BELOVED OSHO,

A MONK PUT THE QUESTION TO JOSHU: "I HAVE HEARD THAT YOU SAID THAT WHEN THE UNIVERSE IS DESTROYED THE BUDDHA NATURE WILL NOT BE DESTROYED. WHAT IS THIS `NATURE'?"

JOSHU RESPONDED BY SAYING, "THE FOUR ELEMENTS AND THE FIVE COMPONENTS."

THE MONK ASKED AGAIN, "THESE ARE THE VERY THINGS THAT WILL BE DESTROYED; WHAT IS THIS `NATURE'?"

JOSHU SAID, "IT IS THE FOUR ELEMENTS AND THE FIVE COMPONENTS."

ONCE, A MONK WAS SAYING FAREWELL TO JOSHU, WHO ASKED HIM, "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

THE MONK REPLIED, "ALL OVER THE PLACE, TO LEARN BUDDHISM."

HOLDING UP HIS MOSQUITO-FLAPPER, JOSHU INSTRUCTED THE MONK, "DO NOT STAY WHERE THE BUDDHA IS! PASS QUICKLY THROUGH A PLACE WHERE THERE IS NO BUDDHA! DO NOT MAKE A MISTAKE AND BRING UP BUDDHISM TO ANYONE FOR THREE THOUSAND LEAGUES!"

THE MONK SAID, "IN THAT CASE I WON'T GO!" TO WHICH JOSHU RESPONDED, "FAREWELL! FAREWELL!"

Maneesha, these immensely important dialogues have remained obscure even in Zen circles because only a master, only a buddha, can give a right interpretation. Anybody else commenting on them is bound to fall far away from the right.

These sutras are not written by intellect; they do not follow rationality, they are not logical in any way. They are responses. And to find the response you need to have the same experience. That's why they have remained in existence, but uncommented upon. This small anecdote will explain it to you.

A MONK PUT THE QUESTION TO JOSHU: "I HAVE HEARD THAT YOU SAID THAT WHEN THE UNIVERSE IS DESTROYED THE BUDDHA NATURE WILL NOT BE DESTROYED. WHAT IS THIS `NATURE'?"

The question is absolutely rational and right. But the answer needs a tremendous insight to understand.

JOSHU RESPONDED BY SAYING, "THE FOUR ELEMENTS AND THE FIVE COMPONENTS."

According to Buddhist mythology, existence consists of Four Elements and Five Components. Now this is an absurd answer to the question because these are the very things the world is constituted of. And the questioner is asking, "When the world is destroyed, you say the Buddha nature remains. What is that nature?" Joshu simply says, FOUR ELEMENTS AND FIVE COMPONENTS.

THE MONK ASKED AGAIN, "THESE ARE THE VERY THINGS THAT WILL BE DESTROYED; WHAT IS THIS `NATURE' that will NOT be destroyed?"

JOSHU SAID, "IT IS THE FOUR ELEMENTS AND THE FIVE COMPONENTS."

Again the same answer. Now it becomes very absurd as far as reason is concerned, but what Joshu is saying is hidden behind the words. He is saying, "The witness who knows these Five Components and Four Elements." He does not use the word `witness', because no word is really capable of explaining the witness. So rather than using the word, he again repeats: "The world may be destroyed but the witness will remain. Up to now you have not even witnessed the Four Elements and Five Components. If you go inwards you will witness these Four Elements and Five Components, and the one that is witnessing is the buddha nature  --  about which nothing can be said."

The limit of language comes with Four Elements and Five Components. Beyond that is an open sky of witnessing, just a pure awareness. You can have it, but you cannot say anything about it. That's why Joshu does not say it. He again and again reminds the person, "Language ends with Four Elements and Five Components. What can I do? This is the last milestone; beyond this, what remains is the buddha nature."

