Yoga The Alpha and the Omega, Vol 6 Discourses on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Chapter #6, Mind: THE Stupidity Question 7

Question 7

YOU SAID THAT BUDDHA WAS ESSENTIALLY SELFISH. WAS JESUS THE SAME? IF SO WHAT DID HE MEAN BY: "IF ANY MAN COME AFTER ME LET HIM DENY HIMSELF AND TAKE UP HIS CROSS AND FOLLOW ME."

Yes, Jesus is also selfish; otherwise it is not possible. Jesus, Krishna, Zarathustra, Buddha -- all selfish people: because so much compassion arises out of them. That is not possible if they are not self-centered. That is not possible if they have not attained to their own bliss. First, one has to attain; only then can one share... and they shared so much that even centuries have passed, but they go on sharing still.

If you love Jesus, suddenly you are filled with his compassion. His love still flows. The body has disappeared, but his love has not disappeared. It has become a permanent phenomenon in the world. It will always be there. Whenever there will be somebody ready, receptive, his love will flow. But this is possible only because he attained to his original source: he must have been selfish.

Then what is the meaning?, because these words seem to be contradictory? "If any man come after me let him deny himself...." Yes, they look paradoxical: if I am true then they contradict me. I am true, and they don't contradict me. It is only appearance, because Jesus is saying, "If you want to attain to yourself you will have to lose yourself, that is the way." So when Jesus says, "If any man come after me let him deny himself..." it is because that is the only way to be himself. You can attain to the self only when you deny your ego. You can attain to yourself when you completely disappear.

Jesus says, "If you cling to life, you will lose it. If you are ready to lose it, it will be forever and forever with you. You will attain to life abundant, infinite." When a water drop falls in the ocean, it loses itself -- denies itself -- and becomes the ocean. It pays nothing and attains to the ocean: it simply loses its own boundaries. When Jesus is saying, "If any man come after me let him deny himself..." it is the ocean saying to the drop, "Come, deny yourself! -- so that you can become the ocean also." And this is the most selfish thing: to become the ocean.

A drop is very altruistic, but he remains a drop -- finite, limited, miserable. Looks as if he is selfish; he is not. If you go and look at the selfish people in the world, you will not find them really selfish. They are simply foolish, not selfish.

Really selfish people become wise. Really selfish people are those who try to attain nirvana, who try to attain God, who try to attain moksha -- liberty, freedom. They are the really selfish people, not those people which are known as selfish in the world because they are trying to accumulate riches. They are simply foolish, not selfish. Don't use that beautiful word for them. They are simply foolish.

Why do you call them selfish? They go on accumulating riches and go on selling their self for them. They make a big house and they themselves become hollow, empty. They have a big car and no soul within. And you call them selfish? They are the most unselfish people. They have given their self -- for nothing, actually.

It happened: One man came to Ramkrishna with many gold coins, and he wanted to give them to him. Ramkrishna said, "I don't touch gold. Take them away."

The man was very impressed. He said, "How unselfish you are."

Ramkrishna laughed and he said, "Unselfish and me? I am a selfish man. That's why I don't touch this gold. I am not so foolish. Unselfish you are: you have sold yourself for gold coins."

Who is unselfish? One who gives his soul for gold coins is unselfish?... or one who leaves everything of the world to attain to his soul, he is selfish? In the world people lose themselves and attain to nothing, and you call them selfish. They are unselfish people, foolish. Buddha, Jesus, Krishna -- they attained to the utmost glory, to the utter blissfulness. Buddha has said: "I have attained to the unexcelled SAMADHI." And you call them unselfish? Those who live in perfect bliss, you call them unselfish? You have destroyed a beautiful word.

Jesus is right, "If any man come after me let him deny himself..." because that is the only way to attain to oneself. He is teaching selfishness.

"... and take up his cross and follow me," because that is the only way to be resurrected. If you want a new life you will have to die. If you want to be resurrected you will have to carry your own cross. Be crucified in the material world and you will be resurrected in the spiritual. Die moment to moment to the past so that you are resurrected every moment into the present. Dying is an art, one of the most basic. And those who know how to die, only they know how to live. People who are afraid of dying become afraid of living. People who are too afraid of death and dying become incapable of living, because life has death as part of it.

When Jesus says, "Pick up your cross and follow me," he is saying, "Be ready to die if you really want to attain to the eternal life." This is selfishness.

And when people like Jesus say, "Follow me," you will misunderstand them. When Krishna says in the Geeta to Arjuna, "Drop everything -- all your religions. Surrender to me. Come, and follow me," what is he saying exactly? Are these people very egoistic? They say, "Come, follow me." In fact, when Jesus says, "Come, follow me," he is saying: "I am your innermost soul." When Krishna says, "Surrender to me," he is not saying surrender to this outer Krishna. He is saying: "Deep down, I am hidden in you. When you surrender to me, I am just an excuse to surrender. You will reach to your innermost core of being. Follow me so that you can follow your innermost core of being. I have attained to that innermost core."

They are not saying to follow Jesus or Krishna. They are saying, "Surrender," because in surrender you will become a Krishna, a Jesus yourself. And this is utterly selfish.

But the very word has taken a quality of condemnation. When somebody says, "Don't be selfish," immediately, he has condemned. I am trying to purify that beautiful word again. I am trying to bring it to its real stature. That word has fallen into the mud, but that word is like a diamond. It may be in the mud: it can be cleaned and washed. And if you understand me you will see that if you are really selfish, only then can you be unselfish. I teach you selfishness because I would like you to be unselfish.

Chapter-6

THE YOGA SUTRAS OF PATANJALI

Mind: THE Stupidity

Seventh Question