At that time his father stayed in a city of the country. He had been vainly looking for his son and thinking of his son ever since he had lost him. The father was now very rich. The poor son came to the city where his father was living and thinking, “I am old and decrepit. I have many treasures. But I have no son other than the missing one. When I die, yearning for my son, my treasures will be scattered and lost.”

At that time the poor son happened to stand by the gate of the wealthy man's house. Seeing the rich man, the poor son was frightened and thought, “Is he a king or like a king?”

The rich man recognized him at first sight as his son. He was delighted. He immediately dispatched a man standing beside him to quickly bring back the poor son. The messenger ran up to the poor son and caught him, but the poor son was frightened and cried, “I have done nothing wrong. Why do you catch me?”

The messenger pulled him by force. The poor son thought, “I am caught though I am not guilty. I shall be killed.” More and more frightened, the poor son fainted and fell to the ground.

Seeing all this in the distance, the father said to the messenger, “Drop that; do not bring him forcibly! Pour cold water on his face to awaken him!”

The father said this because he had realized that his son was too sullied to meet a noble man. He knew that the man was his son, but expediently refrained from telling others that this was his son.

Waking up, the poor son stood up and went to a village of the poor to get food and clothing. The wealthy man dispatched messengers in secret. He said to two men who looked worn-out, powerless and virtueless, “Go and gently tell the poor man that he will be employed here for a double day's pay. If he agrees with you, bring him here and have him work to clear dirt and that you two also will work with him.”

The poor son drew his pay in advance, and cleared dirt. Seeing him, the father had compassion towards him and took off his necklace, his garment and other ornaments. He put on tattered and dirty clothing. He came to the workers and said, “Work hard! Do not be lazy!” And noting this poor man working hard, the father told him, “Do not hesitate to take trays, rice, flour, salt and vinegar, as much as you need! Make yourself comfortable.”
Years later, the rich man gave him a name and called him son. The son was glad to be treated kindly, but still thought that he was a humble employee. Still more years passed. After that the father and the son trusted each other. Now the son felt no hesitation in entering the house of his father, but still lodged in his old place.

Now the rich man became ill. After a while the father noticed that his son had become more at ease and peaceful, that he wanted to improve himself, and that he felt ashamed of the thought that he was base and mean. The moment of death for the father drew near. The father told his son to call in his relatives, the king, ministers, and members of his household. When they were all assembled, he said to them, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is my son, my real son. I am his real father. He ran away from me when I lived in a certain city, and wandered with hardships for more than fifty years. His name is so-and-so. All my treasures are his now.”

The son was very glad to hear this. He had the greatest joy that he had ever had. He thought, “I never dreamed of having this store of treasures myself. It has come to me unexpectedly.”

The wealthy man is the Eternal Buddha while the poor son is ourselves who do not realize that we are Buddha's children. We often ask Buddha, “Give me this! Give me that!” It is a stage of being “outlandish”, so to speak. However, if we put forth effort without giving up, we will be given precious Buddhahood.

The author of this story is unknown and greatly appreciated!

If you liked this story, you'll love this! We've compiled a list of the top spiritual stories that our readers love. You can read them here.

What Is the Spiritual Moral / Meaning of “The Wealth Man and the Poor Son” Parable?

In this parable, the father embodies the compassionate spirit of the Eternal Buddha, while the wayward son mirrors our own journey. The son, ignorant of his true heritage, stands as a metaphor for our spiritual amnesia. We seek the divine, often unaware of our intrinsic connection to it.

The son, driven by fear and apprehension, cannot fathom the father's intent when approached. This mirrors our own hesitation to embrace our spiritual birthright, clouded by insecurity and the perception of unworthiness.

As the story unfolds, the father employs a profound expedience, masking his true identity and offering the son work alongside those deemed destitute. It symbolizes the spiritual journey—a transformative process where we, often through humility and toil, cleanse the stains of our misconceptions, laboring towards spiritual clarity.

The son, unaware of his elevated status, toils and earns his living, symbolizing our own struggles in the earthly realm, striving for understanding amidst life's trials. The father, observing his son's earnest labor, extends compassion, providing sustenance and comfort, much like the divine guiding us in subtle ways, supporting our spiritual growth.

Time elapses, and the father's ailment signals the imminent transition. It's then that he chooses to reveal the truth—the son is his own, and the inheritance of treasures is bestowed upon him. It echoes the spiritual revelation, where the seeker, after years of seeking, discovers their innate divinity and the boundless spiritual wealth that was theirs all along.

This allegory reverberates with the core teachings of spiritual awakening. It illustrates the path of the seeker—initially oblivious to their spiritual heritage, wandering through life's labyrinth, beseeching divine intervention. Yet, through perseverance and toil, they unearth their true essence, embracing the inherent divine inheritance.

In the father's final revelation, lies the ultimate truth—that we are all children of the Eternal Buddha, heirs to boundless treasures of spiritual awakening. Our fervent requests to the divine for material fulfillment pale in comparison to the inheritance of enlightenment awaiting our discovery.

The story doesn't merely recount a familial reunion but serves as a spiritual beacon, guiding us towards self-realization. It speaks of the treasures within, waiting to be unveiled—Buddhahood, our innate birthright, accessible through effort, perseverance, and trust in the divine unfolding.

Ultimately, it unveils the tapestry of our own spiritual odyssey, encouraging us to shed the illusion of separation, embracing the truth of our divine lineage, and rejoicing in the awakening that awaits those who persistently seek.

The post The Wealthy Man And The Poor Son – A Zen Buddhist Spiritual Story appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.