This is the way of Zen, not to say things to their completion. This has to be understood; it is a very important methodology. Not to say everything means to give an opportunity to the listener to complete it. All answers are incomplete. The master has only given you a direction: go in the direction of Four Elements and Five Components. By the time you reach the limit, you will know what is going to remain.

This way, if somebody is trying to understand Zen intellectually he will fail. It is not an answer to the question but something more than the answer. It is indicating the very reality. Joshu is saying that you, as a witness, will remain. The buddha nature is not something far away  --  your very consciousness is buddha nature. And your consciousness can witness these things which constitute the world. The world will end but the mirror will remain, mirroring nothing.

But he does not say anything about witnessing, about the mirror. He leaves it to the person's meditativeness. The person has to find the answer himself. This is not a school or a college or a university.

Zen is an opportunity for anybody to rise in consciousness and awareness. The master's function is not to supply the answer. If the master supplies the answer, he is your enemy. The master can only give you the line to follow; your experience will be the answer. This way of dialogue has never existed anywhere else in the world.

ONCE, A MONK WAS SAYING FAREWELL TO JOSHU, WHO ASKED HIM. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

THE MONK REPLIED, "ALL OVER THE PLACE, TO LEARN BUDDHISM."

HOLDING UP HIS MOSQUITO-FLAPPER, JOSHU INSTRUCTED THE MONK, "DO NOT STAY WHERE THE BUDDHA IS!"

A strange suggestion... because the monk seems to be stupid not to see Joshu, a living buddha, before him. Obviously, Joshu does not want to say, "Remain here! I am the buddha you are searching for." On the contrary, he says:

"DO NOT STAY WHERE THE BUDDHA IS. PASS QUICKLY THROUGH A PLACE WHERE THERE IS NO BUDDHA!" Because where there is no buddha, what is the point? Pass quickly and don't stay where a buddha is.

Now, he is not leaving any place to go, because these are the only two places: either the Buddha will be there or the Buddha will not be there.

"DO NOT MAKE A MISTAKE AND BRING UP BUDDHISM TO ANYONE FOR THREE THOUSAND LEAGUES!"

He is saying, "As far as you can go  --  three thousands leagues  --  DO NOT MAKE A MISTAKE AND BRING UP BUDDHISM TO ANYONE, because you don't have it." So his three suggestions are, first: don't become a missionary, because it is not your experience. That which is not yours, don't repeat it to people like a parrot. Only your experience of ultimate, eternal consciousness enables you to point others towards the same route. You cannot teach Buddhism, because Buddhism is not a philosophy, it is a living experience. So if you have lived it, help others to join in living it. Share your life, your love, your compassion, your meditation, but don't teach principles. Buddhism is not interested in principles.

And second, don't stay in a place where there is no buddha, because what will you gain in a place where there is no buddha? You can gain some insight only by the side of an awakened one. You can start moving towards your center if you see someone who has reached the center, and you see the glory and the beauty and the majesty of the person. Otherwise there is no evidence that anybody has ever reached to the ultimate.

Once a great logician of Bengal, Keshav Chandra, went to see Ramakrishna. Keshav Chandra was a very great scholar, and he had founded a religion also. So he was the founder of a religion, he had thousands of followers. But he was always amazed: "Why do people go to this stupid, uneducated Ramakrishna?"

Keshav Chandra lived in Calcutta, and just a few miles away from Calcutta is Dakshineshwar where Ramakrishna lived. Thousands of people would go there. Keshav Chandra could not believe it: "What has that man got?" Finally he decided to go and put the man right.

Ramakrishna's followers were very much disturbed, worried, because Ramakrishna does not know any reason, any logic. He is just like a child, so innocent, and Keshav Chandra is known nationwide as a logician, philosopher. What will Ramakrishna do in a discussion with him?

They were worried that it was going to be a very critical moment. But Ramakrishna said, "Why are you worried? It is good that he is coming." Ramakrishna waited. Keshav Chandra came with many followers. He was determined to finish this man forever so that no followers would gather there at Dakshineshwar.

