A storm on the lake

1001 Tales told by the Master

“No need to hide, no need to cover oneself. No need to be afraid: God is love and God is the judge,” says Osho to an initiate in darshan.

The Wave Hokusai

God is love. We can open our hearts to God. We can stand in utter nudity before him with absolute certainty that we will be forgiven. He is love and compassion: these two things are implied in the idea. Both are of tremendous beauty. The first will prevent you from judging others, and the second will encourage you to open your heart. No need to hide, no need to cover oneself. No need to be afraid: God is love and God is the judge.

There is a famous Sufi story:

A man has just got married and he is coming home with his wife. They are crossing a lake in a boat and suddenly a storm arises. The man is a warrior, but the woman becomes very afraid. It seems that life is finished: the boat is small and the storm is really huge, and any moment they are going to be drowned. But the man sits silently, calm and quiet, as if nothing is happening.

The woman is trembling and she says, “Are you not afraid? This may be our last moment of life! It doesn’t seem that we will be able to reach the other shore. Only some miracle can save us, otherwise death is certain. Are you not afraid? Are you mad or something? Are you a stone or something?”

The man laughs and takes the sword out of its sheath. The woman is even more puzzled: what he is doing? He brings the naked sword close to the woman’s neck – so close that just a small gap is there, it is almost touching her neck. He said, “Are you afraid?” She starts giggling and laughing and she says, “Why should I be afraid? If the sword is in your hands, why should I be afraid? I know you love me.”

He put the sword back and he said, “This is my answer. I know God loves, and the sword is in his hands, the storm is in his hands, so whatsoever is going to happen is going to be good. If we survive, good; if we don’t survive, good, because everything is in his hands and he cannot do anything wrong.”

This is the trust that a sannyasin needs to imbibe. Such tremendous trust is capable of transforming your whole life. Only such tremendous trust is capable of transforming your life; less than that won’t do.

Osho, The Rainbow Bridge, Ch 7 (excerpt)

Woodblock print ‘The Great Wave off Kanagawa‘ by Katsushika Hokusai

Series compiled by Shanti
All excerpts of this series can be found in: 1001 Tales

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