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[LeadersWorkshop] Beautiful Inspiring Quotations... [8 Attachments]

[LeadersWorkshop] ~~~~~..Nice story..laughing stock..laughing Monk..~~~

Three Laughing Monk

It has to be
understood that there are three
types of laughter. The first is when
you laugh at someone else. This is
the meanest, the lowest, the most
ordinary and vulgar when you laugh
at the expense of somebody else.
This is the violent, the aggressive,
the insulting type. Deep down this
laughter there is always a feeling
of revenge.

"The second type of laughter is when
you laugh at yourself. This is worth
achieving. This is cultured. And
this man is valuable who can laugh
at himself. He has risen above
vulgarity. He has risen above lowly
instincts -- hatred, aggression,
violence.

"And the third is the last -- the
highest. This is not about anybody
-- neither the other nor oneself.
The third is just Cosmic. You laugh
at the whole situation as it is. The
whole situation, as it is, is absurd
-- no purpose in the future, no
beginning in the beginning. The
whole situation of Existence is such
that if you can see the Whole --
such a great infinite vastness
moving toward no fixed purpose, no
goal -- laughter will arise. So much
is going on without leading
anywhere; nobody is there in the
past to create it; nobody is there
in the end to finish it. Such is
whole Cosmos -- moving so
beautifully, so systematically, so
rationally. If you can see this
whole Cosmos, then a laughter is
inevitable.

"I have heard about three monks. No
names are mentioned, because they
never disclosed their names to
anybody. They never answered
anything. In China, they are simply
known as the three laughing monks.
And they did only one thing: they
would enter a village, stand in the
market place and start laughing.
They would laugh with their whole
being and suddenly people would
become aware. Then others would also
get the infection and a crowd would
gather. The whole crowd would start
laughing just because of them. What
was happening? The whole town would
get involved. Then they would move
to another town.
"They were loved very much. That was
their only sermon, their only
message; that laugh. And they would
not teach; they would simply create
a situation.
"Then it happened that they became
famous all over the country. Three
laughing monks. All of China loved
them, respected them. Nobody had
ever preached in such a way that
life must be just a laughter and
nothing else. They were not laughing
at anyone in particular. They were
simply laughing as if they had
understood the Cosmic joke. And they
spread so much joy all over China
without using a single word. People
would ask for their names, but they
would simply laugh. So that became
their name -- the three laughing
monks.

"Then they grew old. And while
staying in one village. one of the
three monks died. The whole village
became very much expectant because
they thought that when one of them
had died, the other two would surely
weep. This must be worth seeing
because no one had ever seen these
people weeping. The whole village
gathered. But the two monks were
standing beside the corpse of the
third and laughing -- such a belly
laugh. So the villagers asked them
to explain this.

"So for the first time, the two
monks spoke and said, 'We are
laughing because this man has won.
We were always wondering as to who
would die first and this man has
defeated us. We are laughing at our
defeat and his victory. Also he
lived with us for many years and we
laughed together and we enjoyed each
other's togetherness, presence.
There can be no better way of giving
him the last send off. We can only
laugh.

"But the whole village was sad. And
when the dead monk's body was put on
the funeral pyre, then the village
realized that the remaining two
monks were not the only ones who
were joking, the third who was dead
was also laughing. He had asked his
companions not to change his
clothes. It was conventional that
when a man died they changed his
dress and gave a bath to the body.
So the third monk had said, 'Don't
give me a bath because I have never
been unclean. So much laughter has
been in my life that no impurity can
accumulate, can come to me. I have
not gathered any dust. Laughter is
always young and fresh. So don't
give me a bath and don't change my
clothes.'

"So just to respect his wishes, they
did not change his clothes. And when
the body was put to fire, suddenly
they became aware that he had hidden
some Chinese fire-works under his
clothes and they had started going
off. So the whole village laughed
and the other two monks said: 'You
rascal, you are dead, but you have
defeated us once again. Your
laughter is the last.'

"There is a Cosmic laughter which
comes into being when the whole joke
of this Cosmos is understood. That
is of the highest. And only a Buddha
can laugh like that. These three
monks must have been three Buddhas.
But if you can laugh the second type
of laughter, that is also worth
trying. Avoid the first. Don't laugh
at anyone's expense. That is ugly
and violent. If you want to laugh,
then laugh at yourself.

"That's why Mulla Nasruddin, in all
his jokes and stories, always proves
himself the stupid one, never
anybody else. He always laughs at
himself and allows you to laugh at
him. He never puts anybody else in
the situation of being foolish.
Sufis say that Mulla Nasrudin is the
wise fool. Learn at least that much
-- the second laughter.

"If you can learn the second, then
the third will not be far ahead.
Soon you will reach the third. But
leave the first type. That laughter
is degrading. But almost ninety-nine
percent of your laughter is of the
first type. Much courage is needed
to laugh at oneself. Much confidence
is needed to laugh at oneself.

"For the spiritual seeker, even
laughter should become a part of
Sadhana. Remember to avoid the first
type of laughter. Remember to laugh
the second. And remember to reach
the third."

Source:
Osho - "202 Jokes of Mulla Nasrudin"

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