When a religious person goes into a ritual, it is not a ritual at all. His heart is in it; then his words have wings. I am against the ritual when there is no heart in it. Here’s a story about Moses. He was passing through a forest. He saw a man praying. But the man who was praying was saying such absurd things that he could not go further. He had to stop the man. He was saying: "God, you must be feeling sometimes very alone – I can come and be always with you like a shadow. I will give you a good bath. I am a shepherd. And I will take all the lice from your hair and your body..."
Lice ? Moses could not believe his ears: "What is he talking about?" Moses stopped him and said, "Listen! What kind of prayer is this? What are you doing? To whom are you talking? Lice in God's hair? He needs a bath? And you are saying 'I will rub your body and make it absolutely clean'? Stop this nonsense. This is not prayer. God will be offended by you."
Looking at Moses, the man fell at his feet. He said, "I am sorry. I am an illiterate, ignorant man. I don't know how to pray. Please, you teach me!"
So Moses taught him the right way to pray, and he was very happy because he had put a man on the right track. Happy, puffed up in his ego, Moses went away.
And when he was alone in the forest, a thundering voice came from the sky and said, "Moses, I have sent you into the world to bring people to me, to bridge people with me, but not to take my lovers away from me. And that's exactly what you have done. That man is one of the most intimate to me. Go back! Apologise. Take your prayer back! ‘‘You have destroyed the whole beauty of his dialogue. His love is true. Whatsoever he was saying, he was saying from his heart. It was not a ritual. Now what you have given to him is just a ritual. He will repeat it but it will be only on the lips; it will not be out of his being."
Don't learn empty gestures. Let your gestures be alive, spontaneous. Otherwise, deep down you know that this is a ritual, deep down you know that this is just a formality you are performing. And if that is your feeling inside, what is the point of going into it?
I am against rituals because they have killed the spirit of religion in the world. But i am not saying don't pray, but let the prayer arise. Let it be of your own. Don't repeat it parrot-like. I am not against rules, but the rules should arise out of your understanding. They should not be imposed from the outside. I am not against discipline, but discipline should not be slavery. All true discipline is self-discipline.
I am against rituals because they have killed the spirit of religion in the world. But i am not saying don't pray, but let the prayer arise. Let it be of your own. Don't repeat it parrot-like. I am not against rules, but the rules should arise out of your understanding. They should not be imposed from the outside. I am not against discipline, but discipline should not be slavery. All true discipline is self-discipline.
Only disciplined people become free, but their discipline is obedience to their own inner voice. Let your own awareness decide your lifestyle, life-pattern. Don't allow anybody else to decide it. If you do, your life will remain superficial, it will be hypocrisy.
(Excerpt from The Perfect Master, courtesy OSHO International Foundation)
