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GAIN ENERGY APPRENTICE
LEVEL1
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THE ENERGY BLOCKAGE REMOVAL
PROCESS
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THE KARMA CLEARING
PROCESS APPRENTICE LEVEL3
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MASTERY
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WALKING IN ZEN, SITTING IN ZEN
Chapter 3: ... And Something More
Question 3
Energy Enhancement Enlightened Texts Zen Walking in Zen, Sitting in Zen
The third question
Question 3
OSHO,
WHEN YOU SPEAK OF RELIGIONS, YOU USUALLY MENTION CHRISTIANS, MOHAMMEDANS AND HINDUS, BUT NOT JEWS. IS THERE A REASON FOR IT?
Veet Ateet,
THERE IS A REASON: I am the only Jew in India!
Once I was taken in a Cadillac car; the owner wanted to sell it. I was interested -- I have used all kinds of cars except the Cadillac. It was a beautiful car, specially made. I loved it.
He asked me, "What do you say? How did you feel in it?"
I said, "I felt just like a Jew! I will not purchase this car -- this will show my identity. I am already in more trouble than a man can manage. Now to declare myself a Jew will be inviting even more trouble. Jews are experts at inviting trouble!"
One old Jew was praying to God for years and never asking for anything. God became fed up. If you ask for something, something can be done and he can get rid of you! But he was not asking for anything; he was just praying and praying and praying.
So one day God said, "Listen! What do you want? Why don't you say exactly what you want? I am ready to fulfil it."
The old Jew said, "Is it true that we are your chosen people?"
God said, "Yes, that's true."
The Jew said, "Now please choose somebody else. For three thousand years, just because of you, we have suffered so much. Enough is enough! Now you choose somebody else!"
Veet Ateet, you must be a Jew also, otherwise why this question? Jews are always thinking, in every possible way, about Jews.
The Friends of the Elephant Society -- a society created to help sick, old or homeless elephants -- decided that although most people knew what an elephant was, there had never been any serious, definitive study conducted about the huge animal. They therefore decided to hold a competition with a prize of a thousand dollars to be given for the best book on the subject of the elephant.
An Englishman enters his book entitled: "The History and Statistics of the Elephant."
A German enters a three-volume set entitled: "The Anatomy and Physiology of the Elephant."
A Frenchman enters a slim, hundred-page volume entitled: "The Amorous Affairs of the Elephant."
An Italian seriously considers the project for about five minutes, then drops it and joins his friends for some spaghetti.
And a Jew enters an epic effort entitled: "The Elephant and the Jewish Problem."
Now, Ateet, why does this question come to your mind? I don't say much about Judaism because in India there are no Jews. Hindus are there, Christians are there, Mohammedans are there, Jainas are there, Buddhists are there; only Jews are missing, so I don't mention them much. Of course, Jews are not missing here. This must be the only place in the whole of India where you can find thousands of Jews -- but they are no longer Jews.
Ateet, this must be a hangover with you. Do you know what your name means? Veet Ateet means going beyond the past. You still seem to have a hangover of being Jewish. And having thousands of Jews here, it is better not to talk about them because they are very argumentative people.
A Christian visiting the Holy Land struck up a conversation with an Israeli.
"I am really surprised that you and the Arabs can't get together peacefully."
"My dear man," said the Israeli, "the Jews are a very argumentative people. The only thing you can get two Jews to agree upon is what a third Jew should give to charity."
That is true.
Jimmy finally got Sadat and Begin together for a resumption of the Mid-East peace talks.
Afterwards Sadat said, "I'm glad we buried the hatchet. In the future I wish you everything you wish me."
Begin answered, "See, you're starting up again."
That's why, Ateet, I don't mention Jews very much. It is dangerous! Surrounded by thousands of Jews it is better not to mention Jews at all.
And, moreover, Judaism is a dead religion, just as Hinduism is. In fact, there have been only two source religions in the world: Hinduism and Judaism. Both are dead. Jainism and Buddhism are offshoots of Hinduism but because the root is dead the branches are dead too. And Christianity and Islam are branches of Judaism, and because the root is dead the branches are dead too. These are dead phenomena. I am not much concerned with the past.
Yes, something beautiful has happened in Judaism, too, and that is Hassidism -- and I have talked about it a lot. Just as I love Zen people in the tradition of the Buddha, I love Hassids in the tradition of Moses and I love Sufis in the tradition of Mohammed. These three are still alive in some small way because these three have never become established religions; they have always been anti-establishment, they have always been alternatives to the established religion, they have always been rebellious.
Hassidism is worth talking about, not Judaism -- and I have talked about Hassidism. I have been approaching Hassidism with my own experience. I have been bringing Hassidism up to date, trying to make it part of the twentieth century. Hassidism is the essence of Judaism, the very fragrance of it.
And I have something of the Hassids in me, that's why I sometimes call myself a Jew. The Hassids love life, they are life-affirmative. They don't believe in renunciation, they believe in rejoicing. They believe in dancing, singing, celebrating -- and that's exactly my approach too.
My religion is something of a meeting of Zen, Sufism and Hassidism -- and something more thrown in.
Next: Chapter 3: ... And Something More, Question 4
Energy Enhancement Enlightened Texts Zen Walking in Zen, Sitting in Zen
| ENERGY
|
GAIN ENERGY APPRENTICE
LEVEL1
|
THE ENERGY BLOCKAGE REMOVAL
PROCESS
|
THE KARMA CLEARING
PROCESS APPRENTICE LEVEL3
|
MASTERY
OF RELATIONSHIPS TANTRA APPRENTICE LEVEL4
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ENERGY ENHANCEMENT TESTIMONIALS EE LEVEL1 EE LEVEL2 EE LEVEL3 EE LEVEL4 EE FAQS |
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