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Osho : Every master has come to this point, to decide whether to say
anything or to remain silent. Even Gautam Buddha, when he became
enlightened, did not speak a single word for seven days, because
he could not find a way to say what he had found. Words don’t
exist for that experience. And whatever you say about it
immediately becomes wrong. The moment the inner experience
enters into outer expression, something goes dead. The living
dance is no more there; the throbbing pulse is no more there.
Seven days after his enlightenment, Gautam Buddha was persuaded
to speak. He had argued very hard on the point. He said, ”For
one thing, what I have found cannot be said. I can at the most
indicate, just like a finger pointing to the moon; but it is not
saying anything about the moon. The danger is that unconscious
people may start clinging to the finger, rather than looking at
the moon; that has happened in almost all religions. They are
holding their scriptures, their holy scriptures. They are only
fingers pointing to the moon – where is the moon?
Everybody is looking into his holy scripture. ”Secondly,”
Gautam
Buddha said. ”Even if I manage somehow to figure out a way to
express the inexpressible, there is almost a ninety-nine percent
guarantee that it will be misunderstood.
”And a third point,” he said. ”I am willing even to speak for
that one percent of the intelligentsia – people of the heart,
people who are open, not closed. But there is no certainty or
guarantee that they will not misinterpret me. And once I have
said something, I am no more master of it. I am master of it only
while I am silent.”
His arguments are valid. And the people who were persuading him
felt that what he was saying was right, but somehow he had to be
convinced to speak. It is very rare that a man comes to this
highest peak of consciousness, and if he remains silent humanity
will not be enriched by him. He could shower the whole world
with his blessings; he could bring the whole world into a deep
silence where understanding blossoms. No opportunity can be
lost, and a
buddha is a great opportunity for the transformation
of the whole world.
So they insisted, ”Your arguments are all right, we agree with
you. But one thing we want to say to you is that if, after
millions of people, a single person reaches to such heights,
such depths ... even if he is misunderstood, misinterpreted, it
does not matter. At least one percent, probably, will understand
him – and that is a big percentage as far as humanity is
concerned. You cannot deny that one percent the great
opportunity that has arisen in you. There may be a few people
just on the verge of awakening – a little push and they may be
on the same height, as awake as you are.
And even if you go on missing the target, what is the harm?
People were unconscious, they will remain unconscious. But you
have to be compassionate, at least for the one percent that you
have accepted.” Out of his compassion, Buddha agreed. And as he
had said, it happened. Very few people understood him, but those
who understood him became transformed beings; they went through
a metamorphosis. A new kind of light started shining through
their being; a new aura of energy, like a cool breeze, followed
them.
But millions misunderstood, misinterpreted, and you can see the
result. After Gautam
Buddha’s death, there was not a single
buddha in the land where he was born, because the masses, with
their ignorance, confusion and condemnation, distorted
everything. Thirty-two schools arose after Gautam Buddha’s
death, interpreting things in their own ways and
fighting amongst themselves. And the old Indian priesthood – the
Brahmins – did not miss the chance. The priest is always afraid
of the awakened one, because he is the one who can destroy his
whole profession.
Jesus was not crucified by ordinary people; he was crucified by
the very scholarly rabbis, and the high priests of the temple of
the Jews in Jerusalem – they insisted that he should be
crucified.
Gautam Buddha was opposed by the priests of India;
the reason was the same. The priest is exploiting people in the
name of God, of which he knows nothing; in the name of the
spiritual, of which he has no idea. But whenever a person comes,
radiant with the experience, the priest
becomes afraid. It is not a question of argument; you cannot
argue with a buddha – his very presence is convincing. He has
not to utter even a word. If he utters some words, it is just to
lead you towards wordlessness. He speaks so that you can become
silent. His speaking is only a device.
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