Ramakrishna danced in welcome when Keshav Chandra arrived. Keshav Chandra became a little shaky: "This is not a man to discuss with; he seems to be crazy." Ramakrishna hugged Keshav Chandra and said, "I have been waiting for so long! Now, start the dialogue to finish me."

There was utter silence. Even Keshav Chandra could not say anything: from where to start? Ramakrishna said, "You start from anywhere. Whatever you want to say, say it. I will love it!"

Keshav Chandra was an atheist, he did not believe in God. So it was obvious that he should start by saying, "There is no God. What is your opinion?"

Ramakrishna said, "It is not a question of opinion. If a man of your knowledge says there is no God, how can I deny it? But to me you are a proof, an evidence, that existence is not without consciousness. Such beautiful logical acumen! From where does it come? That very source is God, you are the proof. But if you say there is no God, I will agree with you absolutely."

Keshav Chandra had debated with many people, he was a supreme court attorney, and he found himself completely voiceless before a man who had studied only the first two primary classes and had no knowledge of anything. But the way Ramakrishna said, "If you say so, I trust you. You are such a great rational being you must have known whether God is or not. I am uneducated; all that I know is to sing songs and dance and play music. I can do all this without God, but God is a good excuse. Otherwise it looks crazy. If I go into a house and start dancing and singing, it looks crazy, but in a temple it looks very devotional. God is a good excuse. Have you ever danced in a temple? We have here a beautiful temple..."

Keshav Chandra had never thought that dance would come into an argument. And it looked appealing, because the man was so sincere. Ramakrishna said, "If you, a man of great intelligence, say to me, who is an uneducated man, I will believe it; I will drop all gods. Just say it to me, that you have explored the whole universe and found no God."

Keshav Chandra could not say that. Nobody has explored the whole universe. But without exploring the whole universe, how can you be so decisive that there is no God? Keshav Chandra said, "I cannot say that I have explored the whole universe. Naturally, my statement that there is no God is not valid. But what about you?"

Ramakrishna said, "About me? I have danced with him, I have loved him. I have threatened him; there have been times we have not been on talking terms. I sometimes close and lock the door of the temple and keep him hungry for days. But then I start feeling compassion for the poor fellow. I open the door, I bring food for him, and he is so nice that he has not said a single word to me."

And he told Keshav Chandra, "One day it happened that there was a sword hanging by the side of the Mother Goddess in the temple of Dakshineshwar. I told the Mother Goddess, `If you don't appear to me today I am going to cut off my head.' I took the sword from Mother Goddess' hand and I danced from morning till evening. I told her, `As the sun is setting, if you don't show yourself to me, remember: you will be responsible for my murder.'"

And as the sun was setting  --  he danced the whole day  --  a great crowd silently watched this strange man. He had danced from morning till evening singing songs of praise, and as the sun was setting, suddenly the sword he was going to use fell from his hand. He fell unconscious for six days.

After six days he opened his eyes and he said, "I have not asked that you should come into my deep unconscious. I wanted to see you clearly, in consciousness. I wanted witnesses from the crowd. But you played a trick!" And tears were flowing from his eyes and he said, "But now the world looks very pale. Take me back to the same space where I had gone. You took away the sword and now you have created more trouble for me, because now I can compare the tremendous beauty of the inner world and the tremendous poverty of the outer world. Just take me in."

He said to Keshav Chandra, "Have you ever done anything to go in?"

Keshav Chandra said, "I touch your feet. And please forgive me that I have come to argue with you. You are not a man to be argued with; you are the proof. If there can be a proof of God, you are the proof. You cannot be argued about."

Keshav Chandra's followers could not understand what was happening, because he was the founder of their religion, an atheistic religion. And he is touching the feet of a man he used to call an idiot.

Ramakrishna used to send messages to Keshav Chandra: "Sometimes, once in a while come back again just to finish me."

