Astrall
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| (Part 1) Enchanted by the song of a bird, singing carefree in the branches of a tree, one king ordered it to be caught and placed in a cage... Even a simple song can be a mistake in the presence of evil people... The poor little bird had no idea that its song would imprison it behind iron bars. The bird, which had recently soared freely in the heavens, flitted from branch to branch, doing as it pleased, now sat in a golden cage, adorned with precious stones. But what are all the golden treasures and precious stones worth to one who has tasted the freedom of the heavens? A cage is a cage, whether it is made of gold or iron. The bird cried out, but the king and his retinue thought it was singing loudly with joy! Some people cry and weep just like this bird, but those who do not understand it think their cries are an expression of joy. The bird's heart was filled with longing and anxiety; it thought, "Will my wings be able to fly, will they remember how to do it if I stay in this cage too long?" If the bird forgets the sky, what is the point of being freed from the cage? Only those who have known, who have felt the joy of freedom within their souls, know what it is. However, one cannot know freedom simply by becoming independent. The bird longed to be free before it lost its memory of the sky. One morning, the bird heard a fakir singing: "For those who seek freedom, there is only one way – the path of Truth. What is Truth?—the beggar asked in his song. Truth is seeing things as they are, it is the ability to know things as they are, and to try to live with them, and to reveal them as they are—this is Truth; he who attains Truth is free." This was the fakir's song, and he sang it on the streets every day. No one paid attention to him, except for this little bird, which still remembered the vastness of its flights. But man—he has completely forgotten about them. Man has completely forgotten about the wings he possessed, which could carry him into unknown spaces. Many saints and prophets in their time tirelessly called out to humanity, but who listened to them? But on that very day, the bird understood the fakir's song and decided to try... The king was in the palace when someone came to visit him. He sent word through his servant that there was no one home for the visitor. The bird cried out: "No, no! The king is in the palace; he ordered his servants to say that he is not home!" The king was furious. People tend to be displeased when the truth is told, as all people live in lies. And those who possess all the fullness of power—whether it be royal power, the power of money, or religion—those who have any kind of power in their hands, they hate the truth, because power always sits on the throne of lies. Thus, those who hold power in their hands always crucify the truth, because if it is allowed to live, it will become a cross for the powerful. The king ordered that the bird be immediately removed from his sight—how can Truth be inside the palace? Truth may find a place on a branch of a tree, but in no case in the royal chambers. The bird was thrown out of the palace—but this was its deepest desire! In freedom, the bird began to dance and sing: "The fakir is right: for those who want to be free, there is only one way—the path of Truth." A sparrow, sitting nearby, watched the bird. It cried out: "Silly bird, you lost your golden cage and are happy about it? Not everyone is lucky enough to have a golden cage! But you—you are an ignorant fool; you do not know the art of living in a golden cage! The first, and most important rule, is to do exactly what the master commands, without thinking about whether it is right or wrong: because whoever makes this mistake, tries to determine what is true and what is not, cannot stay in the cage. Reflection breeds protest, and whoever begins to think cannot remain a prisoner. Why did you make the mistake of reflection, you unfortunate bird? Thinking is dangerous. Reasonable people never think. They sit in their prisons and call them their refuge, their temple. Moreover, you can decorate your refuge from the inside. A decorated cage gives the impression of a home." Remember, most people decorate their cages in this way and consider them their homes. The bird paid no attention to the sparrow's words: it was beside itself with ecstasy; its wings trembled slightly in the gentle breeze—it was free again, in the open space. But the sparrow continued to give its unsolicited advice. "Learn the art of guarding the golden cage from us, the sparrows. We always say what the master says. What he does is not up for discussion. We look at the world through the master's eyes and think his thoughts. We never use our own eyes or our own mind." Having said this, the sparrow quickly flew into the golden cage and took its place. The servant slammed the door shut... Osho (from the book _The Beginning is Always Now_) |