OSHO International Foundation presents
Zen: The Quantum Leap From Mind to No-Mind
(Preview)
One of the most important things to be understood is
that language
goes on changing
with time.
What looked very significant one thousand years ago
will not look very significant now.
What was thought to be very profound
in the times of Gautam Buddha
will be thought to be childish today.
Talking on these ancient masters
I am in a constant difficulty
because their language does not belong
to the contemporary intelligence.
I have to
bring the essence
in the contemporary context,
otherwise they will look just
mythological...
talking about nonsense.
And perhaps it was possible
for the primitive man
not to object to it,
but for the modern mind it is impossible
not to object.
So I have to be very careful with all these old masters.
They use the language of their times.
It was perfectly right in that context.
But today
the essence is perfectly right,
but the language is no more relevant.
It is true about all the masters I will be
speaking to you.
Baso said to the assembled monks,
“Believe that each and all of you
have the mind which is the buddha!
Daruma came from India to the middle kingdom
to enlighten you with the truth he conveyed,
of the Mahayana one mind.”
A monk spoke up and said,
“Why do you teach ‘The mind is the buddha’?”
Baso said, “To stop the baby crying.”
The monk said, “And when the baby stops crying?”
Baso said, “Mind is not the buddha.”
The monk said, “Beside this, is there something more?”
Baso replied, “I will tell you,
it is not some thing.”
It is the beginning
of a beginningless
existential
festival.
Zen is festive,
it is not
scholarly.
It condemns scholars
as deeply as possible,
because the scholar represents
the refined mind, cultured mind,
the borrowed knowledge,
the dead scriptures.
The scholar is a grave.
Zen is a living rose of flowers.
Nothing in it is dead,
it is always and always.
It goes on from beginningless
to endless:
characters change,
leaves fall from the trees,
new leaves
start growing,
the old ones disappear,
the new ones arrive –
it is a constant change.
But
in the very essence
nothing changes – only on the periphery,
only on the circumference,
but never in the center.
And the center is Zen.
I am happy to begin this series of talks
on an anecdote about Baso.
He is one of my beloved ones.
The complete series of talks,
Zen: The Quantum Leap From Mind to No-Mind
is now available
with OSHO Talks YouTube Channel Membership
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