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THE SICK, WIDOWS, AND SO ON. BUT NOTHING WAS GIVEN TO ANYONE WHO OPENED HIS MOUTH.
This Sufi story says, `Keep your mouth completely shut' -- not only outwardly, but inwardly also. Then much will be given to you. When you don't ask, much will be given to you. When you ask, nothing will be given to you. It looks like a paradox, but it is the very foundational law of existence. Don't ask -- and suddenly you realize that much is coming.
It happened: A man came to Bayazid and he said, `Because of your teachings my life is destroyed. Twenty years ago I came to you and you told me, "If you don't ask, riches will follow you. If you don't seek, everything will be given to you. If you don't hanker after beautiful women, the most beautiful woman will come." Twenty years wasted! Not a single, not even an ugly woman has come. And no riches -- I have remained poor. You destroyed my life. What do you say now?'
Bayazid said, `It would have happened, but you were looking backwards too much, looking again and again to see whether they were coming or not. The desire was there. You missed because of desire, not because of me. You were waiting always: "Now a beautiful woman is going to come and knock at the door. Now the goddess of riches will be coming." You were not silent. You were not in a state of desirelessness.'
Sufis say: `When you don't ask, it is given.' And this teaching goes deeper than Jesus' teaching. Jesus says, `Ask and it shall be given. Knock and the doors shall be opened unto you.' And Sufis say, `Ask and it will never be given to you. Knock, you knock your head on the door, and it will be more closed than ever.'
BUT NOT ALL COULD KEEP SILENT...
even knowing this, that this man, this generous man of Bokhara, will give only if you keep silent. But it is so difficult, because the mind says, `Make an appeal! Tell him the whole situation so that more can be fetched out of him.' And the story is beautiful, because now it comes to a lawyer. Anybody else may keep his mouth shut, but not a lawyer. He knows how to make the appeal in the court. He knows how to convince and seduce the judge. He knows if you keep silent you will lose
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