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

THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12 233
is better to keep moving. The Jaina monk has to stay not more than three days in one place; the fourth day he
has to leave. So no attachments, no friendships, no love affairs are possible; at the most he becomes acquainted.
In three days you cannot have intimacies with people. One day you come, in fact only one day you remain in the
village, the third day you are preparing to leave. This is fear of life! And to me, a sannyasin should be fearless.
So when a Jaina comes here, seeing so many people living together with so much joy, with such love, in deep
involvements with each other, in great intimacies, friendships, love affairs.... Much more love is happening in these
six acres than may be happening all over the world. In fact, sometimes I wonder how much love six acres can
contain! It seems the capacity to contain love is infinite.
And anybody who comes... if a Christian comes he can’t find the idea of his monastery. There are Christian
monasteries where women are not allowed; for one thousand years no woman has ever entered. Not even a small
female baby, a two-month-old baby is allowed. What kind of people are living inside monks or monsters? They
are afraid of a two-month-old baby. What can a poor, two-month-old baby do to them? They are afraid of
themselves they may do something. They are boiling! And they are committing all kinds of perversions, they
become perverted. If people are not allowed to be natural their energies become perverted.
All sexual perversions came out of the monasteries, remember it. They all have religious origins, they are very,
very spiritual and holy. All sexual perversions have their sources somewhere in religion. Now only monks are
living in a monastery... how long do you think they can avoid homosexuality? Only nuns are living in a nunnery;
how long can they avoid lesbianism? impossible to avoid. It is natural, something is bound to happen.
So when these people come here they are somebody. It is very difficult to find a journalist who has no prejudices
of his own; he comes with his prejudices. And this place is totally new, so naturally they are offended, outraged.
And my statements are outrageous they are meant to be. They are electric shocks to these people. They get
very much disturbed and they take revenge.
Remember one thing: if you report something good it never becomes news. Nobody is interested in good things;
people are interested in something bad, something sensational. So they are in search of sensation. And you can
find enough sensational things here, more than you can find anywhere else. You need not invent them we provide
them!
Father Murphy was a priest in a very poor parish. He asked for suggestions how he could raise money for his
church, and was told that horse-owners always had money.
He went to a horse auction, but he made a very poor buy as the horse turned out to be a donkey.
However, he thought he might enter the donkey in a race. The donkey came in third, and the next morning
the headlines in the paper read, ”Father Murphy’s Ass Shows.”
The archbishop saw the paper and was very angry.
The next day the donkey came in first and the headlines read, ”Father Murphy’s Ass Out Front.”
The archbishop was up in arms and figured something had to be done.
Father Murphy entered the donkey for a third time and it came in second. Now the newspaper read, ”Father
Murphy’s Ass Back In Place.” The archbishop thought this was too much so he forbade the priest to enter the
donkey the next day, which inspired the editor to write the headline, ”Archbishop Scratches Father Murphy’s
Ass.”
Finally, the archbishop heard this and ordered Father Murphy to get rid of the donkey. But he was unable
to sell it, so he gave it to Sister Agatha for a pet. When the archbishop heard this he ordered Sister Agatha to
dispose of the animal at once. She sold it for ten dollars.
Next day the headlines read, ”Sister Agatha Peddles Her Ass For Ten Dollars.”
Don’t be worried about the journalists. Enjoy whatsoever they write and help them to find things so they can
go on writing. I am much more concerned right now that they should go on writing, because whether they write
for or against they bring more and more people to me. And once a person comes here it is very difficult to escape!
So I am just absolutely grateful to the journalists, whatsoever they are doing. They are doing such humanitarian
work, such a great service to me!
So when they come here, don’t feel antagonistic. Help them in every possible way.
The sixth question:
Question 6
BELOVED MASTER, I AM SITTING SILENTLY DOING NOTHING, AND THE WEEDS ARE GROWING
ALL AROUND ME.
Roderick, weeds are divine. Don’t call them weeds. They are as spiritual as the buddhas. They partake of God
as much as roses. Remove men from the earth will there be any difference between weeds and roses? All these
distinctions are made up by the mind.