osho speaks on Buddha (Gautama, the Buddha)

I love Gautama the Buddha because he represents to me the essential core of religion. He is not the founder of Buddhism -- Buddhism is a byproduct -- but he is the beginner of a totally different kind of religion in the world. He's the founder of a religionless religion. He has propounded not religion but religiousness. And this is a great radical change in the history of human consciousness.

Before Buddha there were religions but never a pure religiousness. Man was not yet mature. With Buddha, humanity enters into a mature age. All human beings have not yet entered into that, that's true, but Buddha has heralded the path; Buddha has opened the gateless gate. It takes time for human beings to understand such a deep message. Buddha's message is the deepest ever. Nobody has done the work that Buddha has done, the way he has done. Nobody else represents pure fragrance.

Other founders of religions, other enlightened people, have compromised with their audience. Buddha remains uncompromised, hence his purity. He does not care what you can understand, he cares only what the truth is. And he says it without being worried whether you understand it or not. In a way this looks hard; in another way this is great compassion.
- The Diamond Sutra, Chapter #1

Buddha is one of the most important masters who has ever existed on the earth -- incomparable, unique. And if you can have a taste of his being, you will be infinitely benefited, blessed.
- The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol 1, Chapter #1

GAUTAM BUDDHA is like the highest peak of the Himalayas, like Gourishanker... one of the purest beings, one of the most virgin souls, one of the very rare phenomena on this earth. The rarity is that Buddha is the scientist of the inner world -- scientist of religion. That is a rare combination. To be religious is simple, to be a scientist is simple -- but to combine, synthesize these two polarities is incredible. It is unbelievable, but it has happened.
- The Discipline of Transcendence, Vol 1, Chapter #1

But as far as Gautam the Buddha is concerned, I welcome him in my very heart. I will give him my words, my silences, my meditations, my being, my wings. From today onwards you can look at me as Gautama the Buddha.
- No Mind: The Flowers of Eternity, Chapter #1

Buddha says: Meditation is enough to solve your problems, but something is missing in it -- compassion. If compassion is also there, then you can help others solve their problems. He says: Meditation is pure gold; it has a perfection of its own. But if there is compassion then the gold has a fragrance too -- then a higher perfection, then a new kind of perfection, gold with fragrance. Gold is enough unto itself -- very valuable -- but with compassion, meditation has a fragrance.
- The Heart Sutra, Chapter #1

Even I myself could not believe that I had not included Gautama the Buddha's DHAMMAPADA. Gautam Buddha was sitting there silently in the last row. I love the man as I have loved nobody else. I have been speaking on him throughout my whole life. Even speaking on others I have been speaking on him. Take note of it, it is a confession. I cannot speak on Jesus without bringing Buddha in; I cannot speak on Mohammed without bringing Buddha in. Whether I mention him directly or not that's another matter. It is really impossible for me to speak without bringing Buddha in. He is my very blood, my bones, my very marrow. He is my silence, also my song. When I saw him sitting there I remembered. I cannot even apologize, it is beyond apologizing.
DHAMMAPADA literally means 'the path of truth', or even more accurately 'the footprints of truth'. Do you see the contradiction?
Coming in
going out
the waterfowl
leaves no trace behind,
nor it needs a guide.
Truth is unspeakable. There are no footprints. Birds flying in the sky don't leave any footprints... and buddhas are birds of the sky.
But buddhas always speak in contradictions, and it is beautiful that at least they speak. They cannot speak without contradicting themselves, they cannot help it. To speak of truth is to contradict yourself. Not to speak is again to contradict, because even when you are trying not to speak, you know that your silence is nothing but an expression, without words maybe, but an expression all the same.
Buddha gave the name DHAMMAPADA to his greatest book, and there are contradictions upon contradictions. He is so full of contradictions that believe me, except me nobody can defeat him. Of course he would enjoy being defeated by me, just as a father once in a while enjoys being defeated by his own child. The child sitting on his father's chest victorious, and the father has simply allowed him to win. All the buddhas allow themselves to be defeated by those who love them. I allow my disciples to defeat me, to go beyond me. There cannot be anything more joyous than seeing a disciple transcend me.
Buddha begins with the very name DHAMMAPADA -- that's what he is going to do: he is going to say the unsayable, to utter the unutterable. But he uttered the unutterable so beautifully that DHAMMAPADA is like an Everest. There are mountains and mountains, but not one rises to the height of Everest.
- Books I Have Loved, Chapter #6

GOUTHAM BUDHA ASHTANGA MARG

1. Right View. Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realise the Four Noble Truth. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right actions.

2. Right Intention. While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions. 1. Resistance to the pull of desire. 2. Resistance to feelings of anger and aversion. 3. Not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

3. Right Speech. By speaking kind and helpful words, we are respected and trusted by everyone.

4. Right Action. No matter what we say, others know us from the way we behave. Before we criticize others, we should first see what we do ourselves.

5. Right Livelihood. This means choosing a job that does not hurt others. The Buddha said, "Do not earn your living by harming others. Do not seek happiness by making others unhappy."

6. Right Effort. A worthwhile life means doing our best at all times and having good will toward others. This also means not wasting effort on things that harm ourselves and others.

7. Right Mindfulness. This means being aware of our thoughts, words, and deeds. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness.

8. Right Concentration. Focus on one thought or object at a time. By doing this, we can be quiet and attain true peace of mind.

