And Now, And Here-第2章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



we　are　less　afraid　when　acpanied　by　someone　and　more　afraid　when　left　all　by　ourselves。

that　man　was　alone。

he　became　scared　and　began　running。

everything　was　still　and　quiet　……　it　was　afternoon；　there　was　no　one　around。

as　he　began　to　run　faster；　he　sensed　the　sound　of　running　feet　ing　from　behind。

he　grew　frightened　……　maybe　someone　was　following　him。

then；　afraid；　he　glanced　behind　out　of　the　corner　of　his　eye。

he　saw　a　long　shadow　chasing　him。

it　was　his　own　shadow　……　but　seeing　that　some　long　shadow　was　pursuing　him；　he　ran　even　faster。

then　that　man　could　never　stop；　because　the　faster　he　ran；　the　faster　the　shadow　ran　after　him。

finally　the　man　went　mad。

but　there　are　people　who　even　worship　madmen。

when　people　saw　him　running　like　that　through　their　villages；　they　thought　he　was　engaged　in　some　great　ascetic　practice。

except　in　the　darkness　of　night；　when　the　shadow　would　disappear　and　he　would　think　there　was　no　one　behind　him；　he　never　stopped。

with　daybreak　he　would　start　running　again。

then　he　didnt　even　stop　at　night　……　he　figured　that　in　spite　of　the　distance　he　had　covered　during　the　day；　while　he　rested　at　night　the　shadow　had　caught　up　with　him　and　would　follow　him　in　the　morning　once　again。

so　even　at　night　he　continued　running。

then　he　went　pletely　mad；　he　neither　ate　nor　drank。

thousands　of　people　watched　him　run　and　showered　flowers　upon　him；　or　someone　might　hand　him　a　piece　of　bread　or　some　water。

people　began　worshipping　him　more　and　more；　thousands　paid　their　respects　to　him。

but　the　　　man　became　more　and　more　crazy；　and　finally　one　day；　he　fell　down　on　the　ground　and　died。

the　people　of　the　village　where　he　died　made　his　grave　under　the　shade　of　a　tree；　and　they　asked　an　old　fakir　of　the　village　what　they　would　inscribe　on　his　gravestone。

the　fakir　wrote　one　line　on　it。

in　some　village；　someplace；　that　grave　is　still　there。

it　is　possible　you　may　pass　it　by　it。

do　read　the　line。

the　fakir　wrote　on　the　gravestone：　〃here　rests　a　man　who　fled　from　his　own　shadow　all　his　life；　who　wasted　his　whole　life　escaping　from　a　shadow。

and　the　man　did　not　even　know　as　much　as　his　gravestone　does　……　because　the　gravestone　is　in　the　shade　and　does　not　run；　hence　no　shadow　is　created。

〃　

we　also　run。

we　may　wonder　how　a　man　can　run　from　his　shadow；　but　we　too　run　from　shadows。

and　that　which　we　run　away　from　starts　pursuing　us　itself。

the　faster　we　run；　the　faster　it　follows　because　it　is　our　own　shadow。

death　is　our　own　shadow。

if　we　keep　running　away　from　it　we　will　not　be　able　to　stand　before　it　and　recognize　what　it　is。

if　that　man　had　stopped　and　seen　what　was　behind　him；　perhaps　he　would　have　laughed　and　said；　〃what　kind　of　a　person　am　i；　running　away　from　a　shadow？〃　no　one　can　ever　escape　from　a　shadow；　no　one　can　ever　win　a　fight　with　a　shadow。

this　does　not　mean；　however；　that　the　shadow　is　stronger　than　we　are　and　that　we　can　never　be　victorious；　it　simply　means　that　there　is　no　shadow；　that　there　is　no　question　of　being　victorious。

you　cannot　win　against　that　which　does　not　exist。

thats　why　people　keep　facing　defeat　by　death　……　because　death　is　merely　a　shadow　of　life。

as　life　moves　forward；　its　shadow　moves　along　with　it　too。

death　is　the　shadow　that　forms　behind　life；　and　we　never　want　to　look　back；　to　see　what　it　is。

we　have　fallen；　exhausted；　so　many　times　……　after　having　run　this　race　again　and　again。

it　is　not　that　you　have　e　to　this　shore　for　the　first　time；　you　must　have　been　here　before　……　maybe　it　was　not　this　shore；　then　some　other　shore。

it　may　not　have　been　this　body；　then　some　other　body　……　but　the　race　must　have　been　the　same。

the　legs　must　have　been　the　same；　the　race　must　have　been　the　same。

through　many　lives　we　live；　carrying　the　fear　of　death；　and　yet　we　are　neither　able　to　recognize　it　nor　to　see　it。

we　are　so　scared　and　frightened　that　when　death　approaches；　when　its　total　shadow　closes　in　on　us；　out　of　fear　we　bee　unconscious。

generally；　no　one　remains　conscious　at　the　moment　of　death。

if；　even　once；　one　were　to　remain　conscious；　the　fear　of　death　would　disappear　forever。

if；　just　once；　a　man　could　see　what　dying　is　like；　what　happens　in　death；　then　the　next　time　he　would　have　no　fear　of　death　because　there　would　be　no　death。

not　that　he　would　be　victorious　over　death　……　we　can　achieve　victory　only　over　something　which　exists。

just　by　knowing　death；　it　disappears。

then　nothing　remains　over　which　to　be　victorious。

we　have　died　many　times　before；　but　whenever　death　has　occurred　we　have　bee　unconscious。

