---
section: Library
booktitle: "The Imprisoned Splendor"
booktype: "Diaries"
bookcode: "IMPRIS"
dategiven: "04 June 1980 pm"
place: " in Chuang Tzu Auditorium"
chapternum: "Chapter #4"
chaptertitle: "None"
acode: "8006045"
shorttitle: "IMPRIS04"
audio: "No"
video: "No"
esttime: ""
displaytitle: "The Imprisoned Splendor: Chapter #4"
---

```style
.sutra {
  font-style: italic;
  white-space: pre-wrap !important;
}
```
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> [!info]
> Note
>
[NOTE: This is an unedited tape transcript of an unpublished darshan diary, which has been scanned and cleaned up. It is for reference purposes only.]


Bliss is a by-product of becoming totally conscious. Enlightenment is another name for total consciousness. It simply means becoming full of light.


Light represents awareness, darkness represents unawareness. Ordinarily we are a dark night -- inside all is dark and it has been so for many lives; the sun has not risen there at all. Outside there is much light, inside there is only darkness.


That's why very few people go inwards. They are afraid of darkness and they don't see the point of why they should go into this darkness, into the dark tunnel of one's being. For what? They listen to the Buddhas saying 'Go within,' 'Know thyself,' but they feel puzzled, confused, because whenever they look within they don't find anything like what the Buddhas say.


The Buddhas say 'Inside you will find light,' but they don't find it there, instead they find darkness. The Buddhas say 'Inside you will find immortality,' but they don't find anything of it, they simply find themselves surrounded by death, inside there seems to be no life but only death. In darkness they can feel death becoming almost tangible. The Buddhas say 'Inside you will find bliss,' but they don't find any bliss, they find only suffering -- nightmares and nightmares. There seems to be no silence, all is turmoil, chaos.


That's why all over the world, in all ages, in all the countries, people have decided that 'the Buddhas belonged to a different category: maybe they have found light inside because they are not human beings, they are divine. But we are human beings, ordinary human beings.'


They cannot say they are wrong. It is impossible to deny those people because what they say you can feel in their life. People have seen Jesus, Gautam Buddha, Zarathustra, Lao Tzu, and they have seen their bliss and their luminousness and they have heard their song... It is impossible to deny it. They have seen Jesus full of compassion and love even for the crowd. Even for all of those who are killing him he has only a prayer -- a prayer that they should all be forgiven because they know not what they are doing, they are unconscious people. So what they are doing is almost expected, it is not unexpected. They cannot do otherwise, they are not at fault.


The last words of Jesus are a prayer to god that all these people should be forgiven, they should not be punished because it is a unfair to punish people who are behaving in a state of drunkenness, unconsciousness, they can't be held responsible for what they are doing.


So it is impossible to deny the Buddhas. Then the only logical way is to create a category, a separate category for such people. Hence Christians say Jesus is the only begotten son of god. We are ordinary human beings, he is not an ordinary human being; he comes from above, he is superhuman. and the same is the case with all the religions: Mohammed is a prophet of god, the only prophet of god. He is exceptional, extraordinary, hence we cannot hope to achieve the same as him. He carried different qualities of being. We are just seeds and he is a rosebud. How can we grow roses? -- we are just weeds. We can bow down to the roses, we can respect the roses, but we cannot expect that we can become roses.


This is just a logical way to console oneself that this is natural. This is not natural. This whole division is absolutely ridiculous. They belong to us, they have been as ordinary as we are. One day they were ordinary, one day they became extraordinary. Something happened -- that something can happen to everyone. They were ordinary when they were just seeds. When they became aware of their potential, when they started transforming their potential into the actual they became luminous beings, beings who appeared to come from the beyond. They became a bridge between this world and that, between this shore and the farther shore. Everyone is entitled to the same, everyone is carrying a seed of Buddhahood in himself.


So never for a moment think that there are categories. Yes, there is a difference because they are awakened, but the difference is only of that between somebody who is asleep and somebody who is awakened. But the one who is asleep can become awakened. The very phenomenon of sleep proves that he has the capacity to come out of it. Unless one can become awake, one cannot fall asleep either, They are two sides of the same coin.