The King of the Asuras said, “A foolish person puts up with insults because of fear, and yet prides himself in believing his tolerance makes him superior to the aggressor.” Indra rejoined, “Even though a foolish person puts up with insults because of fear, being tolerant actually brings us the greatest benefits. The virtue of tolerance outweighs all the fame and fortune in the world.”

The King of the Asuras then said, “Lacking wisdom, foolish people need to be forced to do right. They are just like lazy cows that need to be prodded along by the horns of more vigorous cows breathing down their necks from behind. Hence, the best way to control the foolish is by whips and spurs.” The Heavenly King countered, “I think to control the foolish, forbearance is the best way. When confronted by an agitated person, if one can wait in peace and silence, their fury will die down naturally. A person without hatred or vexations is a saint or the disciple of a saint. This is the kind of person that we should draw close to. A person whose mind is loaded with great anger and therefore gets angry easily will encounter obstacles as high as a mountain. On the other hand, if one can control one’s anger as soon as it arises, like taming a wild horse with a harness, then one will have done a good deed.”

The devas and asuras who acted as judges for the debate thought that the arguments of King of the Asuras were based on the use of conflict and force, whereas Indra advocated putting arguments and competitions to rest with a mind free of anger and malice. In consequence, all of the judges awarded Indra the victory.

The Buddha told the monks, “Indra is freest of care in the heavens because he always practices tolerance and also praises the ways of tolerance. Likewise, if you can practice and praise tolerance, then you are truly leaving the home life.” After they heard the Buddha’s talk, all of the monks felt blessed and pledged to abide by the Buddha’s teachings.

The author of this story is unknown and greatly appreciated!

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One day a voice came from the womb saying, “Stop it! This is all nonsense. There is no wisdom whatsoever in this. Mere words — just a collection of words. Is wisdom found in scriptures? Wisdom is within oneself. Is truth found in words? Truth is within oneself.”

Naturally his father was enraged. First of all he was a father and on top of that a scholar. And his son hidden in the womb was saying such things! Not even born yet! He exploded in anger, became engulfed in fire: The father’s ego had been hit. And a scholar’s ego… he was a great pundit, a great debater, knowledgeable in scriptures….

In anger he uttered a curse: When born, the boy would be deformed; his limbs would be bent in eight parts. Hence his name: Ashtavakra means one whose body has eight bends. He was born crippled in eight places; eight places hunchbacked like a camel. In a rage his father deformed his son’s body.

There are other stories like this….

It is said that Buddha was born standing up. His mother was standing under a tree; she gave birth standing and he was born standing up. He didn’t fall to the ground but started walking! He took seven paces and on the eighth he stopped and proclaimed the four noble truths — that life is suffering….! He took just seven steps on earth and proclaimed that life is suffering, that it is possible to be free from suffering, that there is a way to become free of suffering, that there is a state free of suffering — the state of nirvana.

About Lao Tzu the story is that he was born old, that he was born eighty years old, that he remained in the womb eighty years. Since he had no desire to do anything, he had no desire to leave the womb. Since he had no wants, he didn’t want to come into the world either. When he was born he had white hair, an old man of eighty years!

Zarathustra’s story is that he burst out laughing as soon as he was born.

But Ashtavakra has defeated them all. These are all events after birth; Ashtavakra made his full statement before he was even born!

These stories are significant. These stories contain the essence, the essential treasure of the life of these masters.

Buddha’s story contains the essence of what he taught his whole life…. Buddha taught the eightfold path, so he took seven steps and stopped on the eighth. There are eight parts in all; the last step is that of right samadhi, and only in that state of samadhi is the whole truth of life known. So he proclaimed the four noble truths.

Lao Tzu was born old. People live eighty years, still they don’t have the understanding Lao Tzu had at birth. Do you see people becoming intelligent just by getting old? Getting old and becoming intelligent are not synonymous. At a ripe old age even hair can ripen to pure white.

Lao Tzu’s story simply says that if there is urgency, intensity in one’s life, then what might take eighty years can happen in one moment. If one’s understanding is intense it can happen in one moment and without pure intelligence it does not happen even in eighty years.

Zarathustra laughed right at birth. Zarathustra’s religion is the only religion in the world that can be called a laughing religion… very earthy, a religion of the earth. That is why people of other religions don’t see Parsees as being religious. They see them dancing, singing, happy — Zarathustra’s religion is a laughing religion, a life-affirming religion, not life negative. There is no place for renunciation in it. Have you ever seen a Parsi sadhu? — stark naked, having renounced all, standing in the hot sun, sitting facing a fire like a Hindu sannyasin? No, the Parsee religion has no interest in torturing and causing trouble to the body. Zarathustra’s whole message is this: if you can realize godliness through laughing, then why realize it crying? When you can reach to the temple dancing, why unnecessarily sow thorns on your path? When you can go with flowers, then why follow ways of pain and misery? It is right, the legend is right, that at birth Zarathustra was laughing.

Don’t look for historical facts in these stories. It is not that they happened this way — but there is a very profound meaning in these stories.

Osho – “Mahageeta”

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And he saw in the footprints in the wet sand on the riverbank all the symbols so clearly that he could not believe his eyes! Either all his scriptures were wrong and he was wasting his life in astrology… otherwise, how was it possible on such a hot afternoon, in such a small, dirty village, a chakravartin would come and walk barefoot, on the burning hot sand?

He followed the footprints, just in search of the man to whom these footprints belonged. He found the Buddha sitting under a tree. He was even more puzzled. The face was that of a chakravartin – the grace, the beauty, the power, the aura – but the man was a beggar, with a begging bowl!

The astrologer touched the feet of the Buddha and asked him, “Who are you, sir? You have puzzled me. You should be a chakravartin, a world ruler. What are you doing here, sitting under this tree? Either all my astrology books are wrong, or I am hallucinating and you are not really there.”

