Panch Mahavrat or The Perennial Path The Art of Living

Author(s): Osho Rajnish
Publisher: Osho Rajnish

Page 81

CHAPTER 7. TANTRIC PATH TO SUPER ENERGY
breath. There was a gap of forty years between the achievement of Supreme Knowledge and the final breath. In the case of Mahavira it was a gap of nearly forty to forty-two years. There was violence before these forty-two years. But the point of view was changed. The violence which was there before Mahaviras arrival, was not known as such, but after his arrival it was known as violence. The former one was done unconsciously, now it is conscious, so it is minimum.
Mahavira does not commit violence of his own accord. Only that much violence is committed which is absolutely necessary to live. Even there he tries to commit as little violence as possible. He sleeps on one side. He does take food, but he can go on with one meal, he takes it once only. Then he takes food once in two days. He does not eat meat, but takes only vegetables. He prefers dried vegetables and dried fruit to green ones, because to pick up green vegetables and fruit would be to give pain to them. Dried up things fall themselves, but there are innumerable lives in them also. They will certainly be killed.
Whatever violence was committed by Mahavira after achieving Supreme Knowledge, was committed through sheer helplessness. The final breath will also be in that helplessness. There will be supreme liberation after the last breath. Then the journey will be entirely different. Then there will be life without the body. It will be the life of pure Atma. Only the pure Atma is nonviolent.
All things in the world are impure. Impurity can be more or less. There is nothing absolute in this world. There remains at least some imperfection in that which we call the most perfect. In this world even Rama, however great he may be, has some 'Ravana' left in him. In this world, however great Ravana may be, there will always be some 'Rama' within him. Really speaking, the very presence of some 'Rama' within Ravana, shows the possibility of his evolution. And the presence of some 'Ravana' within Rama indicates the possibility of his birth.
There will be a sinner within the greatest of saints and there will be a saint within the greatest sinner. But he is a saint who knows this little 'sinner' and accepts him as a necessary evil. He believes this as unavoidable, a part of life. If any saint says that he is perfect in this world he is a bit mistaken. He refuses to see some portion of his individuality - some portion within him. It cannot be refused. It is impossible not to be a sinner if we live along with sinners in this world.
KNOWLEDGE AND SEXUAL INDULGENCE
Ordinarily the action of giving birth happens between two persons devoid of knowledge. People like Buddha and Mahavira will not be willing to be instrumental in conception. There are two reasons for it: one is, they can be prepared and willing to send some one on the journey of birth and death. They cannot be the cause for that. In fact persons like Buddha and Mahavira are eager to send us all to that place of no return, from where there is no birth again.
They are the individuals who are eager to free us from birth and death. We wish to bring someone on the earth while they wish to free someone from this earth. Mahavira and Buddha also wish to give birth some to place which is termed moksha. They wish to send us there where there is neither body, miseries nor anguish. They also are on the run to give you a new life, but they are not eager to give you a body. I shall narrate an event in the life ot Buddha which will explain this point to you.
Buddha returns home after a period of twelve years. He had run away when Rahul was only one day old. He was now 12 years old. His mother was naturally displeased with Buddha and had told
The Perennial Path: The Art of Living
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Osho