this　is　similar　to　when　a　physician　or　a　surgeon　gives　anesthesia　before　an　operation　so　you　wont　feel　the　pain。

we　are　so　very　afraid　of　dying　that　at　the　time　of　death　we　bee　unconscious　willingly。

we　bee　unconscious　just　a　little　before　dying。

we　die　unconscious；　and　then　we　are　reborn　in　a　state　of　unconsciousness。

we　neither　see　death；　nor　do　we　see　birth　……　and　hence　we　are　never　able　to　understand　that　life　is　eternal。

birth　and　death　are　nothing　more　than　stopping　places　where　we　change　clothes　or　horses。

in　olden　times　there　were　no　railroads　and　people　traveled　in　horse…drawn　carriages。

they　traveled　from　one　village　to　another；　and　when　the　horses　grew　tired　they　exchanged　them　for　fresh　horses　at　an　inn；　and　they　changed　them　again　at　the　next　village。

however；　the　people　changing　the　horses　never　felt　that　what　they　were　doing　was　like　dying　and　being　born　again；　because　when　they　changed　horses　they　were　fully　conscious。

sometimes　it　used　to　happen　that　a　horseman　would　travel　after　drinking。

when　he　would　look　around　in　that　state；　it　would　make　him　wonder　how　everything　had　changed；　how　everything　appeared　so　different。

i　have　heard　that　once　a　drunk　horseman　even　said；　〃could　it　be　that　i　am　changed　too？　this　doesnt　seem　to　be　the　same　horse　i　was　riding。

could　it　be　that　i　have　bee　a　different　man？〃　

birth　and　death　are　simply　stations　where　vehicles　are　changed　……　where　the　old　vehicles　are　left　behind；　where　tired　horses　are　abandoned　and　fresh　ones　are　acquired。

but　both　these　acts　take　place　in　our　state　of　unconsciousness。

and　one　whose　birth　and　death　happens　in　this　unconscious　state　cannot　live　a　conscious　life　……　he　functions　in　an　almost　half…conscious　state；　in　an　almost　half…awakened　state　of　life。

what　i　wish　to　say　is　that　it　is　essential　to　see　death；　to　understand　it；　to　recognize　it。

but　this　is　possible　only　when　we　die；　one　can　only　see　it　while　dying。

then　what　is　the　way　now？　and　if　one　sees　death　only　while　dying；　then　there　is　no　way　to　understand　it　……　because　at　the　time　of　death　one　will　be　unconscious。

yes；　there　is　a　way　now。

we　can　go　through　an　experiment　of　entering　into　death　of　our　own　free　will。

and　may　i　say　that　meditation　or　samadhi　is　nothing　else　but　that。

the　experience　of　entering　death　voluntarily　is　meditation；　samadhi。

the　phenomenon　that　will　automatically　occur　one　day　with　the　dropping　of　the　body　……　we　can　willingly　make　that　happen　by　creating　a　distance；　inside；　between　the　self　and　the　body。

and　so；　by　leaving　the　body　from　the　inside；　we　can　experience　the　event　of　death；　we　can　experience　the　occurrence　of　death。

we　can　experience　death　today；　this　evening　……　because　the　occurrence　of　death　simply　means　that　our　soul　and　our　body　will　experience；　in　that　journey；　the　same　distinction　between　the　two　of　them　as　when　the　vehicle　is　left　behind　and　the　traveler　moves　on　ahead。

i　have　heard　that　a　man　went　to　see　a　mohammedan　fakir；　sheikh　fareed；　and　said；　〃we　have　heard　that　when　mansoors　hands　and　legs　were　cut　off　he　felt　no　pain。

。

。

which　is　hard　to　believe。

even　a　thorn　hurts　when　it　pricks　the　foot。

wont　it　hurt　if　ones　hands　and　legs　are　cut　off？　it　seems　that　these　are　all　fantastic　stories。

〃　the　man　also　said；　〃we　hear　that　when　jesus　was　hanged　on　the　cross　he　did　not　feel　any　pain。

and　he　was　permitted　to　say　his　final　prayers。

what　the　bleeding；　naked　jesus　……　hanged　on　a　cross；　pierced　with　thorns；　hands　stuck　with　nails　……　said　in　the　final　moments　can　hardly　be　believed！〃　

jesus　said；　〃forgive　these　people；　they　dont　know　what　they　are　doing。

〃　you　must　have　heard　this　sentence。

and　the　people　all　over　the　world　who　believe　in　christ　repeat　it　continuously。

the　sentence　is　very　simple。

jesus　said；　〃o；　lord；　please　forgive　these　people；　because　they　know　not　what　they　are　doing。

〃　reading　this　sentence；　people　ordinarily　understand　jesus　is　saying　that　the　poor　people　didnt　know　they　were　killing　a　good　man　like　him。

no；　that　was　not　what　jesus　meant。

what　jesus　meant　was　that　〃these　senseless　people　do　not　know　that　the　person　they　are　killing　cannot　die。

forgive　them　because　they　dont　know　what　they　are　doing。

they　are　doing　something　which　is　impossible　……　they　are　mitting　the　act　of　killing；　which　is　impossible。

〃　

the　man　said；　〃it　is　hard　to　believe　that　a　person　about　to　be　killed　could　show　so　much　passion。

in　fact；　he　will　be　filled　with　anger。

〃　

fareed　gave　a　hearty　laugh　and　said；　〃you　have　raised　a　g