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Main Index
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unself-conscious is to become realized. That's what enlightenment is all about: to be unself-conscious. But between the dichotomy, between the two, between the dilemma, how can you be unself-conscious?
You always choose: you choose to be beautiful and ugliness becomes your shadow; you choose to be religious and irreligiousness becomes your shadow; you choose to be a saint and sin becomes your shadow. Choose -- and you will be in difficulty, because the very choice has divided life. Don't choose, be choiceless, let life flow. Sometimes it looks like God, sometimes it looks like the devil -- both are beautiful. You don't choose. Don't try to be a saint; otherwise your saintliness will not be real saintliness -- a pride in it will make everything ugly. So I say that many times sinners have reached the divine and saints have missed. Because sinners are always humble; thinking themselves sinners, they cannot claim.
I will tell you another story.
Once it happened: a saint knocked at the doors of Heaven, and at the same time, just by his side, a sinner knocked too. And the saint knew the sinner very well. He had lived in his neighborhood, in the same town, and they had died on the same day.
The doors opened. The gatekeeper, St. Peter, didn't given even a look to the saint. He welcomed the sinner. The saint was offended. This was not expected, that a sinner should be welcomed.
He asked St. Peter, "What is the matter? You offend me. You insult me. Why am I not received when the sinner has been received with such welcome?"
Said St. Peter, "That's why. You expect. He does not expect. He simply feels grateful that he has come to Heaven. You feel that you have earned it. He feels the grace of God; you think it is because of your efforts that you have achieved it. It is an achievement to you, and all achievements are of the ego. He is humble. He cannot believe that he has come to heaven."
It is possible that a sinner can reach and a saint can miss. If the saint is too filled with his saintliness, he will miss.
Lao Tzu says:
WHEN THE PEOPLE OF THE EARTH ALL KNOW BEAUTY AS BEAUTY,
THERE ARISES UGLINESS.
WHEN
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