Hyakujo: The Everest of Zen, with Basho's Haikus - Oshorajneesh.com

CHAPTER 2. THE GREAT PEARLThis is the problem with the scholars: they go on missing the authentic master.understand, but they come to understand the word not the experience.They come toAT THIS THE VINAYA MASTER WAS SILENCED.ON ANOTHER OCCASION, THE VENERABLE TAO KUANG ASKED HYAKUJO, ”MASTER, WHATMENTAL PROCESSES DO YOU EMPLOY IN PURSUING THE TAO?”HYAKUJO ANSWERED, ”I HAVE NO MENTAL PROCESSES THAT WOULD BE OF USE, AND NOTAO TO FOLLOW.”This is the ultimate statement of a witness. There are no mental processes. He has left the mindfar behind, and there is no goal of Tao, or Dhamma. He himself is the goal; he is the buddha. He isTao, he is Dhamma; he is the truth itself. Now, there is no question of any mental processes or anygoal of Tao.TAO KUANG ASKED, ”IF BOTH THOSE STATEMENTS ARE TRUE, WHY IS IT THAT EVERYDAY YOU CONVENE GATHERINGS DURING WHICH YOU URGE OTHERS TO LEARN HOWTO FOLLOW THE TAO BY MEANS OF ZEN?”That is the way intellectuals function. He has not understood Hyakujo’s great statement, he hassimply analyzed it and found that there is a contradiction. But this man says there is no mentalprocess that would be of any use, and there is no Tao to follow. If this is true, then why does thisman go on teaching great assemblies. You have to see how intellectuals function and how theymiss.He asked him, ”IF BOTH THOSE STATEMENTS ARE TRUE, as you say, WHY IS IT THAT EVERYDAY YOU CONVENE GATHERINGS DURING WHICH YOU URGE OTHERS TO LEARN HOW TOFOLLOW THE TAO BY MEANS OF ZEN?”That can be asked of any master. Even the master himself is very much concerned.I have told you that Gautam Buddha did not speak for seven days after his enlightenment. Whenasked, he said, ”I have been pondering for seven days whether to speak or not, and I cannot findany reason to speak. There are no means that I can teach to people that will lead them inevitably toenlightenment. There is no goal to be achieved so people can be shown the path.”People want some understanding about what discipline is to be followed – what cause is goingto produce buddhahood. There is no cause. So, all these seven days I have been thinking thatwhatever I say will not be exactly true. Should I say it or keep quiet? To be silent seems to be morehonest and more truthful but a little unkind – unkind to those who are still staggering in darkness,unkind to those who are very close to the source. Just a little help, a little push, may make thembuddhas.”But it is not so easy. If you push somebody he becomes angry. Your push is not necessarily goingto be understood as a compassion. The person may become more ugly than he was by your push.He may become more barbarous. He may stand up to fight with you asking, ”Why did you pushHyakujo: The Everest of Zen, with Basho’s Haikus 21 Osho