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curious to see what kind of phenomenon enlightenment was and what it did to the man. He set off, and as he came close to the man something started melting in his heart; something that was hard and arrogant was disappearing.
And as he came very close, he witnessed himself touching the feet of the man. He was not touching, he had not even the idea of touching the feet of the man, but he saw that he was touching the feet. The man had such a beauty and such a grace that it was such a joy even to touch his feet.
But the most miraculous thing happened as he stood up: the man also touched Gautam Buddha's feet. Gautam Buddha said, "What are you doing? You are enlightened. I can feel the peace that surrounds you. I can feel the light and the fragrance that you have become. It is absolutely right for me to touch your feet and surrender myself, but what are you doing? I am an ignorant man, very stubborn, very egoistic and you are touching my feet."
The enlightened man said to Gautam Buddha, "Today you are asleep; tomorrow you will be awake. Today you are not enlightened, but enlightenment is your very nature. I don't care about your arrogance and your ego and stubbornness; they are not your self-nature. I am touching your feet to remind you that you are not what you are thinking, and also to remind you that when in your next life you become enlightened, be respectful of those who are still groping in the dark."
Now to touch the feet of such a man is a beauty, is a grace, is a blissfulness.
Germany seems to be my land. I own it because for two years continually in the German parliament, they have been discussing me. In two German courts our sannyasins have won cases. Their parliament calls Christianity a religion and my movement a cult, and in Germany, the word `cult' is condemnatory. Two courts have given their verdicts against the parliament, and the parliament is still continuing to call my people a cult.
Just the other day I received news from one of my sannyasins who is also a member of the parliament that they are very stubborn and they go on changing.... First they said, "You are not a religion because you don't believe in the
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