He always walks by himself

[Guest guest]

He always walks by himself

Source:http://www.ramakrishnamath.com

 

There is no way to push him here and there, you cannot manipulate

him; he remains there, utterly himself, so centred is he, so rooted

is he, in his being. When one has known the fourth, turiya, then

there is no distraction then one can live anywhere.

 

Once it happened in the days of Buddha that a beautiful prostitute

fell in deep love with a Buddhist monk who had gone to beg. The

woman had seen many beautiful people – she was one of the most

famous prostitutes of those days – even kings used to queue at her

door, and she fell in love with a monk, with a bikku, a beggar.

 

Sannyasins have a beauty that only Sannyasins can have; that a

beauty when one walks by himself that grace – the grace of the

centred one – dignity, the elegance. Just visualize the monk

walking. And Buddhist monks their whole teaching consists of one

thing; Be alert; be watchful. Not even a single breath

has to pass your nostrils without your being aware of it.

 

So, absolutely watchful, meditative, he must have passed by the

woman. She had seen many beautiful people, but never a man who

walked by himself like this – and in the market-place, and in the

whole noise, so silently as if the market did not exist. She

immediately fell in love with the man. She touched his feet

and asked him to come to her home and stay for this rainy season,

for four months. Buddhist monks stop moving for four months.

Buddhist monks stop moving for four months in the rainy season. The

rains were just about to come, and the clouds were gathering, and it

was time for them to stay and find shelter for four months.

 

So she invites him: " You come to my home. Be my guest for four

months. " The monk said, " I will have to ask the Master. Tomorrow I

will come and reply. If he allows it, I will come. "

 

There were other monks begging in the town – they saw the whole

thing; they became very jealous. When the young man came back to

Buddha, he stood in the assembly and made the request " A woman, a

prostitute " – Amrapalli was her name – " has asked me to stay with

her for the coming rainy season. I will do whatever you say. " Many

heard it – they all stood up and said, " This is wrong. Even to have

allowed that woman to touch your feet was wrong. Because Buddha

has said, " Don't touch a woman don't allow a woman to touch you. "

You have broken that rule, and now this is something, that you are

asking to stay with the woman for four months! "

 

Buddha said, " I told you not to touch a woman, not to be touched by

a woman because you are not centred. For this man that rule is no

more applicable. I can see that he walks alone by himself – I have

been watching him – he is no more part of the crowd. You are still

part of the crowd. When you go to the market, you go to the, market;

he simply passes by there as if he had never gone. " And to the

bhikku Buddha said, " Yes, you are allowed. "

 

Now, this was too much; never had it been done before, there was no

precedent. All were angry, and for four months thousands of gossips

went around exaggerating what was happening there. Everybody was

interested, and many rumours were coming that the monk was no more a

monk, that he had fallen.

 

After 4 months the monk came back followed by Amrapalli. Buddha

looked at the monk, looked at Amrapalli, and said, " Woman have you

something to say to me? " She said, " I have come to be initiated by

you. I tried to distract your disciple, I failed; this is my first

defeat. I have always succeeded with men.This is the first man whom

I could not distract - not even an inch. A great desire has arisen

in me too – how can I attain this centring. And the more he has been

with me these days, the more I have seen how far away he is from the

world. He lived with me, I danced before him, I sang before him, I

played on musical instruments before him – I tried to allure him in

every way – but he remained silent. He always remained himself. Not

for a single moment have I seen any cloud in his mind or any desire

in his eyes. I tried to convert him, but he has converted me – me

not saying a single word. He has not brought me here; I have come on

my own. I have known for the first time what dignity is; I would

like to learn the art. " She became a disciple of Buddha. She became

a nun. He always walks by himself…

 

Remember, it does not mean that he remains lonely; it only means

that he remains alone. If you want to be lonely you have to move

away from the world, but if you want to be alone there is no need to

go anywhere, you can be alone here. Aloneness needs awareness.

Loneliness is an outer thing – you simply have to move away from

people. But moving away from people you remain the same – your mind

has not changed; and your mind is the problem, not the people.

Sitting in a Himalayan cave you will think of you wife, of your

children, of all those friends you have left behind, because the

mind cannot be left here, it will go with you – it is you.

 

Don't try to change the circumstances of your life, try to change the

psychology. Do not try to change the outer situation. Use the outer

situation and change the inner state. The false religion consists of

changing the situation: " If a woman creates a desire in you, escape

from the woman. " This is changing the situation; this is not much of

a change – you are befooling yourself and befooling the world. The

real religion consists of changing the state of mind: " If a woman

attracts you, then look into your desires, then watch those desires.

Somewhere there you have not known anything better than sex.

Somewhere there you have not known anything higher than sex.

Somewhere there you have not known anything ecstatic. Because you

have not known anything higher, you are attracted towards the lower.

Search for the higher. Once you have known higher reaches of your

energy, sex starts withering of its own accord. " That is real

religion.

GOMU <gokulmuthu