And Now, And Here-第74章

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one　day　he　finds　his　legs　refuse　to　walk；　another　day　his　vision　fails；　sometimes　his　ears　lose　their　hearing　power。

he　receives　hints　from　all　around　that；　one　by　one；　parts　of　his　body　seem　to　be　giving　in　to　death。

now　he　begins　to　rush　towards　the　church；　the　temple；　the　mosque。

he　is　not　concerned　with　god；　he　goes　there　simply　to　make　sure　that；　even　though　what　he　has　understood　life　to　be　is　ing　to　an　end；　will　he　perish　too？　

it　is　strange　that　societies　which　believe　in　the　immortality　of　the　soul　are　more　frightened　of　death　than　ones　which　do　not　believe　in　the　souls　existence。

take　our　country；　for　example。

for　ages　we　have　been　firm　believers　in　the　immortality　of　the　soul。

and　yet；　no　race　on　earth　is　more　cowardly　than　ours；　no　people　are　more　dead　than　we　are。

a　nation　which　proclaims　the　soul　is　immortal　suffers　in　slavery　for　a　thousand　years。

how　strange！　one　wonders　how　a　nation　which　declares　the　soul　is　immortal　and　which　is　inhabited　by　eight　hundred　million　souls；　can　live　in　slavery　under　the　domination　of　three　million。

those　who　believe　the　soul　is　immortal；　that　it　can　never　die；　what　fear　can　they　have　of　being　slaves？　what　fear　can　they　have　of　fighting　the　enemy？　what　fear　can　they　have　of　facing　death　by　hanging？　how　can　guns　and　cannons　frighten　them？　but　no；　something　else　is　involved　here。

believing　in　the　immortality　of　the　soul　is　not　the　same　as　knowing　the　immortality　of　the　soul。

believing　in　it　is　just　a　strategy　for　erasing　the　fear　of　death；　for　falsifying　it　……　the　same　as　creating　a　cemetery　outside　the　town。

every　day　people　open　their　scriptures　and　read　the　teachings　on　the　immortality　of　the　soul　so　that　they　can　be　absolutely　sure　there　is　no　death；　so　that　they　can　carry　the　hope　that　they　will　survive　……　so　there　is　no　need　to　worry。

they　assert；　〃the　body　will　die；　but　we　will　still　survive！〃　

who　are　you　asserting　as　your　existence　other　than　the　body？　you　have　no　knowledge　of　it。

you　announce；　〃the　body　may　die；　i　will　continue　to　live；〃　and　the　fact　is　you　have　absolutely　no　idea　who　you　are　other　than　the　body！　you　dont　know　what　it　is　that　will　survive　when　the　body　is　no　more。

if　you　should　ever　really　think；　〃who　am　l？〃　you　will　e　to　know　that　you　know　nothing　about　yourself　except　that　you　are　the　body。

so　the　old　woman　said　to　the　monk；　〃i　believe　the　soul　is　immortal。

the　soul　is　indeed　imperishable。

what　do　you　say？〃　

about　the　immortality　of　the　soul；　the　monk　answered　nothing。

he　merely　looked　at　the　woman；　took　her　hand　in　his　and　said；　〃what　do　you　think　about　death？　not　much　time　is　left。

〃　

the　woman　was　annoyed。

she　said；　〃what　kind　of　ominous　talk　is　this？　please　dont　say　such　things。

being　a　monk；　a　good　man；　you　should　not　talk　about　such　ominous　things。

〃　

the　monk　said；　〃if　the　soul　is　immortal；　then　how　can　death　be　ominous？　death　can　be　inauspicious　only　if　the　soul　is　mortal。

〃　

but　the　woman　continued；　〃drop　this　and　talk　about　something　else。

talk　about　god；　talk　about　moksha。

i　havent　e　to　hear　you　speak　about　death。

〃　

actually；　people　go　to　monks　precisely　to　hear　things　which　can　somehow　fort　them　and　alleviate　their　fears。

they　want　someone　who　can　tell　them；　〃you　are　not　going　to　die。

〃　they　want　to　be　told；　〃you　are　not　a　sinner；　the　soul　is　eternally　pure；　uncorrupted。

did　you　say　you　are　a　thief？　forget　it；　no　one　is　a　thief。

did　you　say　you　are　a　black…marketeer？　thats　all　nonsense。

can　the　soul　ever　engage　in　black…marketing？〃　

the　result　is；　all　the　black…marketeers　gather　around　monks　who　keep　saying；　〃the　soul　is　pure；　without　blemish。

it　has　always　been　incorruptible；　it　can　never　be　defiled。

〃　and　the　man　sitting　in　front；　an　old　thief；　nods　his　head　in　agreement　and　says；　〃you　are　absolutely　right；　your　holiness！　how　true；　your　holiness！〃　he　wants　to　believe；　he　wants　someone　to　assure　him　that　the　soul　is　absolutely　pure；　so　he　can　be　free　from　the　bother　of　being　pure；　so　he　wont　have　to　be　worried　about　being　impure　……　so　there　will　be　no　more　fear。

we　need　to　have　a　good　understanding　of　the　reality　on　which　this　mental　condition　is　fundamentally　based。

we　are　not　afraid　of　death；　we　are　afraid　of　illness。

and　we　are　afraid　to　part　with　what　we　call　life。

for　example；　you　push　me　out　of　this　house。

i　have　no　idea　what　lies　outside　this　house　……　whether　there　is　a　big　palace；　a　forest；　a　desolate　place；　a　desert　……　i　havent　the　faintest　idea。

