It is a transmission of the lamp. That’s how it has been known in the East: a transmission of light from one heart, which has come to its own fire, to another heart which is groping in darkness.

Just coming closer…. Think of two candles, one lit and one unlit, coming closer and closer. A moment comes when you will be suddenly amazed – both candles are lit. The flame has jumped to the other candle. Just a certain proximity…. Love creates that proximity, and the flame jumps from one heart to another heart. There is no question of anybody surrendering, there is no question of anybody believing.

But your question is significant, because even in the East you will not ordinarily find the master I am defining. The East has fallen deep into darkness. The days of Gautam Buddha are no longer a reality, but just a beautiful memory, a dream that perhaps happened or perhaps somebody dreamt.

One morning a great king, Prasenjita, came to Gautam Buddha. He had in one of his hands a beautiful lotus flower and in the other hand one of the most precious diamonds of those days. He had come because his wife was persistent, “When Gautam Buddha is here, you waste your time with idiots, talking about unnecessary things”.

From her very childhood she had been going to Gautam Buddha; then she got married. Prasenjita had no inclination of that kind but because she was so insistent he said, “It is worth at least one visit to go and see what kind of man this is.” But he was a man of very great ego, so he took out the most precious diamond from his treasure to present to Gautam Buddha.

He did not want to go there just as an ordinary man. Everybody had to know…. In fact he wanted everybody to know, “Who is greater – Gautam Buddha or Prasenjita?” That diamond was so precious that many fights had happened, wars had happened over it.

His wife laughed and she said, “You are absolutely unaware of the man I’m taking you to. It is better that you take a flower rather than a stone to present to him.” He could not understand, but he said, “There is no harm, I can take both. Let us see.”

When he reached there, he offered his diamond, which he was carrying in one of his hands, and Buddha said simply, “Drop it!” Naturally, what can you do? He dropped it. He thought that perhaps his wife was right. In the other hand he was carrying the lotus, and as he tried to offer the lotus, Buddha said, “Drop it!”

He dropped that too, and became a little afraid: the man seems to be insane, but ten thousand disciples…. And he stood there thinking that the people must be thinking he is stupid. And Buddha said the third time, “Don’t you listen to me? Drop it!!” Prasenjita said, “He is really gone. Now I have dropped the diamond, I have dropped the lotus; now I don’t have anything.”