Osho on Diogenes

 

 

I'm reminded of Diogenes again: he used to live naked; he was a very healthy and beautiful man. Even Alexander the Great felt a little jealous. He had everything, but the beauty of Diogenes, his marble-like body, his statue-like firmness....

 

He was lying one day by the side of the river which was his resting place. Four thieves, whose function was... because in those days almost all over the world man was sold and purchased. Women particularly had a good price, and healthy strong men also had a good price. Slaves were an accepted fact almost all over the world. So these four thieves were engaged in the business of catching hold of people and taking them to the marketplace.

 

They saw this man and discussed among themselves: "This man will fetch a good price, perhaps the best ever. But he seems to be too strong even for four persons. He will kill us if we try to catch hold of him; he looks dangerous."

 

And Diogenes was listening because they were discussing what to do just behind the bushes. Diogenes said, "You idiots! You don't have to do anything! Just come out! Follow me!"

 

They said, "But where?"

 

He said, "To the marketplace where you want to sell me! There is no need to catch hold of me. I am coming on my own. Let this be also an experience. Anyway I am good for nothing."

 

The thieves became very afraid seeing the strangeness of the man. "Even to follow him is dangerous; he may turn, or jump and hit somebody." They kept their distance.

 

Diogenes said, "Don't be afraid! Just stay close! Are you taking me to the marketplace or am I taking you?"

 

With great fear they came close to him. And in the marketplace where people, men and women, were auctioned, Diogenes jumped on the table and shouted at the crowd that had come to purchase people, "Here is a master for sale! Is there any slave who is ready to purchase him?"

 

There was great silence, the man certainly was a grandeur in himself. Even kings had come to purchase but they had to think twice whether to purchase this man. He could be dangerous, he could be ferocious if he can jump on the table and declare himself, "Here is a master! Is there anyone ready to purchase him?"

 

Finally one king dared to purchase him, and he said, "To whom is the money to be given?" Diogenes showed those four persons who were hiding in the crowd. "Give the money to these four people. They have brought me here. And bring your chariot closer so I can come in the chariot."

 

Now slaves are not supposed to order kings, but even this king felt a weakening of the heart. He told his charioteer to bring the chariot close by. Diogenes jumped on the chariot and sat by the side of the king, and the king was trembling. He had purchased unnecessary trouble. This man can simply take him by the neck and throw him out of the chariot. "Rather than purchasing a slave I have purchased a master; he was right."

 

But Diogenes said, "Don't be afraid; I'm not going to do any of the things that you are thinking. I am a peace-loving man. Let us make an agreement: I shall not disturb you, you should not disturb me."

 

The king was very willing. He said "I am absolutely ready, I will not disturb you. You can have a part of the palace, and whatever you need will be provided. But please keep the agreement, don't disturb me. I am a man with a very weak heart, and you seem to be very dangerous."

 

Diogenes said, "Don't be worried. As far as killing is concerned I am absolutely against it; harassing anybody I am absolutely against. You will find in me a great master; you can learn much. You have purchased the only master who has ever been sold, and I have sold myself. In fact I needed some disciples. Now you, your wife, your brothers, your children, all are my disciples -- agreed?!"

 

In the forest the chariot was moving towards the kingdom. Not to agree with this man was very dangerous because there was only the charioteer and the king, and he was enough for both. So whatever he said the king went on saying, "Yes, absolutely agreed."

 

And as they were entering the kingdom, Diogenes jumped out of the chariot, said goodbye to the king and said, "I was just joking! For those four poor men I had to play this role. My river has come. If you want sometime some advice you are welcome. Take note of my address: this river, and do you see that dog?"

 

He had only one dog as a friend. Because of this dog as a friend, his name became "Diogenes the Cynic."

 

The friendship with the dog also came in a very special way. One day he was running towards the river with a begging bowl, just as Buddha had a begging bowl. He was thirsty, but just as he was reaching to the water, a dog came running, overtook him and started drinking the water.

 

He said, "My God! Why am I carrying this bowl? The dog is in a better position!" He threw the begging bowl in the river and learned the way of drinking water like the dog.

