Mahakashyap always used to be quiet. He used to sit in the corner simply watching the Master – Gautama Buddha. He never talked much. Other disciples would say “Why you don’t talk? And as far as we know you have come from very faraway land…”
He said ” It is true that I have come from very far to attain – to learn – to seek wisdom but the moment I arrived, the moment I had a glimpse of the master – all my quest, all my rush to attain dropped then and there. Now I am happy to just have a glimpse of the master – nothing I wish for, just by being in HIS omnipresence – I can relate, I can understand.”
And it is said that the first disciple of Buddha to attain enlightenment was Mahakashyap. Once enlightened, Mahakashyap realized that now he cannot stay with the master, he has to move on and so he would not go near Buddha. Buddha himself had to walk toward Mahakashyap and say “Mahakashyapa, don’t try to deceive me. Now there is no need to sit under this tree. Get on and move! There are millions of people who are still groping in darkness, and you are sitting here enlightened. Take this fire of your enlightenment and make as many people aflame as possible.” Mahakashyap was in tears. He realized that enlightenment is a great responsibility.
It always happens, a devoted disciple never wants to go away from the Master! Mahakashyap was also finding it difficult to move away from the master – but the master – Gautama Buddha comes and says “ You cannot sit under this tree – there are millions of people groping in darkness, it is your responsibility to share the bliss you have experienced!”
A real master never wants his disciple to remain dependent on him. Always remember this. Lao Tzu, the divine master says – “When the DISCIPLE is READY – the MASTER APPEARS. And when the DISCIPLE is TRULY READY – the MASTER DISAPPEARS.”
Gautama Buddha was the real master and so when Mahakashyap attains enlightenment, the master instructs him to move on – to go back to the towns and cities and enlighten those who are ‘thirsty’ for GOD. Jesus says that those who have the ‘THIRST’ will be filled, will be blessed!
Righteousness is SWADHARMA. In the GITA, Krishna emphasis on SWADHARMA. GOD CONSCIOUSNESS is always found in RIGHTEOUSNESS – SWADHARMA!
And so whosoever is THIRSTY for GOD – is HUNGRY to experience GOD – will be filled, will be blessed – because that is what the whole goal is of the God’s ‘messenger’ – be it Jesus, Muhammad, Mahavira or Mahakashyap – the whole purpose is to spread the LIGHT of AWARENESS – make as many people aflame as possible!
This world is vast – so vast that your MIND cannot contain it. But your HEART can!
Always remember if you try to feel the VASTNESS of this HUMAN WORLD by your MIND – you can never feel or realize – but if you sit down, and start moving deeper and deeper into your being – then through the ‘LIGHT OF CONSCIOUSNESS’ that is WITHIN you – you can feel, you can realize the VASTNESS of this whole universe, not just the world on this planet!
And then when you self realize the VASTNESS – you also realize how ‘small’ you are – even smaller than a ANT – and then you realize what a FOOL you have been all these births and rebirths – always moving with such a BIG FAT EGO of “I AM SOMEBODY”!
You see – this is the whole process to come to the realization that “I AM NOTHING” – that “I AM NOBODY”!
Always remember GOD comes only to a ‘NOBODY’ – LOVE flows only to someone who is a NOBODY!
Once it happened – there was a shrine, a beautiful shrine. And a very old man used to sweep the floors of that shrine. Everyday – every morning and every evening, he would come, bow before the ‘Sufi Saint’ Photo – and then start sweeping the floor. And in that shrine – many scholars and pundits also used to come, and they all would gather and give long discourses and many people would also gather to listen to their discourses and it used to get all packed. And in that crowd, the old man simply would continue to sweep the floors with devotion – his eyes would become wet in the fond memory of the Sufi Saint. Nobody would pay attention to him – he was the most IGNORED person – because people always SEE to all that SHINES – all that GLIMMERS and those pundits and those scholars would always come in shimmering dress – after all people have to recognize them as ‘SOMEBODY’!
One day the music was playing, people had gathered, it was a festive day and suddenly amidst all – from nowhere the Sufi Saint appeared – and the pundits and the scholars and the people – they all rushed towards HIM – to touch HIS feet – but the Sufi Saint IGNORED all of them and rushed towards the old man – the old man was sweeping the floors as usual, reciting the Sufi Saint’s name – and he was so much engrossed in NAAM SMARAN – that he didn’t even realized that the MASTER – whose name he is reciting is coming towards HIM – rushing towards HIM – and the Master came and hugged the old man…..
And the old man started crying……the master said “ Abdul” – that was his name – Abdul.
And Old Abdul said “ Master – I am blessed by your divine touch – how to thank you, how to express my gratitude – how to and what to say – I am speechless.”
The master said “ Abdul – you have said so much through your devotion, you have said so much through your love – that now nothing need to be said – You are mine fellow.”
