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

CHAPTER 4. LIE DOWN AND WITNESSALTHOUGH SACRED FISH ARE NOT UNCOMMON, A FISH GOD SEEMS TO BE A SOMEWHATRARE PHENOMENON. DAGON, THE CHIEF GOD OF THE ANCIENT PHILISTINES ANDLATER THE PHOENICIANS, IS REPRESENTED AS HALF MAN AND HALF FISH. DAGON’SWORSHIPPERS WORE FISH SKINS.THERE WERE SACRED FISH IN THE TEMPLES OF APOLLO AND APHRODITE IN ANCIENTGREECE. XENOPHON, THE GREEK HISTORIAN WHO WAS A PUPIL AND FRIEND OFSOCRATES, RECORDS THAT FISH WERE REGARDED AS GODS.IN PERU SARDINES ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN WORSHIPPED IN ONE REGION, THE FISHKNOWN AS SKATE IN ANOTHER REGION, AND THE DOGFISH IN ANOTHER.IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, THE FISH, EVEN TODAY, REPRESENTS CHRIST.ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT ROLES OF THE FISH, IN ALL MYTHOLOGIES, IS THAT OFRESTORER OF LIFE AND SAVIOR OF MANKIND. THE BUDDHISTS CALL THEIR FOUNDERDAG-PO OR ”GREAT FISH”; HEBREWS DESIGNATE THE SAME NAME FOR THE COMINGMESSIAH IN THE TALMUD.IN INDIA, THE FISH SAVIOR, MATSYA, AN INCARNATION OF VISHNU, LED MANU TO SAFETYIN THE GREAT FLOOD, THUS SAVING MANKIND AS WELL.Avirbhava’s museum of gods represents to you that man has always been humiliated. His dignityin many ways has been destroyed. It was a well-organized conspiracy against humanity. To teachpeople to worship animals is simply so irrational. But yet, almost all the animals around the worldhave been worshipped as gods and nobody seems to have objected. People have been put in suchgreat psychological slavery that they have forgotten even to question, to doubt. They have simplyaccepted whatever conditioning has been given to them in their childhood.Unless you are free from all such stupid conditionings, you won’t be able to recognize the God withinyou. If you are searching for gods in fishes, in horses, in pigs, how are you going to search for the godwithin yourself? And that is the only place where you can find the ultimate consciousness. Thesepoor animals are still growing towards that consciousness. They contain the same consciousness,but it is far more deeply asleep.Making man – who is the only conscious animal in the universe – worship far more sleepy animals,is a very dangerous strategy. It means making sleepiness virtually far more superior to awareness.Animals should be loved, should be respected, because somewhere at some time they will alsoreach to the same consciousness as you. There is a constant evolution going on – but worshippingthe animal is dangerous.Loving the animal is absolutely human. Loving the animal shows that you can see the future ofthese animals’ evolution. Some day they may come to the same point where we are, and some daythey may come to the same height as any buddha. Regarding their future, you can be loving andrespectful towards them.But the strange phenomenon of worshipping animals means you are lower than the animals. Andthe thing becomes even more weird. You worship the animals – and you kill them for your food. Onthe one hand they are gods, and on the other hand game.Hyakujo: The Everest of Zen, with Basho’s Haikus 56 Osho