 

The dog certainly became very friendly to the man, so he invited the dog to share with him whatever he got for food. The dog was his only companion, and he would talk to it.

 

Even when Alexander was standing by his side, he was making a joke of it. Alexander said, "I'm going to conquer the world."

 

Rather than answering him, he looked at the dog and said, "Do you hear? This fellow is going to conquer the world!" Then to Alexander: "Before conquering the world you will be finished. If you are as wise as this dog, you would rest here, because what will you do after conquering the world?"

 

Alexander had to concede: "After conquering the world I will certainly rest and relax."

 

Diogenes said, "Look at my dog, how relaxed! You can come on this side, I have no objection; I don't possess this river. I don't know who possesses this river, but we both live here and we welcome you. There is no need to take so much trouble to conquer the world and then rest; why not begin rest now?"

 

Alexander said, "I can understand your logic, and I am not able to answer it. But now that I have started my journey of conquering, I will have to go and fulfill my desire."

 

Diogenes said, "It is up to you, but remember the day you die that I have told you life is very short and the world is very big. Most probably you will die before you have conquered the world."

 

And Diogenes was right, Alexander died at the age of only thirty-three, and the last memory in his mind was of Diogenes: "That wise man told it right. Even his dog agreed by waving his tail, `You are right. If he wants to rest he should begin now.'"

 

Diogenes is not historically very much in the line of the great Greek philosophers: Socrates, Pythagoras, Anaxagoras, Plato, Aristotle, Heraclitus. Nobody mentions Diogenes much for the simple reason that he was not a man who took the world seriously.

 

Somewhere he found a lamp, an old lamp, which somebody may have thrown away. So he lit the lamp and, still with his dog, carried it day and night always lighted even in full daylight and people would say, "It is strange, Diogenes; why are you carrying this lamp in the full sunlight?"

 

And he would say, "I am in search of an authentic man. Just to see into his eyes, I keep this lamp. Up to now I have failed."

 

The day he died in Athens, the dog was sitting by his side and the lamp was there, and somebody asked, "Diogenes, you are dying; can you say something about what happened to the authentic man? Did you find any authentic man?"

 

And his last words were, "Unfortunately I did not find an authentic man, but fortunately nobody has stolen my lamp; that much I can say in favor of humanity. I am a naked man, I sleep and anybody could have stolen it." He never took life seriously but lived with as much joy and glory as any buddha.

 

-Osho, "Nansen: The Point of Departure, #8"

 

 

 

Diogenes is one of the most loved human beings, as far as I am concerned. As far as the world is concerned, he is one of those who are destined to be condemned for their behavior, for their ideas. And Diogenes particularly, because he is so unique.

 

His ways would have been understood in the far East, in Japan; he would have become a great Zen master. In Greece he was simply condemned. He was not in the right place. First, he was naked -- for a certain reason: naked we have come into the world, and all the animals are naked, why should man hide his wild body behind clothes?

 

And the strange insight was that it is not weather, cold or heat, that has prompted man to use clothes -- because if all the animals can exist without clothes, there is no reason. And your face is naked, but it becomes immune. That's how the whole animal world lives. Small birds are more powerful than you: they are immune to cold and to heat. They don't need any clothes. Why did man need clothes? Not to protect his body but to hide it, because he is the only animal who has not been natural, and his body has become ugly. Now, Diogenes has a strange insight.

 

I agree with him, that clothes help you immensely to hide your body. Man has lost his natural beauty, agility, and that's why he had to discover clothes. It is very strange: if your naked body is brought before you, or just a photograph of your naked body is brought before you, you will not be able to recognize that it is your body. People are recognizable only by their faces; the whole body is ignored. And through clothes you can create the illusion of beauty. You can hide the ugly parts and you can expose the beautiful parts; you can emphasize the beautiful parts.

 

Diogenes was disgusted with the whole idea. This is exhibitionism, not what Sigmund Freud thinks is exhibitionism. I agree with Diogenes and not with Sigmund Freud.