Buddha said, “Your books are absolutely right – but there is something which belongs to no category, not even to the category of a chakravartin. I am, but I am nobody in particular.”

The astrologer said, “You are puzzling me more. How can you be without being anybody in particular? You must be a god who has come to visit the earth – I can see it in your eyes!”

Buddha said, “I am not a god.”

The astrologer said, “Then you must be a gandharva – a celestial musician.”

Buddha said, “No, I am not a gandharva either.”

And the astrologer went on asking, “Then are you a king in disguise? Who are you? You can’t be an animal, you can’t be a tree, you can’t be a rock – who exactly are you?”

And the answer the Buddha gave is of immense importance to understand. He said, “I am just a Buddha – I am just awareness, and nothing else. I don’t belong to any category. Every category is an identification and I don’t have any identity.”

From Osho – The Dhammapada: Way of the Buddha Vol. 1

What Is the Spiritual Moral / Message of Osho's “Buddha's Footprints” Story?

The spiritual meaning that arises from this tale is a profound reminder of the nature of identity and self-realization. It transcends the boundaries of societal roles and categories, illuminating the essence of our true selves. The story reflects the spiritual truth that our fundamental being is not confined by worldly labels or identifications. It encourages us to delve deeper into the understanding that beyond all designations, our core essence lies in pure awareness, a consciousness that knows no categories or identifications.

This story serves as an emblem of humility, showcasing the virtue of humility within spiritual awakening. The Buddha's revelation of being simply awareness reflects the humility inherent in recognizing the formless nature of the self. It guides us toward understanding that genuine enlightenment is not in grand titles or identifications but in acknowledging the simplicity and depth of our pure consciousness—a humility that transcends societal hierarchies.

Furthermore, the narrative conveys the essence of detachment from identity. The Buddha's profound statement invites contemplation on the concept of releasing attachment to rigid identifications. It urges us to transcend the allure of labels or roles that often confine our existence, nudging us toward a state of being unattached to any singular identity.

This spiritual story highlights the principle of self-realization. The Buddha's declaration serves as an invitation for self-exploration beyond external attributions. It encourages individuals on their spiritual journey to delve deeper into the layers of consciousness, beyond the superficial identifications, towards the realization of their true nature—pure awareness.

Moreover, the tale embodies the essence of unity and interconnectedness. The Buddha's proclamation of being “just awareness” underscores the interconnected nature of existence. It echoes the profound truth that beneath diverse identities or classifications lies an underlying unity—an awareness that surpasses individuality and embraces the interconnectedness of all life forms.

This story serves as a spiritual beacon, guiding us toward the recognition that our authentic essence is beyond the confines of worldly categorizations. It urges us to embark on an inward journey, relinquishing the limitations of identity, and embracing the expansiveness of pure awareness—the profound realization that we are not defined by any particular category, role, or label but by the boundless consciousness that unites us with the essence of existence itself.

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The followers who had remained with him at the abode reached his bedside to tent to him. They asked him what his life’s achievement was. The Bodhisattva replied, “Nothing.” The followers failed to understand the true meaning of the wise man’s words.

They considered him to be a failure because he had achieved nothing. Soon after, the Bodhisattva died. The foolish followers gave him a simple burial, without any ceremony. When the chief of the other half of the followers returned, he explained to the others that their master had achieved such divinity that he could see beyond the ordinary appearance of things. But they did not understand him either.

One night, the Bodhisattva appeared before his followers and said, “The one who hears the Truth and understands it immediately is far better off than a hundred fools who spend a hundred years thinking.” The followers then realized that one should listen when the wise speak.

The author of this story is unknown and greatly appreciated!

The post Learning to Listen – A Zen Buddhist Spiritual Story appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.

Buddha said, “I can give you permission to leave, but I have to ask you one thing first: where do you want to go?”

There was a small region in Bihar called Sukha. Purna said, “I will go to Sukha. Until now no monk has ever visited this area, and the people of this region have never heard your message.”

Buddha said, “There is a reason why no one has ever been there. The people there are very bad. It is possible that if you go there they will insult you. Then what will your response be?”

And Purna said, “I will thank them. I will thank them because even if they abuse me, at least they did not hit me – they could have hit me.”

Buddha said, “It is possible that one of them may hit you; then what will your response be?”

He replied, “I will thank him because even if he hits me, at least he did not kill me. He could have killed me.”

Buddha said, “I want to ask you one last question. It is possible that someone will kill you. Then what will your response be?”

Purna said, “I will thank him for releasing me from this life in which I could have gone astray.”

And Buddha said, “In that case, you can go anywhere! Now wherever you go, for you, everyone will be a part of your family. Because when a person’s heart is so full, at such a peak, nothing on this earth can hurt him.”

OSHO – The Path of Meditation

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In the West, just as Cleopatra is thought to be the most beautiful woman in the whole past of humanity, in the East, a parallel woman to Cleopatra is Amrapali. She was a contemporary of Gautam Buddha. She was so beautiful that there were always golden chariots standing at the gate of her palace. Even great kings had to wait to meet her. She was only a prostitute, but she had become so rich she could purchase kingdoms. But deep down, she suffered. In that beautiful body there was also a beautiful soul which hankered for love.

When a man comes to buy the body of a woman, she may pretend great love for him because he has paid for it, but deep down she hates him because he is using her as a thing, as an object – purchasable; he is not respecting her as a human being. And the greatest hurt and wound that can happen to anybody is when you are treated as a dead thing and your integrity, your individuality, is humiliated.

