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

262 THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12
somebody else, it is always easy to find somebody who is weaker than you, it is easy to impose yourself upon
somebody.
But the mystic, the meditator is moving in a totally different direction he is moving in his interiority. He is
trying to be a master of himself, not of others but of himself and that is true mastery. The first effort is stupid.
And the world has been dominated by the soldiers for centuries, that’s why the world is in such a mess. The
world needs more and more sannyasins because each sannyasin becomes a moon: he transforms the violent energy
of the world into a cool pool of energy. The world needs to be full of sannyasins, only then can we have a world
which forgets the ways of war and learns the language of peace and love. The world needs many sannyasins as
transformers of energy.
That’s exactly what is meant by a buddhafield: where many sannyasins are together and create such a great
transforming force that all kinds of energies passing through the buddhafield become cool, become feminine,
become more like flowers and less like rocks. They lose their hardness, they become delicate delicate like rose
petals.
BY NIGHT THE MOON SHINES.... The night is the time of the mystic, the day is the time of the warrior.
The night represents a change in the whole atmosphere. It is easier to meditate in the night than in the day.
Meditation is far closer to sleep than to any other activity, with only one difference: in sleep you fall unconscious,
in meditation you remain conscious, but with the same relaxation. In the day it is difficult to sleep; if you want
to sleep in the day you have to close the doors and the windows and pull all the curtains so it becomes dark. If
sunrays are coming they won’t allow you to sleep; sunrays activate your energies. Night helps you to rest and
relax. It is the time of the mystic.
Sannyasins should use the time of night more and more for meditation. You can go deeper, and easily, because
the winds are blowing that way; you can move with the winds with less effort. In the day you are moving against
the winds. In the day active meditations are good; dynamic meditation is good in the day, dancing meditation
is good in the day. But in the night Vipassana, silent meditations, just sitting and doing nothing, just relaxing
because the whole atmosphere is relaxing.... The sun has gone down, the trees have fallen asleep; it is a totally
different quality of energy that surrounds you in the night. It is easy to meditate.
Buddha says: THE MASTER SHINES IN MEDITATION in the night.
By ”the master” he means one who is trying to be a master of himself; by ”warrior” he means one who is
trying to be a master of others. But once you have attained, once you have become enlightened, then there is no
question of day and night, no question of sun and moon.
BUT DAY AND NIGHT THE MAN WHO IS AWAKE SHINES IN THE RADIANCE OF THE SPIRIT.
The buddha, the awakened, the enlightened one shines both in the night and in the day; there is no difference
for him. Once you have become awakened, then nothing makes any difference. But till that happens use the night
atmosphere more and more for meditation.
And when the moon is there in the night it is far easier to meditate. The full-moon night is the best for
meditation. Many people who have become buddhas have attained their enlightenment on the full-moon night,
even Buddha himself. It may have been a coincidence, but it is significant to remember: he was born on the
full-moon night, he became enlightened on the full-moon night and he died on the full-moon night. Something in
the full moon seemed to be synchronizing with his energy.
Use it. Be alert and use every possibility to help you go in. Once you are awakened, then there is no problem.
Then you can be at ease, at rest, at peace, anywhere.
Somebody asked Buddha, ”When you die will you go to heaven?”
Buddha said, ”Don’t ask nonsense questions. Wherever a buddha is there is heaven. Buddhas don’t go to
heaven; wherever a buddha goes, heaven goes there.”
This is much closer to the truth, far more beautiful; the very statement is significant. There is no question of
enlightened ones going to paradise enlightened ones live in paradise wherever they are. You can send them to
hell if there is a hell and the hell will be transformed. By their very presence the hell will become a buddhafield.
By their very presence the energies of hell will go through a transformation.
Once it happened:
A Christian priest was delivering a sermon one Sunday and he said, ”Those who don’t believe in God and live
immoral lives will go to hell; those who believe in God and live moral lives will go to heaven.”
A man stood up and asked, ”A question has arisen in me. The question is: Those who don’t believe in God
and live a moral life, where will they go? Those who believe in God and live immoral lives, where will they go?”
The priest was at a loss; he had not thought about it. The question was tricky. He said, ”Please give me time
to ponder over it. After seven days I will answer, next Sunday.”