 

Sigmund Freud calls a man exhibitionist if he tries to show his naked body to somebody. Diogenes calls all people who have been forced by your so-called civilization to wear clothes, exhibitionists. This is a beginning of deception, hypocrisy. And my feeling is that one day man will return back to being naked, because only then he will regain his health again -- for the simple reason that then he will have to be healthy, otherwise he will feel embarrassed. Then he will have to exercise, then he will have to go to some gymnasium and maintain his body and his beauty, because now it is not only his face that is his identity; now his whole body is his identity. And he will not be ashamed of it; it is his body and nature has given it to him. He will be proud of it.

 

Diogenes was as beautiful a man as Mahavira -- both lived naked -- so proportionate, so beautiful. In India Mahavira's nakedness became spiritual; in Greece Diogenes became a madman. He used to carry a lamp with him, and whomsoever he met -- even in the full daylight -- he would raise his lamp and look at the man. And people would ask, "What are you doing? It is full daylight, the sun is shining; why are you carrying a lamp? And why do you go on looking in people's faces?"

 

He used to say, "I am looking for a real, authentic man."

 

My search is, in a way, similar: I am also looking for a real, authentic man. But the real, authentic man cannot be searched for with a lamp.

 

Diogenes' lamp is only symbolic. It simply says that he is putting his whole lighted being as a beam on the person, as an X-ray, to see whether there is anything left or everything is hypocrisy. The day he died he had his lamp by his side, still in his hand. One man, just to joke, asked Diogenes, "Now you are dying. Before you die, please answer one question. Your whole life you have been searching for the authentic, real man, with your lamp. Have you found him or not?"

 

Diogenes was really a beautiful man. He laughed and said, "I have not found him, but I am grateful to the whole of humanity that nobody stole my lamp, because I found all kinds of thieves all around. An authentic man I have not been able to come across, but even this is enough, that they have left my lamp with me; otherwise when I looked at these people they were criminals, murderers, thieves, and I was worried about my lamp -- that's the only thing I possess. So one thing I can say before I die — one good thing about humanity -- is that my lamp was not stolen."

 

At the moment of death also he could laugh and joke. In Greece he was not understood at all. He belongs to the category of people like Bodhidharma, Chuang Tzu, Hotei. That was his category, but he was with the wrong people. Aristotle had defined man -- Diogenes was a contemporary of Aristotle -- as "a two-legged animal without feathers." That shows the depth of logic, and the insight of Aristotle. When Diogenes heard it, he caught hold of an animal with two legs, took away all the feathers, and sent it as a present to Aristotle, saying, "This is your man: a two-legged animal without feathers."

 

Aristotle was very angry: "It is not a joke, and this Diogenes is never serious!" But I say to you, he was serious. He was saying to Aristotle, "This is not the way to define man -- two-legged, without feathers. You are degrading man to animals, just a little different variety -- without feathers. That's the only difference: there are many animals with two legs."

 

He was not just joking -- he was serious. And he was serious in his search for the authentic man. It is not a question of defining it; it is a question of finding it. You can define it only after you have found it.

 

The man that exists is not authentic.

 

Yes, my work is similar in a way: I am also searching for the authentic man, destroying all that is not authentic in you, at the risk of being condemned all over the world. But I am not carrying a lamp in my hand because I know that was only a gesture.

 

I am really working with each individual who has come in contact with me to help him to drop all unnecessary conditionings and to have a communion with nature.

 

To be natural you will be authentic.

 

To be natural you will be human.

 

And to be natural you will be a being full of rejoicings.

 

It is your unnaturalness that is creating the whole misery, and just as money brings more money, misery brings more misery. Whatever you have attracts its own kind. If you have a little joy, you will attract much joy; if you have a little silence, then even from the faraway stars you will be attracting silence, then even in a crowd, in the marketplace you will be attracting silence.

 

It depends what you have within you; that becomes the gravitation, and it attracts its own kind. Just a little experience and then there is no need to push you; you will go in that direction on your own.

 

My whole effort is to give you just a glimpse, just to open a window so you can see the sky with all its colors and sunset. And I know you will come out of the hole to see the whole sky, to see the birds returning home, to see the trees going to sleep, preparing their beds. But right now you have only misery, and that misery goes on attracting more misery.

 

My work is somehow to create a small gap in your miserable existence... just a little window.

