The priest became so much afraid of this madman, he threw him out. It was dangerous to keep him inside the temple — he may burn other two statues! The temple had only three statues. In the morning when the priest opened the doors he saw Ikkyu bowing down just in front of the temple before a milestone. He had put a few flowers — must have gathered some wild flowers — he has put those flowers on the milestone and was going his morning prayers and meditations. And he was repeating the famous Buddhist mantra: “BUDDHAM SHARANAM GACHCHHAMI — I go to the feet of the Master, Buddha. SANGHAM SHARANAM GACHCHHAMI — I go to the feet of the commune of my Master. DHAMMAM SHARANAM GACHCHHAMI — I go to the feet of the ultimate truth that my Master realized.”
The priest came, shook him and said, “What are you doing? You are really absolutely mad! This is a milestone, this is not Buddha! You have burned a Buddha statue in the night, and now before a milestone you are doing your prayers and saying: BUDDHAM SHARANAM GACHCHHAMI, SANGHAM SHARANAM GACHCHHAMI, DHAMMAM SHARANAM GACHCHHAMI?”
Ikkyu said, “It is not a question whether it is a statue or not; the question is my heart. It is morning time, I am doing my prayer. Any excuse will do. In the night I burned one excuse — that was only an excuse, it was not Buddha. This is another excuse, and this is far simpler because I can find the milestone anywhere. I need not be dependent on any temple, on any statue.”
The priest said, “You are very illogical!”
And that’s what has been told to the Zen Masters down the ages — since the days of Mahakashyap. the first Zen Master, the first Patriarch, it has been again and again said that, “You are paradoxical. On the one hand you deny: that there is no teaching, on the other hand you become disciples, Masters. On the one hand you say there is no prayer, on the other hand you pray to Buddha.”
You have to be very very alert to understand the paradox. The prayer has to be out of your overflowing love; it has nothing to do with the statue or the stone. Those are just excuses. And Buddha is everywhere — to Buddhists Buddha means God. The stone is as much Buddha as the statue. The whole existence is full of Buddhahood, godliness, and the Master has experienced it.
The disciple accepts the Master so that he can come closer to him. In saying yes to the Master he becomes attuned to the Master. The word “attunement” is beautiful; it means “at-onement”. He becomes one with the Master. In that oneness something that cannot be given through words is transpired through the being — something like bringing an unlit candle close to a lit candle. There is a certain point when the unlit candle comes within that limit — suddenly the flame from the lit candle jumps into the unlit candle. The lit candle loses nothing at all, but the unlit candle gains infinitely.
Now the reverse process is happening: when the disciple comes to the Master he gives his ego and thinks he is losing much — and the Master gets nothing. When the Master gives something he gives infinitely, he gives his light. but he loses nothing; his light remains the same. From one lit candle you can light millions of candles, and the lit candle loses nothing at all although the unlit candles gain infinitely. This point is missing in J. Krishnamurti, hence whatsoever he is saying is Zen, but he is not doing Zen — saying but not doing.
I am saying and doing both, and only doing can bring fulfillment, flowering. Just saying is not going to help. Whether you say positively something about truth it is useless, or you say something negative about truth. Even saying that truth cannot he told is meaningless. What is The point for fifty y ears saying again and again that truth cannot be told? Then why bother? Say once “Truth cannot be told” and every day repeat “Ditto” — that’s enough — and go home! There is no point in saying it again and again. unless by saying it you are encouraging the people towards some other phenomenon.
Truth cannot be said, this is one part. The second part is: but truth can be transpired. It can be shared — not told but shared. And for that sharing the love affair of the disciple and the Master is a must; without it it is not possible.
Source – Osho Book “I Am That”