Keshav Chandra said, "You have finished me!" He renounced being the head and founder of his religion. He said, "I could not argue with an uneducated man. He had some experience, and I could see that I was absolutely empty and he was so full, so full of joy. I had discussed with many scholars... but the way he received me, dancing, and hugged me. And whenever I argued something he would again stand up and say, `Good, very good!' He never used a single word against me. On the contrary, he said, `If you say, I can join your religion, because to me you are also part of God.'"

Any consciousness is an argument that existence is conscious. That is the whole meaning of God. It is not that God is a person somewhere. God is spread all over the place, in the trees, in the mountains, in the rivers, in the birds, in men, in stones. Everywhere, there is a possibility of consciousness.

This whole consciousness in its totality you can call by any name. You can call it the truth, you can call it nirvana, you can call it God, it does not matter. One thing is certain, that existence is not unconscious; existence is not unintelligent.

These dialogues of Zen trust in the person, that "if we show him a line, his intelligence will not stay with what we have said but will follow the indication." To the monk who was going to take Buddhism to people, Joshu said, "Please don't do such a thing. You cannot share something with others which you don't have. First have it. And never stay in a place where there is no buddha because that will be a sheer wastage of time. And don't stay in a place where there is a buddha because that will transform you. You will not be anymore what you are."

Listening to this, the man understood quickly. He must have been a very intelligent, understanding man. He must have looked at Joshu again and found the buddha, just present in front of him.

THE MONK SAID, "IN THAT CASE I WON'T GO! I am going to remain here."

TO WHICH JOSHU RESPONDED, "FAREWELL! FAREWELL!" Just go wherever you want to go. Why are you changing your mind? I have not asked you to stay here.

He wants a clear-cut response from the man that he has recognized the buddhahood of Joshu.

So these are very strange dialogues. They are not like Socratic dialogues. Much that is important is left out of the dialogue and much that is absolutely non-essential is talked about. The essential is left by the corner to be understood.

One has to be very conscious with a Zen master; otherwise one can live with a Zen master and miss. The master cannot give you anything directly. There is no direct way of expressing the truth. The master can give only situations. Now, this is a situation: "Don't stay where a buddha is and don't stay where a buddha is not." Now Joshu is putting the monk in a dilemma  -- then where to stay? He is not leaving him any place to stay.

Obviously he looked again at Joshu with a more conscious, alert mind. And he saw, "I was wrong in going away. This is the place where I should remain." So he said immediately, "In that case I won't go." Jokingly, Joshu responded, "Farewell! Farewell!"

But the monk remained with Joshu. How can you leave such a master? It is impossible, first, to find a master like Joshu. And second, it is impossible to leave him. He will manage a trap for you, and once you are trapped in a master's hand, your buddhahood is not far away. The very meeting with the master is the beginning of your growing into a buddha.

A Zen poet, Isho, wrote:

BEFORE THE WINDOW,

SLENDER, JADE-COLORED BAMBOOS SING

WHEN THE COOL RAINS FALL,

WITH A RUSTLING SOUND.

THEIR FEATHERY GREEN

INTRUDING AT MY DESK,

THEY KNOW THERE IS

NO PURER HIDDEN SPOT THAN THIS.

Around the world people have written poems, mostly devoted to man and woman and their love. A few are devoted to the beauty of nature. But Zen is not in the same category as other poetry. It is simply a meditative mind, just watching what is happening around. And he sees beauty all around. The splendor of existence is so much that he feels to make a note in his book. BEFORE THE WINDOW... you have to visualize. Just visualize the window:

BEFORE THE WINDOW,

SLENDER, JADE-COLORED BAMBOOS SING

WHEN THE COOL RAINS FALL,

WITH A RUSTLING SOUND.

THEIR FEATHERY GREEN

INTRUDING AT MY DESK,

THEY KNOW THERE IS

NO PURER, HIDDEN SPOT THAN THIS.

Poor Isho lived in a hut near the bamboos, and the falling leaves are running into his hut, under his desk. He says, THEY KNOW THERE IS NO PURER, HIDDEN SPOT THAN THIS.

