Is the experience of having a master who acts unpredictably the essence of Zen?

Maneesha has asked: beloved Osho, the terror and the relief of having a master who promises to hit "just for the joy of it"! Is this what zen is? -- when rationality, right and wrong fly out the window, the mind is on hold, and all one can offer is one's self?

This moment, when your boundaries disappear, is the most valuable moment. The Buddha Auditorium becomes suddenly a lake of consciousness without any ripples. Ten thousand buddhas simply become one. This oneness is eternal, immortal, the origin of everything. Everything changes. Only your witnessing buddha remains unchanging. It is the very center of the cyclone. To make it more clear, Nivedano... (Drumbeat) Relax. But remain alert, a witness of your body, of your mind, and all that is happening in this moment within you. The silence, the peace, the bliss... As you go deeper, the splendor becomes more and more rich. As you go deeper, life becomes a mystery, a miracle of immense significance. And a deep gratitude arises, just for the sake of all that existence has done for you. It is not a prayer, it is a thankfulness. The evening was beautiful on its own. But your witnessing, your…

Osho, what is zen?

Sagar, IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO ANSWER because Zen is not a philosophy, it is not a doctrine. It is an experience, an experience of your own interiority, of your own subjectivity -- not an objective experience. If it were some object outside you, there would be a possibility of describing it, of analyzing it, of defining it. It is indefinable by its very nature; it is not within the grasp of intellect. It is an experience of dropping out of your mind, disappearing from your mind into your being, slipping out of the mind and entering into your being. The mind is a false entity; your being is your real face, your original face. The mind is created by the society, hence there are different kinds of minds -- Hindu mind, Christian mind, Jewish mind -- but the being is one; it is neither Christian nor Hindu nor Mohammedan.…

Osho, Master Shuzan raised his short staff and said: If you call it a short staff, you oppose its truth. And if you do not call it a short staff, you deny the fact. Now tell me, what would you like to call it? Osho, kindly explain the intent embedded in this Zen master's riddle.

As human opinion changes, beauty and ugliness change. What is beautiful? What is ugly? There is no definitive yardstick; it depends on your intellect. The intellect lives by comparison, so the very moment you see something you start comparing. This Zen master says to his disciple: do not compare—and without comparison, tell me what this is. He says: if you call it a short staff, you oppose truth—because in truth there is no comparison; comparison is of the mind. As long as mind remains, you will not know truth. Truth is incomparable. It is neither beautiful nor ugly; neither auspicious nor inauspicious; neither good nor bad. There is no division—there is only “is-ness.” Will you call this entire existence beautiful or ugly? Good or bad? People have called it one thing or another: the theist says “absolutely good—God created it.” The atheist says, “How can it be good with so…

Question: Second question: Osho, does the true master ever test the disciple? A young man came to a Zen master for three years—again and again. Each time he was given a riddle and could not solve it. Whenever he came, the master beat him. Zen masters beat; their compassion is great. They keep a staff at hand. Whether the head stays or goes, whether it cracks or breaks—their staff strikes mercilessly. For three years the disciple was thrashed. At last he panicked: how long will this go on? In two or four days the pain would somehow fade. He would return with a new answer to the riddle—and the staff was ready. Once it even happened that he was struck before he had answered. He said, “At least hear my answer!” The master said, “Just seeing you I knew you would answer wrongly. Off with you! Get on the path!

Osho, do you really think zen is full of zest, zip, zap and zing?

The father, not wanting to leave his son without an answer, says, 'Listen to the following, son. Let us suppose that two men come into a restaurant, one with dirty hands and the other with clean hands. Which one is going to go and clean his hands?' 'The one with dirty hands, of course, Daddy!' 'Very good,' says the father. 'Now let's suppose that the two men walk into a restaurant, one with dirty hands and the other with clean hands. Which one is going to go and wash his hands?' 'The one with dirty hands, Dad. I just told you!' 'No, not this time, son. The one who will go and wash his hands is the one who already has clean hands, because he is in the habit of cleaning them. The one with dirty hands is in the habit of keeping his hands dirty.' 'What a mess, Daddy!'…