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is finished."
There is no goal, there is only a beautiful pilgrimage. Make the most of it -- outwardly and inwardly. Have all possible experiences, and move on.
Gautam Buddha used to end his sermons every day with the word charaiveti: move on, move on. Never stop and think that you have come to the end.
Question 2
BELOVED MASTER,
TO BE A DISCIPLE HAS ALWAYS MEANT TO ME TO FOLLOW YOU, TO BE UNDER YOUR GUIDANCE, AS IF NOT TO HAVE A SELF OF MY OWN. I WAS NEVER AWARE OF THE FACT THAT BEING A DISCIPLE IS TO BE AS YOU ARE, AND TO ALLOW YOUR PRESENCE, YOUR EYES, AND YOUR ACTIONS TO PUT LIGHT ON MY BEING PRESENT, ON MY ACTIONS, ON MY ABILITY TO SEE CLEARLY WHAT IS HAPPENING INSIDE.
IS THERE ANOTHER WORD TO DESCRIBE THIS RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU? DISCIPLE DOESN'T SEEM APPROPRIATE.
Anand Asimo, in the first place, your idea of being a disciple is not right. You say, "To be a disciple has always meant to me to follow you." I have been saying almost every day not to follow me; follow your own consciousness! And the word `disciple' comes from the same root as discipline; its basic meaning is learning. Follow your consciousness, follow your own light; and if you can learn anything from me, don't believe it -- experiment with it. If it proves right to you, it is yours, not mine.
Your idea of a disciple is not right: "To be under your guidance, as if not to have a self of my own..." Do you hear me or not? I'm saying that you should have your own self, your own individuality; that here you are not expected to surrender yourself, or your individuality, and become a slave, a spiritual slave. All the religions have been doing that for centuries: making millions of people spiritual slaves -- which is the greatest slavery.
My insistence has been that, at the most, you are my fellow traveler; we are on the same journey. Maybe I am a step ahead of you, and my experience can help you to take that one step. But there is no insistence that you have to take that step, because it may not be suitable to you, to your individuality.
In the light of my experience, you have to find your own way. My experience can only give you hints.
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