This young monk went into the city to beg. Not knowing, he passed by so many chariots of gold and beautiful horses he was amazed: “Who lives in this palace?” As he looked upward, Amrapali was looking from the window, and for the first time love arose in her heart – for the simple reason that the moment the young monk saw Amrapali, he bowed down to her with deep respect. Such beauty has to be respected, not to be used. It is a great gift of existence to be appreciated – but not to be humiliated.

At the moment this young, beautiful monk bowed down, suddenly a great upsurge of energy happened in Amrapali. For the first time somebody had looked at her with eyes of respect, somebody had given her the dignity of being a human being. She ran down, touched the feet of the monk and said, “Don’t go anywhere else; today be my guest.”

He said, “I am a bhikkhu, a beggar. In your great palace, where so many kings are waiting in a queue to meet you, it won’t look good.”

She said, “Forget all about those kings – I hate them! But don’t say no to my invitation, because for the first time I have given an invitation. I have been invited thousands of times by kings and emperors, but I have never invited anybody. Don’t hurt me, this is my very first invitation. Have your food with me.” The monk agreed.

Other monks were coming behind him, because Buddha used to move with ten thousand monks wherever he went. They could not believe their eyes, that the young monk was going into the house of the prostitute. With great jealousy, anger, they returned to Gautam Buddha. With one voice they said, “This man has to be expelled from the commune! He has broken all your discipline. Not only did he bow down to a prostitute, he has even accepted her invitation to go into her palace and have his food there.”

Buddha said, “Let him come back.”

For the first time Amrapali herself served food into the bowl of the monk. With tears of joy she said, “Can I ask a favor?”

The young monk said, “I don’t have anything, except myself. If it is in my capacity, I will do anything you want me to do.”

She said, “Nothing has to be done. The season of rains is going to start within two, three days…” And it was the rule of Buddhist monks that in the rainy season they stayed in one place for four months; for eight months of the year they were continually moving from one place to another, but for the four months of the rains it was absolutely necessary for them to stay somewhere where they could get a shelter.

Amrapali said, “In the coming four months, this palace should be your shelter. I don’t ask anything. I will not disturb you in any way. I will make everything as comfortable as possible for you, but don’t go for these four months.”

The monk said, “I have to ask my master. If he allows me, I will stay. If he does not allow me, you will have to forgive me: it is not in my hands, it is my master who decides where one has to stay.”

He came back. Everybody was angry, jealous, and they were all waiting to see if Gautam Buddha was going to punish him. Buddha asked, “Tell me the whole thing. What happened?”

He told Buddha everything. He also said that Amrapali… He did not use the word prostitute – that is a judgment. You have already condemned a woman by the very word, condemned her that she sells her body, that she sells her love, that her love is a commodity, if you have money you can purchase it.

He said, “Amrapali has invited me for the coming rainy season, and I have told her that if my master allows me, I will stay in her palace. It does not matter…”

There was great silence among the ten thousand monks. Nobody had thought that Gautam Buddha would say, “You are allowed to stay with Amrapali.” They could not believe their own ears; what were they hearing? A monk who has renounced the world is going to stay for four months in the house of a prostitute?

An old monk stood up and said, “This is not right! This man is hiding a fact. He says a woman, Amrapali, has invited him. She is not a woman, she is a prostitute!”

Gautam Buddha said, “I know, and because he has not used the word prostitute I am allowing him to stay there. He has respect – no judgment, no condemnation. He himself does not want to stay, that is why he has come here to ask his master. If you asked me to stay there, I would not allow you.”

Another monk said, “It is a strange decision. We will lose our monk! That woman is not an ordinary woman but an enchantress. This man, in four months, will be completely lost to the virtuous life, the good life, the life of a saint. After four months he will come as a sinner.”

Gautam Buddha said, “After four months you will be here, I will be here; let us see what happens, because I trust in his meditations and I trust in his insight. Preventing him will be distrusting him. He trusts me; otherwise there was no need to come. He could have thrown away the begging bowl and remained there. I understand him, and I know his consciousness. This is a good opportunity, a fire test, to see what happens. Just wait for four months.”

Those four months, for the monks, were very long. Each day was going so slowly, and they were imagining what must be happening, they were dreaming in the night about what must be happening. And after four months, the monk came back with a beautiful woman following him. He said to Buddha, “She is Amrapali. She wants to be initiated into the commune. I recommend her – she is a unique woman. Not only is she beautiful, she has a soul as pure as you can conceive.”

She fell at Gautam Buddha’s feet. This was even a bigger shock to those ten thousand people! And Buddha said to them, “I know these four months have been very long and you have suffered much. Day in and day out your mind was thinking only about what was happening between the monk and Amrapali, that he must have fallen in love with the woman and gone down the drain; four months will pass, the rains will stop, but he will not return – with what face?

“But you see, when a man of consciousness enters the house of a prostitute, it is the prostitute that changes – not the man of consciousness. It is always the lower that goes through transformation when it comes in contact with the higher. The higher cannot be dragged down.”

Her name, Amrapali, means… She had the biggest mango grove, perhaps one hundred square miles, and she presented it to Gautam Buddha – it was the most beautiful place. And she presented her palace, all her immense resources, for the spread of the message of Buddha.

Buddha said to his sangha, to his commune, “If you are afraid to be in the company of a prostitute, that fear has nothing to do with the prostitute; that fear is coming from your own unconscious because you have repressed your sexuality. If you are clean, then all judgment disappears.”

So the awakened has no judgments of what is good and what is bad, and the child has no judgment because he cannot make the distinction – he has no experience. In this sense it is true that every awakened person becomes a child again – not ignorant, but innocent. But every old person is not an awakened being. It should be so; if life has been lived rightly – with alertness, with joy, with silence, with understanding – you not only grow old, you also grow up. And these are two different processes. Everybody grows old, but not everybody grows up.

