THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12 The ...

186 THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12
”It was then that I realized my error. The barrel, now full of tiles, was heavier than I and began descending. In
my shock, I forgot to let go up I went! Halfway up, the barrel and I met, breaking my right hip. I continued up,
breaking several fingers and one hand as I hit the edge of the roof. Meanwhile the barrel hit the ground, tipped
over and spilled out most of the tiles. The barrel, now lighter than I, came back up. I descended. Halfway down
we met again this time my ribs were crushed. When I hit the ground my left leg was broken.
”It was at this time that I had the presence of mind to let go of the rope. A few seconds later the barrel landed
on my head giving me concussion!”
More intelligence is needed, more awareness is needed, and then life becomes naturally good, spontaneously
good.
The third question:
Question 3
BELOVED MASTER, I AM HOMOSEXUAL. I FEEL TERRIBLY OPPRESSED AND STRICKEN BY THE
STIGMA OF HOMOSEXUALITY. IT SEEMS FALSE TO ME TO COME HERE TO FIND A WAY TO COME
CLOSER TO MYSELF AND AT THE SAME TIME NOT TO HAVE THE COURAGE TO SHOW MYSELF
THE WAY I AM. THEN I WANT TO RESIGN AND RETURN HOME SO THAT I DON’T HAVE TO THINK
ABOUT IT ANY LONGER. WHAT CAN I DO?
Hein Steff, there is nothing wrong in being homosexual. You need not feel guilty about it. One certainly
has to go beyond sex, but that is as much applicable to heterosexuality as it is applicable to homosexuality.
Heterosexuality or homosexuality are just styles of the same stupidity! You need not feel guilty.
In fact, looking at the population of the world, homosexuality should be supported. At least you will not be
increasing the population of the world, you will not be loading the earth more. It is already loaded too much.
Homosexuality should be valued, respected it is pure fun! Heterosexuality is dangerous. And what is wrong? If
two persons are enjoying each other’s bodies, nothing is wrong. It should be their concern; nobody else’s business
to interfere.
But the society is continuously interfering in everything; it does not leave anybody any privacy. It enters in
your bedroom too. Your society is not a free society. It talks of freedom and democracy and all that rot, but it
is pure slavery. It is a big prison. And your priests and your so-called God are all Peeping Toms. They are all
looking into your private lives, what you are doing. It should be nobody’s business.
What is wrong in loving a man or a woman? Two men can love each other, two women can love each other.
Love is a value in itself. And fun should not be condemned. Life is already such a burden, such a drag, such a
boredom. Leave at least something in life so people can feel a little less bored.
Here you need not feel afraid to show yourself the way you are. My whole approach is to help you to be the
way you are because that is the only way to help you transcend it. Feel guilty and you will remain the same.
Guilt never transforms anybody.
And homosexuality is such an innocent phenomenon. Why is it so much condemned? The reason is that if it
is not condemned, the fear is that almost everybody will turn homosexual because every child has the tendency.
Every child passes through the stage when he is homosexual. Every boy, every girl, passes through a time when
boys like boys and girls like girls. The fear is that if many people turn homosexual and particularly in the past
when the population was not big and every society wanted more numbers because numbers meant power.... To
allow homosexuality was dangerous; it had to be condemned, absolutely condemned, so much so that in a few
countries it is the greatest crime.
For example, in Ayatollah Khomeiniac’s country, Iran, it is one of the greatest crimes. You can be imprisoned
for your whole life or you can even be sentenced to death, just for being homosexual. It seems absolutely absurd,
ridiculous, but in the past there was some reason in it. Every society wanted to be more powerful. It was a
constant struggle a struggle between groups, struggle between tribes, struggle between clans the deciding factor
was your number, how many you are. If people become homosexual, then the population will decrease; hence it
has to be condemned as the greatest sin.
It may have some meaning if you think of the past, but in the present it is absolutely meaningless. In fact,
the whole situation has become just the opposite: now heterosexuality is the danger; less numbers are needed. If
humanity goes on growing this way, then we cannot support humanity, we cannot live any longer. By the end
of this century the population will be so much, the poverty will be so much, that there seems to be no way out
except a third world war which will kill almost everybody so that a few people can start the whole story again.
I have heard a story, a twenty-first century story: