From _The White Lotus_, by Osho.

Bodhidharma says:

'The most firmly established in the path appears the most remiss.'

That's why one who is really a Buddha will always be condemned by
the ordinary people: because he appears to be the most remiss,
because he fits in no category, because he fits in with no morality.
You cannot predict anything about him, he is unpredictable.  Why? -
because he is so established in his being that he cares nothing about
anything.  He lives spontaneously, whatsoever the consequence.  He
will look careless to you, but he is so conscious he need not care.
He will look negligent to you; he is not.  He is so conscious, there
is no question of negligence.  He will look lazy to you, but he is not -
there is no question of it.  He is so conscious, laziness cannot exist
in his consciousness.

But to the outside world he will not fit into any category.  The
Christian church will not call him a saint.  The Hindus will not call
him a mahatma.  The Jainas will not call him a muni.  Even if Buddha
comes back today, Buddhists will not recognize him as a Buddha - he
will look very remiss, very astray.

It is said that when one Zen Master became enlightened, he came from
the caves in the mountains to the market-place with a bottle of wine.
People looked at him; they could not believe their eyes.  They had
always thought that he was a very holy man.  Now, coming back to the
market-place with a bottle of wine!  Has he gone mad?

But he is simply saying, 'I have gone beyond all rules, regulations.
I have gone beyond all morals, all rituals.  Now you will not be able
to predict about me anymore.  I am no longer 'ordinary' and no longer
'holy'; I am simply whoever I am.'

He came to the market-place to destroy your idea of his holiness.


Sufis, Taoists and Zen Masters are very well-known for destroying
your idea of their holiness, their 'specialness'.  They manage to
devise many methods to simply destroy your expectations, to undermine
you.  They never fulfil your expectations.

That is the true sign of a Master: that he never fulfils your
expectations.  If somebody fulfils your expectations, be sure and
certain that he is a phony.  Remember this beautiful statement:

'The most firmly established in the path appears the most remiss.'

_The White Lotus_, by Bhagwan Sri Rajneesh, pp. 174-5.

nagasiva@yronwode.com
tyagi