“Rare is the possibility of someone’s listening, and rarest is the possibility of someone understanding.”
Life is very ordinary: eating, earning, loving – very ordinary. Suffering has a depth; it awakens you, it shocks you out of your sleep.
Yes, only those who have suffered will understand what I’m saying. ‘And yet, and yet’ – even they may not understand. But this is so, this is how life is. If one becomes despondent because of this and thinks not to call, not to say anything….
It happened:
When Buddha became enlightened, he remained silent for seven days. He thought, “Who will listen?” He thought, “What am I going to say? Who will understand? ” He thought, “The things that have happened to me – if somebody had told them to me when they had not happened to me, even I would not have understood. So who will understand? Why bother? “
For seven days he sat and sat and sat under the Bodhi Tree. Tradition says that the devas in heaven became very disturbed. “Why is he keeping quiet? Only after thousands of years does one become enlightened. Why is he not calling people?”
They came – a beautiful story. They bowed down to Buddha and said, “You should say something. You have attained; you should give the call. The word should spread to people – why are you keeping quiet? We waited and waited. Seven days looked like seven centuries. What are you doing? – don’t waste time. You will only be for a little while more and then you will disappear forever and ever. Before you disappear, give a call.”
Buddha said, “Who will listen? Who will understand?”
But those devas were very cunning. And it is good that they were cunning. They argued, they persuaded. They said, “Yes, you are right. Rare – rare is the possibility of someone’s listening, and rarest is the possibility of someone understanding. But it is there. Call a thousand; a hundred will listen, ninety will not understand; ten will walk, nine will be lost on the way. Somewhere or other they will think that they have achieved; they will sit by the side and they will think they have come home. Only one will arrive – but one is more than enough.”
Buddha understood. He started preaching.
I know it is a very hopeless effort. Knowing well that you will not understand, I go on talking to you. It is as if one is talking to a wall.
Osho, Come Follow to You, Vol 1, Ch 10, Q 7
Featured image: Buddha’s first sermon at Sarnath Gandhara commons.wikimedia.org
Series compiled by Shanti
All excerpts of this series can be found in: 1001 Tales
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