..续本文上一页body else can do that for you. A Buddha cannot do that for you. Your guru cannot do that for you. Your teacher cannot do that for you. You have to work yourself.

　　Tumhe hi kiccam atappam, akkhataro Tathagata.

　　You yourself must earnestly practise, the enlightened ones only proclaim the path.

　　A Tathagata, will only show the path; he won”t carry you on his shoulders to the final goal. Nobody can carry you on his shoulders to the final goal. Tumhe hi kiccam atappam: you have to work out your own salvation - you have to work out your own emancipation. Someone can guide you because he has walked over the path, step by step. As the Buddha explained, "I walked over this path. I benefitted. If you want to come along, then you also walk. Start taking steps." As many steps as you take, you will get that much benefit. If you take all the steps on the path, then you will reach the final goal.

　　The path is universal. One comes to a course of ten days or longer to practise what the Buddha taught. And the first requisite is: when you come you have to observe five precepts during your stay. It doesn”t matter whether you have been observing them in the past or not. While you are in a retreat, when you are trying to practise what he wanted you to practise, at least for these ten days, you must observe these five precepts very scrupulously. Hindu or Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or Jain, all will take five precepts. They don”t disagree; they accept this discipline-because the precepts are universal. Which religion will say, "Yes, you can kill; it doesn”t matter. Go ahead, you can steal; it doesn”t matter. You can commit adultery; doesn”t matter. You can speak lies." No religion will teach that, because moral conduct is the greatest common denominator of all the religions.

　　So the first step is to practise moral physical and vocal actions. Next you are asked to sit down comfortably. You are not required to sit in a lotus or half-lotus posture. You choose whichever way you can sit comfortably, keeping your back straight. You close your eyes, close your mouth and your guide will say, "Observe your breath." This is what Buddha taught: "Observe your breath, natural breath - as it comes in - as it goes out."

　　Suppose along with the awareness of the breath, one is instructed to mentally recite a word. This is what happens in various kinds of meditation. I passed through such practices, so I know what happens. You are asked to breathe in while mentally reciting one word; breathing out, you mentally repeat another word. For example, if I am a Hindu, I breathe in: "Rama, Rama"; if I am Sikh: "Sata-nama, Sata-nama. "Like this, some word is used, whatever it might be. One who calls himself a Buddhist will say, "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha."

　　This is not Buddha”s teaching. It is sectarian, because whenever one is given any word to recite, that word is almost always a sectarian word. How can a non-Buddhist say "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha"

　　 Certainly, mentally repeating "Buddha, Buddha," the mind will get concentrated. In the same way if you recite, "Rama, Rama, Rama, "your mind will get concentrated. You can say, "Christ, Christ, Christ," your mind will get concentrated. If you say, "Allah, Allah," it will get concentrated. But these are sectarian words and Buddha”s path must remain universal. Even if you use an ordinary word, like, "clock, clock, clock, clock," the mind will get concentrated. If you repeat any word continuously, your mind will get concentrated. This is a law of nature. But the Buddha never gave his followers any word to concentrate on.

　　Buddha”s instruction is to observe the breath just breath, natural breath. The breath cannot be Hindu, breath cannot be Muslim, cannot be Christian. You can”t give it a title. This fellow who is breathing: can we say his b…

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