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Main Index
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| | | Book Name: Yoga - The Alpha and the Omega, Vol 4 | Previous Next | |
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and austere as Epicurus, because their simplicity was cultivated; they had worked for it, it had been a practice. They had thought about it and they had dropped all that w as unnecessary. They had been disciplining themselves to be simple, and whenever there is discipline, there is complexity. There is a fight in the background, and the fight will always be there, in the background. Mahavir was naked, nude; he had renounced all, but he had renounced. It was not natural.
Epicurus lived in a small garden. The garden was known as Epicurus' garden. He had no academy like Aristotle, or a school like Plato; he had a garden. It seems simple and beautiful. A garden seems more natural than an academy. He lived in the garden with a few friends. That was probably the first commune. They were just living there, not doing anything in particular, working in the garden, having just enough to live.
It is said that the King once came to visit and he had been thinking that this man must be living in luxury because his motto was: Eat, drink and be merry. 'lf this is the message,' the King thought, 'I will see people living in luxury, in indulgence.' But when he arrived he saw very simple people working in the garden, watering trees. The whole day they had been working. They had very few belongings, only enough to live. In the evening, when they were having dinner, there was not even any butter; just dry bread and a little milk. But they enjoyed it as if it were a feast. After the dinner, they danced. The day was over and they offered a thanksgiving to the existence. And the King wept, because he had always thought to condemn Epicurus in his mind. He asked, 'What do you mean by saying, "Eat, drink and be merry?"' Epicurus said, 'You have seen. For twenty four hours we are happy here. If you want to be happy you have to be simple, because the more complex you are, the more unhappy you become. The more complex your life, the more misery it creates. We are simple not because we are seeking God, we are simple because to be simple is to be happy.' And the King said, 'I would like to send some presents for you. What would you like for the garden and your community?' Epicurus
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