Collection of OSHO

Collected by Sameer Pawar

Zen Stories of Isan
(Excerpts from Osho's book 'Isan: No Footprints in the Blue
Sky '
!"
One ni#ht IS$N %as in atten&ance on 'yaku(o) sittin# till
late in the *uietness of the mountain temple+
,-ho are you., 'yaku(o aske&+
,/eiyu), replie& IS$N+
,/ake in the fireplace), instructe& 'yaku(o+
IS$N &i& as he %as tol& an& sai&) ,i fin& no embers left+,
'yaku(o took up the ton#s an&) rakin# &eep &o%n) brou#ht up
a tiny burnin# ember) %hich he sho%e& to IS$N) an& sai&)
,(ust this) you see0,
IS$N %as su&&enly enli#htene&+ 'e bo%e& &eeply an& relate&
his point of reali1ation to 'yaku(o) %ho sai&) ,you ha2e
reache& a crossroa&s on the Bu&&ha nature3 you shoul&
obser2e time an& causation+ -hen the time comes) you %ill
reali1e it) (ust like rememberin# somethin# you ha2e
for#otten+ It is not obtaine& from others+ 4herefore) %hen
you are enli#htene&) your ori#inal nature manifests itself+
No% you ha2e attaine& it 55 carefully culti2ate it+,
!6
On one occasion) a monk aske& IS$N about the nee& for
culti2ation of one's spiritual life after enli#htenment+
IS$N respon&e& that it %as nee&e& because of the ,inertia
of habit+, he then %ent on to say:
,%hat you hear must first be accepte& by your reason3 an&
%hen your rational un&erstan&in# is &eepene& an& subtili1e&
in an ineffable %ay) your min& %ill) of its o%n
spontaneity) become comprehensi2e an& bri#ht) ne2er to
relapse into the state of &oubt an& &elusion+ 'o%e2er
numerous an& 2arious the subtle teachin#s are) you kno%
intuiti2ely ho% to apply them 55 in accor&ance %ith the
occasion+
,In this %ay only %ill you be *ualifie& to sit in the chair
an& %ear your robe as a master of the true art of li2in#+
4o sum up) it is of primary importance to kno% that
ultimate reality) or the be&rock of reason) &oes not a&mit
of a sin#le speck of &ust) %hile in innumerable &oors an&
paths of action not a sin#le la% or thin# is to be
aban&one&+,
!7
On one occasion) a monk came to IS$N's monastery to be
tau#ht) an&) seein# him) IS$N ma&e as if to #et up+ ,8lease
&on't stan& up0, exclaime& the monk+
,I ha2en't sat &o%n yet0, sai& IS$N+
,I ha2en't bo%e& yet), the monk sai&+
,9ou ru&e creature0, commente& IS$N+
On another occasion) IS$N %as %atchin# a brush fire) an&
Collection of OSHO
Collected by Sameer Pawar
aske& his &isciple) :o#o) ,&o you see the fire.,
,i see it), replie& :o#o+
4he master aske& :o#o) ,%here &oes the fire come from.,
:o#o sai&) ,I %oul& like you to ask me somethin# that has
nothin# to &o %ith %alkin# aroun& or 1a1en or lyin# &o%n,
55 at %hich IS$N left off talkin# an& %ent a%ay+
Once) IS$N %as aske& by Ichu to compose a #atha for him+
IS$N replie&: ,it is foolish to compose one %hen face to
face 55 an&) in any case) %ritin# thin#s on paper0,
so Ichu %ent to ;yo1an) a &isciple of IS$N) an& ma&e the
same re*uest+
In response) ;yo1an &re% a circle on paper an& %rote a note
next to it that sai&: ,to think an& then kno% is the secon&
#ra&e+ Not to think an& then kno% is the thir& #ra&e+,