Osho

Reflections on Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet,

Chapter 33

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He had seen all that was possible in those days for a man of power and riches to see, but he could not find peace, contentment, silence. He could not find himself. Utterly frustrated, he moved out of the palace one night – because this life is going to end in a few days, or in a few years. It is not something to cling to. Each moment death is coming closer; before death grabs you, you have to figure out something which is eternal, which is immortal. All that you see around you is made of the same stuff as dreams are. Do you think you are for the first time on the earth?

On the same earth millions of people have come and simply disappeared into thin air. Scientists have calculated that the place you are occupying has been occupied by at least ten people before you. You are sitting on ten corpses! And don’t think much of yourself, because you cannot get out – you will be the eleventh. And remember, it is not a laughing matter for you. Those ten corpses will laugh at you: ”Look, the poor fellow was thinking of great things and finally is flat on the pile of corpses.”

Gautam Buddha’s search for truth, for himself, for the source of life which is eternal, cannot be the search of a poor man who is hungry, who is searching for a loaf of bread. But people have completely forgotten Gautam Buddha. They have taken his meditation out of context. He could meditate because there was nothing else in the world to think about, to desire, to be ambitious for. The world was, in a way, finished the day he left his house; he never looked back.

I am reminded of a beautiful story…. Buddha was afraid that if he went into the mountains of his own kingdom, his father’s armies would find him; he would not be able to escape. He was the only son of an old king, who was hoping that he would succeed him. And he had made a big kingdom for him So he immediately passed beyond the boundaries of his kingdom to the neighboring kingdom. And the king was very furious. He ordered the armies not to leave even a single inch unsearched: ”Look around, all over the country.”

Gautam Buddha was not found, but he was not aware that the kingdom he had entered belonged to a friend of his father. So the father informed this king and other kings surrounding his kingdom, ”You have to find my son. In my old age at least you can do this much for me; we have been friends.”

The neighboring king found Gautam Buddha and he said, ”If you are angry, if you have fought with your father… It happens. It is not something strange or unfamiliar; fathers and sons have always been fighting. Don’t be worried. I have only one daughter and no son – get married to my daughter and you will have two kingdoms together. Your father is old; he cannot live long. And my kingdom is far bigger than your father’s. He is my friend and I have come with a request. You have everything to gain, nothing to lose.

You get a beautiful wife, a great kingdom, and of course your own kingdom is there. You will be a greater king than me or your father because your kingdom will be bigger than the kingdoms we have. You will have two kingdoms together.”

Gautam Buddha said, ”You don’t understand the point. I have not fought with my father, I have not been angry with him, and I have not come here in search of a girl. I am not interested in a kingdom, howsoever big it is. But I would like to ask you a few questions; you are my father’s friend. First tell me, you say your girl is very beautiful – is this beauty going to remain forever? Will she not one day be old?”

The king said, ”You ask strange questions. Everybody becomes old.”

”And do you think,” Gautam Buddha asked, ”she will never die?” The king laughed. He said, ”You are hilarious. Everybody dies.”

Gautam Buddha said, ”I don’t want to get married with someone who is going to die.”
The king said, ”She is not going to die tomorrow.”

Gautam Buddha said, ”You cannot give any guarantee. Are you sure you will be alive tomorrow?”
The king said, ”I have never thought about it. I hope that I will be alive, but I cannot be certain. But you are creating anxieties in my mind. I had come to take you to the palace and it seems you are trying to convince me to follow you to the mountains.”

Gautam Buddha said, ”It is better – there is still time, it is still light; maybe you have a few days more to live. Devote these few days to a search for something which cannot be taken away from you. Your youth will disappear, your beauty will disappear, your kingdom will one day belong to somebody else. And what does it matter, when you are dead, to whom your kingdom belongs, whether he is your son or somebody else’s son?”
The king said, ”You are a dangerous fellow. I don’t want to talk to you.”

He informed Gautam Buddha’s father, ”I have met your son; he is in the mountains in my kingdom. I tried hard, but he is very convincing. And he has created such anxiety in me that I have not slept since. I am continuously thinking of death – what is going to happen after death? What have I gained by having this big kingdom? I am a poor man inside. I have never looked into my own being; I am not even acquainted with myself. I request to you: don’t try to prevent him, let him go and let him search. What we have missed, perhaps we can hope he will find it.”

Gautam Buddha could sit silently, desireless, thoughtless, moving inwards, because the outside had lost all interest. He had seen it – that it is just a phenomenon, the way you see a film. But there are idiots who even seeing a film will cry, will weep, will laugh, because they will become identified and they will forget that there is nothing on the screen, it is just a projected film. Our whole life is not much more than that, but to know it you have to go through it. Gautam Buddha had a great chance to experience life and see its futility. This gave him the opportunity to sit in deep silence, undisturbed. Vipassana was discovered in these moments.

Source: from book “Hari Om Tat Sa” by Osho

The post Gautam Buddha’s Life And Vipassana Meditation – Zen Buddhist Spiritual Story by Osho appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.

A sane man behaves differently. A Gautam Buddha is surrounded by a crowd which is abusing him, using ugly words, obscene words, because he is against the organized religion of the Hindus and he is against the Hindu holy scriptures, the VEDAS. He has criticized them as hard as it is possible, and they need it. It is not that he is wrong. He has condemned the whole priesthood, that these are the exploiters, parasites. Naturally, brahmins were enraged.

And this was a brahmin village through which he was passing. And the brahmins surrounded him and said every kind of bad thing that they could manage. He listened silently. His disciples became angry, but because Buddha was present it was not courteous to say anything before the master. The master was standing so silent, and listening as if they are saying very sweet things.

