Panch Mahavrat or The Perennial Path The Art of Living

Author(s): Osho Rajnish
Publisher: Osho Rajnish

Page 50

CHAPTER 5. PROCESS OF PROGRESS
Such unions-sangh of rogues only pollute and darken the society. What we need more today, is the getting together of good people, who simply meet for the joy of meeting. Earlier, the temples or the masjids were the places where such people met. They sent out pure and holy vibrations of love. But today even such places have become professional organisations. But all that is best is produced by the best people like Mahavira, and it is unfortunate that people could not save it. They try to save it in its purest form but things change. There is a reason for this. Mahavira lived for eighty years. What he has given falls into our hands, who are not Mahaviras, and who have no relation at all, no knowledge at all of that highest consciousness (of Mahavira). Things will turn out as we shall fashion them.
I have heard that Moses had a flute, and he used to go to a mountain sometimes to play it. Hearing it, the shepherds passing by that road stopped to hear the music. Deer of the forest stopped moving, birds became silent, and they surrounded him. After the death of Moses, shepherds who had heard the music of that divine flute kept it under a tree and began to worship it. It was a bamboo flute. Only a generation or two had lapsed when people began to say, 'what is there in this simple bamboo flute? There should be something worth more to it to worship it.' They gave it a golden covering so that people could worship it. After a generation or two people said, 'what is there in this simple gold flute?' So they bought diamonds and jewels and covered it with them. But now no sound could be produced from that flute. After sometime an expert musician was passing by that road, and he said to some one, 'I have heard that the flute of Moses is being worshipped somewhere here. I wish to have a darshan - a look of that flute.' When he went there, the flute was not there. It was covered with golden plaster and diamonds and jewels. He blew it from both ends. There was not even a hole in it for the sound to come out.
Mahavira's flute is also transformed like that, Buddha's flute is also altered like that, and we treat the flute of Jesus also in the same manner. Those who possess it make it ugly. The responsibility for this ugliness is not Mahaviras or Buddhas or Krishnas. The ugliness is entirely due to us it is our responsibility. Therefore, if an individual like Mahavira takes birth today, he shall have to speak against Mahavira himself. The reason to speak against Mahavira is that it is necessary to destroy that image of Mahavira which has been made by you. If some expert musician returns he will have to speak against that flute because it is not the flute of Moses. If Jesus would return, he would have to speak against Jesus, because even Jesus would not be able to recognise himself because of the transformation done to his image by us. He would doubt whether he had ever come on this earth, whether that was his image.
Everything is distorted when it is handled by man, but there is no wag out of it. We should tell the lovers of Moses who collect round him not to worship the flute but to learn to play the flute. It does not matter if they can't play like Moses, one thing will be certain that it will not get covered with gold and jewels. Then they can at least claim that it is not the worship of the flute but it is of the music coming out from it. This music can be produced only when the flute is hollow. If gold is filled in it, no music can come out of it.
Instead of only worshipping Mahavira and Buddha, if we contemplated upon their great achievement we would perhaps be able to stop distorting their true images. But are busy performing pujas. Pujas cause distortions. We not only kill what we worship but we cover it up with our own images and ideas, weave our own stories around them. The original thing slowly turns into ashes and loses all its individuality. This is all very unfortunate and we are helpless with our long established habits.
The Perennial Path: The Art of Living
50
Osho