!<
Once) to ;yo1an) IS$N commente&: ,all the Bu&&ha's in the
Sama&hi enter into a speck of &ust an& turn the #reat %heel
of the la%+,
;yo1an sai& to him) ,ho% about you.,
IS$N respon&e&) ,4here is someone3 makin# him an example)
%e can #et it from him+,
;yo1an pointe& to a %ater5bottle an& sai&) ,please #et in
it+,
IS$N's response %as: ,all the Bu&&ha's by their occult
po%ers are at present in the mouth of the bottle) turnin#
the #reat %heel of the la%+ =an you see them &oin# it.,
;yo1an then sai&) ,4his is the turnin# of all the Bu&&ha's+
'o% %ill you turn it.,
IS$N obser2e&) ,It cannot be &one if %e are separate& from
the thin# itself, 55 at %hich ;yo1an ma&e his bo%s+
!>
IS$N sai& to ;yo1an) ,i ha2e hear& that %hen you %ere %ith
hyaku(o) if you %ere aske& about one) you coul& ans%er
about ten+ Is that true.,
,i %oul&n't like to say), replie& ;yo1an+
,$ttempt to say somethin# that expresses the hi#hest point
of bu&&hism), sai& IS$N+
;yo1an (ust opene& his mouth) about to speak) %hen IS$N
shoute&) ,k%at10,
t%ice more) ;yo1an %ent to speak an& t%ice IS$N silence&
him %ith a shout+
;yo1an bo%e& his hea& an& %ept) sayin#) ,4he former teacher
sai& that %hen i met another) i %oul& #ain enli#htenment+
4o&ay i ha2e met him+ It is three years since i be#an to
seek for bu&&hahoo&) an& it %as no more than lookin# after
a co%+,
!?
IS$N sai& to ;yo1an: ,most of the people upon this #reat
earth) %ith their limitless consciousness of cause an&
Collection of OSHO
Collected by Sameer Pawar
effect) lack the a%areness of that ori#inal nature %hich
they shoul& rely upon+ =an you tell %hether they ha2e this
a%areness or not.,
;yo1an replie&: ,i ha2e experience& this &ifficulty+, (ust
at that moment) a monk passe& by an& ;yo1an calle& out to
him) ,(ari0, an& the monk turne& his hea&+
;yo1an commente& to IS$N: ,this is a case of %i&e cause an&
effect consciousness %ithout a%areness of the fun&amental
upon %hich one shoul& rely+,
IS$N obser2e&: ,it is a &rop of lion's milk %hich %ill
cur&le six #allons of &onkey's milk+,
once) IS$N commente& to ;yo1an: ,the %hole &ay %e ar#ue&
about 1en an& %hat &i& %e #et out of it all., 55 at %hich
;yo1an &re% a line in the air+
IS$N obser2e&: ,if it %ere not i) someone %oul& be
&ecei2e&+,
!@
On one occasion) t%o 1en monks came from a ri2al community
an&) arri2in# at IS$N's monastery) commente&: ,there is not
a man here %ho can un&erstan& 1en+,
later) %hen all the monks %ere out #atherin# fire%oo&)
;yo1an sa% them both restin#+ 'e picke& up a piece of
fire%oo& an& sai& to the t%o: ,can you talk about it.,
both %ere speechless) at %hich ;yo1an commente&: ,&o not
say that there is no one here %ho can un&erstan& 1en+,
%hen ;yo1an #ot back to the monastery) he sai& to IS$N)
,to&ay) i expose& t%o 1en monks+,
,ho%., IS$N aske&) an& ;yo1an tol& him of the exchan#e+
IS$N commente&: ,i ha2e no% expose& you as %ell+,
!A
;yo1an once returne& to IS$N to inter2ie% him+ IS$N sai& to
him) ,you are no% calle& a #oo& an& cle2er teacher+ 'o% can
you &istin#uish bet%een those %ho come from all parts an&
kno% it) an& those %ho &on't kno% it3 the masters %ho ha2e
inherite& it) an& those %ho ha2e not3 the profoun&
learnin#) an& the meanin# learnin#. Explain an& let me
hear+,
;yo1an replie&) ,;yo1an has ha& this experience+ -hen monks
come from all &irections) he raises his stick) an& asks
them if this is expoun&e& %here they come from or not+
Further) he says to them) lea2in# this asi&e) B%hat are the
ol& masters %here you come from teachin#.',
IS$N a&mire& him an& sai&) ,4his has al%ays been the cla%
an& fan# of our sect+,

(Excerpts from Osho's book 'Isan: No Footprints in the Blue
Sky '

Collection of OSHO
Collected by Sameer Pawar