Finally Buddha said to them, “If your things that you wanted to say to me are finished, I would like to reach to the place where people must be waiting for me. But if your things are not finished, after a few days when I will be returning I will inform you. And I will have enough time to listen to all that you want to say.”

One man said, “Do you think we are saying something? We are condemning you. Do you understand or not? Because anybody else would become angry, and you are standing silently…”

The statement that Buddha made to these village people is immensely significant. He said, “You have come a little too late. If you had come ten years ago when I was as insane as you are, not a single person would have gone alive.”

Ten years ago he was a prince, a warrior, one of the best archers of his time, a great swordsman, and those brahmins… he could simply have removed their heads with a single blow, without any difficulty. Because those brahmins know nothing about swords or arrows or being a warrior. He would have just cut them – almost like vegetables.

He said, “You have come late. Ten years ago if you had come… but now I am no longer insane. I cannot react and I would like to ask you one question. In the last village people came with sweets and fruits and flowers to receive me, but we take food only one time a day, and we had already taken the food. And we don’t carry things, so we had to tell them, ‘You please forgive us, we cannot accept sweets, flowers. We accept your love, but these things you will have to take away.’ I want to ask you,” he said to this angry crowd, “what must they have done with their sweets and flowers that they had brought as presents to us.”

One man said, “What is the problem in it? They must have distributed the sweets in the village.”

Buddha said, “That makes me very sad. What will you do? – because I don’t accept what you have brought, just the same way as I did not accept the sweets and the flowers and other things that the people brought to me in the other village, if I don’t accept your obscenity, your ugly words, your dirty words, if I don’t accept, what can you do? What are you going to do with all this garbage that you have come with? You will have to take it back to your homes and give it to your wives, to your children, to your neighbors.

“You will have to distribute it, because I simply refuse to take it. And you cannot make me angry unless I accept your humiliation, your insult. Ten years ago I was not conscious; if somebody had insulted me he would have lost his life immediately. I had no idea that insulting me is his problem, and that I have nothing to do with it – I can simply listen and go on my way.”

This is what I call sanity. Do you think humanity is sane? It only appears… just superficial sanity, mannerism, etiquette, culture, civilization, just skin-deep. Scratch a little deeper and the barbarous comes out.

If you really want, Premnath, to be a sane being, sannyas is the way for sanity, for dropping all those unconscious layers of your mind which force you to behave unconsciously. And in your unconsciousness you are doing things for which you yourself will repent when you will become a little alert and aware, “What have I done?”

The insane person can only react. The sane person acts, the sane person responds – he never reacts.

The way is simple and you are at the right place where your mind can become calm and quiet, so much so, as if it is absent. You should be certain of your sanity only if you can attain a state of no-mind. Only then can you be certain that nothing can drive you mad, because the mind that was possible to become insane is no more – you have transcended it.

Spiritual story by Osho

If you liked this story, you'll love our community's favorite spiritual parables!

What Is the Spiritual Moral / Message of the “Buddha And The Abusive Crowd” Story?

Buddha and the Abusive Crowd is not merely an anecdote of a revered figure amidst an onslaught of verbal abuse, but a parable that resonates with the profound depths of spiritual understanding—a tale that illuminates the path to transcending negativity.

Imagine a luminary, surrounded not by reverence but by a tempest of scornful words and disdainful gestures. Why? Because of his stance against established norms and structures, a critique that rendered him an adversary in the eyes of those clinging fiercely to tradition.

Amidst this chaotic display of emotions, the figure at the center remained a bastion of serenity—a beacon of unwavering calmness amid a storm of hostility. His response wasn’t a mirror reflecting the venom hurled at him, but a testament to an elevated state of consciousness—a state where listening transcends mere hearing.

He didn’t counter the onslaught with retaliation, but with a profound inquiry. He beckoned those hurling insults to ponder the fate of their words—words discarded like unaccepted offerings, unclaimed by the intended recipient. “If I don't accept your ugliness, your words,” he emphasized, “what shall you do with this burden of bitterness you carry? You'll carry it back, disseminating it within your homes and communities.”

The Buddha and the Abusive Crowd parable isn’t solely about an individual's divine tolerance or unwavering composure; it’s a reflection of the human capacity to navigate through the storms of emotions without being engulfed by their fury. It's a mirror reflecting the immense power of non-reaction and the ability to transcend negativity.

The tale of Buddha and the Abused Crowd underscores a poignant truth: insult and humiliation need not be embraced. They are choices one can refuse to accept, unloading the weight of their impact. It teaches us that our reactions are within our realm of control. We possess the power to determine what we allow into the sanctuary of our souls.

At its core, this story invites us to embrace a higher consciousness—a realm where insults dissipate like mist, leaving our spirits untarnished and our souls free to soar. It urges us not to clutch the stones hurled at us, but to let them fall, untouched by our essence, as we continue our journey unencumbered by the burdens we choose not to carry.

In essence, this parable illuminates the art of non-reaction, the alchemy of transmuting negativity into a non-existent force. It beckons us to cultivate an inner sanctum where insults hold no power, where our spirits remain unscathed by the storms raging outside.

It reminds us that within the tapestry of our lives, we wield the brush to paint the colors of our reactions. We possess the ability to decline what doesn't resonate with our higher selves, allowing our essence to shine forth, unblemished by the shadows others attempt to cast upon us.

Ultimately, this story serves as a beacon of spiritual guidance—an invitation to embrace a consciousness where insults, much like unaccepted offerings, hold no weight. It illuminates the path to liberation—a realm where our spirits soar free, untouched by the negativity swirling around us.

The post Buddha And The Abusive Crowd – A Zen Buddhist Spiritual Story by Osho appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.