GOD always comes to a NOBODY. Not to the priest and not to the pundits and not to the scholars and not to the philosophers BUT only to someone who is as beautiful as ABDUL – A nobody!
The whole gathering of people and the pundits and the scholars were taken aback – because they could not understand what was so special in that old man – a sweeper – that the MASTER ignored them and simply rushed towards a ‘Nobody’!
And they haven’t found the answer yet and they will never find the answer ever – because to find the answer – you too have become a NOBODY – like ABDUL – until then you will remain on the circumference – waiting for the answer!
It happens – some of you who read my answers – my posts on this forum or elsewhere – you read and connect because the words that I share surpass your MIND – and then you feel the bliss! So when I am writing – it is my heart – when you are reading – it is your heart – the connection happens because at the moment of writing or reading – the MIND ceases and the HEART wells up!
It is a beautiful relating – a resonance that cannot necessarily happen when I am talking and your are listening – because the state of being ‘NOBODY’ is not at that moment!
It is only when we are in the state of NOBODY that we can connect! A master can connect with the disciple because the state of ‘nobodiness’ is there – it is only in the state of NOBODINESS the real connection happens and not otherwise!
EMPTINESS. NOTHINGNESS is the very essence of Buddhist Sutras (Sermons)!
Jesus says to Nicodemus “You have to REBORN”. It is a divine message to become a NOBODY – to DROP all the LEARNING, all the SCHORLARSHIPS, all the NOTIONS and preconcieved ideas and to become a ZERO (KETU) – it is only through the ZERO – SHUNYA – EMPTINESS – NOBODINESS that you can experience the divine, the beyond and it is beautiful!
MAHAKASHYAP comes – he comes to LEARN, to ASK many questions – just like you – but the moment he came and had the first glimpse of the master – Gautama Buddha – he DROPPED everything – all his idea of asking, talking, questioning – everything was dropped – he remained SILENT – and in that SILENCE – sitting in the corner – he was truly able to CONNECT, to RELATE, to RESONATE with the master’s sharing! The other disciples questioned a lot, talked a lot but it was MAHAKASHYAP who became the FIRST DISCIPLE of BUDDHA to attain enlightenment!
And when he attained enlightenment – he laughed – a loud belly laugh. Buddha was present, he asked “Mahakashyap – you never talked – so now after attaining enlightenment why you laughed?”
Mahakashyap said “ Master – I laughed because I never thought that I would be the first to attain enlightenment – I wanted the others to attain first because they were in rush, I was not in rush – I said to myself – that let others attain first – then in the end I will attain – but I became the first to attain and so the laughter came…..”
This is so significant – this is so beautiful and this is so deep. Only a meditative being can understand the significance of Mahakashyap’s words!
A man who is in RUSH to attain – will NEVER attain. And a man who is in RUSH is always ruled by the MIND – such a man always remains where he is!
Only a man who has moved beyond the MIND can WAIT – can be PATIENT – can wait for years and years – he is the MAHAKASHYAP – he can say “Let others attain – I can attain in the end.”
And surprisingly GOD always opens the DOOR for such a man who is WILLING TO WAIT – WILLING TO BE PATIENT!
I would love you all to be like MAHAKASHYAP – to learn from MAHAKASHYAP – to understand how a true disciple is – only then can you all progress on the spiritual path – till then you will remain on the circumference – with no peace of mind, no joy, no bliss.
Money cannot bring PEACE to you. Always remember this. In fact money has provoked one brother to cut the throat of other brother – Money is the reason for all fights and violence and murders.
Ramakrishna Paramhansa NEVER would keep any money/coins with him. He could not even tolerate touch of money or silver coins. You know the greatest difficulty with me is to keep or even to touch money.
Money has become the MASTER – whereas Money should become your slave and not the master!
Money should NOT drive you – you should drive money. Swami Vivekananda – the disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa quotes:
FREEDOM is ABOVE ALL! Many times I feel I should drop everything and just move to the mountains – but then the master directs me back to the city – the time is not yet, still I have to be here, still some ‘pending’ karma is to be fulfilled….
Mahakashyap remains one of the greatest enlightened being – through his journey – he also enlighten us – leaving a wonderful example – of a devoted, disciplined and a meditative disciple who also lived and rejoiced in his NOBODINESS!
A man who has become a NOBODY – has NO FEET, NO WINGS, NO MIND and yet HE can FLY – HE can experience the higher altitudes – the beauty of the BEYOND!
You can also experience the beyond – you can also become a Buddha – you can also be like Mahakashyap – but the question is – are you willing to become a ‘Nobody’?
Your answer will decide your ‘journey’ ahead.
Meditate on the words that I have shared.
Meditate and let the answer well up from your heart.
God will wait for your answer. The Master will wait. The Master can WAIT for eternity – that is how deep the love of the master is – that is how deep the master’s compassion is!
Turn inwards, look within and Find the Answer.
Jai Shri Ganesha. Jai Guru.
