God laughed and he said, ‘Those who are last shall become the first, and those who are first shall become the last. You have enjoyed being first enough, now let Lazarus enjoy a little.’

And the rich man was feeling very hot — of course in hell you don’t have any air-conditioning yet — burning hot. He was feeling very thirsty and there was no water. So he again cried and said, ‘God, please at least send Lazarus with a little water, I am feeling very thirsty.’

And God said, ‘Lazarus was thirsty many times, nearly dying at your door, and you never gave him anything. He was dying, hungry at your door and there was a feast every day, and many were invited, but he was always chased away from the door by your servants because guests were coming, powerful guests, politicians, diplomats, rich men, and a beggar standing there would look awkward. Your servants chased him away and he was hungry, and the people who were invited were not hungry. You never looked at Lazarus. Now it is impossible.’

And it is said Lazarus laughed.

This became a deep story for many many Christian mystics to ponder over. It became just like a zen koan, and in monasteries Christian mystics have been asking again and again why Lazarus laughed.

He laughed at the absurdity of things. He never knew that a nobody like Lazarus — a leper, a beggar, would ever enter heaven. He could never believe that this had happened. And he could not believe the other thing either — that a rich man, the richest in the town, should go to hell. He laughed.

And Lazarus still laughs. And he will laugh when you die also: if you are a somebody he will laugh, because you will be thrown out. If you are nobody, just ordinary, he will laugh because you will be received.

In this world, because egos exist, all valuations belong to the ego. In the other world, the other dimension, valuation belongs to egolessness. Hence Buddha’s emphasis on no-selfness — ANATTA. He said, ‘Don’t even believe “I am a soul” because that too can become a subtle ego. Don’t say “AHAM BRAHMASMI — I am Brahma, I am the ultimate self.” Don’t say even that, because the I is very tricky. It can deceive you. It HAS deceived you for many many lives. It can go on deceiving you. Simply say “I am not” and remain in that NOTNESS, remain in that nothingness — become empty of the self.’

One has to get rid of the self. Once the self is thrown away, nothing is lacking. You start overflowing and blossoms start falling on you.

Osho – “And the Flowers Showered”

The post A Beggar In Heaven ? appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.

I have heard one story: One religious man was staying overnight in a family. In the morning, as was his habit, he wanted The Bible to read a little and to pray a little.

The small child of the house was passing through the room so he asked the kid, he said, ‘Bring that book’ — because he thought the child may not understand what book The Bible was, so he said, ‘Bring that book which your mother reads every day.’

The child brought the Whole Earth Catalogue, because that was the book the mother read every day.

People, ninety-eight percent of them, are asleep in things. Try to find out where you are asleep, because the work has to start there. If you are asleep with things, then you have to start from there. Drop that sleep with things.

Why do people go on thinking about things? I used to stay in a house in Calcutta. The woman there must have had at least one thousand saris, and every day it was a problem…. When I was there her husband and I would be sitting in the car and her husband would go on honking and she would say, ‘I am coming!’ — and it was difficult for her to decide which sari to wear. So I asked, ‘Why is this a problem every day?’

So she took me and showed me, and she said, ‘You would also be puzzled. I have got one thousand saris and it is difficult to decide which one to choose, which will suit the occasion.’

Have you seen people?… from the very morning they start cleaning their car, as if that is their Bible and their God. ‘Things’ is the first sleep, the grossest. If you are attached too much to things and continuously thinking of things, you are asleep there. You have to come out of that. You have to look at what type of attachments you have, where you cling, and for what. What are you going to get there?

You may increase your things, you may accumulate a vast empire, but when you die you will go without things.

Death will bring you out of your sleep. Before death does, it is better to bring yourself out; then there will be no pain in death. Death is so painful because this first sleep has to be broken; you are to be snatched away from things.

Osho – “And the Flowers Showered”

The post The First Sleep appeared first on Spiritual Growth Events.