Making a list is not easy , because the Indian sky is filled with so many stars! Who to cut, who to include?… Sumitranandan was a lovely man — extremely soft, extremely sweet — feminine. Even in old age a freshness remained on his face — just as it should remain — he had become more and more beautiful.

I began to read the expressions appearing and disappearing on his face: it was difficult for him too. Some names, which should naturally be included, were not there. Rama’s name was missing! He opened his eyes and said to me: “You have excluded Rama!”

I said: “If I am allowed to choose only twelve; many names will have to be cut. So I have chosen those twelve people who have made some original contribution. Rama has made no original contribution, Krishna has. This is why Hindus call Krishna a complete incarnation, but not Rama.”

He asked me further, “Next, could you give me seven names?” Now the question had become more difficult!

I gave him seven names: Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Mahavira, Shankara, Gorakh and Kabir.

He said: “The five you have deleted, on what basis did you drop them?”

I said: “Nagarjuna is contained in Buddha. That which was a seed in Buddha, manifested itself in Nagarjuna. Nagarjuna can be dropped when it is a question of saving, trees can be dropped, but not seeds, because seeds will again become trees. They will become new trees. When Buddha is born, hundreds of Nagarjunas will soon be born, but no Nagarjuna can give birth to Buddha. Buddha is the headwater of the Ganges. Nagarjuna is just a place of pilgrimage that appears along the course of the Ganges. Lovely, but if cutting is needed, then the place of pilgrimage can be dropped, not the source of the Ganges.

“Similarly Krishnamurti is included in Buddha. Krishnamurti is Buddha’s newest edition — the freshest; in today’s language. But the difference is only of language. Krishnamurti is just an elaboration of Buddha’s final sutra ‘appa dipo bhau’ — be a light unto yourself.’ A commentary on one sutra — deep, profound, tremendously vast, immensely significant! But he’s just a commentary on ‘Be a light unto yourself: appa dipo bhau’. These were Buddha’s last words on this earth. Before leaving his body, he had given this essential sutra… As if the treasure of his whole life, his whole life’s experience was concentrated into this small sutra.

“Ramakrishna can easily be included in Krishna.

“Meera and Nanak can be dissolved into Kabir. They are like branches of Kabir. As if half of what came together in Kabir has manifested in Nanak and half has manifested in Meera. In Nanak the male aspect of Kabir has manifested, so it is not surprising that Sikhism became a warrior’s religion, a religion of the soldier. In Meera, Kabir’s feminine aspect is manifested — hence his entire sweetness, his entire fragrance, his entire music resound from the bells on Meera’s ankles. The woman in Kabir has sung on the one string of Meera’s ektara. In Nanak the man in Kabir has spoken. Both are contained in Kabir.

“This is how” I said, “I made the list seven.”

Now his curiosity had become tremendously aroused. He said, “And if you had to make a list of five?”

I said, “Then it will be even more difficult for me.”

I gave him this list: Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Mahavira, Gorakh. … because Kabir is merged into Gorakh. Gorakh is the root. Gorakh cannot be left out. And Shankara easily merges into Krishna. He is the exposition of one part of Krishna, the philosophic interpretation of just one aspect of Krishna.

Then he said: “One more time… if only four are to be kept?”

Then I listed for him: Krishna, Patanjali, Buddha, Gorakh… because Mahavira is not very different from Buddha. Just a tiny difference and that too only a difference in expression. Mahavira’s greatness can be encompassed in the greatness of Buddha.

He started, saying: “Just one more time… please choose three persons.”

I said: “Now it is impossible. I can not drop any of these four.” Then I told him: “These four individualities are like the four directions. These four dimensions are like the four dimensions of time and space. These four arms are like the four armed conception of god. In fact there is only one, but that one has four arms. To leave out any one would be like cutting off an arm. I cannot do that. Until now I’ve been going along with you. I was continuing to decrease the number, because until now the one’s that had to be put aside were clothes. Now limbs would have to be broken, I cannot fracture limbs. Please don’t insist on such violence.”

He said: “Some questions have arisen, one is: you can drop Mahavira, but not Gorakh?”

Gorakh cannot be dropped, because Gorakh became a new beginning for this country. No new beginning came from Mahavira. He was a rare man; but for centuries the first twenty three Jaina tirthankaras had already said what he was saying. He was just their repetition. He is not the beginning of a new journey. He is not the first link in a new chain, rather the last link.

Gorakh is the first link of a chain. Through him a new type of religion was born. Without Gorakh, there could be no Kabir, no Nanak, no Dadu, no Vajid, no Farid, no Meera — without Gorakh none of these are possible. The basic root of all of them is in Gorakh. Since then the temple has been built high. On this temple many golden spires have been raised… but the foundation stone is the foundation stone. Though the golden spires may be seen from afar, they cannot be more important than the foundation stone. And the foundation is not visible to anyone, but on this very stone stands the whole structure, all the walls, all the high peaks… The peaks are worshipped. People simply forget about the foundation. Gorakh has been similarly forgotten.

But India’s whole ‘sant’ tradition — those innumerable devotees of love — is indebted to Gorakh. Just as without Patanjali there would be no possibility of yoga in India; as without Buddha the foundation stone of meditation would be uprooted; just as without Krishna the path of love would not find expression — similarly, without Gorakh the search that began for methods and techniques of sadhana, of spiritual practice to attain the ultimate truth would not have been possible. Gorakh made many discoveries within man for the inner search, more perhaps than anyone else has made. He has given so many methods, that in terms of methods Gorakh is the greatest inventor. He pushed open so many doors for going into man’s inner being, he created so many doors that people got caught in them. Hence we have one word that remains with us — people have forgotten Gorakh — but not the word Gorakh-dhandha, this word for maze remains. He gave so many methods, that people were confused, which method is right, which is wrong, which to do, which to drop? He gave so many methods that people became absolutely dumbfounded, hence the word Gorakh-dhandha, maze. Now if somebody is entangled in something, we say, “What Gorakhdhandha have you gotten into?”

