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

206 THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12
Buddha says: The first thing to remember when you move into the masses is to hold your tongue.
Once he was convinced of the fact that people are in need of great help he insisted his whole life that, unless
you find it absolutely contrary to your innermost nature, become a Bodhisattva. But there are a few people for
whom it may be against their inner nature; then they have to remain arhatas. Don’t force them. Remember:
people need help. If you can be of any help, do whatsoever you can, but if you cannot, if it feels simply something
totally against your intrinsic nature, your inner voice, then forget all about it.
An arhata also helps in his own way; without helping he helps by his presence. He remains in his silence, he
lives his ordinary life without telling anybody anything, without manifesting his experience, without expressing
his joy. He lives joyously, but he makes no deliberate effort to communicate. Still, a few sensitive souls will be
attracted to him. They will start following him silently, they will sit by his side. He will not say anything; they
will listen to his silence. If he has arrived then there is an aura around him; they will be nourished by this aura.
If he has found his home there will be such peace radiating that you will be bathed in it, you will be blessed to
be with him. He will be able to help you only indirectly.
A hot and flustered city gent in his big car was hopelessly lost in a maze of country lanes. Spotting a local
sitting on a gate, chewing a piece of straw, he drew up opposite and shouted, ”I say, my good man, can you tell
me where this road goes to?”
”No,” was the reply.
”Can you tell me where that road goes to, that turns off to the left?”
”No.”
Getting quite a bit irritated the city gent yelled, ”Well, where does that road that goes off to the right go to?”
”Don’t know,” was the reply.
”You must be some sort of idiot!” yelled the frustrated gent.
”Maybe,” said the cool man, ”but at least I know where I am.”
This is the way of the arhata: he knows where he is. He will not say anything about any road, anything about
any way, but he knows where he is and he is utterly contented with that. You can sit by his side, you can be
nourished by his presence, but he is not going to make any direct effort. Indirectly... if you can drink out of his
presence you are welcome, but he will not call you forth, he will not seek and search for you.
Buddha says: Mostly it happens that fifty percent of the enlightened ones are arhatas and fifty percent are
Bodhisattvas. That’s how nature keeps its balance on every plane. So don’t be worried if you feel one day that
you have arrived, but there is no desire to help anybody; then don’t force it. Forcing it will be ugly, will be violent,
will be destructive. If it is not there it is not there. Then God is happy with you as you are.
But if you feel that there is a desire arising in you to help, to be compassionate, to hold somebody’s hand, to
make a boat and take people to the further shore, then don’t be worried about the troubles. The troubles are
there, but the world needs some people who can show the way, and only those who know can show the way. Even
for them it is difficult. And the world is in immense need because it is being led by stupid people. It is being
guided by politicians and priests, all kinds of people who don’t know what they are doing. That’s why it is always
in such chaos.
Mulla Nasruddin’s son came home late from school. The Mulla grabbed him and gave him a beating, saying,
”Let this be a lesson to you not to come home late!”
The next day the boy came home with his clothes dirty from playing. The Mulla gave him a good smacking,
saying, ”Let this be a lesson to you not to dirty your clothes!”
The following day the boy came home with bad grades. The Mulla beat him again, saying, ”Let this be a lesson
to you not to get bad grades!”
The fourth day, as soon as the son came home, the Mulla just grabbed him and beat him.
”What is the matter, father?” asked the boy, crying. ”Today I came on time, with clean clothes, and with good
grades!”
”Let this be a lesson to you,” said Mulla Nasruddin. ”There is no justice in the world!”
Now these are the people who have created the world and who are guiding it and who are teaching and who
are bringing up new children to create more chaos in the world.
Yes, Bodhisattvas are needed, but their path is far more arduous than the path of the arhatas. The mystic
enjoys his bliss. He is like a beautiful roseflower, fragrant, dancing in the wind, in the sun, in the rain, but
unconcerned about anything else. The Bodhisattva takes the burden of others on his shoulders. He tries to help
people who are mostly incapable of taking any help, who are not only incapable of taking any help but who are
also very stubborn in their refusal of it, who feel offended if you try to help them.
That’s why Buddha says: HOLD YOUR TONGUE.