He never went to the mosque, he never even uttered the name of God; his whole existence was the argument for the presence of God. If anybody asked him whether God exists or not he simply laughed — but his laughter was neither yes nor no.

God himself became intrigued with that strange mystic and he came to the mystic and said, “I am immensely happy because that’s how I want people to be — not that they should pray for one hour and do everything against it for twenty-three hours. Not that they should become very pious when they enter the mosque, and when they go out they leave their piousness in the mosque and they are just their old selves: angry, jealous, full of anxiety, full of violence.

“I have watched you and I have loved you. This is the way: you have become the prayer. You are, right now, my only argument in the world that something more than man exists — although you have never argued, you have not even uttered my name. Those are superfluous things… but you live, you love, you are so full of joy that there is no need for any language; your very presence becomes the argument for my existence. I want to give you a blessing. You can ask for anything.”

The sage said, “But I don’t need anything. I am so joyous, and I cannot conceive there can be anything more. Forgive me, I cannot ask because I really don’t need anything. You are generous, you are loving, you are compassionate; but I am so over-full, there is no space within me for anything else. You will have to forgive me, I cannot ask.”

God said, “I had thought that you would not ask, so don’t ask for yourself — but you can ask for others, because there are millions of people who are miserable, sick, have never known anything for which they can be grateful. I can give you powers to do miracles, and you can change the lives of all these people.”

The sage said, “If you are insistent, then with a condition I can accept your gifts.”

God said, “With a condition? You really are strange. What is the condition?”

He said, “My condition is that I should not become aware of what is happening through me, by you. It should happen behind my back; it should happen through my shadow, not through me. I may be passing and my shadow may fall on a dead tree, and the tree may become alive again — again lush green, again heavy with flowers and fruits — but I should not know it, because I don’t want to fall back.

“If I know it — that I have done it, or even that God has chosen me as the instrument to do it — it is dangerous. So my condition is: a blind man may start seeing, but neither should he know that it is because of me, nor should I know that it is because of me. My shadow behind my back will do all the miracles.

“If you can accept my condition, and remember that I should not know at all… because I am so full of joy, so blissful. Don't drag me back into the miserable world. Don’t drag me back to become again an ‘I.'”

And it is said that God said to him, “You are not only strange, you are unique and rare. And this will be so: you will never know what things are happening around you. Miracles will be happening around you — wherever you will go, miracles will happen. Neither those people will know that you have done those miracles, nor you will know that you have done those miracles. I will remember the condition.”

Osho – “The Hidden Splendor”

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She was staying in one of the temples of China — she had gone to travel to Chinese temples and monasteries and that temple has ten thousand statues of Buddha. It is a unique temple in the whole world. Ten thousand statues… almost the whole mountain has been cut into statues and made into a temple; perhaps it has taken centuries to build it. She was staying there.

And this had been her constant worry: Every morning when she worships her golden Buddha, she puts flowers, sweets, burns incense — but you cannot depend upon the wind, upon the breeze. The fragrance arising out of the burning incense may not reach the golden Buddha’s nose, it may move in any direction.

In that temple there were ten thousand other Buddhas, and the fragrance was going to other Buddhas’ noses. And this was intolerable; this was too much. She was feeling very hurt, that her own poor Buddha is not getting any incense, and all these vagabonds…”And my Buddha is golden and they are just stones. And after all my Buddha is MY Buddha.”

This is how the mind functions: it is so possessive, it cannot even see that they are all statues of the same man. Which nose is getting the incense does not matter — it is reaching the Buddha. But “MY Buddha” — the old possessive mind continues.

So she devised a small method: she brought a bamboo, a hollow bamboo, and cut it into a small piece. She will burn the incense, and put the bamboo on top of it. One side will take the incense smoke in, and the other side she will put on the nose of her golden Buddha — almost like making him smoke! But that created a problem: her Buddha’s nose became black. That disturbed her even more.

She asked the high priest of the temple, “What should I do? My poor Buddha’s nose has become black.”

He said, “But how did it happen?”

She said, “I feel very embarrassed to say, it is my own doing.” And then she explained the whole thing.

The priest laughed.

He said, “All these are Buddhas here. One Buddha, ten thousand Buddhas — to whom it reaches does not matter. You should not be so miserly, so possessive. Buddha cannot be yours and cannot be mine. The nose of the Buddha has become black because of your possessiveness.”

And the priest said to her, “We are making each others’ faces black because of our possessiveness. If we could give without even thinking to whom it reaches…. Because to whomever it reaches, is part of the same existence as we are part of — it reaches to us.”