Zen wants you to know that even the leaves falling from the trees have a consciousness of their own. Nothing is unconscious. There are different ways of being conscious, but we are living in an ocean of consciousness. Millions are the aspects... so that we cannot understand exactly what the bamboos are doing.

Now in Mukta's pond, two beautiful snow-white swans have come, flown from England. Great visitors! And every night when I come and go, I cannot resist looking at them. They look so meditative, the whole day doing zazen... because they don't have any rented bicycle, they don't have to go to any movie. They are so silent that if you sit by the side of Mukta's pond you will become silent, seeing their silence. They just don't do anything  --  simply exist, no philosophical argument.

Seeing those swans I remember that in India, the man of self-realization is also called paramhansa. Hansa means swan and paramhansa means the great swan. Every day seeing them, I could understand: they look so buddhalike, just enjoying being  --  no work, no job, no strike, no lock-out, no interest in the whole world around them; they don't have anything.

But with their coming, the pond has become a temple. They are meditating day and night. What is happening inside them is difficult for us to know, but something must be happening inside them. They are such beautiful people. It must be in a different dimension, so we never crisscross each other, but in the same direction there must be other people, other birds.

There were ducks also  --  now, ducks are small; they became afraid when the swans came. So the ducks were in a very great trouble for a few days because the peacocks peck them on the head, so they cannot come out of the pond. And in the pond, two big swans are there  --  so unfamiliar, one does not know what they will do. So the ducks were hiding in the bushes. But slowly slowly some communication is certainly happening, because the ducks are coming closer... and yesterday Avesh informed me that they have entered the water with the swans. In silence, something has grown, a friendship. Nothing has been said, nothing has been heard, but something must have transpired between them.

Either the swans must have told them, "Come on, don't be worried," or the ducks must have asked, "Can we come in?" Something is bound to have happened, because suddenly it cannot be. But it is outside the area of our intelligence.

That is the very effort of Zen poems  --  to bring to your consciousness that the whole of existence is conscious. Different colors and different nuances and different ways, but the man who has reached the highest peak can see that nothing in the world is without a living force, without a potentiality that can grow one day into a buddha.

Buddha himself has told about one of his past lives. He was an elephant. One night the forest suddenly caught fire. The fire was going so wild, and animals were running to find some way out. The elephant was also running, because the fire was tremendous. Just to take rest, he stood under a tree which was not yet burning. As he was settling to stand there, a small rabbit just came under one of his feet which was up. Now it was difficult for the elephant to put his foot down; the poor fellow will die. So he tried hard to remain standing on three feet, but an elephant's weight....

Buddha says that because of that compassion the elephant remained standing, he could not put his foot down. The fire surrounded the whole place. He risked his life as long as he could save the rabbit, and then the fire burned both of them. Buddha says, "I was that elephant and I earned my buddhahood by being compassionate."

Now all over the world, in the birds, in the animals, something is happening. It is not a dead world. Everybody is trying to move to higher peaks. This idea of evolution is totally different from Darwin's evolution. Darwin's evolution looks very stupid, because we don't see any animal changing into any other animal. For millions of years there is no record that somebody has seen a monkey suddenly going to the tailor's shop to say that, "I have changed my mind, I want to be a man. Now prepare the dress, made to order." Neither is any other animal changing into another species. That idea of Darwin is absolutely absurd.

But the East has a different concept. The same evolution is happening  --  in every animal something is evolving. At a certain point when the animal dies, he will be born on a higher scale. Up to now, man is the highest scale that millions of animals have reached. Amongst human beings, the buddhas are the highest peaks.

These small poems are just to remind you that even fallen leaves in the rain and in the storm are rushing towards poor Isho's hut and his writing table, and hiding under the table. And he says, THEY KNOW THERE IS NO PURER, HIDDEN SPOT THAN THIS. Otherwise they would not have come here.