Intentions - A Story by Osho

A king used to go every night into the city for a round ot see how things were going--of course, in disguise. He was very much puzzled about one man, a young, very beautiful man, who was always standing under a tree by the side of the street, the same tree every night.

Finally, the curiosity took over, and the kind stopped his horse and asked the man, "Why don't you go to sleep?"

And the man said, "People go to sleep because they have nothing to guard, and I have such treasures that I cannot sleep, I have to guard them."

The kind said, "Strange, i don't see any treasures here."

The man said, "Those treasures are inside me, you cannot see them."

It became a routine thing for the king to stop every day, because the man was beautiful, and whatever he said made the king think over it for hours. The king became so much attached to and interested in the man that he started feeling that he was really a saint, because awareness and love and peace and silence and meditation and enlightenment, these are his treasures that he is guarding; he cannot sleep, he cannot afford to sleep. Only beggers can afford . . .

The story had started just by curiosity, but slowly, slowly the king started respecting and honoring the man, almost as a spritual guide. Once day he said to him, "I know you will not come with me to the palace, but I think of you, day in, day out. You come to my mind so many times, I would love it if you can become a guest in my palace."

The king was thinking that he will not agree --he had the old idea that saints renounce the world--but the young man said, "If you are missing me so much, why did you not say it before? So bring another horse, and I will come with you."

They king became suspicious, "What kind of saint is he, so easily ready?" But now it was too late, he had invited him. He game him his best room in the palace, which was preserved only for rare guests, other emperors. And he was thinking the man would refuse, that he would say, "I am a saint, I cannot live in this luxary." But he did not say anything like this. He said, "Very good."

The king could not sleep the whole night, and he thought, "It seems this fellow has deceived me; he is not a saint or anything." Two, three times he went to look from the window--the saint was asleep. And he had never been asleep, he was always standing under the tree. Now he was not guarding. The king thought, "I have been conned. This is a real con man."

The second day he ate with the king--all delicious foods, no auterity--and he enjoyed the food. The king offered him new clothes, worthy of an emperor, and loved those clothes. And the king thought, "Now, how to get rid of this fellow?" Just in sever days he was tired, thinking, "This is a complete charlatan, he has cheated me."

On the seventh day he said to this strange fellow, "I want to ask a question."

And the stranger said, "I know your question. You wanted to ask it seven days before, but just out of courtesy, manners, you kept it repressed--I was watching. But I will not answer you here. You can ask the question, and then we will go for a long morning ride on the horses, and I will choose the right place to answer it."

The king said, "Okay. My question is, now what is the difference between me and you? You are living like an emperor, but you used to be a saint. Now you are no longer a saint."

The man said, "Get the horses ready!" They went out, and the king many times reminded him, "How far are we going? You can answer."

Finally they reached the river that was the boundary line of his empire. The king said, "Now we have come to my boundary. The other side is somebody else's kingdom. This is a good place to answer."

He said, "Yes, I am going. You can take both the horses, or if you like, you can come with me."

The king said, "Where are you going?"

He said, "My treasure is with me. Wherever I go, my treasure will be with me. Are you coming with me or not?"

The king said, "How can I come with you? My kingdom, my palace, my whole life's work is behind me."

The stranger laughed and he said, "Now, do you see the difference? I can stand naked under a tree, or I can live in a palace like an emperor because my treasure is within me. Whether the tree is there or the palace is there makes no difference. So you can go back; I am going to the other kingdom. Now your kingdom is not worth remaining in."

The king felt repentance. He touched the feet of the stranger and said, "Forgive me. I was thinking wrong thoughts about you. You really are a great saint. Just don't go and leave me like this; otherwise this would will hurt me my whole life."

The stranger said, "There is not difficulty for me; I can come back with you. But I want you to be alert. The moment we reach the palace, the question will again arise in your mind. So it is better--let me go."

"I can give you some time to think. I can come back. To me it makes no difference. But to you it is better that I should leave the kingdom; it is better. In this way at least you will think of me as a saint. Back in teh palace you will again starting doubting: 'This is a con man.' But if you insist, I am ready. I can leave again after seven days when teh question becomes too heavey on you."

Story by Osho