i　am　not　sure　whether　i　will　be　happy　or　unhappy　outside　the　house。

i　dont　know　at　all。

although　outside　the　door　lies　the　unknown；　yet　the　fear　of　leaving　the　house　makes　me　miserable。

the　house　was　dependable；　known；　familiar。

it　is　frightening　to　leave　the　familiar　and　go　into　the　unfamiliar。

the　fear　is　not　really　of　the　unknown；　because　i　have　absolutely　no　knowledge　of　the　unknown。

the　fear　is　having　to　leave　the　known。

you　will　be　surprised；　but　the　mind　is　so　possessed　by　the　known　that　we　find　it　difficult　even　to　let　go　of　our　known　illnesses。

it　is　even　difficult　to　give　up　our　known　miseries。

most　physicians　hardly　ever　cure　your　illness；　they　merely　persuade　you　to　drop　the　illness。

most　medicines　do　nothing　to　your　illness；　they　simply　give　you　courage　to　get　rid　of　it。

recently；　a　well…known　scientist　conducted　many　experiments　in　this　area。

he　took　twenty　patients　suffering　from　the　same　illness。

ten　of　them　he　treated　with　medicine；　while　he　kept　the　other　ten　only　on　water。

the　interesting　thing　was　that　the　patients　in　both　categories　recovered　together。

now　what　does　this　mean？　what　it　means　is　simply　that　it　is　neither　a　question　of　medicine　nor　of　water。

the　big　question　is　that　of　persuading　a　man　to　drop　his　illness。

if　water　does　this　work；　then　the　patient　can　be　cured　by　water。

if　homeopathic　sugar　pills　succeed；　then　he　is　cured　by　the　pills。

if　a　charm　proves　effective；　then　it　can　cure　too。

if　a　patient　has　faith　in　a　pinch　of　ash　given　by　a　fakir；　then　it　can　cure　him　too。

faith　in　the　water　of　the　ganges　also　does　the　trick。

everything　works。

even　a　highly　intelligent　man　such　as　aristotle　has　proposed　remedies　which　make　us　laugh。

he　was；　one　should　say；　the　father　of　logic。

he　has　proposed　incredible　cures；　he　could　not　have　suggested　them　had　they　not　been　effective。

the　cures　did　work。

for　example；　he　has　written　that　when　a　woman　is　in　labor；　apply　horse　dung　on　her　stomach　and　the　pain　will　stop　pletely　……　a　wise　and　intelligent　man　like　aristotle　says　this。

can　it　ever　be　possible　that　a　woman　can　get　over　the　pain　of　labor　by　applying　horse　dung　on　her　stomach？　but　apparently　it　did　work。

the　reason　why　a　woman　recovered　from　her　labor　pains　is　that　basically　a　pregnant　woman　never　has　a　pain　in　the　stomach；　she　simply　creates　it　while　giving　birth　to　a　child。

the　more　frightened　a　woman　is　of　giving　birth　the　more　her　pain　grows。

and　as　she　bees　fearful　of　the　pain；　she　contracts　the　entire　reproductive　system。

the　child　pushes　its　way　out　of　her　body；　while　the　woman　goes　on　contracting　the　whole　system。

this　creates　a　conflict　between　the　two；　and　the　conflict　causes　pain。

thats　why　most　babies　are　born　at　night　……　seventy　percent　of　the　babies　……　because　the　mother　wont　allow　the　birth　to　happen　in　the　daytime。

she　remains　alert　during　the　day　and　hinders　the　birth　from　happening。

hence；　the　baby　is　forced　to　take　birth　at　night　when　the　mother　is　asleep；　when　she　is　unaware。

therefore；　seventy　percent　of　the　poor　babies　are　unable　to　take　birth　in　the　daylight；　they　have　to　be　born　in　the　darkness　of　night。

there　is　a　man　called　levin。

he　teaches　women　to　cooperate　with　their　labor。

he　asks　them　to　cooperate　during　childbirth；　and　has　succeeded　in　having　thousands　of　women　deliver　babies　without　any　pain。

he　neither　applies　horse　dung；　nor　gives　an　injection；　nor　ties　a　charm　about　a　woman；　nor　brings　any　offering　from　a　guru　……　he　does　nothing　of　the　sort。

he　merely　persuades　the　woman　to　cooperate。

he　advises　women；　〃allow　the　child　to　take　birth　without　creating　any　hindrance；　cooperate　with　the　child。

be　filled　with　the　feeling　of　giving　birth　to　the　child。

that　will　be　enough；　you　wont　have　any　pain。

〃　

there　are　hundreds　of　tribes　where　women　do　not　go　through　any　labor　pains。

they　go　on　working　in　the　fields；　and　when　the　time　es　they　give　birth　to　the　child。

the　mother　places　the　infant　in　a　basket　and　resumes　her　work　in　the　field。

man　does　not　even　give　up　those　illnesses　he　has　been　suffering　for　so　long；　he　holds　tightly　to　them。

people　even　insist　on　keeping　their　chains。

this　fact　came　to　light　during　the　french　revolution。

some　of　the　most　dangerous　prisoners　were　kept　in　a　large　prison。

they　were　sentenced　to　life　imprisonment。

their　chains　were　never　to　be　taken　off；　they　were　to　remain　in　them　forever。

only　when　they　died　would　the　shackles　be　removed。

the　revolutionaries　broke　down　the　prison　walls　and　brought　the　prisoners　out　of　their　cells。

the　prisoners　had　given　up　all　hope　of　ever　ing　out。

some　were　imprisoned　for