For both, no debate after two years of sitting in silence at Buddha’s feet
Maulingaputta, one of the great philosophers of Gautam Buddha’s time, had debated with many other great saints and defeated them. Now his only desire was to defeat Gautam Buddha. He came to Gautam Buddha with his five hundred great scholars and he asked, with humbleness, “I want an open discussion with you, with the condition that if I win you and your disciples will have to become my disciples, or if you win I and my disciples will all become your disciples.”
Gautam Buddha said, “Settled. But there is one thing you have to remember. You will not start your discussion right now. My routine is: for two years you and your disciples have to sit silently amongst my ten thousand disciples. You are not to ask a single question in these two years, you have just to listen. And after two years I will remind you that the time has come, you can start the discussion.”
The condition was accepted. Maulingaputta was not just an egoistic scholar, he was a sincere enquirer. Because of this reason, he agreed with Gautam Buddha, “I will wait for two years.” And he sat by the side of Gautam Buddha.
As he was agreeing, laughter was heard from a faraway corner. Under a tree, a strange fellow was sitting – a follower of Gautam Buddha, but very strange. He rarely spoke; except for this laughter, nothing is mentioned about that man in all the great scriptures of Buddhism. This man’s name was Mahakashyapa and his laughter became the beginning of Zen. He had not spoken anything, but Maulingaputta was shocked: “Why should this person laugh?”
Gautam Buddha said, “You can ask him. He ordinarily never speaks, never laughs. He is not a man who belongs to ordinary humanity. He is a very silent fellow. You can ask him.”
Maulingaputta asked Mahakashyapa, “Why have you laughed?”
He replied, “There is not much in it. Just beware of the strategy of this guy Gautam Buddha. He deceived me, and in the same way he is going to deceive you too. I laughed because again he is at his game. Two years ago I had come, and he made me sit under this tree silently for two years. I even forgot the calendar. Two years of silence is such a long time. For a few days I remembered that one day has passed, two days have passed, one week has passed… Then slowly, slowly I forgot all about it. One day he suddenly said, ‘Mahakashyapa, this is the day you had come for, two years ago – to have a discussion with me. Now stand up and start your discussion. What do you want to say?'”
Mahakashyapa said, “You have destroyed everything that I could have said two years ago. This silence has been such a cleansing. It has taken away all the nonsense that I have carried, thinking that it is scholarship, it is knowledge. This silence has transformed me. I don’t have anything to ask.
He said to Maulingaputta, “The same is going to happen to you. If you really want a discussion, don’t accept the condition, have the discussion today. We have never been entertained by Gautam Buddha in all these years; it will be a great joy.”
But Maulingaputta had agreed. And he could understand the point that unless you are utterly silent you cannot absorb the presence, the grace, the beauty of the master.
He sat by his side for two years, and after two years when Buddha said, “Now two years are over. You can start your discussion,” he said, “Mahakashyapa was right. I have nothing to say, everything has dropped. Just allow me first to touch the feet of Mahakashyapa and then I will touch your feet. He had provoked me and I had felt humiliated by his laughter. I have to ask his forgiveness.”
He went to Mahakashyapa and touched his feet.
Excerpt from Osho, Hari Om Tat Sat: The Divine Sound – That Is the Truth, Ch 10
Comments are closed.