VBT – Meditation 101.5
Reason Questions
I will tell you an anecdote. Jesus told his disciples to go by boat to the other bank of a lake where they were staying. And he said, “I will be coming later.” They went. When they were just in the middle of the lake a great wind came and there was much turmoil and they were afraid. The boat was rocking and they started crying and screaming. They started crying, “Jesus, save us!” The bank where Jesus was was very far away, but Jesus came. It is said that he came running on the water.
And the first thing he said to his disciples was, “Men of little faith, why are you crying? Don’t you believe it?” They were scared. Jesus said, “If you believe, then come out of the boat and walk towards me.” He was standing on the water. They saw with their own eyes that he was standing on the water, but still it was difficult to believe. They must have thought in their minds that it was a trick, or it was maybe just an illusion, or this was not Jesus. Maybe it was just the Devil, luring them or something.
So they started looking at each other, “Who will walk?” Then one disciple got out of the boat and walked. Really, he could walk. He couldn’t believe his own eyes. He was walking on the water.
When he came close to Jesus he said, “How? How is it happening?” Immediately the whole miracle disappeared. The “How?” – And he was under water. Jesus pulled him out and said, “Man of little faith, why do you ask how?”
But reason asks “Why?” and “How?” Reason asks, reason questions. Faith is the dropping of all questions. If you can drop all questions and believe, then this technique can work miracles for you.
So the first thing I would like to say to you is be constantly alert that you are not deceiving yourself.
You may be doing something and still deceiving yourself.
I have heard that Mulla Nasruddin once came running into a post office, grasping the postmaster by the lapel, shook him, and said, “I have gone crazy. My wife has disappeared!” The postmaster felt sorry and he said, “Really, she has disappeared? Unfortunately this is a postal department – you have to go to the police department to report this disappearance.” Mulla Nasruddin shook his head negatively and said, “I am not going to be caught again. In the past my wife also disappeared and when I reported it to the police department, they found her. I am not going to be caught again. If you can take the report, take it, otherwise I am going.”
He wants to report to feel good, to feel that he has done whatsoever can be done. But he doesn’t want to report to the police department because he is afraid.
You go on doing things just to feel good, just to feel that you are doing something. But really you are not ready to be transformed. So all that you do just passes as useless activity – not only useless, harmful also, because it is a waste of time, energy, and opportunity. These techniques of Shiva are only for those who are ready to do so. You can ponder over them philosophically – that means nothing. But if you are actually ready to do it, then something will start happening to you. They are alive methods, not dead doctrines. Your intellect is not needed; your totality of being is required.
Tags: Reason Questions
