|
Main Index
|
| |
| |
|
| |
truth. It destroys his adventure into life. It destroys his initiative to explore what is. Before he ever asks a question, the answer is imprinted upon him. And the people who go on doing this have vested interests. The priests would like you to believe in God. The communists would like you not to believe in God. There is nobody who is interested in you; they are all interested in their vested interests.
So, Anne Halpa, affirmations cannot be helpful. All affirmations are conditionings. You need total negativity.
That's what Zen is: it negates. It says there is no God, it says there is no soul, it says there is no paradise, it says there is nothing. It leaves you nothing to believe in. Even if you start believing in nothing, the Zen Master is going to hit you hard.
It happened:
A disciple of Bokuju would again and again bring his new experiences -- that he had experienced energy rising in his spine -- and he would be beaten. And Bokuju said, "Get out of here! Don't bring such nonsense to me! You are not it. You are the watcher who watched the energy rising. So don't get identified with it, otherwise it is again a new identification, a new ego: the birth of a new ego, a spiritual ego, which is far more dangerous than ordinary egos."
Then he came one day and said, "You are right. Now I am seeing great light. I am full of light, all is light!"
He was beaten again and he was told, "You are not light either, you are the watcher. Who is seeing the light? You are the seer."
And it went on this way again and again for years. After ten years he came really happy, fell at the feet of the Master and said, "Now you will be happy with me -- no need to beat. I have experienced nothingness!"
And this time the Master was so angry! He threw him physically out of the window -- of a two-story house. He fell on a rock, and the Master looked from the window and said, "How are you feeling now?"
And the hit was so hard that it really brought him to his senses! He started laughing. Lying down there on the rock he started laughing. The Master also jumped from the window, embraced the disciple and told him, "Now I am happy, really
|
|
|
|
| |