On a rainy day, monk Gao visited Yakusan, who commented, “Today it’s quite humid.”
“I will beat this drum,” said Gao.
Ungan said, “There is no leather – what drum do you beat?”
Dogo added, “There is no drum – what leather do you beat?”
And Yakusan commented, “Today, the melody is very good.”
Once, at the mealtime, Yakusan himself beat the drum, and monk Gao entered the hall, dancing. Yakusan dropped the drumstick and asked, “Which piece is that?”
“This is the second piece,” said Gao.
Yakusan asked, “What is the first piece?”
Gao took the seat, helped himself to some rice, took the bowl of rice with him and left.
On another occasion, a monk came to Yakusan for guidance.
“Who are you?” Yakusan asked him.
“Jotan,” replied the monk.
Yakusan shouted, “Last time it was Jotan and this time, too, it is Jotan!”

Friends,

First I have to answer the Christian monks who have sent many questions. Only twenty-one have come here, but now the whole seminary is agog and talking only about what I have said.

They have sent a monk here today asking for the video; the whole seminary wants to see it. I am sending it with Prasad, and he has to inform them that this is only the beginning. I have been speaking continually since then, answering their questions. If they have any more questions, he should collect them. He should not enter into any dialogue, he should only collect the questions. I am going to answer them.

The first question today is:

The Christian church defends truth, honesty, and loyalty….

In the first place, does the Christian church know the truth? It believes in a fictitious God, it believes in a fictitious devil, it believes in heaven and hell, and it has no evidence for them. What truth does it guard?

It has, in fact, no way to reach to the truth. Prayer is not the way, because prayer is based on belief in a God. You have already accepted a belief. A belief is not a truth. You have not to believe in a truth; truth overwhelms you. You become it! It is not a question of faith or belief, it is a question of deepest inquiry into your own being, into your own consciousness. It is an inward journey.

Christianity still hangs around the objective world. Its God is an object outside, its heaven is outside, its hell is outside. The prayer is for an outside God; it has not yet learned that there is an inner space in human beings, and unless you touch the very center of your consciousness, you don’t have the truth.

What are you guarding? – all kinds of lies!

Virgin birth – is it a truth?

Only amoebas have immaculate conception. Except amoebas, nobody can have a virgin birth. Amoebas are very strange people, celibate. In fact they don’t have any sex; nobody is male, nobody is female. You will be surprised: how do they go on multiplying?