The disciple who walks on water

Unless you are a really deep disciple, you will not be able to become a teacher. If your disciplehood is perfect, one day suddenly you will find the Perfect Master has arisen in you. It comes only out of disciplehood. But disciplehood is difficult because the ego has to be dropped. […]

It happened….

There was a Master, his name was Tapobana, and Tapobana had a disciple who served him with irreproachable diligence. It was solely because of this diligence and the services he rendered that Tapobana kept him, for he found the disciple rather stupid.

One day, the rumor spread throughout the whole region that Tapobana’s disciple had walked on water, that he had been seen crossing the river as one crosses the street.

Tapobana called his disciple and questioned him: “Is what people are saying about you possible?
Is it really true that you crossed the river walking on the water?”

“What could be more natural?” answered his follower. “It is thanks to you, Blessed One, that I walked on water. At every step I repeated your saintly name, and that is what upheld me.”

And Tapobana thought to himself, “If the disciple can walk on water, what can the Master not do? If it is in my name that the miracle takes place, I must possess power I did not suspect and holiness of which I have not been sufficiently aware. After all, I have never tried to cross the river as if I were crossing the street.”

And without more ado, he ran to the river bank.

Without hesitation, he set his foot on the water and with unshakable faith repeated: “Me!, Me!, Me! …”

…and sank.

[…] The first thing that you have to do is to learn the secrets of disciplehood; then one day the Master will be born. It is on the way, but don’t be in a hurry; otherwise you will miss being a Master. If you try to become a Master, you will miss being a Master. The Mastership arises only when you learn slowly, slowly to dissolve into existence. The day you are not, you will be the Master, not before it. If you are, then still some work has to be done. You cannot be the Master. Only when you are absent does the Master become present in you. […]

Osho, The First Principle: Talks on Zen, Ch 4, Q 4 (excerpt)

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