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Book Name: Beyond EnlightenmentPrevious     Next
 

coming out of your ignorance because you will be allowing yourself to be exposed as an ignorant person.

Everybody is pretending to be knowledgeable.

In my village there was a certain man... a little loose in the head, so I was very much interested in him. I am always interested in people who are a little loose; they are special people.

His name was Sunderlal, but I used to call him Doctor Sunderlal. At first he could not believe it -- why am I calling him doctor? He asked me, "You said DOCTOR?"

I said, "You are `doctor'. In this village, nobody is more knowledgeable than you are."

He said, "That's true."

I said, "In this village, you are a D.Litt., a doctor."

He said, "Are you joking?"

I said, "Why should I joke? A fact is a fact. If you want, I can bring a few people as witnesses."

He said, "No, no, there is no need. I trust in you; if you are saying it, then it must be so."

The next day I saw that he had hung a board on his house: Doctor Sunderlal, D.Litt.

The whole town was agog... suddenly this crazy man... "Which university has given him a D.Litt.?"

I reached his home and I said, "You have done the right thing. It is not a question of any university -- what rights do they have to give you a D.Litt.? -- it is your declaration."

He said, "That's right. Because my father was saying, `You idiot, you are writing Doctor Sunderlal, D.Litt. -- the police will come! You will be caught in some trouble; don't listen to that man.'"

I said, "There is no question; it is your declaration that `In this village I am the most knowledgeable person. If anybody has any doubts... open challenge!'"

He said, "Should it be written underneath the board?"

I said, "It should be written underneath the board."

So a certain board was made on which he wrote, "This is a declaration that in this village I am the most knowledgeable person. And if somebody has any doubts, that means an open challenge for a discussion."

Now, who wanted to discuss with that fellow? He was so crazy; nobody turned up. And he was sitting in a chair just by the side of the board waiting for

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