Dipankara is an ancient Buddha. Gautama Buddha, in his past life when he was not enlightened, had gone to Dipankara. He wanted to be accepted as a disciple, but Dipankara laughed and he said, “There is nothing to be learned.” Truth cannot be learned. Yes, something has to be understood, but nothing has to be learned. Truth has to be recognized. It is already there in your being, it has to be uncovered. But there is nothing to learn.

 

Truth is not new, truth is your very being. You have to become aware. Not that you have to become more knowledgeable, in fact the more knowledgeable you are the less aware you will be. The more you think you know the more you will be covered with ignorance. Knowledge is ignorance. The knowledgeable person is covered with dark clouds of memory, information, scripture, philosophy.

 

Dipankara said to Gautama, “You need not think in terms of learning. Truth is already in you. Truth cannot be transferred.” Not only this, but when Gautama touched the feet of Dipankara, Dipankara bowed down and touched the feet of Gautama. Gautama was not enlightened in those days. He was very puzzled, embarrassed too.

 

There was a great assembly of monks; nobody could understand what was happening, what was going on. Dipankara had never done that to anybody else. And Gautama said, “What have you done? Why have you touched my feet? I am a sinner, an ignorant person. To touch your feet is right, but you touching my feet is absurd. Have you gone mad?”

 

And Dipankara laughed again and he said, “No, Gautama. You are puzzled because you don’t know your future. I am not mad. I can see it happening — you will be a Buddha soon. Just to honor that fact I have touched your feet. And moreover, for one who is enlightened all are enlightened. It is only a question of time. It doesn’t matter much. I have become enlightened today, you will become enlightened tomorrow, somebody else will become enlightened the day after tomorrow — it doesn’t matter. Enlightenment is going to happen to everybody, to every being. You can go on delaying it, that is up to you. The moment you stop delaying, the moment you stop postponing, it is there. It has always been waiting for you to recognize it.”

 

It is one of the most beautiful stories — that Dipankara touched the feet of Gautama. And Gautama was an unknown man. After centuries, nearly three thousand years afterwards, Gautama became enlightened. The first thing that he did was he bowed down to Dipankara. Then there was no Dipankara, but he bowed down and he laughed and he said, “Now I understand why you touched my feet. Now I can touch everybody’s feet. Now I know that the whole existence is going to be enlightened.”

 

Enlightenment is a natural happening. If we don’t hinder it, it is bound to happen. It is not that you have to achieve it, all that you have to do is not to hinder it. You hinder it in a thousand and one ways. You don’t allow it to happen. When it starts to happen you become frightened. When it takes possession of you, you cannot give that much possession — you shrink back, you withdraw. You come back in your tiny cell of the ego. There you feel protected, defended, secure.

 

Enlightenment is the open sky of insecurity. It is vastness, it is uncharted ocean. The journey is from one unknown to another unknown. There is nothing that can be known. Knowledge, the very idea of knowledge, is part of human stupidity. Life is such a mystery it cannot be known. And if it cannot be known how can it be taught? And if it cannot be taught, what is the point of being a master and a disciple?

 

Just a few days ago there was a question: “Why have you declared yourself to be the Blessed One?’ It is a drama. I have decided to play the part of the Blessed One and you have decided to play the part of disciples — but it is a drama. The day you will become aware you will know, there is no master and no disciple. The day you will understand, you will know that it was a dream — but a dream which can help you to come out of all your other dreams, a thorn which can help to pull out your thorns from your flesh, it can be instrumental — but a thorn all the same. A poison which can help you to drop your other poisons — but a poison all the same. Use it as a raft. That’s why I say it is a drama.

 

Your being a disciple and my being a master is a drama. Play it as beautifully as possible. To you it is a reality, I know. To me it is a drama. From your side it is a great reality, from my side it is a game. One day you will also understand that it is a game. That day will be the day of your enlightenment.

 

Dipankara was simply saying to Gautama, when he touched his feet, that this is just a game. You touch my feet or I touch your feet — it makes no difference. We are all enlightened, we are all gods. Not that I am god and you are not god — ALL is divine. Trees are gods, so are animals, so is everything, even rocks!

 

God is fast asleep in the rocks. He has become a little alert in the trees, a little more alert in the animals, a little more alert in you. In a Buddha he has come perfectly to absolute alertness. But the difference is not of quality, the difference is only of quantity. And if you are this much aware, you can become that much aware too.

 

- Osho, “The Diamond Sutra, #9”