he enjoys killing. Hunting is a game for him. He will
simply kill to kill – and no animal in the world kills his own brothers and sisters, no! A lion will not kill
another lion, a monkey will not kill another monkey. Man is the only animal which kills other men.
There is an in-built protection in every animal; zoologists say that every animal carries an in-built
mechanism not to kill the same species. But it seems that something has gone wrong with man,
he kills his own species. There is nothing like war in the animal world, although individuals fight.
Animals have more understanding. If two dogs fight, sooner or later, within minutes, they come to
an understanding. Man never comes to an understanding; unless he kills, there seems to he no
solution. Even dogs are more intelligent. If two dogs bark, show their teeth, jump at each other, that
is just a show, they are trying to feel the pulse, who is the stronger. It is a mock-fight. They have not
yet started and when one feels that he is not so strong then he knows it is futile to fight. He simply
shows with his tail – stop! And then the thing is finished, they have come to an understanding. A
hierarchy is established – the stronger will of course win, so why go through a fight unnecessarily?
Only man is foolish, the most foolish animal, because he will never believe’ that the weaker will be
defeated and that the stronger will be victorious. It is ordinary arithmetic that the stronger will win,
so why fight? There is no need. Hitler can bark at Stalin, Stalin can bark at Hitler and they can both
call their mathematician and count who has the most airplanes, the most bombs. Within minutes
the thing can be settled – then you just show by your tail. No need to go to war, because a war will
only prove what can already be done on a table – that is, who the strongest is. Why such a wastage,
such a wastage of human beings?
But no, it is impossible. Human beings are such egoists that even the weaker thinks that somehow
he is going to win. No animal deceives himself so much. Mock fights are there just to judge who is
stronger, then it is finished. You will say of a dog who puts down his tail, that he is a coward. No, he
is not, he is simply intelligent. He is weak, so what is the need to get into a fight? It is proved, and
it is proved innocently without any bloodshed. The same thing is going to be proved even through a
fight. Why go to war unnecessarily?’ This is more economical.
AT THIS THE PRINCE ORDERED HIS ATTENDANTS TO MAKE A CONCERTED ATTACK. Look at
the foolishness! Just to kill a monkey a concerted attack is needed, many men attacking the monkey
from all sides. IN AN INSTANT THE MONKEY WAS SHOT FULL OF ARROWS AND FELL DEAD.
And the Prince must have felt very good, he had done something. But look at the foolishness – a
concerted attack by so many people, and with the Prince there must have been at least a hundred
attendants. A hundred men killing a monkey and then feeling good, victorious. The monkeys must
be laughing at what you have done.
THE MONKEY WAS SHOT FULL OF ARROWS AND FELL DEAD. THEN THE PRINCE TURNED
TO HIS COMPANION YEN PU’I.... And look how even in our foolishness we prove that we are wise!
This Prince had killed unnecessarily and in no way could this be called a victory. Just to kill one
monkey took a concerted attack of a hundred persons with arrows; and the monkey was without any
weapon, naked, with no protection.
Is it a victory? It is not a victory at all, it is not even diplomacy. Even ordinarily, if we fight a warrior,
we give a weapon to the other. He must have a sword, he must have the same protection. They
were all protected. But an unprotected innocent animal had been killed.
The Prince is foolish, but look at his advice even from our foolishness we go on feeling that we are
When the Shoe Fits 70 Osho