Was Zen master Bokoju’s pre-arrangement of his death contrary to tathata?
Synthesized from Source
definition
"In tathata, even the act of arranging is a natural expression of being, as long as it arises spontaneously and without the shadow of the doer. True essence lies in inner suchness, not in the judgments of outer appearances."
According to Osho, Bokoju’s “pre-arrangement” was not against tathata. He did not pre-plan; he simply allowed what was arising to flower, acting without the sense of a doer. In tathata, even arranging is natural if it comes spontaneously; calculation and concern for propriety would be ego. The true criterion is inner suchness, not outer appearances.
Like a flower opening by itself, his actions came naturally without ego, so they fit tathata; forcing or calculating would have been against it.
Why this matters practically
- Act from inner spontaneity rather than rules or image-management.
- Check for the felt sense of “doer”; if absent, relax and allow.
- Avoid judging others’ actions by appearances; look for the quality of suchness.
- Check for the felt sense of “doer”; if absent, relax and allow.
- Avoid judging others’ actions by appearances; look for the quality of suchness.
AI Confidence Score: 96%
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