படித்ததில் பிடித்தது - In Devil's Service

மதத்தின் பெயரால் இன்று நடக்கும் கலவரங்களையும், வன்முறைகளையும் பார்க்கையில், இதில் ஈடுபடும் மக்களில் எத்தனை பேருக்கு உண்மையாக தங்கள் மதங்களைப் பற்றித் தெரியும் என்ற சந்தேகம் நமக்கு அடிக்கடி வருவதுண்டு. தாங்கள் உணர்ந்த பேருண்மை மக்களுக்குப் பயன்பட வேண்டும் என்ற உயர்ந்த எண்ணத்தில் அதைத் தந்து விட்டுச் சென்ற மகான்கள் அதன் பெயரால் பிற்காலத்தில் போர்களும், அழிவும் ஏற்படும் என்பதை உணர்ந்திருப்பார்களா? இப்போது உலகம் செல்வது மகான்கள் காட்டிய பாதையிலா, இல்லை சைத்தான் காட்டும் பாதையிலா என்பதற்கு பதில் சொல்லும் வகையில் அழகான உவமையுடன் ஓஷோ சொல்லும் இந்தக் கதை என்னை மிகவும் கவர்ந்தது.

In Devil's Service

Even a man like Buddha contemplated for seven days before uttering a single word. When he attained to enlightenment for seven days he remained utterly silent. wavering whether to say anything or not. The question was: Those who cannot understand, what is the point of saying to them such profound insights? They will misunderstand, they will misinterpret, they will do harm to the message. Rather than allowing the message to heal them they will wound the message itself – they will manipulate the message according to their minds, prejudices. Is it right to allow the message to be polluted by foolish people, by mediocre people, by stupid people?

Buddha was hesitant, very hesitant. Yes, he also thought of the few people who would be able to understand it, but then he could see that ”Those people who will be able to understand my words will be able to find truth on their own because they cannot be ordinary people, they will be superintelligent people, only then will they be able to understand what I am saying to them. If they can understand my words they will be able to find their own way, they will be able to reach the truth on their own, so why bother about them? Maybe it will take a little longer for them. So what? – because there is eternity, time is not short. But the message, once it gets into the wrong hands, will be corrupted forever.” Even to utter he was hesitant.

Because when you say something to people, if they are stupid people, they are bound to forget it very soon. If they are mediocre people they will not bother even to listen; they won’t care. But once it is written down then they will read it, study it; then it will become part of their schools, colleges and universities, and stupid scholars will ponder over it and they will write great scholarly treatises on it. People who know nothing will be talking about it for centuries and the truth will be lost in all that noise that scholars make – they will argue for and against.

It is said that once a disciple of the devil came running to him and he said, ”What are you doing sitting here under this tree? Have you not heard? – one man has found truth! We have to do something, and urgently, because if this man has found truth our very existence is in danger, our very profession is in danger. He can cut our very roots!”

The old devil laughed. He said, ”Calm down, please. You are new, that’s why you are so disturbed by it. Don’t be worried. I have got my people, they have already started working.”

The disciple asked, ”But I have not seen any of our people there.”

The devil said, ”I work in many ways. Scholars are there, pundits are there, philosophers are there, theologians are there. Don’t be worried. They will make so much noise for and against, they will create so much argumentation that the still small voice of truth will be silenced by them. We need not worry. These scholars and pundits and these professors are my people: I work through them – they are in my service, they are my secret agents. Don’t be worried. You may not have seen my well-known disciples there because I cannot go directly, I have to go in disguise. And I have arrived there and my people have started working – they have surrounded the person. He cannot do any harm. And soon he will be dead – he is old – and then my people will be his apostles, his priests, and they will manage the whole affair.”

The so-called great scholars who go on and on with logic-chopping, hair-splitting arguments are in the service of the devil, not in the service of God. Once you write down something you are giving a chance to these people; they will jump upon the opportunity, they won’t miss the opportunity. They will mess the whole thing up, they will create great confusion around it. That is their expertise.

- OSHO