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Chapter 2: A Thousand Pound Sledge Hammer

The first question:

It seems to me that Gramya’s question on Tuesday was practically the same as mine on Sunday, only worded differently. But you answered her very lovingly and gently and me with a thousand-pound sledge hammer. Osho, excuse me for asking this, but I too mean to ask lovingly. Why have you become so hard on old disciples? And, Osho, don’t you love me any more? I am with you whatever is the case.

The question is from Ananda Prem.

The first thing, is that you cannot ask a question that Gramya asks. Nobody else can ask the question that you ask. Even if yon use exactly the same words, the question will be different and you will get a different answer from me.

I am not answering the question, I am answering the questioner - that must be understood. You can write a question in exactly the same way as Gramya and I will not answer in the same way. You are not Gramya, Gramya is not you. Everybody is unique, everybody is individual; never before has there been anybody like you, never again will there be anybody like you. You are simply you, there is only one you, there is nobody else like you.

So how can somebody else ask a question like you? How can you ask a question like somebody else? The wording, the language, the formulation of the question is not important at all; it arises out of your consciousness, out of your mind. And you have a different mind and a different consciousness, a different character, a different past. It arises out of your past.

So never compare others’ questions. When I answer you, I answer you, that’s why I insist that you should write your names on the question. Otherwise the question becomes general and then the answer is in the abstract, it is not addressed to anybody. And the answer, to be meaningful, has to be particular. It has to be addressed to a particular individual in a specific way - only then does it apply to you, otherwise not.

“It seemed to me that Gramya’s question was practically the same as mine on Sunday.” - no, neither practically the same nor theoretically the same only worded differently. Don’t deceive yourself. It was worded differently, true, but even if it had not been worded differently my answer would have been the same.

Even when we use the same words we don’t mean the same thing. The meaning is not in the words, the meaning is in the mind that uses them.

Meditate on this anecdote.

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