Sex Scandal swirls around SATYA SAIBABA

Cult News Summary/December 2004
Sai Baba, a controversial Indian "holy man" presides over a spiritual kingdom that includes one of the world's largest ashrams. He claims to have millions of followers.
But the guru, who is approaching 80, has a history of sexual abuse allegations that in recent years has made media headlines around the world.
Former followers of the aging swami reportedly call him "a sexual harasser, a fraud and even a pedophile."
One man says Sai Baba ordered him to drop his pants and allow the guru to massage his penis. He later said, "Sai Baba was my God -- who dares to refuse God? He was free to do whatever he wanted to do with me; he had my trust, my faith, my love and my friendship; he had me in totality."
Despite such revelations and the growing scandal that surrounds Sai Baba he continues to be worshipped at his ashram. Twice a day he parades about and makes appearances to the faithful, entertaining them with what seems like little more than magic tricks.
Sai Baba's so-called "materializations" include making watches and jewelry appear out of "thin air."
At functions his followers rock back and forth with "shining eyes" seemingly in trance-like or hypnotic states. Perhaps in this condition they are prepared to believe almost anything.
The guru holds court within lavishly appointed rooms decorated with gold leaf and hanging chandeliers.
"Sometimes I think the ashram is a madhouse and Swami is the director," said one recently devoted disciple. Does Sai Baba prey upon the psychologically and emotionally vulnerable? "When you don't have problems, you don't go to the ashram," says a disciple.
But there may be casualties amongst the true believers.
A Malaysian woman reportedly had a psychotic breakdown, attacked ashram workers and was taken into police custody. She sat in a holding area almost catatonic, mumbling "darshan, darshan, darshan" repeatedly.
Sai Baba has accumulated substantial influence and prestige within India. That influence includes some prominent leaders such as former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao. The Times of India reported in 1993 that the guru's followers include "governors, chief ministers, assorted politicians, business tycoons, newspaper magnates, jurists, sportsmen, academics and, yes, even scientists."

His popularity is easy to understand. Sai Baba has built a hospital that offers free services, partly financed by a $20 million donation from Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of the Hard Rock Café. Its pink façade makes it look more like a palace than a hospital. And in the entrance area there are images of Sai Baba.
Sai Baba's charities have reportedly been plagued though by "rumors of chicanery and worse."
Nevertheless Illustrated Weekly of India stated, "God or a fraud, no one doubts the good work done by the Sai organization."
But does the guru use his accumulated good will and "God-man" status to get into people's pants?
The sex abuse claims are strikingly similar and seem to fit the same pattern.
"During my 'private audiences' with Sai Baba, Sai Baba used to touch my private parts and regularly massage my private parts, indicating that this was for spiritual purposes," wrote one former devotee. "He grabbed my head and pushed it into his groin area. He made moaning sounds. As soon as he took the pressure off my head and I lifted my head, Sai Baba lifted his dress and presented me a semi-erect member, telling me that this was my good luck chance, and jousted his hips towards my face," the man said.
When the devotee later talked about his sexual encounter he was thrown out of the ashram.
"Each time I saw Baba, his hand would gradually make more prominent connections to my groin," said another former follower.
All of the allegations reportedly involved mostly teenage boys and young men in their 20s.
This story is hardly new. In 1970 a book by Tal Brooke titled "Lord of the Air" later renamed "Avatar of Night," told the story of a devoted disciple's disillusionment upon learning of Sai Baba's sexual appetite.
More recently a document called "Findings" accumulated accounts of alleged sexual exploitation and abuse from the guru's former followers.
An excerpt from the document reads, "Whilst still at the ashram, the worst thing for me -- as a mother of sons -- occurred when a young man, a college student, came to our room, to plead with David, 'Please Sir, do something to stop him sexually abusing us&These sons of devotees, unable to bear their untenable position of being unwilling participants in a pedophile situation any longer, yet unable to share this with their parents because they would be disbelieved, placed their trust in David; a trust which had built over his five years as a visiting professor of music to the Sai college."
Since the release of "Findings" the Sai Baba sex scandal has grown and gained momentum.
A California man named Glen Meloy, who spent 26 years as a devotee wanted to launch a class-action lawsuit against the Sai Organization in America. "You've got all these kids who are scared to death to do anything that will do disrespect to their parents, in a room with someone they believe to be the creator of the whole universe. This isn't just any child abuse; this is God himself claiming to do this," Meloy said.

One former Indian ashram volunteer petitioned India's Supreme Court to investigate Sai Baba. "I've spoken to 20 or 30 boys who have been abused, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are 14-year-old kids made to live in his room and made to think it's a blessing. In most cases, their parents have been followers for 20 years and are not going to believe them. American citizens have been knowing about this abuse and taking American boys to Puttaparthi and feeding them to him," he said.
UNESCO yanked its co-sponsorship of an education conference in India linked to Sai Baba and stated it was "deeply concerned about widely reported allegations of sexual abuse involving youths and children that have been leveled at the leader of the movement in question, Sathya Sai Baba."
After Conny Larsson, a Swedish actor went public about his coerced sexual relations with the guru; the Sai Organization in Sweden was shut down.
India Today ran a cover story about the scandal, as has England's Daily Telegraph.
Labor MP Tony Colman raised the issue in Parliament.
Former British government minister, Tom Sackville said, "The authorities have done little so far and that is regrettable."
But it seems that the guru's ardent followers can rationalize almost anything.
One such disciple concluded in an essay published on the Internet, "First of all, I believe that Sathya Sai Baba is an Avatar, a full incarnation of God ... any sexual contact Baba has had with devotees -- of whatever kind -- has actually been only a potent blessing, given to awaken the spiritual power within those souls. Who can call that 'wrong'? Surely to call such contact 'molestation' is perversity itself."
A "potent blessing"?
"When he does it, he has a purpose," concludes another still devoted follower.
Other devotees have rejected reports about their guru's sexual abuse completely regardless of how many of his alleged victims come forward to tell their stories.
One said, "I think this is a projection of his devotees' problems. You hear a lot of rumors&but for me it's not important. When you're happy, why doubt it?"