Panch Mahavrat or The Perennial Path The Art of Living

Author(s): Osho Rajnish
Publisher: Osho Rajnish

Page 34

CHAPTER 4. NONSTEALING
film. Leave it alone, if this question comes before a man's life, man will begin to be free from stealing, if not today, tomorrow. His individuality begins to evolve, he begins to laugh in his own way.
If people in this world laugh, shed tears and think in their own individual fashion, the world will be a fine place to live in. Then the world can be really vigorous and full of life. At present it is not full of life, it is a collection of dead bodies, where we live as if dead and yet are ignorant about it, because there are dead bodies like us on all sides. We have read the morning newspapers, the neighbour has also read them, he is repeating the news, we also do the same. We have read the KORAN, he has also read it. He repeats from the KORAN, we also do the same. He also has learnt from where we have learnt it. Our opinions agree with his opinions, and it seems everything is going on well. But nothing goes on well. There would not have been so much unhappiness if life was going on all right. If a person realizes the 'self', that realization would be quite enough even if there is nothing left in his life. Even if nothing is left, his joy cannot be snatched away. Everything can be snatched away from him except his joy because there is no greater joy than the self. When a flower is blooming in its full splendour, then the sweet smell of joy emanates on all sides. The full bloom of flower is its joy. Life becomes full of 'Ecstasy' when the flower of individuality is fully evolved. He becomes fully satisfied, and he shines in the feeling of his fulfilment. Otherwise a man can have everything; wealth, position, fame but if he has no individuality of his own, he is nothing. He is absolutely empty within.
There are great discussions about the word 'emptiness' going on in the west today. It is being talked about by thinkers like Sartre, Camus, Marshall, Dicidagor. They say that we have become empty; there is absolutely nothing within us. We are just like empty containers and boxes. Why do they say all this when they have so much wealth, more than the world ever had before. They have the power and the capacity to reach the moon; they have weapons that could destroy the whole world in no time. So what is this emptiness within? The cause is that everything is outside; nothing is within. There is no individuality, there is no soul. Everything is there, there is the capacity to reach the Moon but the strength to get to one's self is not there. Wealth is plentiful, but to be one's self is not there at all. There the places are very large, but the people residing in them are very small, insignificant.
This state of affairs is the result of steal ng. The west shall have to learn nonstealing .n order to destroy the emptiness. People like Marshall, Camus and Sartre will have to unlearn, will have to find out the rules to arouse the individuality. This nonstealing is the Mantra-slogan to achieve individuality, and stealing is the slogan to lose it.
Mahavira is not a thief, it is difficult to meet a greater nonstealing person than Mahavira. But Mahavira is not a Jain, he is 'Jin'. It is proper to understand the difference in meaning between the words 'Jin' and 'Jain' He is a 'Jin' who has conquered the self. He is a Jain who follows the conqueror. Gautam Buddha is not a thief, it is difficult to find a greater nonstealing person than Buddha. But Gautam Buddha is the Buddha; he is not a Buddha, he is the Buddha, i.e. an awakened or enlightened soul - who is a realized soul. And he, who follows the awakened one, is a Bauddha.
Similarly Jesus is not a thief, Jesus is Christ. Christ means one who was crucified on a gibbet and achieved that which is achieved by the destruction of the 'l' - The ego. But Jesus is not a Christian. A Christian is one who follows him who got himself crucified on a gibbet. There is a great difference between the two. The neck of Jesus was hanging on a gibbet, while a small cross is hanging on the neck of a Christian. So it means crosses do not hang on necks but necks hang on gibbets or crosses. Jesus goes up the gibbet, he is Christ. But a Christian hangs a small golden cross around
The Perennial Path: The Art of Living
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Osho