-Osho, "Beyond Psychology, #14, Q2"

 

 

 

It is said of Diogenes, a man of the same caliber as Bodhidharma .... If they had met, it would have been a great meeting. Diogenes was in Greece. He lived naked; he had such a beautiful body that to hide it behind clothes would have been a crime. It is perfectly good to hide an ugly body behind clothes but a beautiful body needs to be available for anybody who wants to see the beauty, the proportion. Diogenes was one of the most beautiful men. Even when Alexander the Great met him, he felt a little embarrassed -- although he was a world conqueror, compared to Diogenes he was utterly poor.

 

Diogenes had nothing, but his richness was radiating from his naked body. Diogenes used to carry a lamp, even in the daytime. He was thought to be a little crazy -- obviously. In a world of insane people, anybody who is sane is bound to be thought a little crazy. And he was doing something which you will also feel looks a little crazy. Whomever he would meet on the way, he would take up his lamp and look at his face. And when asked, "What are you doing, Diogenes? It is full daylight; you don't need to keep your lamp burning," he would say, "no, I have to keep it burning. I am searching for an authentic man."

 

When he was dying, his lamp by his side, somebody asked, "Diogenes, your whole life you have been searching for an authentic man. What happened? Did you meet any authentic man or not?" He said, "Thank God, although I never met any authentic man I have saved my lamp."

 

Because the world is so cunning, so full of thieves, even to save one's lamp is to be fortunate. This Diogenes was an awakened man. In fact, he was not looking in your eyes when he raised his lamp, he was showing his eyes, so that you could see clearly into his eyes, and THERE was an authentic man. And if you had looked into his eyes, you would have changed totally into a new being.

-Osho, "Bodhidharma: The Greatest Zen Master, #14"

 

 

 

I am reminded of Diogenes, a beautiful Greek philosopher, mystic -- and a mystic of a rare quality. He was a contemporary of Aristotle, and he was as much against Aristotle as I am, so I have a certain friendship with Diogenes.

Aristotle defined man as an animal who walks on two legs. What did Diogenes do? He caught one animal -- and there are many animals who walk on two legs, but they have feathers also, they can fly also -- a peacock. He took out all the feathers -- because men have no feathers. Take out all the feathers of the peacock... the peacock walks on two legs. And he sent the peacock to Aristotle with the message: "Please receive the gift of a human being."

 

This man Diogenes used to live naked, because he said, "Man is born naked, and he becomes weaker because he is protected by clothes." All around the world no animal has clothes -- except a few dogs in England. England is a mysterious country. Dogs have clothes because a naked dog is un-Christian. You will be surprised to know that in the Middle Ages in England even chair legs were covered with clothes, because they are legs and it is not gentlemanly to see naked legs.

 

Diogenes lived naked. He was a strong man. Four people who were doing the business of hijacking people and selling them as slaves in the market thought, "This is a great catch, this man can bring us great money. We have sold many slaves, but not so strong, beautiful, young. We can have as high a price as we demand; and there is going to be a great competition in the marketplace when we put this man on the pedestal for sale. But," they thought, "four are not enough to catch him. He alone could kill us all."

 

Diogenes was hearing what they were saying about him. He was sitting by the side of the river, just enjoying the cool breeze of the evening, underneath a tree; and behind the tree, those four were planning what to do. He said, "Don't be worried. Come here! You need not worry that I will kill you, I never kill anything. And you need not worry that I will fight, resist you -- no. I don't fight anybody, I don't resist anything. You want to sell me as a slave?"

 

Embarrassed, afraid, those four people said, "That's what we were thinking. We are poor... if you are willing?"

 

He said, "Of course I am. If I can help you in your poverty in some way, it is beautiful."

 

So they brought out chains. He said, "Throw them in the river; you need not chain me. I will walk ahead of you. I don't believe in escaping from anything. In fact, I am getting excited about the idea of being sold, standing on a high pedestal, and hundreds of people trying to get me. I am excited about this auction -- I am coming!"

 

Those four people became a little more afraid: this man is not only strong, beautiful, he seems to be mad also; he is dangerous. But now there was no way for them to escape. He said, "If you try to escape, you will be risking your own life. Just follow me, all four of you. Put me on the pedestal."

