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

THE DHAMMAPADA: THE WAY OF THE BUDDHA, VOL. 9-12 95
too scared of death. In fact, it would be better if you were too scared of death. That very fear might start an
inquiry in you. That very shock might trigger a process of transformation in you.
Buddha used to send his disciples to see the dead bodies being burned, to meditate there, to go on watching
the flames consuming a body. And then in the end nothing is left, only a few bones and ashes. This was his usual
procedure for the new sannyasins to be sent to watch the burning bodies, for three months at least, so that they
can feel the reality of death, so that the reality of death sinks deep into their hearts. Only that can wake you up.
But the priests are helping, by giving you tranquilizers, to keep you asleep as comfortably as possible. That has
been their service and we have paid them enough for their service. They are as ignorant as you are, as unaware
as you are. They are in the same situation as you are: they also need consolation. They look into scriptures for
their consolation. They go on reading the scriptures, continuously repeating the same scripture again and again,
because that’s how one gets autohypnotized. The Christian priest goes on reading the same Bible again and again,
and the Hindu priest goes on reciting the Gita again and again. Every day, every morning he recites the same
scripture. It becomes mechanical. It becomes like a gramophone record. He goes on repeating. It becomes part of
his memory with no meaning, no significance. He is just like a parrot. But it gives consolation. Repeating again
and again certain truths hypnotizes you.
Krishna says: When the body dies, the soul does not die. You can burn the body, but the fire cannot consume
the soul. Na hanyate hanyamane shareere you can kill the body, but you cannot kill the spirit, you cannot kill
the soul, because no arrow can reach to it, no sword can cut it. Nainam chhindanti shastrani, nainam dahati
pavakah neither any weapon can cut me nor fire burn me. Go on repeating it again and again and again, year in,
year out; you become autohypnotized. You start believing it, although you have not created any soul in you yet.
Krishna is right: the soul is eternal but in the first place you have to have it. It is not there. Soul means
consciousness, soul means integratedness. Soul means that you know through your own experience that you are
not the body and not the mind. It arises only through witnessing the bodymind mechanism; it is not created by
repetition. Repetition is hypnosis. It is experienced just the other way: you have to become dehypnotized, you
have to become unconditioned. You have to forget all the scriptures and all the priests and you have to look into
yourself. Howsoever fearful it is, you have to encounter your interiority.
The priests help you to remain on the circumference. They seem to be great friends, but in the final reckoning
they are the greatest enemies. It is not Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong who are the real enemies
of religion. The real enemies are the priests, the popes, the shankaracharyas, and so on, so forth. They don’t
know what they are doing. How can they help you? They simply go on repeating tradition, handing over to you
conventions ancient conventions, but dead.
You ask me, Veeresh, ”Cannot the priests help humanity in some way or other?”
Yes, they can help... if they disappear! We no more need them. Man has come of age. All these consolations
are not needed. We need people, rebellious people, not conventional priests. We need buddhas, awakened people
to wake you up. We need buddhas, not these priests who go on giving you new toys to play with. And they have
created beautiful toys, no doubt about it. They are very clever, cunning. Centuries of experience is behind them,
how to exploit humanity, how to exploit humanity’s weaknesses.
But remember: they don’t differ from you in any way as far as consciousness is concerned. Maybe they know
more than you know, their information is more than yours. That is a quantitative difference; it is not a difference
that makes a difference. Some qualitative difference is needed.
And being led by blind people is dangerous. They have destroyed the whole beauty of human beings, they
have destroyed the freedom of human beings. They have destroyed all that is valuable. They have left you just
deserted, empty, meaningless. It is felt all over the world. Why are people feeling so empty and meaningless? Who
has done this to them? Centuries of priesthoods, of different religions, have been giving them false consolations.
All those false consolations are no longer applicable. Man has become more adult. It is good to give children toys
to play with, but when somebody comes of age and you go on giving him toys to play with, he will start feeling
life is meaningless. He needs something more; he needs something more real.
Beware of being led by blind people!
A young woman, hardly more than a girl, went to see the local rabbi. ”You don’t know me,” she began with a
catch in her throat, ”but I just had to speak to somebody. You see, I have no mother or father and I don’t know
much about worldly matters.”
”You don’t have to say another word,” said the rabbi. ”I understand perfectly. It is a man, isn’t it?”
”Yes, and he is always trying to kiss me. Kiss, kiss, kiss that’s all he ever thinks of.”
You must be firm,” said the rabbi sternly. ”That kind of man you don’t need. Just tell him you don’t allow
such kinds of goings-on.”