Master - Disciple Meeting

Maulingaputta and Gautam BuddhaOsho : One great philosopher, Maulingaputta, came to Buddha, and hestarted asking questions... questions after questions. Must have been anincarnation of Patrick! Buddha listened silently for half an hour.Maulingaputta started feeling a little embarrassed because he was notanswering, he was simply sitting there smiling, as if nothing hadhappened, and he had asked such important questions, such significantquestions.Finally Buddha said, "Do you really want to know the answer?"Maulingaputta said, "Otherwise why should I have come to you? I havetraveled at least one thousand miles to see you." And remember, in thosedays, one thousand miles was really one thousand miles! It was nothopping in a plane and reaching within minutes or within hours. Onethousand miles was one thousand miles.It was with great longing, with great hope that he had come. He wastired, weary from the journey, and he must have followed Buddhabecause Buddha himself was traveling continuously. He must havereached one place and people said, "Yes, he was here three months ago.He has gone to the north" -- so he must have traveled north.Slowly slowly, he was coming closer and closer and then the day came,the great day, when people said, "Just yesterday morning he left; hemust have reached only the next village. If you rush, if you run, you maybe able to catch him."And then one day he caught up with him, and he was so joyous he forgotall his arduous journey and he started asking all the questions he hadplanned all the way along, and Buddha smiled and sat there and asked,"Do you really want to have the answer?"Maulingaputta said, "Then why have I traveled so long? It has been along suffering -- it seems I have been traveling my whole life, and you areasking, 'Do you really want the answer?'"Buddha said, "I am asking again: Do you really want the answer? Sayyes or no, because much will depend on it."Maulingaputta said, "Yes!"Then Buddha said, "For two years sit silently by my side -- no asking, noquestions, no talking. Just sit silently by my side for two years. And aftertwo years you can ask whatsoever you want to ask, and I promise you Iwill answer it."A disciple, a great disciple of Buddha, Manjushree, who was sittingunderneath another tree, started laughing so loudly, started almostrolling on the ground. Maulingaputta said, "What has happened to thisman? Out of the blue, you are talking to me, you have not said a singleword to him, nobody has said anything to him -- is he telling jokes tohimself?"Buddha said, "You go and ask him."He asked Manjushree. Manjushree said, "Sir, if you really want to askthe question, ask right now -- this is his way of deceiving people. Hedeceived me. I used to be a foolish philosopher just like you. His answerwas the same when I came; you have traveled one thousand miles, I hadtraveled two thousand."Manjushree certainly was a great philosopher, more well-known in thecountry. He had thousands of disciples. When he had come he had comewith one thousand disciples -- a great philosopher coming with hisfollowing."And Buddha said, 'Sit silently for two years.' And I sat silently for twoyears, but then I could not ask a single question. Those days ofsilence...slowly slowly, all questions withered away. And one thing I willtell you: he keeps his promise, he is a man of his word. After exactly twoyears -- I had completely forgotten, lost track of time, because whobothers to remember? As silence deepened I lost track of all time."When two years passed, I was not even aware of it. I was enjoying thesilence and his presence. I was drinking out of him. It was so incredible!In fact, deep down in my heart I never wanted those two years to befinished, because once they were finished he would say, 'Now give yourplace to somebody else to sit by my side, you move away a little. Now youare capable of being alone, you don't need me so much.'Just as the mother moves the child when he can eat and digest and nolonger needs to be fed on the breast. So," Manjushree said, "I was simplyhoping that he would forget all about those two years, but heremembered -- exactly after two years he asked, 'Manjushree, now youcan ask your questions.' I looked within; there was no question and noquestioner either -- a total silence. I laughed, he laughed, he patted myback and said, 'Now, move away.'"So, Maulingaputta, that's why I started laughing, because now he isplaying the same trick again. And this poor Maulingaputta will sit for twoyears silently and will be lost forever, will never be able to ask a singlequestion. So I insist, Maulingaputta, if you really want to ask, ASKNOW!"From Dhammapada Vol 1Note: Maulingaputta accepted Buddha's condition and realized theBuddha Nature.
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