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Father is formal; abba is informal. By translating abba as father, the Bible has missed the whole beauty of it; it has misinterpreted the word. It is a totally different thing when you say dad and when you say father. Father is institutional, it is not really a relationship. When you say dad it is totally different: it is a relationship.
Don't repeat Jesus' words. Say something of your own, whatsoever it is. There is no need to repeat it again and again either, because then again it becomes formal. You may be repeating your own past, again you have missed the point. Prayer has to be spontaneous every day. And don't fix a time -- in the morning or in the evening or in the night. Don't fix a time at all, because when you fix a time your mind tends to be mechanical. Let it happen when it happens.
Sometimes in the night, in the middle of the night, sleep is not coming and suddenly you feel prayerful. Then cry and weep and have a little dialogue with existence. Or sometimes seeing the sun rise, tears start coming, or you feel like dancing; or looking at a rose, you want to have a talk with the rose -- that's what I call prayer. Prayer is a poetic relationship with existence. It has nothing to do with your so-called religion.
That will be possible. I can see it: the seed is there. Just a little work and you will start growing in prayer.
Zorba The Buddha
Chapter #4
Chapter title: None
4 January 1979 pm in Chuang Tzu Auditorium
Archive code: 7901045
ShortTitle: ZORBA04
Audio: No
Video: No
[Premdipa:] Man remains an unlit candle unless love comes and engulfs him, overpowers him. It is only the light of love that takes away the inner darkness. Without love the inner world is utterly dark; not even a ray of light is possible without love. And it is not accidental that people don't look inwards: there is nothing to see; it is all dark, it is frighteningly dark and it is very lonely. In the darkness all kinds of fear and all kinds of nightmares are encountered.
The sages have been saying down the ages: Look within yourself, know thyself. But nobody listens, for a particular reason.
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