Osho – “The Hidden Splendor”

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The servant did not even know how to hold a sword — he was a poor servant, he had never been trained in swordsmanship. He said, “Master, although you are following a convention, and respecting even a servant and giving him an opportunity, this is for you just a game. I don’t know anything about swordsmanship. At least give me a few minutes so that I can go to the greatest master — who lives nearby in a monastery, a Zen monk — to have some clue.”

The man agreed. He said, “You can go. And if it is needed, a few hours, or even a few days, or even a few months — you can get disciplined. I will wait for you.”

He went to the great warrior, the Zen master. The Zen master said, “Even years of training will not help you. Your boss is just second to me in the whole country — you cannot hope to compete with him. My suggestion is: this is the right moment to fight.”

The servant could not understand. He said, “What kind of puzzle are you giving to me: this moment is the right moment?”

And he said, “Yes, because you have one thing certain — your death. Now more than that you cannot lose. Your master has many things to lose: his wife, his prestige, his respectability as a warrior; he is a great landlord… all his money — his mind cannot be total while he is fighting. But you can be total. You have to be total — just a moment of unawareness and you are gone; you have to be totally alert. This is the right moment; don’t bother about any discipline — you simply take the sword and go.”

The servant came back within minutes. His boss said, “Have you learned anything?”

He said, “There is no need of learning anything. Come out of the house!”

And the way he shouted, “Come out of the house” …. The boss could not believe what magical change had happened to his servant. As he came out, the servant, according to convention, bowed down to the boss; the boss bowed down to the servant. That is, in Japan, part of their culture; even with the enemy, you have to respect his dignity, his humanity, his divinity.

And then the servant started hitting the warrior — knowing nothing about swordsmanship. The warrior was at a loss, because where any expert would have hit, the servant would not hit because he had no idea; he would hit somewhere where no expert would have ever hit. And he was fighting with such totality that the warrior started moving backwards, and as the warrior started moving backwards, the servant gathered more courage. He was moving his sword without knowing why — to what purpose, or where he was hitting. And since it has been decided that his death is certain, now there is nothing to worry about — all worries belong to life.

Soon he cornered the master. Behind, there was the wall surrounding the master’s garden. He could not move backwards anymore. He was so afraid of death, for the first time in his life, and he said, “Wait! You can have my wife, you can have my properties; I am renouncing the world, I am becoming a monk.”

He was trembling with fear. Even he could not understand what happened. From where did this courage come? From where this totality? From where this awareness? But it can be only in such special situations that without any discipline, just the situation can create so much awakening in you.

Osho – “The Hidden Splendor”

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What Is the Spiritual Moral / Meaning of Osho's “The Art of War” Story?

The spiritual wisdom embedded in this story unveils the power of total presence and fearlessness in the face of challenges. It signifies that in moments of adversity, when there is nothing more to lose, the courage to be entirely present emerges. The servant, faced with the certainty of death, experienced a radical shift in consciousness. This moral encourages us to embrace each moment with full awareness and fearlessness, recognizing that when faced with the inevitability of loss or challenge, our true strength emerges from a place of total presence and courage.

Furthermore, this story embodies the profound spiritual lesson of embracing the present moment and acting without hesitation. The servant, devoid of any training or expertise, surrendered to the immediacy of the moment. In his total engagement with the present, he acted with spontaneous courage and commitment. This moral invites us to release the burden of past conditioning or future fears and invites us to act with spontaneous authenticity and presence in every moment.

Additionally, the narrative encapsulates the spiritual principle of surrender and detachment. In the face of impending death, the servant relinquished attachment to life's possessions and fears. His surrender to the inevitable outcome brought forth a fearless state of mind, transcending concerns about life's attachments. It emphasizes the transformative power of surrender and non-attachment, revealing that in letting go, one finds true liberation.

Moreover, the story signifies the essence of humility and the recognition of human dignity. Despite the power disparity between the servant and the master, the servant honored the dignity of the warrior. The moral underscores the importance of acknowledging the inherent dignity and divinity in every being, regardless of their social status or circumstances. It calls us to embody humility, compassion, and respect for all beings we encounter on our journey.

Furthermore, the narrative embodies the spiritual principle of unexpected wisdom in innocence. The servant's lack of knowledge in swordsmanship led to a unique approach to combat. His innocence brought forth unexpected strategies, catching the master off guard. This moral encourages us to recognize the depth of wisdom that often arises from a pure and innocent state of mind, reminding us that sometimes, unconventional approaches can lead to profound solutions.

In essence, this story serves as a spiritual guidepost, urging us to confront life's challenges with unwavering presence, fearlessness, and humility. It highlights the transformative power of surrender, the wisdom that arises from innocence, and the importance of honoring the dignity of every being. Ultimately, it invites us to embrace each moment with full awareness, acting from a space of authenticity and courage, knowing that in total presence, true liberation unfolds.

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