After nine years, when Bodhidharma came back to India, thousands of people had become his disciples. He had chosen four of them for the final fire-test, because out of those four, one would be chosen as his successor to continue his work in China.
There was great silence, although thousands of disciples were sitting there. They knew that those four people were worthy of it, but it was very difficult to tell who was the most worthy....
Bodhidharma asked the first man, ”Tell me the essence of wisdom.”
And the man said, ”The essence of wisdom is that the kingdom of God is within you.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my flesh, but the flesh is not very deep. You are not chosen to be my successor. What you have said has a faraway echo of truth in it, but it is too faraway an echo.”
He asked the second disciple, ”You tell me – what is the essence of wisdom?”
And he said, ”The essence of wisdom is meditation, being absolutely silent.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my bones, but you don’t have me. You cannot be my successor.”
And he turned to the third man and asked the same question, ”What is the essence of wisdom?”
The third person said, ”The essence of wisdom is to bring your potential to its ultimate actuality, to blossom, to bring flowers to your being.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my marrow, but still you are not yet capable of being my successor. You are very close, but even closeness is a distance.”
He turned to the fourth man, and he asked the same question. And the fourth man had tears in his eyes and he collapsed at Bodhidharma’s feet, not saying a single word.
Bodhidharma said, ”I understand your silence. But these thousands of people will not understand it. You have to bring your experience into words. Say it!”
And the man with tears said, ”I don’t know.”
And Bodhidharma said, ”You are going to be my successor, because the person who can say ‘I do not know’ has already reached to the door of the temple of wisdom, he is already standing at the door. His innocence, his not-knowing, is the beginning of knowing.”
A true master is going to be condemned by the whole world, for the simple reason that he does not give anything to you – on the contrary, he goes on taking things away from you. He leaves you utterly naked, in a state of innocence like a child. Only from there your real growth starts. Only from there is the true beginning.
What is greater than wisdom? Innocence is greater than wisdom, because wisdom is only a collection of empty words.
Innocence is a transformation of your whole being, as if you are cleaned of all dust – you have just taken a shower. The freshness of innocence, the youthfulness of innocence, slowly slowly deepens and makes you aware of your immortality.
Reflections on Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, Osho
There was great silence, although thousands of disciples were sitting there. They knew that those four people were worthy of it, but it was very difficult to tell who was the most worthy....
Bodhidharma asked the first man, ”Tell me the essence of wisdom.”
And the man said, ”The essence of wisdom is that the kingdom of God is within you.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my flesh, but the flesh is not very deep. You are not chosen to be my successor. What you have said has a faraway echo of truth in it, but it is too faraway an echo.”
He asked the second disciple, ”You tell me – what is the essence of wisdom?”
And he said, ”The essence of wisdom is meditation, being absolutely silent.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my bones, but you don’t have me. You cannot be my successor.”
And he turned to the third man and asked the same question, ”What is the essence of wisdom?”
The third person said, ”The essence of wisdom is to bring your potential to its ultimate actuality, to blossom, to bring flowers to your being.”
Bodhidharma said, ”You have my marrow, but still you are not yet capable of being my successor. You are very close, but even closeness is a distance.”
He turned to the fourth man, and he asked the same question. And the fourth man had tears in his eyes and he collapsed at Bodhidharma’s feet, not saying a single word.
Bodhidharma said, ”I understand your silence. But these thousands of people will not understand it. You have to bring your experience into words. Say it!”
And the man with tears said, ”I don’t know.”
And Bodhidharma said, ”You are going to be my successor, because the person who can say ‘I do not know’ has already reached to the door of the temple of wisdom, he is already standing at the door. His innocence, his not-knowing, is the beginning of knowing.”
A true master is going to be condemned by the whole world, for the simple reason that he does not give anything to you – on the contrary, he goes on taking things away from you. He leaves you utterly naked, in a state of innocence like a child. Only from there your real growth starts. Only from there is the true beginning.
What is greater than wisdom? Innocence is greater than wisdom, because wisdom is only a collection of empty words.
Innocence is a transformation of your whole being, as if you are cleaned of all dust – you have just taken a shower. The freshness of innocence, the youthfulness of innocence, slowly slowly deepens and makes you aware of your immortality.
Reflections on Khalil Gibran's The Prophet, Osho
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