Sometimes religion talks in terms of objective art, to bring the reality into this world of the mind. Sometimes it talks in terms of logic, then it becomes theology, then it argues. But these are both compromises with the world, compromises with the ordinary, mediocre mind, bringing religion to the ordinary mind. When religion speaks in its purity it is paradoxical, like the Tao Te Ching of Lao Tzu, or the fragments of Heraclitus, or these Zen stories. In its purity religion transcends logic, imagination, both. It is the very beyond.

Now, a few things about the “very beyond,” then we can enter into this story.

It is small, like a seed. But if you allow it the soil of your heart, it can grow into a vast tree. It is small, if you look at the form; but if you look at the formless hidden in it, it has no limits, it is infinite.

Something to be aware about the very beyond – first, the very beyond, the transcendental, needs a transformation in you, otherwise you will not be able to understand it. It needs a clarity of perception in you. It is not a question of intellect alone; even a genius may not be able to understand it, and sometimes even an ordinary villager may be able to understand it. Sometimes even an Einstein may miss it, because it is not a question of cleverness, intelligence – it is a question of clarity, not cleverness. Clarity is different. Cleverness is a way of being cunning with reality; it is cunningness. Clarity is completely different; it is not cunningness, it is innocence, child-like. You don’t have a mind, the window is completely open. You don’t have any ideas, because a mind filled with ideas loses its clarity; it is just like a sky filled with clouds. A mind filled with thoughts is not transparent, it is a junkyard. And through that junkyard, you cannot come to realize what reality is. One has to clean oneself. A deep cleansing is needed. One has to pass through many meditations so that, by and by, your mind becomes clear, like a clear sky with no clouds. So it is not a question of intellectual understanding, it is a question of a different type of being, a being who is clear, like a clear sky.