Entering into sannyas means recognising the potential in you, pouring your attention, your efforts, in search of your inner treasure. Right now you will find darkness, but if you go on searching, soon you will stumble upon an infinite source of light.


First you will find only just thoughts, imagination, dreams, memories, but if you go on digging they all disappear. Ultimately only pure consciousness remains, and in that moment one becomes a Bodhichitta -- the consciousness of enlightenment. And in that very moment bliss starts showering on you.


If we are unaware we have fallen into something unnatural. It is as if somebody is standing on his head: it is unnatural. One can stand on one's head, but the head is not supposed to be for that. And that's how people are -- upside-down, their whole life is upside-down. They are doing things they should not be doing and they are not doing things that they should be doing. They are interested in things which are futile, meaningless, and they are absolutely uninterested in things which are really significant.


People live accidentally. They don't have any sense of direction, they don't have an inner discipline for growing, they don't have a certain target. They simply go on, not knowing why. Maybe just because they are restless they go on doing this and that. Restlessness needs some kind of occupation, any kind of occupation will do. But any kind of occupation is not going to help you to grow. Growth needs a very selective life.


Life is short, time is very short, but people are so stupid that they will be playing cards and chess and if you ask them "What are you doing?", they say they are killing time -- as if they have too  much time with them. Time is killing you!


Each moment you are less and less and less. Each moment you have died a little more, each moment death is coming closer. Time is not something to be killed, time is something to be used. Time is a great opportunity -- it has not to be wasted. But if you look at people you will be surprised: ninety-nine point nine per cent of people are wasting their time for the simple reason that they have never given a second thought to what they are doing and why. Others may be doing it so they are just imitating. People are almost living the life of sleepwalkers.


I have heard: two drunkards were sitting in a car and the car was going as far as it could. One drunkard said to the other, 'Now from the next cross-road you have to turn left and then you have to turn right.' And the other said, 'Why do you go on telling these things to me -- you are driving!'


But nobody is conscious, nobody knows who is driving, who is not driving and why people are going in a certain direction. Why is everybody interested in money? -- because all others are interested. Why is everybody interested in fame? -- because all other fools are interested. And you have to be in tune with the fools because you are surrounded by them.


An intelligent person moves consciously moment to moment. Whatsoever he is doing he is doing for a certain reason. He has an intrinsic value system. He lives according to a certain inner discipline -- not imposed by others but by his own awareness.


In the beginning it is groping, but soon one becomes more and more clear. Soon one goes astray less and less. Soon things settle and one starts following the right path towards inner growth. And then one thing becomes clear, that as you are moving closer to your nature, as things are less and less chaotic in your life and they start becoming harmonious, you will feel more and more bliss, more and more peace. That is a clear-cut indication that you are on the right track.


If you are feeling miserable in life that means you are going astray. Misery is an indicator, so is bliss. They are real indicators: if people are miserable that simply shows they are upside-down; if they are blissful that (few words missing) into an organic unity. They are no more a crowd. They have created a certain integration. They now have a centre, they are rooted, grounded... And then bliss starts happening, naturally, simply. It does not come from anywhere else, it simply arises out of your own inner being in an accord.


It is just like a beautiful car's engine humming. An alert driver knows exactly... if something goes wrong he immediately becomes aware because the engine is no more humming the same way; some disturbing note is there. Nobody else sitting int he car will be aware, but the driver will become aware, immediately alert: something is wrong, something has gone astray, something is not functioning well, something is not in tune.


And that's how a conscious person is: he immediately comes to know that something has gone wrong and he puts it right.


Ordinarily people are not at all aware. They go on thinking that others are making them miserable. That is a strategy of the mind to remain unconscious; then what can they do? It is the wife who makes you miserable, it is the children who make you miserable, it is the neighbours who make you miserable.


