Whenever I have read this story, I have always remembered Adolf Hitler. For five years continuously he was winning the war on all fronts, alone – fighting the whole world. And the reason he was winning the war was that he was not listening to the generals at all.

Fighting is an art; in the military you go through a long training. Hitler’s advisors were not generals and experts in military science; his advisors were astrologers. They would tell him where to attack and where not to attack, and that was the reason that for five years he went on winning – because the other side was following military science. And if he had also listened to his generals, then there would have been no possibility for five years’ of continual victory.

You will be surprised to know that finally Churchill had to call astrologers from India to find out where he was going to attack – because it is normal and common sense that wherever the enemy is weak, you attack at that point, and wherever the enemy is strong, you avoid that point until the very last. But the astrologers have nothing to do with the army or fighting; they consult the stars.

The enemy would be following military science and would be preparing at the weakest point, knowing that this would be the point where Adolf Hitler’s generals would decide to attack. And Adolf Hitler would attack the strongest point of the enemy, where they were fast asleep…not even bothering – because no military scientist would ever suggest to attack at the strongest point. They were not prepared there; they were preparing at the weakest link.

In a haphazard way…the enemies were simply puzzled: What to make of it? He knows nothing of the army; he knows nothing of military science. But his not knowing was immensely helpful for five years until Churchill decided, in spite of himself – knowing that this is stupidity – that astrologers from India would come to London. And from that very day, Germany started falling apart – because now astrologers were against astrologers; it was no more a war between two armies. As stupid as Adolf Hitler was, Winston Churchill had found even greater idiots from India. Things changed – just within two months, Adolf Hitler was retreating.

Whenever I have come across the story of the Zen master and his servant, I have always remembered Adolf Hitler: he had absolute certainty about astrology, he was total in his action. Not even a single doubt crossed his mind, ever.

The same must have happened to the servant. When death is certain, fear disappears. Fear is only there because of death. But when death is certain and there is no way to avoid it, what is the point of being afraid? He became almost a man of total integrity – knowing nothing, but defeating the master who had been a victorious man in many combats.