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after Buddha?"
Now Buddha is already ancient -- twenty-five centuries have passed, this question is utter nonsense. But Zen Masters enjoy nonsense very much. Zen is the sense of non-sense. If it had been asked of you, you would have been puzzled. But the disciple knew his Master. He had lived with him, he knew what kind of questions he used to ask. Each question is a situation, each question is a hint -- the more absurd, the more potential, because you cannot answer it through the mind. Now mind will simply feel boggled down. "You are cleaning," the Master says, "but tell me: before Buddha or after Buddha?"
And the disciple laughed, and he said, "Both, sir -- before and after."
The Master patted him and said, "Right." He went away.
Another gardener, another disciple who was working in the garden watering plants was very much puzzled. He was a new man around. He asked the disciple, "I don't follow. What followed between you and the Master? I was listening very attentively. The Master's question was absurd, and your answer was even more so. What do you mean when you say 'before and after Buddha'?"
And the disciple said, "It is after Buddha because many Buddhas have happened in the past, many. And it is before Buddha because many will be happening in the future. It is always in the middle. In the past there have been many Buddhas. In the future there will be many Buddhas. I am just standing in the middle and cleaning the ground -- cleaning for Buddhas to come, cleaning up all the dirt that the old Buddhas have left, and preparing ground for the new Buddhas to come."
That's what a Master does -- exactly, PRECISELY -- creates a cleanliness from all the past Buddhas, because people cling, people cling to the dead word, to the dead letter, and much dirt is created. A Master cleans your mind of the past, of the impact of the past, and he prepares your mirror for the future.
And it is not only that Buddhas are going to happen in the future -- you are also going to become a Buddha some day or other. It is only a question of time, and it depends on you. If you decide to become Buddha this moment, nobody is barring your path.
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