Jesus has two statements. One is: Love your enemy as yourself, and the second: Love your neighbour as yourself. I have always been puzzled about these two statements. There is no need to make two statements because neighbours and enemies are the same people! Just to say 'Love your neighbours as yourself,' is enough; enemies are included in the neighbours.


But we go on throwing the responsibility onto anybody. If we cannot find anybody then fate, kismet, karma, god, palmistry, astrology. People have found so many beautiful excuses. They will go to Tarot card readers. They will not look within, they will ask some foolish person to read Tarot cards and tell them what is wrong with them. Can you think of a more ridiculous things? They will consult the I-Ching. These books are written for stupid people.


The simple fact is: if you are miserable, you are responsible, nobody else. And if you are blissful it is a reward of your being alert, aware, watchful.


Bliss if a gift, a gift of nature... for those who live consciously. It can be given only to those people who live consciously because only they will be able to appreciate it, only they will be able to understand it. It cannot be given to fools -- they will throw it away. You can't give precious diamonds to children. They will not make any distinction between the precious diamonds and coloured stones. To understand a precious stone you need a jeweller.


As one becomes more and more conscious, one starts understanding the great gift of bliss that nature is always keeping ready for you. Whenever you are ripe, whenever you are ready, it is yours.


Anand is also the name of one of the most significant of Gautam Buddha's disciples, one of the most intimate and closest disciple. For forty-two years he served Buddha like a shadow. Nobody has served any master in that way for so long. He served Buddha in such a silent way, as if he were absolutely absent. Nobody would feel his presence: he would come silently, he would move silently, he would do the work silently. But by serving Buddha, just be serving him, he became more and more silent and peaceful. He became more and more graceful. Just by being in that close intimate relationship, remaining constantly under his energy, in his Buddhafield, he became imbued with his spirit. He completely forgot about himself, so much so that he even forgot that he had to become enlightened.


Buddha used to remind him again and again, 'Anand, it is good to serve the master, I am immensely pleased with you, but don't forget that you have to become enlightened.' Anand would laugh and he would say, 'To serve you is enough. Who cares about enlightenment?'


Anand became enlightened only when Buddha died, and he became enlightened within twenty-four hours. His sacrifice was immense. Such self -- sacrifice is so rare that in fact there is no other record in the whole history of humanity. To sacrifice even one's enlightenment....


In fact, many times anand had said to Buddha, 'Please don't insist on my enlightenment, because when you order something I have to do it -- and this is one thing that I cannot do for the simple reason that if I become enlightened you will send me away. You will tell me "Now go to the masses, help others to become awakened, spread my message." So let me remain ignorant, but let me be with you. Enlightenment can happen later on -- what is the hurry? I am fully contented just to be with you.


Many times he had seen that whenever a disciple became enlightened he was sent away because now he was ready to carry the message, to become the vehicle. Sariputra was sent away, Modgalayayan was sent away, Manjusri was sent away, and so many other disciples. The moment they would become enlightened, Buddha would say, "Now, you are ready -- go to the farthest corner of the world to help people who are fast asleep. Wake them up!"


Every night before anand would go to sleep he would pray, and he would pray in such a way that Buddha could hear it, because they were sleeping in the same room. He would pray to Buddha: "My lord, help me to remain unenlightened, because I don't want to go away from you."


And when just before Buddha died he declared "Today is my last day," Anand started crying and weeping. Buddha said, "Don't cry and weep, Anand. Only my death can make you enlightened, otherwise you will never become enlightened. When I am gone there will be nothing left for you t cling to. I am grateful you have served me so long."


And it happened that way, within twenty-four hours Anand became enlightened. The moment Buddha died, Anand closed his eyes and didn't open his eyes until he became enlightened. People asked him, "Why are you not opening your eyes?" He said, "I have seen the most beautiful man of the world -- now what is there left for me to see? Now I can afford enlightenment. My only attachment was with Buddha -- that too is broken." He said, "It may be that he has died only for me, to help me become enlightened."
This is a beautiful story for master and disciple.
			

> [!info]
> Copyright 1964-1990 Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh)
>