 

Unwillingly they followed him. They wanted to take him, but he went! You see the point? Even in such a situation, he was taking the responsibility on himself. He was a free man even in such a situation, where these people are conspiring and trying to sell him in the marketplace, which is the ugliest thing that can happen to a man -- to be sold like a commodity, auctioned like a commodity.

 

But he told those people, "Don't be afraid, and don't try to escape. You have given me a great idea, I am grateful to you. This is my responsibility, I am going to the marketplace. You put me up for auction."

 

They could not believe... what type of man was this? But there was no way to escape, so they followed him. And when he was put on a high pedestal so that everybody could see, there was almost silence, pindrop silence. People had never seen such a proportionate body, so beautiful -- as if made of steel, so strong.

 

Before the auctioneer said anything, Diogenes declared, "Listen, people! Here is a master to be sold to any slave, because these four poor people need money. So start the auction; but remember, you are purchasing a master."

 

A king purchased him. Of course, he could do it -- more and more money he offered at the auction. Many people were interested, but finally a sum, larger than any which had ever been heard of, was given to those four people. Diogenes said to them, "Are you happy now? You can go, and I will go with this slave."

 

On the way, when they were moving to the palace in the chariot, the king said to Diogenes, "Are you crazy or something? You think yourself a master? I am a king, and you think me a slave?"

 

Diogenes said, "Yes, and I am not crazy, you are crazy. I can prove it right now." At the back of the chariot was the queen. Diogenes said, "Your queen is already interested in me, she is finished with you. It is dangerous to purchase a master."

 

The king was shocked. Of course, he was nothing in comparison to Diogenes. He took out his sword and asked his queen, "What he is saying, is it true? If you say the truth, your life will be saved -- that is my promise. But if you say an untruth, and I find it out later on, I will behead you."

 

Fearful, afraid, still the queen said, "It is true. Before him, you are nothing. I am enchanted, allured; the man has some magic. You are just a poor guy compared to him. This is the truth."

 

Of course, the king stopped the chariot and told Diogenes, "Get out of the chariot. I make you free; I don't want to take such risks in my palace."

 

Diogenes said, "Thank you. I am a man who cannot be made a slave, for the simple reason that every responsibility I take on myself. I have not left those four people feeling guilty -- they had not brought me there, I had come of my own accord. They must be feeling obliged. And it is your chariot, if you want me to get out, that is perfectly good. I am not accustomed to chariots at all, my legs are strong enough. And I am a naked man, a golden chariot does not fit with me."

 

Take responsibility! And then even in utter poverty, suffering, imprisoned in a jail, you will remain completely a master of yourself. You will have a freedom which comes with responsibility.

 

All these religions have been making you dependent on God, on fate, on destiny. Those are just different names of something non-existential. What is true is your slavery or your freedom. Choose. If you choose freedom, then you have to destroy all the strategies of religions which make you a slave. That's what I am doing here: cutting all your chains, making you free from everything, so that you can be yourself.

 

And the moment you are yourself, you start growing, you become greener. Flowers start opening up, and there is great fragrance around you.

-Osho, "From the False to the Truth, #30"

 

 

 

 

I am reminded of Diogenes. I love this fellow Diogenes for the simple reason that he does not claim any authority from God. He does not give any orders and commandments and disciplines to others. He used to live naked -- not for any religious reasons, not to get to heaven; he was not concerned about heaven and hell at all. He lived naked, because, he said, "That's how I was born. Nature wants me to be this way. Why should I be otherwise? I am going to be just natural."

 

One day it happened, he was just going to the river. He used to carry, up to that time, a begging bowl which he used to collect food or keep water. He was running towards the river -- he was thirsty -- and just by his side a dog came running and reached the river before him and started drinking water. Diogenes said, "Great. This dog is far more independent than me." He threw the begging bowl into the river and said to the dog, "Master, you have really shown me the way. I was carrying that weight unnecessarily."

 

He was caught by a few thieves -- because in those days people were caught and sold as slaves, and he looked very promising. He was very healthy and had a certain personality. They were certain that they would get good money if they could keep hold of him. They were three; he was alone, but they were not certain that even three would be able to keep hold of him. He might kill all three. So they followed him, afraid whether to try or just drop the idea because he seemed to be dangerous. And who knows, he might be mad, because he was walking naked and enjoying so much, and he had nothing to enjoy.