Gorakh had a rare individuality, similar to Einstein. Einstein gave such penetrating methods for investigating the truth of the universe, as no one before him had given. Yes, now they can be further developed, now a finer edge can be put on them. But Einstein has done the primary work. Those who follow will be secondary. Now they cannot be first. The road was first broken by Einstein. Many will come who improve this road: ones who build it up, ones who place the milestones, ones who beautify it and make it comfortable. Many people will come, but no one can take Einstein’s place. In the inner world the same situation exists with Gorakh.

But why have people forgotten Gorakh? The milestones are remembered, the path breaker is forgotten. The ones who have decorated the path are remembered, the one who has first broken the path is forgotten. Forgotten because, those who come after have the leisure to dress it up. One who comes first, will be unpolished, unfinished. Gorakh is like a diamond just out of the mine. If Gorakh and Kabir are sitting together, you will be impressed by Kabir, not by Gorakh. Because Gorakh is a freshly mined diamond, but on Kabir the jewellers have worked hard, on him the chisel has worked hard, much polishing has been done.

Do you know that when the Kohinoor diamond was first discovered, the man who found it didn’t know it was a Kohinoor? He had given it to his children to play with, thinking it was a pretty colored stone. He was a poor man. He had found the Kohinoor in the waters of a small river flowing through his fields. For months it remained in his house, the children kept on playing with it, they kept throwing it from one corner to another, it remained in the courtyard… You wouldn’t have been able to recognize the Kohinoor. The Kohinoor’s original weight was three times as much as it is today. The edges were set, it was polished, cut, its facets were brought out. Today only one third of the weight remains, but the value has become millions of times greater. The weight became less, the value increased, because it kept being refined — more and more polished.

If Kabir and Gorakh are sitting together, perhaps you won’t even recognize Gorakh; because Gorakh is a diamond just removed from the Golconda mines. On Kabir much cutting has been done, the jewellers have worked hard… you will be able to recognize Kabir. Hence Gorakh has been forgotten. The foundation stones are forgotten.

You will be very surprised when you hear Gorakh’s words. A little finishing is needed; they are uncut. This sharpening of the edges is what I am doing here. You will be amazed as you begin to know him a little. Gorakh has said the most essential. He has said the most valuable.

So I told Sumitranandan Pant, “I cannot drop Gorakh — therefore the number cannot go below four.” Naturally he must have thought that I will leave out Gorakh and keep Mahavira. Mahavira is a Kohinoor, he’s no rough diamond just out of the mines. There is the whole tradition of twenty three tirthankaras, thousands of years, in which the finishing has been done, has been sharpened — has become shiny. Do you see? Mahavira is the twenty fourth tirthankara. People have forgotten the names of the remaining twenty three! Those who are not Jainas do not even know those twenty three names. And those who are Jainas cannot count out the twenty three in correct order, they will forget or omit someone. Mahavira is the last, the pinnacle of the temple. The spire of the temple is remembered. We still discuss him. Who discusses the foundation stone?

Today we begin the discussion of one such foundation stone. The whole palace of India’s sant literature stands on him. All is based on this one individual. He has said all that slowly slowly becomes very beautiful, a many colored splendor. Upon this base people will do sadhana and meditate for centuries. Who knows how many enlightened beings shall be born through him!

DIE, O YOGI, DIE!

What a wonderful statement! He says die, disappear, be completely obliterated.

DIE, O YOGI, DIE! DIE, SWEET IS DYING.

Because in this universe there is nothing sweeter than death. DIE THAT DEATH and die such a death GORAKH DIED AND SAW, die that way in which Gorakh attained enlightenment. In the same way you die and see.

One death we are already familiar with: in which the body dies, but our ego and mind go on living. This same ego finds a new womb. This same ego, troubled by new desires, again starts off on the journey. Even before leaving behind one body, it is already eager for another. This death is not the real death.

I have heard, one man told Gorakh he was thinking of committing suicide. Gorakh said: “Go and commit it, but I tell you, afterwards you will be very surprised.”

That man said: “What do you mean? I came to you so that you would tell me ‘Don’t do it!’ I went to other sadhus. They all cautioned me: ‘Brother, don’t do it, suicide is a great sin.'”

Gorakh said: “Are you mad? No one can commit suicide. No one can even die. Dying is not possible. I warn you, do it and you will be very surprised. After committing suicide you will discover, ‘What! The body is left behind, but I am exactly as I was!’… And if you want to commit real suicide, then stay with me. If you want to play nonsense games, then it’s up to you — jump from some mountain, put your neck in a noose. But if you want the real death, then stay by my side. I will give you the art which brings on the great death, then there will be no possibility of returning again.” But that great death seems to us to be nothing but great death, this is why he is calling it sweet.

DIE, O YOGI, DIE! DIE, SWEET IS DYING.

DIE THAT DEATH GORAKH DIED AND SAW.

Gorakh says I teach death, the death I passed through and became awakened. It was the death of sleep, not of me. The ego died, not me. Duality died, not me. Duality died, and non-duality was born. Time died, and I met the eternal. The small constricted life broke, and the drop became the ocean. Yes, certainly when the drop falls into the ocean in one sense it is dying. As a drop it is dying. And in another sense for the first time it attains to the great life — it lives on as the ocean.

OSHO
Book: “Death is Divine”

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