Zen And Pantanjali

There will be question form Sutra 7

HOW A SEED CAN FLOWER WITHOUT THE BIT IN BETWEEN.

THE SEED CAN FLOWER without the gap, without the time gap in between, because the seed is already flowering. You are already that which you can become. If it was not so, then the seed cannot flower right now.

Then time would be needed. Then Zen is not possible. Then only Patanjali is the way. If you are to become something, a time process will be a must. But this is the point to understand: all those who have known, they have also known that becoming is a dream. You are already the being; you are perfect as you are.

Imperfection appears because you are fast asleep. The flower is already flowering; only your eyes are closed. If the seed has to reach the flower, then much time will be needed, and this is no ordinary flower: God has to flower in you. Then even eternity will not be enough, then it is almost impossible. If you have to flower, then it is almost impossible. It is not going to happen; it cannot happen. eternity will be needed.

No, that is not the thing. It can happen right now, this very moment Not even a single moment has to be lost. The question is not of seed becoming a flower. The question is of, opening the eyes. You can open your eyes right now, and then you find the flower has always been flowering. It was never otherwise; it could not have been otherwise.

God is always there within you; just a look, and it is manifested. Not that it was hidden in a seed; you were not looking at it. So only this much is needed – that you look at it. Whatsoever you are, look at it, become aware of it. Don’t move like a sleepwalker.

That’s why it is related – that many Zen Masters, when they became awakened, they roared with laughter. Their disciples couldn’t understand, their fellow travelers couldn’t understand what happened. Why are they roaring madly? Why this laughter? They were laughing because of the whole absurdity. They were seeking that which was already achieved; they were running after something which was already there within them; they were seeking something somewhere else which was hidden in the seeker himself.

The seeker is the sought; the traveler is the goal. You are not to reach somewhere else. You are to reach only to yourself. This can happen in a single moment; even a fraction of a moment is enough. If the seed has to become a flower, then eternity is not enough because it is a flower of God. If you are already the God, then just a look back, just a look within, then it can happen.

Then why Patanjali? Patanjali is needed because of you. You take such a long time to get out of your sleep, you take such a long time to get out of your dreams, you are so much involved in the dreams, you have so much invested in your dreams, that is why time is needed. Time is not needed because the seed has to become a flower; time is needed because you cannot open your eyes. With closed eyes you have become so much accustomed, it has become a deep habit. Not only that: you have completely forgotten that you are living with closed eyes. You have completely forgotten it You think that, “What nonsense you are talking. My eyes are already open.” And your eyes are closed.

If I say, “Get out of your dreams,” you say, “I am already awake,” and this too is a dream. You can dream that you are awake; you can dream that your eyes are open. Then much time will be needed – not that the flower was not already flowering – but it was so difficult for you to awake. There are many investments. Those investments have to be understood. The ego is the basic involvement. If you open your eyes, you disappear. Opening the eyes looks like death. It is. So you talk about it, you listen about it, you think about it, but you never open your eyes because if you really open your eyes you also know that you will disappear. Then who will be you? A nobody A nothingness This nothingness is there if you open the eyes; so it is better to believe that the eyes are already open, and you remain somebody.

The ego is the first involvement. The ego can exist only while you are asleep, just like dreams can exist only while you are asleep. The ego can exist only while you are asleep – metaphysically asleep, existentially asleep. Open the eyes First you disappear; then God appears: this is the problem. And you are afraid that you may disappear, but that is the door, so you listen about it, you think about it, but you go on postponing – tomorrow, tomorrow and tomorrow.

That’s why Patanjali is needed. Patanjali says no need to open the eyes immediately; there are many steps. You can come out of your sleep in steps, in degrees. Certain things you do today, certain tomorrow, then day after tomorrow, and it is going to take a long time. Patanjali appeals because he gives you time to sleep. He says no need to come out of your sleep right now; just a turning over will do. Then have a little more sleep; then do something else. Then by and by, in degrees…

He is a great persuader. He persuades you out of your sleep. Zen shocks you out of your sleep. That’s why a Zen Master can hit you on your head; never a Patanjali. A Zen Master can throw you out of the window; never a Patanjali. Because a Zen Master uses shock treatment – you can be shocked out of a sleep, so why go on trying and persuading you? Why waste time?

Patanjali brings you by and by, by and by. He brings you out and you are not even aware what he is doing. He is just like a mother. He does just the opposite, but just like the mother. A mother persuades a child into sleep. She may sing a lullaby, let the child feel she is there, no need to be afraid. Repeating the same line again and again, the child feels seduced into sleep. He falls into sleep holding the hand of the mother. No need to be worried. The mother is there and she is singing, and singing is beautiful. And the mother is not saying that, “Go into sleep,” because that will disturb. She is simply persuading indirectly. And then by and by she will take her hand out, and she will cover the blanket and move from the room, and the child is fast asleep.

Just the same Patanjali does in the reverse order. By and by he brings you out of your sleep. That’s why time is needed; otherwise the flower is already flowering. Look It is already there. Open the eyes and it is there; open the door and he is standing there waiting for you. He has always been standing there.

It depends on you. If you like a shock treatment, then Zen is the path. If you like a very gradual process, then yoga is the path. Choose! In choosing also you are very deceptive. Your question, “How can I choose?” That too is a trick. Everything is plain. If you need time, choose Patanjali. If you are afraid of shocks, choose Patanjali. But choose! Otherwise non-choosing will become the postponement. Then you say, “It is difficult to choose, and unless I choose how I can move?”

A shock treatment is immediate. It brings you down to the earth immediately. With Zen you can hope to attain in this life; with Patanjali many lives will be needed. With Zen you can hope to attain right now also, but you have many things to do before you attain.

You know ego will disappear, you know sex will disappear. There is no possibility of sex, once you attain; it becomes absurd, silly. So you think, “A little more. What is wrong in waiting? Let me enjoy it a little more.” Anger will not be possible, violence will not be possible, jealousy will not be there; possessiveness, manipulating, they all will disappear.

You suddenly feel, “If all these disappear, then what will I be?” – Because you are nothing but a combination, of all these, a bundle of all these and if all these disappear, then only nothingness is left. That nothingness scares you. It looks like an abyss. You would like to close your eyes and dream a little more, just as in the morning you are awake but you would like to turn the side just for five minutes and have a little dream. It was so beautiful.