Chapter 1 Introduction to Sociology

The Story of Buddha and Ananda. sadhguru-wisdom-article-story-of-buddha-and-ananda. Ananda’s actual relationship to Gautama was his cousin brother. When Gautama started initiating people into monkhood, Ananda came and said, “I will also become a monk. But if I become your disciple, I am going to put one condition and you must listen because I am your elder brother. I am going to become your disciple but I am always going to be with you. You will never send me on any errands. I am always going to be your shadow.” Gautama looked up and said, “It is up to you, I have no problem.” If you want to become a disciple and you want to put a condition, you will never get the taste of being a disciple. The moment you put a condition, you have just destroyed all possibilities to life. Gautama laughed and said, “Okay.” When he had this condition, he fulfilled the condition. He has no problem. Gautama, he said, “How can a spoon taste the soup?” If you want to taste the soup, you need that awareness of the tongue. Once, Gautama decided to visit his wife whom he had not seen for more than eight years. He had left in the middle of the night when his child was a very small infant. Yashodha was a very proud woman. She was very hurt that he left in the middle of the night without a word. He left the kingdom, his son, his wife and walked away without saying anything. Eight years later, he went to see her because he wanted this possibility that he had experienced to become possible for her. Gautama said to Ananda, “Now, I am going to meet my wife. Please stay away, you are not needed. She is already very offended and angry that I left in the middle of the night. Now if I take you as a companion and go there to meet my wife, she won’t take it properly. You please stay here for this.” Ananda said, “Keep your word.” It was a very uncomfortable situation. Gautama is not the type to break his word. He said “alright” and he took Ananda along to meet his wife. She was furious, she threw tantrums, she yelled at him, she called him a coward. He listened quietly. Then he told her, “That man who married you is no more, that man is gone. But I am here, now I am Buddha, I am a realized being. Whatever was possible for that man was maybe a few more children. But now something tremendous is possible. This man is totally different. Please look at me, I am not the same person.” She said, “Nothing doing, you are my husband.” These are all conditions on relationships like Ananda’s. “You are a coward, and you left this little son. He does not even know who his father is. You ran away.” She had many things to say. She said everything that she wanted to say. Gautama said, “That is fine.” Then Yashodha played the usual trick, she said, “What is it that you are going to give your son?” She brought her son and said, “Ask your father what he is going to give you.” Gautama had come prepared. He called Ananda and said, “Please bring my begging bowl.” He brought the begging bowl. He called his son and said, “I do not want you to suffer as a king, so I am giving you the ultimate freedom. My legacy is my begging bowl.” He handed his begging bowl to his eight-year-old son and he became a sanyasi. Ananda destroyed his possibility by just one condition. He missed it all. When Gautama was on his deathbed, only the enlightened disciples went inside. All the others were left outside. Ananda cried and said, “I was so close to him but I am left out of his circle, why? Why did it not happen to me?” When people asked the same question to Gautama, he said, “How can a spoon taste the soup?” If you want to taste the soup, you need that awareness of the tongue. The moment you set conditions in life, you become inanimate. You get reduced to a thing and you try to reduce the other thing. But that other thing is away from you. That was the unfortunate thing with Ananda. #6. Does God Exist? sadhguru-wisdom-article-buddha-stories-does-god-exist A very wonderful incident occurred in Gautama the Buddha's life. On a certain morning, he was sitting in a congregation of his disciples and one person came. He was a devotee of Rama. He has been doing only “Rama, Rama, Rama” all his life and he has not only been to the temple, he has built many temples himself. He was a great devotee. Age was passing away now and a little doubt came. “All my life I have been doing only 'Rama, Rama, Rama.' There are so many people here who do not believe in God and they are still enjoying themselves in the world. I have missed everything just to utter the name of God. Suppose there is no God as others are saying, I will miss my whole life.” He knows that there is God, but he had just a little doubt. What is Gautama playing at? What is the game anyway? Is he just trying to create confusion? “Anyway, there is an enlightened being here, he is supposed to know.” He went to Gautama. Early morning, before the Sun came up, he stood in the shadows and asked, “Is there God?” Gautama looked at the man and said “No.” For the first time, he said a clear “No.” For all the disciples there, this was a struggle within them all the time – whether there is God or no God. This is a tremendous struggle, which has been on for thousands of years. Ever since man started existing on this planet, this struggle has been on within him. The struggle is on for both believers and non-believers. For the first time, Gautama said an emphatic “No” and there was a big sigh of relief. You do not have to struggle any more. There is no God. No one is snooping on you, you can do whatever you want with your life. The joy of it! There was a big relief. In the evening, another man came. This man was a Charvaka. These are out and out materialists who do not believe in anything other than what they see. Those times in the country, there used to be