The drunkard was behaving like a philosopher, finding a certain consistency. Reality is different. The bull can change places; there is no obligation for him to sit continuously before the sweet shop – he can sit anywhere. Life goes on changing.

A mystic is committed to life, not to his own statements. Those statements are old newspapers. He remains alert moment to moment and he remains alert to the disciple, his changes. Your questions may be the same, but the master may answer differently because you are not the same. And the question is not important; you are important.

As soon as you are thus, I am not thus…

Living with a master one has to be flexible, not dogmatic. Whatever the master is saying is not an ultimate statement – no statement can be ultimate. So don’t take it as an ultimate answer, because tomorrow he will change and then you will be in a difficulty.

Your mind would like to remain with the past because it has become familiar, accustomed to the statement. Now this new statement disturbs the mind and its constant search for consistency.

Ta Hui is saying,

As soon as you are thus, I am not thus; when you are not thus, then I am thus. Where will you search out my abiding place? Since I myself don’t even know, how can anyone else find where I stay?

The mystic has no philosophy as such. You will be surprised to know that in India we don’t have any equivalent word for philosophy. The word that India has used for centuries and which has now become synonymous with philosophy is darshan.

Darshan has a totally different meaning. Darshan means clarity of vision, ability to see; it has nothing to do with philosophy. Philosophy literally means love of knowledge, love of wisdom. Darshan means seeing the reality and responding accordingly. Philosophy is of the mind, darshan is of meditation.

This is the living gate…this understanding that life is changing, you are changing, everything is changing. Don’t cling to anything, don’t be a fanatic; don’t be a fundamentalist Christian, don’t be a Hindu. How can you be a Hindu? Five thousand years ago your scriptures were written; in five thousand years the bull has moved! Bulls are not predictable, they are very free, beautiful animals. And you are still holding the dead scripture, and thinking you are a Hindu, you are a Mohammedan, you are a Christian, you are a Communist.