Panch Mahavrat or The Perennial Path The Art of Living

Author(s): Osho Rajnish
Publisher: Osho Rajnish

Page 36

CHAPTER 4. NONSTEALING
the Bauddhas. And when they get tired or are not content by fighting with principles, they draw out swords to do so.
Man should have been greatly pleased in having Buddha, Mahavira and Christ among mankind but on the contrary much troubles have been created because of them. Bertrand Russell has written something: 'What harm would have been there if God had not sent Jesus here?' At least there would have been no Christians. In the middle ages the Christians covered the whole of Europe with dead bodies. So a famous man like Bertrand Russell had to pray thus, 'What harm was there if God had not sent Jesus here?' The world would have been a quieter place by not sending this one man. At least the fighter, the murderer would not have been a Christian. This is something important to think about. The world did not become a bad place owing to the birth of Jesus, because his 'coming' should have increased the fragrance in the world. The world should have been lucky by the birth of Jesus. But It did not turn out to be so, because his birth gave rise to the birth of Christians. Whatever is enjoined by Jesus, is destroyed by the Christians. Jesus says, Love thy neighbour as thyself. But the Christian keeps his sword sharp for his neighbour. Mohammed says, there is only one God, and all are His children, but the Musalman goes out to kill His children. The Hindu says, everything is Brahma - God, and in spite of this he conveniently forgets this great maxim of the Vedanta when he has to touch a Shudra, the low born. The world was fortunate in having Jesus, Krishna, Mahavira, Buddha, and Confucius, but floods of disaster and chaos follow them, institutions which become instruments for fighting are created. Armies of the followers get together and religion is turned into politics. Religion becomes an organized institution as soon as it falls into the hands of the followers, and then it is turned into politics. Religion is not an organized institution, it is a principle. But when the followers create an organized institution for it, the institution assumes importance, and those who are not a part of that institution are looked upon as enemies. Then those who are in the institution are considered as 'ours' and those who are out of it are looked upon as 'others' 'aliens'. Thus each religion goes on dividing man into various divisions. There are some three hundred religions on this earth. Man is divided into three hundred divisions. Religion is for uniting people and not for dividing them. Who does this division? Is Mahavira doing It. Is Muhammad doing it? Only one out of the two can be the truth, either Mahavira himself is the author of this division or jesus. Either Muhammad is the author of this division or the Musalmans. Either Jesus is a trouble maker or the Christians.
Mahavira, Jesus and Muhammad were the great messengers of peace. But something else happens when their followers create organized institutions after their death. It is very interesting to understand this scientific maxim about the follower. Generally those who oppose that principles become its followers. Mahavira renounced everything but people with plenty of everything, go bow and fall at his feet. Most voracious eaters, who think of food all the twenty-four hours are the first to be impressed by him. Mahavira stands naked, while thousands of followers of Jainism run cloth shops across this country. Is Mahavira's nakednesss responsible for this, is something to wonder about. Jesus said if anyone slaps you on one cheek, turn your other cheek, if anybody snatches your coat, give him your shirt too, if someone asks you to carry his load for one mile, carry it for two miles. It is no wonder how the Christians plundered the whole world. The beievers of Christ spread slavery in the whole world, they will not only snatch your coat but lake away your shirt too. Jesus could not have imagined all this, but such kind of people flocked around him the most.
The fact is that opposite forces are also attracted by each other. Pleasure-seekers always gather around a person who has renounced everything. This is how everything gets perverted. Jains pervert what Mahavira said, the Christians destroy what Jesus said, and Muslims do the same
The Perennial Path: The Art of Living
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Osho