professional Charvakas. They would come to your town and throw a challenge, “I will prove to you that there is no God. If you prove to me that there is God, I will give you so much money, but if I prove to you that there is no God, you must give me so much money.” This is their profession. He was an expert Charvaka. You may have been believing in God for fifty years, but if you speak to him for fifteen minutes, he will prove to you that there is no God. He has proven that there is no God to thousands of people. His age was passing away and a little doubt came. “Suppose there is God. After proving 'No God' for so long, when I go there, will he leave me alone? Already these believers say that God is very vengeful – will he leave me alone?” A little fear came. He knew that definitely there is no God but just a little doubt came. He came to Gautama in the evening after the Sun had set, and standing in the shadows, he asked the same question, “Is there God?” Gautama looked at the man and said, “Yes.” There was turmoil in the disciples again. In the morning, they were very happy that there is no God. In the evening, he says that there is God. What is Gautama playing at? What is the game anyway? Is he just trying to create confusion? Now the whole game is to take off all the belief so that you really search. With belief you have only destroyed the search. #7. How Buddha Started Zen sadhguru-wisdom-article-buddha-and-zen On a particular day, Gautama came and sat on the dais. Hundreds of disciples were waiting for him to speak. There was one person in this group who was known as Mahakashyap. The rest of the community there had decided that he was crazy because he never comes and listens to Gautama Buddha's talks, he never meditates or does anything. He simply sits under a tree like a fool. He is not a smart spiritual man, he simply sits there. Everyone had just given him up as a fool to whom you cannot teach anything. On this day, Gautama came and sat. He had a flower in his hand. He just went on looking at the flower. People were waiting for him to speak, but he was so engrossed in the flower that he never said a word. Minutes went into hours but he was simply looking at the flower. He never bothered to speak. Suddenly Mahakashyap broke into laughter. He laughed uproariously. Then Gautama looked at Mahakashyap and the rest of the crowd and said, "What I can give in words, I have given you; what I cannot give in words, I have given it to Mahakashyap." That was the beginning of Zen. There is no science, teaching, scripture, method or practice. You simply sit and wait. When it happens, it happens to you. Gautama looked at Mahakashyap and the rest of the crowd and said, "What I can give in words, I have given you; what I cannot give in words, I have given it to Mahakashyap." Zen is a crazy way, but a very wonderful way because there is absolutely no bondage anywhere. But if Zen has to happen, there has to be a Mahakashyap, there has to be someone who is in that level of perception; otherwise it does not happen. What happened between Buddha and Mahakashyap is the first recorded moment of Zen in the world. It could have happened so many times before but it did not become a spiritual path as such. #8. Buddha Says "Drop It" sadhguru-wisdom-article-buddha-says-drop-it On a certain day, a man came to see Gautama the Buddha. Gautama was sitting alone in a small enclosure, and the man came with two handfuls of flowers because in India, that is a normal way to greet your Guru. As the man came towards him, Gautama looked at him and said, “Drop it.” When he said this, the man thought that because he had brought these flowers as an offering, Gautama was telling him to drop it. Then he thought, “Maybe it is inauspicious because I am carrying it in my left hand.” This is also a part of the culture that if you give something to someone with your left hand, it is considered inauspicious. So he dropped the flowers in his left hand and then went on in an appropriate way. Gautama looked at him once again and said, “Drop it.” Now he did not know what to do. What was wrong with the flowers? He dropped the rest of the flowers. Then Gautama said, “I said drop it, not the flowers.” The one who brought the flowers, you have to drop that, otherwise you will not know the Buddha. You will come, you will bow down, you will listen and you will go, but you will not know what it means to be with an enlightened one. You will completely miss the possibility. Right now, what you call as “myself” is just a bundle of thoughts, emotions, ideas, opinions, and belief systems. If you do not drop that, where is a new possibility? If you want to add a completely new dimension to your life, you have to drop that, not something else. Dropping your work, family, or this and that does not mean anything. Right now, what you call as “myself” is just a bundle of thoughts, emotions, ideas, opinions, and belief systems. If you do not drop that, where is a new possibility? Are you just trying to decorate the old stuff with some extras? That is not going to help; that is going to make things more difficult. But if you just say “drop it,” it does not drop off, so there are methods and procedures to be brought in so that this dropping happens. #9. Why Buddha Sent a Monk to a Prostitute sadhguru-wisdom-article-buddha-sends-monk-to-prostitute Gautama and his disciples were constantly moving from village to village and from town to town. Wherever he went, he had at least 2000 to 3000 monks with him. These were all people who beg for their food and eat. India is a culture where if a spiritual person comes to your door and asks for food, even if your own children have not eaten, you must first give it to him. When people were like this, every time he entered a town with 2000-3000 monks, suddenly there would be a pressure