This year, Jiddu Krishnamurti’s birthday and Buddha Purnima were on two consecutive days ! May 11th was Jiddu Krishnamurthy’s birthday and yesterday, the 12th was Buddha Purnima.
Buddha was born, became enlightened and attained Mahaparinirvana on the full moon day of the month of Vaishak. Was it the universe’s way of saying that here is a Master ? There is obviously some significance of this happening with Buddha. He was truly special.
A story that probably happened or didnt happen with Buddha, but Osho narrates it, and in his inimitable style says that the story should be included in the Buddhist scriptures !!! Well, when the Master of Masters speaks, it’s the voice of the beyond. You don’t argue with that.
Here is the story that Osho narrates in his discourse titled “This Harvest Moon“, its a collection of discourses on Zen that have been compiled into a book titled “The Miracle”.
“…… The story was that Gautam Buddha and Ananda, his disciple, were passing through a forest. They had just crossed a small stream. Buddha is an old man, and he says to Ananda, “I am feeling very thirsty, you just go back and from that stream bring me some water in my bowl.”
Ananda took the bowl and went back. But meanwhile a few bullock carts had passed through the stream and had disturbed its water completely; it had become muddy. Dead leaves which were silently asleep on the bottom had surfaced to have another look at the world. The
water was not drinkable, and Ananda was in a difficulty: what to do? This water he cannot take for his master. So he went back. Buddha was sitting under a tree and asked, “Have you brought the water?”
He told what happened. Buddha said, “You are stupid. You just go there and sit by the side of the stream. When we came it was not muddy. The dead leaves were asleep on the bottom, the water was crystal clear. So just go there and wait, it needs only patience. Soon the leaves will be gone; because the stream is flowing, they cannot stay there. The dirt will settle — gravitation is continuously pulling everything towards itself. Everything is being done, soon the water will be clear.”
Ananda did not want to go, because he had seen that it had become so dirty that it would take days to have that same crystal-clear quality that Buddha remembered.
He said, “Don’t be worried. I will bring water, but I will have to go in the other direction. Ahead there is a big river. It will take a little longer time, because it must be four miles from here, but it will be fresh water, drinkable water. You rest here.”
Buddha insisted, “Don’t change your mind, just go back.” And when the master says, “Just go back …” Unwillingly, deep down resisting, Ananda went back and was surprised and shocked that meanwhile the leaves had gone and the dirt had settled. He had not even to wait, the water was as crystal-clear as it was before! All that was foreign — the dirt, the dead leaves — had all gone. The water had come to its purity. He filled the begging bowl of Gautam Buddha.
But insistently he was aware of the question, “Why was Buddha so adamant that I have to come back here to bring water? He needs water … I could have brought it from another stream. Why this stream? There must be some reason.”
And as he came back towards Buddha the reason became clear. Just as the leaves and the dirt, which are not natural to the stream — which are foreign visitors, tourists — are bound to leave sooner or later … Suddenly he realized what Buddha meant — that your thoughts, your emotions, your sentiments, all are foreign to your buddha nature. If you just wait patiently they all will disappear without any effort on your side. Your purity will assert itself on its own accord. The buddha arising in you is a spontaneous phenomenon.”
What a beautiful story …. if only we realise what Ananda realised that “your thoughts, your emotions, your sentiments, all are foreign to your buddha nature”. When you drop the foreign stuff, the real you is revealed.
Till we are able to drop all that’s foreign to our Buddha nature, we keep reading these stories over and over again, hoping the penny shall drop. Since we couldn’t see the glowing Buddha, we did the next best thing, captured the full moon yesterday in a pic…. but I guess it pales in comparison to Buddha.
Do read my earlier post on Buddha Purnima – Buddha Purnima – Osho Story #6.
Jiddu Krishnamurti
I wrote about Jiddu Krishnamurti as he was mentioned by Osho in a discourse on organised religion. Do read the blogpost – Osho on Organised Religion & Jiddu Krishnamurti.
IF Osho had not happened to us, we might have been drawn towards Jiddu Krishnamurti, but since Osho happened, it’s difficult to listen to anyone else. I have always struggled with Masters who are very serious. Life is fun, the spiritual quest should also be fun. Jiddu Krishnamurti was too serious and his books were not easy to read. They don’t tug at my heart strings like Osho’s discourses do.
But what a beautiful man !! Am sure Buddha must have been just as beautiful …. Just looking at Jiddu Krishnamurti brings calmness and serenity. And like I mentioned in my earlier blogpost, he had the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. Osho’s eyes are magnetic, you look into them and forget yourself, Jiddu Krishnamurti’s eyes were like a deep silent lake, with no ripples.
For fans of Jiddu Krishnamurti, please read a summary of his book – The First and Last Freedom, by Tom Das. Sharing a quote from Tom’s summary –
Love is not of the self. Self cannot recognise love. You say ”I love; but then, in the very saying of it, in the very experiencing of it, love is not. But, when you know love, self is not. When there is love, self is not.
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti, The First and Last Freedom
Happy Birthday to both the great men – Jiddu Krishnamurti and Buddha. Thanks for showing us different paths to reach the ultimate.
And as always, a big thank you to the Master of Masters, Osho 🙏
I went through a period in which I read a lot of Krishnamurti’s books. I looked for them recently, and only found “The Urgency of Change”. It was short. A little hard to read again, but enlightening for me at the time.
He writes beautifully but a little difficult to read. I find Osho a lot easier to follow … Osho is fun. I find Krishnamurti too serious.
I bought one Osho book several years ago, on your recommendation. I ultimately gave it to a friend, who exclaimed it reminded her of the book of Timothy, in the Bible. I haven’t checked with her lately. Will try to do that today.
Was it The Mustard Seed ?
I don’t remember which one it was. Don’t think that was it. I do like Krishnamurti still. I forgot that he was involved with the Theosophists’ movement and Annie Bessant in the 1920s, but then abandoned all organized movements.
Yes he refused to be the Master !
I just found that Krishnamurti book on my shelves and have it with me now. Will read some again today. I’ve also tried contacting the friend who exchanged books with me, who liked Osho. She had lent her”Urantia” book, which she loved, but I found that hard to read. Don’t remember much about “Urantia.”
I respect that Krishnamurti refused the accolades of “master”. I guess he took his promptings from attunement to the moment. I still find his thoughts remarkable. And his birthday this month, over 2000 years after Buddha, is very “earthy”, indicating spiritual attunement with the earth itself.