Dipankara And Gautama
It is one of the most beautiful stories – that Dipankara touched the feet of Gautama. And Gautama was an unknown man. After centuries, nearabout three thousand years afterwards, Gautama became enlightened. The first thing he did was he bowed down to Dipankara. Now there was no Dipankara, but he bowed down and he laughed and he said, “Now I understand why you touched my feet. Now I can touch everybody’s feet. Now I know that the whole existence is going to be enlightened.”
Enlightenment is a natural happening. If we don’t hinder it, it is bound to happen. It is not that you have to achieve it, all that you have to do is not to hinder it. You hinder it in a thousand and one ways. You don’t allow it to happen. When it starts happening you become frightened. When it takes possession of you, you cannot give that much possession – you shrink back, you withdraw. You come back in your tiny cell of the ego. There you feel protected, defended, secure.
Enlightenment is the open sky of insecurity. It is vast-ness, it is an uncharted ocean. The journey is from one unknown to another unknown. There is nothing that can be known. Knowledge, the very idea of knowledge, is part of human stupidity. Life is such a mystery it cannot be known. And if it cannot be known how can it be taught? And if it cannot be taught, what is the point of being a master and a disciple?
The day you will become aware you will know there is no master and no disciple. The day you will understand, you will know that it was a dream – but a dream which can help you to come out of all your other dreams, a thorn which can help to pull out your thorns from your flesh. It can be instrumental – but a thorn all the same. A poison which can help you to drop your other poisons – but a poison all the same. Use it as a raft. That’s why I say it is a drama.
Dipankara was simply saying to Gautama, when he touched his feet, that this is just a game. You touch my feet or I touch your feet – it makes no difference. We are all enlightened, we are all gods. Not that I am god and you are not god – all is divine. Trees are gods, so are animals, so is everything, even rocks!
God is fast asleep in the rocks. He has become a little alert in the trees, a little more alert in the animals, a little more alert in you. In a buddha he has come perfectly to absolute alertness. But the difference is not of quality, the difference is only of quantity. And if you are this much aware, you can become that much aware too.
Buddha says:
The Lord asked: What do you think, Subhuti, is there any dharma which the Tathagata has learned from Dipankara?
He is asking, “Have I learned anything from Dipankara?” There is nothing to learn. Truth is a given fact. Whatsoever you learn will be lies. Truth need not be learned. Truth has not to be invented but only discovered, or more right will be to say it has only to be rediscovered.
Tags: Disciple Is Receptive Learned To Unlearned No Lust Sunflower Truly Wise Truth Means Unlearning