on the villagers. So he made a rule that they should never stay in any place for more than three days so as to not burden the people. Only during the monsoons, it would be very difficult to travel by foot through the jungles because the northern and eastern part of the Indian subcontinent receives heavy rains. Walking through the jungles would have been treacherous, and many would have lost their lives. Therefore, this was a time when they stayed in a larger town and spread across many homes. During the day, the monks went out for alms. Ananda Tirtha encountered a courtesan. She gave him alms, looked at him, a tall and handsome young man, and said, “I heard that monks are looking for shelter. Why don’t you come and stay in my house?” Ananda Tirtha said, “I must ask the Buddha as to where I should stay.” She became really taunting, “Oh, you want to ask your Guru? Go and ask him. Let’s see what he says.” Ananda went back to Gautama and put what he had collected at his feet. Everyone was supposed to find food and shelter wherever they go. So Ananda asked, “This lady is inviting me. Can I stay there?” Gautama said, “If she is inviting you, you must go and stay there.” Upon hearing that, the townspeople who were around were up in arms. They said, “What? A monk is going to stay at a prostitute’s home? This is it! This spiritual process has become corrupt.” Gautama looked at them and said, “Why are you so worried? The lady is inviting him. Let him stay there. What is the problem?” People started to get up. He said, “Wait. I am on this path because I see that this is the most precious and powerful way to live. Now you are telling me that her ways are more powerful than mine? If that was the truth, I should go and join her. As a true seeker, that is how it should be – if you find something much higher, you should go for that.” People were in high dudgeon, and of course, many left. Ananda went and stayed with her. Because of the rains, it got cold. He was only wearing a thin robe, so she gave him a nice silk wrap. He covered himself with it. When people saw this, they took it as evidence that he was going astray. She cooked nice food for him. He ate. In the evening, she danced for him. He sat watching with utmost attention. When people heard the music, they thought he had fallen. Time passed. When the rains stopped and it was time to move on, Ananda came to Gautama with a female monk. This is the power of being on the path of truth. #10. A Mother Asks Buddha to Revive Her Dead Son sadhguru-wisdom-article-mother_crying_for_her_dead_child On a certain day, a woman who was the mother of three young boys lost her husband and was grief-stricken. Naturally, after this she clung on to the three children as her life. But the eldest boy also died after a year, and soon after, the second one also passed away. Now she clung on to her only child for dear life, but this boy also died soon after. Unable to bear this, she took the little boy’s body and went to Gautama the Buddha. She said, “You and all your spirituality. Whatever you are talking does not mean anything unless you bring this boy to life. My husband died, and I somehow bore that. My first boy died and then the second one, too; I still held on. Now the last one is also gone. If you are real, prove it now by bringing this boy to life.” She said, “You and all your spirituality. Whatever you are talking does not mean anything unless you bring this boy to life. Gautama looked at the woman and knew that in this state of inflamed emotion, whatever he could say or do would not get across. So he said, “I will bring your boy back to life. Go and get me a few sesame seeds from a house that has never known death.” Carrying the boy’s body, the woman went from house to house, looking for one that had never known death. After going through the entire town, she realized there wasn’t a single home like this. Then she stopped, did what she had to do with the body, came back and sat in front of Gautama. She remained with him right through her life. #11. How Buddha Died sadhguru-wisdom-article-buddha-stories-how_buddha_died Gautama the Buddha died of poisoning. His food was poisoned and after eating it he realized this and he knew that he cannot take it. The host first fed Buddha and they prepared the meal for all the monks who were with him. So he said, "You have given me wonderful food, I have eaten it, but I do not think my disciples can digest this food. You must be satisfied with your hospitality that I have eaten. Do not feed it to my people." So he went down. He was not dead yet, but lying there ill. The disciples gathered, so he had to speak to them and give them some guidance on how to take this ahead because he came to an unexpected end. He would have lived for a few more years. He was unable to sit up. He could not speak lying down so he just supported his head and spoke. That pose became the pose of Gautama's Mahaparinirvana, as it is called. That pose became very sacred for the Buddhists. There are many images of Buddha lying down because the last message, the basic direction he gave as to how this movement should go on was at that time. Many Buddhists started lying down like this. It is a culture. You can imitate the pose but you cannot become a Buddha. Questioner: Sadhguru, does that mean that I cannot become a Buddha? Sadhguru: If Gautama can become a Buddha, why can’t you become a Buddha? Buddha means one who is above his intellect. The very effort of Inner Engineering is to make you into a Buddha. For moments, we have made you into Buddha because you were above your intellect for some moments. Now the whole trick is how to stay there; just gathering the necessary awareness to stay there.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIME ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.20/2/2022.