The Goose is Out

The goose is out!

The goose is out! 'Is the goose really out?' The goose has never been in—it's a Zen koan. The goose was never inside the bottle; consciousness was never inside the body. The koan works by exhausting the mind. The goose is out: you are already free—just stop believing you're trapped.

Just see it

Just see it. 'Why does it feel impossible to grasp?' The goose is alive—you can't grasp life. The bottle is dead—philosophy, theology, dogma. Who is going to grasp whom? Just see it: don't try to grasp—just look. The goose is out because it was never in. Seeing, not grasping, is the way.

No peaks, no valleys

No peaks, no valleys. 'You are calling from the peak; I am in the valley.' There are no peaks, no valleys—existence is an organic unity. The idea of higher and lower is a fabrication, created by the ego. No peaks, no valleys: enlightenment is not climbing up—it's seeing that you were never down.

Transcendence brings buddhahood

Transcendence brings buddhahood. 'Why do Indians think of sex as need, not fun? Is suppression the same as transcendence?' Suppression and transcendence look similar but are opposites. Suppression pushes down; transcendence transforms upward. Transcendence brings buddhahood: not by fighting sex but by bringing awareness to it.

Perfectly imperfect

Perfectly imperfect. 'Are you infallible?' Infallibly fallible! Perfectionism is the root of all neurosis. The idea of perfection has driven humanity mad. The pattern is always unachievable—if it were achievable it wouldn't satisfy the ego. Perfectly imperfect: accept your imperfections—that IS perfection. The real perfection is to be total, not flawless.

I exalt the ordinary

I exalt the ordinary. 'I have all the degrees—why am I still ignorant?' Knowledge cannot dispel ignorance. Knowledge is the opposite of wisdom. I exalt the ordinary: the extraordinary is the ordinary seen clearly. The sage doesn't seek peaks—he finds eternity in drinking tea, eating rice. Degrees don't dispel ignorance; they cover it.

Only one time: now

Only one time: now. 'Jesus said ask for daily bread—why do you say don't ask?' Jesus was speaking to different people at a different time. Prayer is not asking—it's gratitude. Only one time: now. Don't pray for tomorrow—pray in the now. The now is the only reality; all else is mind.

The dimension of the mysterious

The dimension of the mysterious. 'Can a scientist experience mystery?' Science demystifies—it can never feel the mysterious. The method is the barrier. The dimension of the mysterious: not anti-science, but beyond science. Science measures; mystery beholds. The scientist can experience mystery only by dropping the method and becoming a poet.

Rejoice to abandon!

Rejoice to abandon! 'Is it important to have an attitude towards life?' The best way to miss life is to have an attitude. Attitudes are mind's fabrications; life is beyond mind. Rejoice to abandon: abandon all attitudes and rejoice. You are a ripple in the lake of life—don't try to control the lake. Just ripple.

Dissolve in my people

Dissolve in my people. 'What will happen when you are gone?' The master doesn't want deification—he wants dissolution in his people. Dissolve in my people: the master's immortality is not as a monument but as a living presence in his disciples. Don't worship—live the vision.