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

188 THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12
The mother said, ”I know, but after only a few days you will know he is nothing but a goddamned Greek! And
one thing more,” the mother said, ”if you marry this man then remember one thing: never turn your back towards
him, never! Whatsoever happens sleep on your back the whole night!”
The girl got married. She insisted, and soon she found the mother was right: the Greek god was nothing but
a goddamned Greek! And she was also puzzled because he was always trying to tell her, ”Why don’t you turn
over?” but she wouldn’t turn over; she was also stubborn!
After six months all efforts failed. The Greek said, ”Listen. If you don’t turn over you are not going to have
children ever.”
Then the girl had to turn because she wanted children. The Greek played a logical trick.
Greeks have been homosexuals for centuries. All their great people have been homosexuals. So you need not
worry you have a great history behind you! Walt Whitman was a homosexual one of the greatest poets of all
the ages.
There seems to be something in homosexuality that makes people creative, or creative people homosexuals.
There is something in it and I can see the point. When you stop creating children, your creativity takes new
turns, new dimensions. You create poetry, you create painting.
And the people who have been condemning homosexuality for ages are also condemning it for one more reason.
As far as the man/woman relationship is concerned it is always on the rocks, because man cannot understand the
mind of the woman, the woman cannot understand the mind of the man. They are poles apart. That is their
attraction, but that is also their conflict, constant conflict. If homosexuality is allowed, accepted, the fear is that
many people will settle into it because a man can understand another man more easily they have the same mind.
And women can understand each other more easily they have the same mind.
That’s why homosexuals are called ”gay” people. They are really gay! The heterosexuals look so sad. Whenever
you see a couple you can immediately know whether they are married or not: if they are sad they are married, if
they are looking dull and dead they are married. Marriage kills all joy for the simple reason that it creates so many
conflicts. Hence all societies have condemned homosexuality, for the simple reason that if it is not condemned,
what will happen to reproduction? In the past it had some meaning, but now it has no meaning.
Now the day has come when homosexuality can be accepted, should be accepted as a natural outlet of your
sexual energies. I am not against it, I am not for it either. I am simply saying that if you have to live your sex
you can choose your style, you are free to choose your style. If you decide to be stupid, at least you should be
given the freedom to choose what kind of stupid you want to be! I give you total freedom.
My effort here is to help you to go beyond it, so if you are homosexual you have to go beyond homosexuality, if
you are heterosexual you have to go beyond heterosexuality. And there are other people also who are neither, who
are autoerotic, autosexual. They have to go beyond their autoeroticism. Man has to transcend sex, whatsoever
kind of sex it is, because unless you go beyond your biology you will never know your soul. But meanwhile before
you go beyond it is your freedom to be whatsoever you want to be.
You say, ”I am homosexual. I feel terribly oppressed and stricken by the stigma of homosexuality.”
There is no need to be ”terribly oppressed.” You must be accepting people’s condemnation. Deep down
somewhere you are also against it; otherwise, why feel oppressed? If people are against, let them be against!
You need not declare to everybody that you are a homosexual. You need not move with a flag that you are a
homosexual! You can remain a homosexual. Of course, you cannot hide it because your sex style changes your
body language. The way the homosexual walks is totally different from the heterosexual; the way he talks is
totally different. And he looks so gay, so happy!
So you will have to remain a little less happy, that’s all. Don’t look so happy, and walk a little more consciously,
that’s all. Don’t feel oppressed and don’t feel stricken by the stigma of homosexuality. That is all nonsense!
And you say, ”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.”
What courage are you talking about? Here there is no question of courage. If you are homosexual you are
homosexual! Here it does not need courage to declare it. Here you can write on your shirt, ”I am homosexual.”
Nobody will take any notice of it. People will say, ”So what?”
This is a totally different world. Here we accept all kinds of people: sane, insane, crazy we have no objection.
Unless you start harming others we have no objection. And homosexuality is a harmless game, absolutely harmless.
But you think that this is courageous that you are declaring that you are a homosexual. Here it is not; anywhere
else it will be. And I will not suggest that you declare it anywhere else; there is no need. Why brag about it?
Accept it silently, relax into it.