Ignorance of Life is Death
4 November 1969 pm in Bhulabhai Auditorium, Bombay, India
Ma even know what life is.
And if we t know what life is, then there is no possibility of our knowih either.
As long as life itself remains unfamiliar, as long as it remains an enigma, there is no way one be familiar with death, no way one ever know what death is.
The truth is, death seems to occur because we have no idea of what life is.
For those who know life, death is an impossible word.
It is something which has never occurred, never occurs, ever occur.
There are certain words which are absolutely false; they tain not even an iota of truth.
The word death is one of them.
It is a totally false word.
like death occurs anywhere.
But we see people dying every day.
Every day, death seems to be happening all around us.
Every village has a cremation ground.
And if we uand rightly, we will e to realize that wherever we may be standing on the earth, the dead bodies of tless people have beeed on that very spot.
The very piece of land on which we may have built our houses has been a cemetery at some time or other.
Millions upon millions of people have died, and are dying every day.
A, you will be surprised if I say there is no other word iire human language more false thah.
There was a mysti Tibet by the name of Marpa.
Someone once came to him and said, "I have e to ask you about life ah.
" Marpa gave a big laugh and said, "If you want to know about life you are most wele, because I know what life is.
As far as death is ed, I have not had aing with death, I am not acquainted with it.
If you want to know death, go and ask those who are as good as dead, or those who are already dead.
I am familiar with life, I talk about life.
I show you what life is.
I am not familiar with death.
"
This story is similar to the tale of darkness and light.
Perhaps you may have heard it.
Once darkness went to see God and implored, "Lord, this sun of yours is out to get me.
I am exhausted.
He starts chasi dawn and only after much trouble leaves me alone in the evening.
What wrong have I done? What kind of enmity is this? Why is this sun following me and harassing me? I barely mao rest after a hectic day when once again I find him standing at my door at dawn.
Again I have to run for my life, again I have to escape -- this has been going on siernity.
I have run out of patience.
I t take it any more.
I beg you, please make him uand.
"
It is said that God called the sun and said, "Why are you after darkness? What wrong has he done you? Why the enmity? What grievance do you have against him?"
"Darkness?" asked the sun.
"I have been wandering the universe siime immemorial, but I have never e across darkness.
I dont know who darkness is.
Where is he? Please bring him before me so that I may ask his fiveness, e to know him, and stay out of his way.
"
Infiime has passed sihis iook place.
The matter is still pending in Gods files; he has still not been able t darkness before the sun.
He never , and this matter is never going to be resolved.
How y darkness before the sun? Darkness has no positive existence of its own at all.
Darkness is merely the absence of light.
How the absence of the