Osho - Bodhidharma - The Greatest Zen Master 19 - Relish the mystery in the depths of your heart

BELOVED OSHO,
THROUGHOUT THE SUTRAS, THE BUDDHA TELLS MORTALS THEY CAN
ACHIEVE ENLIGHTENMENT BY PERFORMING SUCH MERITORIOUS
WORKS AS BUILDING MONASTERIES, CASTING STATUES, BURNING
INCENSE, SCATTERING FLOWERS, LIGHTING ETERNAL LAMPS,
PRACTICING ALL SIX PERIODS OF THE DAY AND NIGHT, WALKING
AROUND STUPAS, OBSERVING FASTS AND WORSHIPING. BUT IF
BEHOLDING THE MIND INCLUDES ALL OTHER PRACTICES, THEN SUCH
WORKS AS THESE WOULD APPEAR REDUNDANT.
THE SUTRAS OF THE BUDDHA CONTAIN COUNTLESS METAPHORS.
BECAUSE MORTALS HAVE SHALLOW MINDS AND DON'T UNDERSTAND
ANYTHING DEEP, THE BUDDHA USED THE TANGIBLE TO REPRESENT
THE SUBLIME. PEOPLE WHO SEEK BLESSINGS BY CONCENTRATING ON
EXTERNAL WORKS INSTEAD OF INTERNAL CULTIVATION ARE
ATTEMPTING THE IMPOSSIBLE.
WHAT YOU CALL A MONASTERY, WE CALL A SANGHARAMA, A PLACE
OF PURITY. BUT WHOEVER DENIES ENTRY TO THE THREE POISONS AND
KEEPS THE GATES OF HIS SENSES PURE, HIS BODY AND MIND STILL,
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE CLEAN, BUILDS A MONASTERY.
CASTING STATUES REFERS TO ALL PRACTICES CULTIVATED BY THOSE
WHO SEEK ENLIGHTENMENT ....
AND BURNING INCENSE DOESN'T MEAN ORDINARY MATERIAL
INCENSE BUT THE INCENSE OF THE INTANGIBLE DHARMA, WHICH
DRIVES AWAY FILTH, IGNORANCE AND EVIL DEEDS WITH ITS PERFUME
....
WHEN THE BUDDHA WAS IN THE WORLD, HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES TO
LIGHT SUCH PRECIOUS INCENSE WITH THE FIRE OF AWARENESS AS AN
OFFERING TO THE BUDDHAS OF THE TEN DIRECTIONS. BUT PEOPLE
TODAY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE TATHAGATA'S REAL MEANING. THEY
USE AN ORDINARY FLAME TO LIGHT MATERIAL INCENSE OF
SANDALWOOD OR FRANKINCENSE HOPING FOR SOME FUTURE
BLESSING THAT NEVER COMES.
FOR SCATTERING FLOWERS THE SAME HOLDS TRUE. THIS REFERS TO
SPEAKING THE DHARMA, OR TO SCATTERING FLOWERS OF VIRTUE, IN
ORDER TO BENEFIT OTHERS AND GLORIFY THE REAL SELF .... IF YOU
THINK THE TATHAGATA MEANT FOR PEOPLE TO HARM PLANTS BY
CUTTING OFF THEIR BLOOM, YOU'RE WRONG. THOSE WHO OBSERVE
THE PRECEPTS DON'T INJURE ANY OF THE MYRIAD LIFE FORMS OF
HEAVEN AND EARTH. IF YOU HURT SOMETHING BY MISTAKE, YOU
SUFFER FOR IT. BUT THOSE WHO INTENTIONALLY BREAK THE PRECEPTS
BY INJURING THE LIVING FOR THE SAKE OF FUTURE BLESSINGS SUFFER
EVEN MORE. HOW COULD THEY LET WOULD-BE BLESSINGS TURN INTO
SORROWS?
THE ETERNAL LAMP REPRESENTS PERFECT AWARENESS. ...LONG
AGO, THERE WAS A BUDDHA NAMED DIPAMKARA, OR LAMPLIGHTER.
THIS WAS THE MEANING OF HIS NAME .... THE LIGHT RELEASED BY A
BUDDHA FROM ONE CURL BETWEEN HIS BROWS CAN ILLUMINATE
COUNTLESS WORLDS. AN OIL LAMP IS NO HELP ....
PRACTICING ALL SIX PERIODS OF THE DAY AND NIGHT MEANS AMONG
THE SIX SENSES CONSTANTLY CULTIVATING ENLIGHTENMENT AND
PERSERVERING IN EVERY FORM OF AWARENESS. NEVER RELAXING
CONTROL OVER THE SIX SENSES IS WHAT'S MEANT BY ALL SIX PERIODS.
AS FOR WALKING AROUND STUPAS, THE STUPA IS YOUR BODY AND
MIND. WHEN YOUR AWARENESS CIRCLES YOUR BODY AND MIND
WITHOUT STOP, THIS IS CALLED WALKING AROUND A STUPA ....
THE SAME HOLDS TRUE FOR OBSERVING A FAST .... TO FAST MEANS ...TO
REGULATE YOUR BODY AND MIND SO THAT THEY'RE NOT DISTRACTED
OR DISTURBED.
ALSO, ONCE YOU STOP EATING THE FOOD OF DELUSION, IF YOU TOUCH
IT AGAIN, YOU BREAK YOUR FAST. AND ONCE YOU BREAK IT, YOU REAP
NO BLESSING FROM IT. THE WORLD IS FULL OF DELUDED PEOPLE WHO
DON'T SEE THIS. THEY INDULGE THEIR BODY AND MIND IN ALL
MANNER OF EVIL. THEY GIVE FREE REIN TO THEIR PASSIONS AND
HAVE NO SHAME. AND WHEN THEY STOP EATING ORDINARY FOOD,
THEY CALL IT FASTING. HOW ABSURD!
IT'S THE SAME WITH WORSHIPING. YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE
MEANING AND ADAPT TO CONDITIONS. MEANING INCLUDES ACTION
AND NON-ACTION ....
WORSHIP MEANS REVERENCE AND HUMILITY. IT MEANS REVERING
YOUR REAL SELF AND HUMBLING DELUSIONS. IF YOU CAN WIPE OUT
EVIL DESIRES AND HARBOR GOOD THOUGHTS, EVEN IF NOTHING
SHOWS, IT'S WORSHIP ....
THOSE WHO FAIL TO CULTIVATE THE INNER MEANING AND
CONCENTRATE INSTEAD ON THE OUTWARD EXPRESSION NEVER STOP
INDULGING IN IGNORANCE, HATRED AND EVIL WHILE EXHAUSTING
THEMSELVES TO NO AVAIL. THEY CAN DECEIVE OTHERS WITH
POSTURES, REMAIN SHAMELESS BEFORE SAGES AND VAIN BEFORE
MORTALS, BUT THEY'LL NEVER ESCAPE THE WHEEL, MUCH LESS
ACHIEVE ANY MERIT.