 

Diogenes was listening to what they were thinking and talking about, and he said, "Don't be worried. You want to steal me? You want to sell me in the marketplace?"

 

They were shocked. They said, "Now there is trouble. If we say yes, he is going to jump on us."

 

But Diogenes said, "Don't be afraid. I am going myself to the market. You can come with me, you can sell me. One thing I know: nobody can make me a slave. So you will get money, and you will be happy. And I know for certain that nobody can make me a slave, so why should I be worried about it? You just come along with me."

 

They could not even say, "We don't want to come along," because this man seemed to be so strange: he might force them to come along with him. So they said, "Okay, if you say so, then we will come along." He was walking ahead and they were behind him; he was looking like an emperor and they were looking like the slaves.

 

When they reached the slave market he stood up on the platform where slaves used to be put so people could see from all sides, to measure them, weigh them, look at their teeth -- just the way you purchase a horse or a bull, that's how -- they could see your muscles, whether you were strong or weak, old or young. But these three thieves could not say to Diogenes, "Please stand on the platform." He jumped up himself, and what he said from the platform is something to be remembered. He said, "Listen!" -- so loudly that the whole market became silent, seeing a naked man and so healthy, so beautiful, so proportionate. They had never seen such a slave.

 

There was great silence in the whole market, all the people gathered there, and Diogenes said, "For the first time a master is for sale. Any slave among you can purchase a master. But remember, you are purchasing a master." Those three thieves were hiding in the crowd because they thought the crowd might become angry, and they might be caught: "You have brought this man here."

 

But one rich man fell in love... just the idea. This man was saying, "A master is for sale; any slave can purchase him." This rich man asked, "Who owns you?"

 

Diogenes said, "Of course I own myself, but I have promised three thieves, so the money will go to them. They are hiding there. They have followed me. Really I have forced them to come here -- they were trying to escape in the middle of the journey, and just now they are trying to disappear in the crowd. They are the three. You will have to give the money to these people. And I will come with you. As far as ownership is concerned, I own myself and nobody can own me."

 

The rich man said, "That's what has appealed to me. I am not taking you as a slave, I am accepting you as a master. You just come with me. Just your being in my house, your presence, is enough." The thieves were paid. Diogenes went in the chariot of the rich man, and the rich man certainly behaved as if he was the slave and Diogenes was the master.

 

There is a certain phenomenon: if you are really independent psychologically, nobody can make you a slave. Yes, you can be killed, but you cannot be made a slave.

 

And all these people who have been giving commandments, disciplines, showing you the way to live, what to eat, what to wear, what to do, what not to do -- all these people are in some way trying to make you a psychological slave. I cannot call these people religious. To me religion begins with psychological freedom.

-Osho, "From Unconciousness to Consciousness, #28"

 

 

 

※ Diogenes (ca. 400 B.C. – 325 B.C.) was born in the Greek colony Sinope (modern day Turkey) and lived in Athens, Greece.

 

He was initially a student of Antisthenes, a staunch scholar of Socrates who believed that happiness was only obtained by complete independence, discarding pleasures and living with nothing and in extreme poverty.

 

Diogenes rejected social conventions and comforts and decided to live in a tub and beg for a living; he threw away his utensils, ate and drank with his hands. He became known for being a totally unconventional and controversial philosopher. Famously he would carry a lantern during daylight, looking for ‘an honest man’. He aimed to show the hypocrisy of the masses and became known as one of the founders of Cynicism, living a life of honesty and virtue. His goal was to show people how pathetic their superficial lives were and how totally dishonest society was.

 

Alexander The Great, the King of Macedonia, conqueror of the Persian empire and the greatest military genius of all time, admired Diogenes and asked him if he may do anything for him, to which Diogenes replied, “Only step out of my sunlight.” He became known as the only person to make fun of Alexander the Great and actually live.

 

None of Diogenes writings have survived, but he supposedly wrote numerous books and tragedies. He died in Corinth, Greece.