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Osho on Was Zen master Bokoju’s pre-arrangement of his death contrary to tathata?

Was Zen master Bokoju’s pre-arrangement of his death contrary to tathata?

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.

— Osho
Synthesized from Source definition
Core Insight:
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.
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