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

82 THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12
Somendra... thank you, Somendra! I also will need a Judas; otherwise the story will remain incomplete. I can
be a Jesus only with a Judas. Yes, somebody has to do the work of Judas it is hard work.
There are secret mystery schools which carry the tradition that Judas was one of the most obedient disciples
of Jesus. He betrayed Jesus because Jesus wanted to be betrayed.
That’s exactly what George Gurdjieff used to say: that Judas was not a renegade, he was simply following
Jesus. And his obedience was so total that when Jesus said, ”Go and betray me, and sell me for thirty silver
coins,” he went and did it. Of course, he felt very sorry for doing it, miserable, in deep anguish, but he had to
follow the master. So he betrayed Jesus, Jesus was crucified, and next day Judas committed suicide. Judas died
the next day. He must have felt very bad, although he had to follow the master. He was the most intelligent of
all the disciples of Jesus.
So, Somendra, somebody has to do the hard work of Judas. Some day, I may choose you don’t be worried and
don’t be in a hurry! One day I may order you, ”Now, Somendra, you can kill me.” But before that, let me kill
you!
And that’s why I go on saying no to you. That is my device to kill you. You would like to be recognized, but
it will be too early if I recognize you. It will be nothing but a recognition of your ego. I will recognize you only
when I see the ego has disappeared; while the ego is there I will go on destroying it. My no’s are nothing but hits
on the ego.
Yes will also be said when you have become capable of accepting my no’s joyfully. When you have become
worthy of receiving the yes, it will come on its own accord; you need not remind me. Your reminding me will only
delay it. Your reminding me will make me say more no’s to you. You cannot force yes from me, you cannot force
me to say yes to you. If you can force yes from me, my whole function of being a master is destroyed. You cannot
force anything from me.
Pass through these no’s: this is the dark night of the soul. And when the night is the darkest, the dawn is very
close.
The fourth question:
Question 4
BELOVED MASTER, ARE SCRIPTURES NOT REALLY OF ANY USE WHATSOEVER?
Thomas, scriptures are beautiful, but beautiful only for those who can understand them not for you. You
cannot understand them, you can only misunderstand them. I am not against the scriptures how can I be? I
am speaking on one of the scriptures, The Dhammapada, Buddha’s sayings. I have spoken on Jesus’ sayings, I
have spoken on Mahavira, on Krishna. I have spoken on the Upanishads, I have spoken on Tao Teh Ching. I have
spoken on almost all the beautiful scriptures of the world. How can I be against them and how can I think they
are useless? although I insist that you don’t depend on them. For you they are of no use.
Then what is their use? Their use is a totally different thing. When you become more meditative, the deeper
you go into meditation, the more will be your capacity and clarity to understand the scriptures. Scriptures will
become witnesses to you that you are on the right track. And when you reach to your innermost core, when
you realize your being, then you will know what Jesus means by the kingdom of God, then you will know what
Buddha means by nirvana, then you will know what the Upanishads mean by truth not before that.
Right now, if you read the Bible or the Koran or the Gita, you will interpret them according to your unconscious
state, according to your non-meditative state. You will misinterpret, you will misunderstand. You are not in the
right shape; you are upside down, you are topsy-turvy. You are a confusion, a chaos. You are a crowd, you are
not yet an individual. You don’t have a center at all. So how are you going to understand Jesus or Buddha or
Krishna?
Remember one very fundamental thing: you can understand Jesus only if you have tasted something of Christconsciousness
in you; otherwise there is no way. You can have some glimpses of Buddha only when you have
attained something of buddhahood, some texture, some taste, some fragrance. When you have entered into the
country of Buddha and the buddhas, then you will be able to see the meaning.
Otherwise, words are there, but who will put meaning into those words? You will put meaning into those words.
You will be reading Krishna but you will not be really reading Krishna you will be reading yourself through
Krishna. The words will be Krishna’s, the meanings will be yours and it is the meaning that is significant, not
the word.
Chauncey de Plotkin was suffering from the heartbreak of psoriasis. After vainly trying the usual patent
medicines sold over the counter he finally consulted a doctor and was given a prescription and told how and when
to take it.