Subhuti was one of the ten principle disciples of Buddha. He was born in a wealthy family. In Buddhism he is considered as ‘worthy of gifts.’ As after hearing Buddha he became his follower and went to forest and started meditating and achieved love and kindness. It is believed that due to his mastery in love and kindness, any gift offered to him bore the greatest merit for the donor, thus earning him the title of foremost in being “worthy of gifts”.

Osho says A master is one who has become enlightened, but one desire is left. That desire is not a trouble in becoming enlightened — to help others to become enlightened — but you will still be attached to the body. Only one stream, all sources cut, but one bridge is there. There were other enlightened persons, but the key could not be given to them; it had to be given to Mahakashyap, because he had an inner desire to help — his past karmas. He could become a tirthankara; he could become a perfect master. And he did well. Buddha’s choice was perfectly right — because there was one other of Buddha’s disciples who could have been given the key. His name was Subhuti. He was as silent as Mahakashyap, even more. It will be difficult for you — how silence, how perfection, can be more — but it is possible. It is beyond ordinary arithmetic. You can be perfect, and you can be even still more perfect, because perfection has growth, it goes on growing infinitely. Subhuti was the most silent man around Buddha, even more than Mahakashyap. But the key could not be given to him because he was so silent. It will be difficult now: you are entering a very complex phenomenon. In the first place, he would not laugh, and the key could not be given to him because he would not laugh. He was not there. He was so silent, he was not there to laugh, he was not there to contain or not to contain. Even if Buddha had called, “Subhuti, come!” he would not have come. Buddha would have had to go to him.

Osho further says When you are not, the whole existence feels ecstatic and celebrates; flowers shower on you. They have not showered yet because you ARE, and they will not shower until you dissolve. When you are empty, no more, when you are a nothingness, SHUNYATA, suddenly they start showering. They have showered on Buddha, on Subhuti, on Nansen; they can shower on YOU — they are waiting. They are knocking at the door. They are ready. Just the moment you become empty, they start falling on you.

Osho Says….

OSHO, WOULD YOU NOT LIKE TO SAY SOMETHING TO ME?

The question is from Anand Fareed. Fareed,

I have nothing to say. And all that I say is only to say this, that I have nothing to say. And all that I say to you is just to prepare you for a moment of eternal silence when you also stop saying, and you start being.

Once Buddha asked his disciple, Subhuti, ‘Subhuti, what do you think? Does the Buddha expound the Dharma?’ Subhuti said, ‘World-Honoured One, the Buddha does not expound anything.’

And for forty-two years, Buddha was expounding the dharma. And Subhuti says, ‘World-Honoured One, the Tathagata does not expound anything.’ And Buddha gave his confirmation to Subhuti’s understanding — because another disciple, Ananda, was sitting there, and Ananda said, ‘What do you mean? He has been expounding the dharma for forty-two years, continuously — morning, afternoon, evening, year in, year out. What else is he doing?’

But Buddha confirmed Subhuti’s understanding, not Ananda’s understanding. Subhuti knows — Ananda has only heard the words. And Buddha says, ‘Ananda, you will have to wait to know. Subhuti is right.’

And it happened, when Buddha died, all the monks, all the disciples, gathered together to collect all the sayings of Buddha. Ananda was not allowed to enter in the hall; Subhuti was the head. Now, this seems strange — but these people called Buddhas are strange people. Ananda had lived for forty two years continuously with Buddha like a shadow. He had moved with him wherever he had gone, he had slept in his room for forty-two years — he was the only one who was so close. He had heard all that he had said, and his memory was tremendously perfect. Now Subhuti is the head of the congregation which is going to collect the sayings of Buddha — and the man who had heard him always….Subhuti was not always with him, rarely — because Subhuti was sent to spread Buddha’s message to other parts of the country. So he was rarely there; he had heard Buddha only a few times. He becomes the head, who is going to collect Buddha’s sayings — and Ananda, who seems to be the right person to be the head, is not even allowed into the hall.

And Subhuti says to Ananda, ‘You sit at the door as a guard — as you used to sit with Buddha too. You sit at the door outside. Unless you become enlightened we are not going to allow you inside.’ And Subhuti, who says Buddha has not expounded anything, becomes the head of the exposition of the dharma scriptures — all that has been collected under the guidance of Subhuti. But this basic understanding is there, this tacit understanding is there, that all this is superficial — because the ultimate cannot be said. But people are foolish, so even a Buddha has to say the ultimate for these foolish people.

Ananda remained outside the hall. Five hundred monks are inside — they are all juniors to Ananda, Ananda is the seniormost. Not only is he the senior-most disciple, he is also a cousin-brother to Buddha — not only a cousin-brother, he is the elder cousin-brother to Buddha. And he is standing there outside, crying. For twenty-four hours, it is said, he was standing there crying. And after twenty-four hours, something exploded in him, and he understood. He understood why Buddha had confirmed that ‘Subhuti is right; Ananda, you are not right. You have only heard my words — and the words are nothing. The reality is silent.’

He danced. And the moment it happened outside the hall, Subhuti was inside, and they were collecting the sayings: suddenly he stopped and he said, ‘Call Ananda in. Now he is worthy to be asked in’

The monks went out, they found Ananda dancing. They had never seen this man so blissful, so luminous. And Ananda said, ‘Buddha was right, I had been only hearing the words. Now I have heard the soundless sound.’

Subhuti said, ‘Now you can also relate whatsoever you know, whatsoever you have heard from Buddha. Now your memory can be trusted, because knowing has arisen. Up to now your memory was just mechanical — it had no light inside it.’

So say I to you, Fareed:

I have nothing to say. And if you hear me rightly, that is the message.

Source:

Listen to the complete Audio Discourse at link below…

Discourse Series: Zen: The Path of Paradox, Vol 2 – Chapter #6

Chapter title: The Door to the Wild

26 June 1977 am in Buddha Hall

References:  

Osho has spoken on Mystics like Dadu, Farid, Gurdjieff, J. Krishnamurti, Kabir, Nanak, Meher Baba, Patanjali, Swami Ram Teerth, Rumi, Sahajo, Sai Baba, Saraha, Socrates, Tilopa, Zarathustra, Nagarjuna and many more in His discourses. Some of these can be referred to in the following books/discourses:

1. Sermons in Stones
2. Come Come Yet Again Come
3. The Hidden Splendour
4. Beyond Enlightenment
5. The New Dawn
6. The Sword and The Lotus
7. The Fish in the Sea is Not Thirsty
8. Socrates Poisoned Again After 25 Centuries
9. Yoga: The Alpha and the Omega, Vol 1
10. The Path of Love
11. The Book of Wisdom
12. The Dhammapada: The Way of the Buddha, Vol 5
13. The Fish in the Sea is Not Thirsty