12.

 

Do not search for religion; search for yourself. Religion will then automatically come to you.

 

Does religion exist in scriptures?

 

No. Religion does not exist in scriptures. Scriptures are dead and religion is a living entity. Now can that be found in the scriptures?

 

Does religion exist in sects?

 

No. Religion does not exist even in sects. Sects are based on unions and religion has an absolutely independent identity of its own. For that it is not necessary to go outside; but you have to move inside.

 

Religion exists in every breath of the self. All that we lack is the sight to uncover and see it.

 

Religion exists in every drop of blood of the self. We lack the courage and determination to search it out.

 

Religion is here like the sun; but you have to open your eyes.

 

Religion is life; but you have to rise above the graveyard of the body.

 

Religion is not lifeless. Therefore, do not sleep. Wake up and move. He who sleeps loses it. He who moves on reaches it. He who is awake finds it.

 

A king was in search of the highest religion of the world. He had grown from youth to old age. But his research had not been completed. How could it have been completed? Life is short and such research is foolish. Even if life were endless the highest religion could not be searched; because in fact religion is religion and that is one. For this reason, what could be high and low, what could be worst and best, about it? Because religions are not many, the search for the highest could not be successful. Where there are not many, there is only one, there is no scope for comparison or weighment. Nor is there any method for doing so. That king was searching for the highest religion but living in the lowest irreligion. When he could not find the true religion, the question of taking life in its direction did not arise. Could anyone ever move in darkness and in the unknown? Nobody asks this question about the opposite of religion; but about religion there will hardly be anybody who does not ask it. Nobody ever thinks or makes a search about irreligion. That has to be lived while religion has to be searched. Probably this so-called search is a way to live in the opposite of religion and avoid living in religion itself.

 

Nobody ever told the king about it. The learned, the saints and the philosophers of different religions used to come to him. They quarrelled with one another. They used to show one another's faults. They used to prove that the others were in ignorance. The king used to be pleased with it. In this way, religion itself was an illusion and ignorance in his eyes and he could find support for living in the opposite of it. It was difficult to win over that king on the side of religion. Because whoever took sides were themselves not in favour of religion. Groups, sects and religious institutions are always on their own sides. They have nothing to do with religion. They could not have. Only he who gives up all sides can belong to religion. Without giving up sides it is difficult to belong to religion. Religious sects are ultimately enemies of religion and friends of its opposite.

 

But the king did not stop his research. It had become a play for him; and even the Opposite of religion began to bring to him pain, cares and misery. As death started approaching and the harvest time of life came near, he became restless. But he was not prepared to accept anything except the highest, internally faultless and the complete religion. He was adamant; and until perfect religion was clear to him he was determined not to move even one step of life towards it. Years after years went by, and on his own he was getting himself deeper in the mud. At last, his death came close at doors.

 

One day a young beggar came to his door and asked for alms, and finding the king extremely worried, depressed and perturbed, asked him the reason. The king told him: "What could you do even after knowing it? The big, big scholars, saints and mendicants have not been able to help me". That beggar said: "It is possible that their bigness itself was a handicap for them, and then the scholars have never been able to do anything. Are the saints and mendicant, who are identified only by their clothes, really the saints and mendicants who matter?" The king looked at that beggar with attention. The king had in his eyes something which was not in the eyes of the beggar. That something can be seen only in the eyes of the king. In the meantime, that beggar spoke again: "I can do nothing. In fact, I do not exist. But he who exists can do a lot". What he said was really wonderful. He was entirely different from the thousands who came to convince the king. The king started thinking who this man was in this poor dress, but outwardly he said: "I want to search out the highest religion and make life religious; but this has not been possible and, therefore, I am very unhappy now towards the end of my life.

 

Which religion is the highest?" That beggar started laughing loudly and said: "Oh king! You wanted to put the cart before the horse, and therefore you are unhappy. Life does not become religious after searching out religion; is found out only after life becomes religious religion. And what madness was it that you wanted to search out the highest religion? Even the search of religion itself was enough. It is only religion that exists. Highest religion? I have never heard of it. These words are meaningless. Nothing remains to be added to qualify religion. There is only a circle. There is nothing like a full circle; because what is not a full circle is not a circle at all. Its being a circle implies its fullness. The very existence of religion implies the truth of its being impartial and faultless. And those who come to you to prove the highest religion are either not less mad than you are or they are hypocrites. He who knows knows only religion and not the religions.

 

The king was deeply moved and touched the beggar's feet. The beggar said: "Kindly leave my feet. Do not bind them. I have come here to free your feet also. Please come to the other side of the river outside your kingdom. There itself I can point my finger to the religion.“

 

Both of them went to the river-bank. The best boats of the capital were called out but that beggar would show one fault or the other in each one of them. At last the king became worried. He said to the beggar: 'Oh, great soul! we have to cross only a small river. This can be crossed even by swimming. Let us forget these boats. Let us go and swim it over. Why should we waste our time?"

 

As if the beggar was waiting for it, he said to the king: "Oh king! I also want to say the same thing. Why are you worried about the boats of religious sects? Is it not desirable that we should swim over ourselves to God? In fact, there is no boat of religion. Boats are named only for the profession of the boatmen. The only way is self-swimming. Truth can be found out only by self-effort. Nobody else can give it. One has to swim in the sea of truth by himself. There is no other support. Those who look out for support get drowned near the coast itself, and those who take up courage to swim for themselves cross it over even after a little drowning.

 

- Osho, “The Earthen Lamps, 12”