‘Buddha [knew] it was possible to attain here in this house, because it has nothing to do with forest or with town, with family or with ashram… It is available everywhere,’ relates Osho. From our series 1001 Tales, compiled by Shanti.
When Buddha became enlightened, the first thing he said to his disciples was, ‘I would like to go to Yashodhara and talk to her.’ His wife….
And Ananda was a little bit disturbed also, because how can a Buddha think about his wife? Buddhas are not expected to think that way.
He came back. He went to the palace. He saw his wife. Certainly Yashodhara was mad! This man escaped one night without even saying anything to her.
She said to Buddha, ‘Couldn’t you have trusted me? You could have said that you wanted to go, and I would have been the last woman in the world to prevent you. Couldn’t you have trusted me even that much?’ And she was crying. Twelve years of anger! And this man had escaped like a thief in the middle of the night – suddenly, without giving a single hint to her.
The anger gone, the rage subsided, Yashodhara looked out through her tears. ‘Yes, this man has changed tremendously.’ This was not the same man she used to know. This was not the same man, not at all; this looked like a great luminosity… She could almost see the aura, a light around him. And he was so peaceful and so silent; he had almost disappeared. His presence was almost absence. And then, in spite of herself, she forgot what she was doing – she fell at his feet and she asked to be initiated.
[…] Rabindranath has written a poem about this incident when Buddha comes.
Yashodhara asked him one thing. ‘Just tell me one thing,’ she said. ‘Whatever you have attained… I can see you have attained, whatsoever it is. I don’t know what it is – just tell me one thing: was it not possible to attain it here in this house?’ And Buddha could not say no. It was possible to attain it here in this house. Now he knew. Because it has nothing to do with forest or with town, with family or with ashram – it has nothing to do with any place; it has something to do with your innermost core. It is available everywhere.