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in any sleep, but you are alert. The whole mechanism is asleep; body, mind -- both are asleep. But you are alert. So sometimes it has happened that a man was hit on the head by the master and he became enlightened. This is the whip of Zen.
IF I WISH HIM TO SUBMIT, I MUST RAISE MY WHIP.
The struggle is going to be difficult. One should be aware of it from the very beginning so that you don't get disheartened on your journey. It is going to be difficult. Mind has a very negative attitude about your inner search; it is against it. And it is much easier to be against anything than to be for it. It is much easier to say no than to say yes -- the mind is a no-sayer.
I have heard about one law expert, Clarence Darrow. He was a noted, world-famous criminal lawyer:
He had found himself on the dissenting side of arguments since youth. And now he was to debate with another attorney.
"Are you familiar with the subject?" he asked Darrow.
"No," Darrow admitted.
"Then how can you engage in debate?"
"That's easy," said Darrow. "I will take the negative side. I can argue against anything."
It is very, very easy to argue against anything. No-saying comes easily to the mind. Once you say yes, things become difficult. No simply cuts the whole thing; there is no need to go any further. For example, if I tell you: Look, these trees are beautiful, and if you say yes, and I ask why -- Why do you think these are beautiful? -- it is going to be very difficult to prove. For thousands of years, philosophers have been thinking about what beauty is and nobody has yet been able to define it. So if I ask why, you will be in difficulty. But if you had said no then there would be no problem, because now it will be a problem for me -- to prove that they are beautiful. You simply say no.
No is very economical. Yes is dangerous. But remember once you say no, you become less alive. A man who goes on saying no, no, no, becomes more and more insensitive. No is a poison -- be alert. Try to say yes more, even if it is difficult -- because with the yes the mind will lose its hold on you. With the no, the hold will become more and more
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