Past and future
There is reference to one event in Mahavira’s life, over which there has been much dispute. Because of this dispute, a group of his disciples broke away from him, in his very presence. Because of this dispute, five hundred of Mahavira’smunis created a separate order. Mahavira used to say that whatever is happening has in some sense already happened: if you are walking, then in a sense you have already arrived at the destination; if you are growing old, then in a sense you have already grown old. Mahavira used to say that whatever is happening, whatever is in process, has already occurred.
One senior disciple of Mahavira lived far away from him during the monsoon. He was sick, so he asked a junior disciple who was present to spread out a mat for him. The junior disciple began to spread out the mat. He had just unfolded the twisted, rolled-up mat a little when the senior disciple remembered Mahavira’s saying. He said, ”Stop! Mahavira says that what is happening has already happened.” The mat was in the process of being rolled out but it was not yet opened. It had suddenly occurred to him that Mahavira had said a very wrong thing. The mat was half-opened, but in what sense was it already opened?
He left the mat there. After the monsoon he went to Mahavira and said, ”You are mistaken when you say that what is happening has already happened, because right now the mat is lying half-opened. It was being opened, but it has not been opened. So I have come to prove that your saying is wrong.” Mahavira told him that he had not understood the saying. This disciple must have had a very childish mind; otherwise he would not have come with such talk. Mahavira said, ”You havestopped the process. It was happening but you interrupted it. The mat which you prevented from unfolding was already actualizing itself in the very unfolding process. It had, in fact, already been actualized. You only saw the mat in the process of unfolding, but one more process was going on and that is what has already happened. So, for how long will your mat remain folded? It is becoming opened, and will open. You go back”.
When the disciple returned he saw that a man had opened the mat and was lying on it, resting. This man had upset everything; he had destroyed the whole thesis of the disciple!
When Mahavira used to say that whatever is happening has already happened, he was saying that whatever is happening is the present, whatever may be is the future. The bud which is coming into blossom somewhere has already blossomed, so it will blossom, it will become a flower. Right now the bud is in the process of flowering, right now it is only a bud. But if it is in the process of flowering, then it will flower. Its having flowered has also in a sense already occurred somewhere.
Now we should look at this from another angle. It will be a little difficult. We always look from the viewpoint of the past. The bud is blossoming, but our thinking is generally past-oriented – bound to the past. We say that the bud is blossoming, that it is becoming a flower, which the bud will become a flower. But the reverse may be the case. For instance, if I push you from behind, I am making you go forward. But it may also be that someone is pulling you from ahead. The motion can be in bothdirections. I am pushing you from behind and you are going ahead. It may be that someone pulls you from ahead, but that no one is pushing you from behind. In this case too you will go ahead.
Astrology recognizes the incompleteness of the view that the past gives the impetus and that the future happens as a result. If one views a phenomenon in its totality, one sees that the past is providing the impetus, but also that the future is exercising a pull, an attraction. The bud becoming a flower is not all that is happening. The flower is calling out to the bud to become a flower; it is exercising a pull. The past is behind; the future is ahead. Now, in the present moment, there is a bud. The entire past is pushing the bud to become a flower and the entire future is calling on the bud to become a flower.
Under pressure from both directions, past and future, the bud will become a flower. If there were no future, then the past by itself would not be able to create the flower, because the future must provide space for the bud to become a flower. In the future a place, a space, is necessary. If the future provides a place, only then will the bud be able to flower. If there were no future, then no matter how much the past tried, no matter how much it pushed you, it would be in vain. No matter how much I push you from behind, if there is a wall in front I cannot make you go ahead. Space is needed to go ahead. If I push you and the space ahead accepts you with the invitation, ”Come! be my guest,” then only can my pushing be significant. For my pushing, a space in the future is needed. The past does the work; the future gives space.
It is the view of astrology that looking from the standpoint of the past alone is insufficient and only partially scientific. The future is calling all the time, drawing us all the time. We do not know, we are not aware. This is the weakness of our eyes, this is our shortsightedness – we cannot see very far. About tomorrow nothing is revealed to us.
One senior disciple of Mahavira lived far away from him during the monsoon. He was sick, so he asked a junior disciple who was present to spread out a mat for him. The junior disciple began to spread out the mat. He had just unfolded the twisted, rolled-up mat a little when the senior disciple remembered Mahavira’s saying. He said, ”Stop! Mahavira says that what is happening has already happened.” The mat was in the process of being rolled out but it was not yet opened. It had suddenly occurred to him that Mahavira had said a very wrong thing. The mat was half-opened, but in what sense was it already opened?
He left the mat there. After the monsoon he went to Mahavira and said, ”You are mistaken when you say that what is happening has already happened, because right now the mat is lying half-opened. It was being opened, but it has not been opened. So I have come to prove that your saying is wrong.” Mahavira told him that he had not understood the saying. This disciple must have had a very childish mind; otherwise he would not have come with such talk. Mahavira said, ”You havestopped the process. It was happening but you interrupted it. The mat which you prevented from unfolding was already actualizing itself in the very unfolding process. It had, in fact, already been actualized. You only saw the mat in the process of unfolding, but one more process was going on and that is what has already happened. So, for how long will your mat remain folded? It is becoming opened, and will open. You go back”.
When the disciple returned he saw that a man had opened the mat and was lying on it, resting. This man had upset everything; he had destroyed the whole thesis of the disciple!
When Mahavira used to say that whatever is happening has already happened, he was saying that whatever is happening is the present, whatever may be is the future. The bud which is coming into blossom somewhere has already blossomed, so it will blossom, it will become a flower. Right now the bud is in the process of flowering, right now it is only a bud. But if it is in the process of flowering, then it will flower. Its having flowered has also in a sense already occurred somewhere.
Now we should look at this from another angle. It will be a little difficult. We always look from the viewpoint of the past. The bud is blossoming, but our thinking is generally past-oriented – bound to the past. We say that the bud is blossoming, that it is becoming a flower, which the bud will become a flower. But the reverse may be the case. For instance, if I push you from behind, I am making you go forward. But it may also be that someone is pulling you from ahead. The motion can be in bothdirections. I am pushing you from behind and you are going ahead. It may be that someone pulls you from ahead, but that no one is pushing you from behind. In this case too you will go ahead.
Astrology recognizes the incompleteness of the view that the past gives the impetus and that the future happens as a result. If one views a phenomenon in its totality, one sees that the past is providing the impetus, but also that the future is exercising a pull, an attraction. The bud becoming a flower is not all that is happening. The flower is calling out to the bud to become a flower; it is exercising a pull. The past is behind; the future is ahead. Now, in the present moment, there is a bud. The entire past is pushing the bud to become a flower and the entire future is calling on the bud to become a flower.
Under pressure from both directions, past and future, the bud will become a flower. If there were no future, then the past by itself would not be able to create the flower, because the future must provide space for the bud to become a flower. In the future a place, a space, is necessary. If the future provides a place, only then will the bud be able to flower. If there were no future, then no matter how much the past tried, no matter how much it pushed you, it would be in vain. No matter how much I push you from behind, if there is a wall in front I cannot make you go ahead. Space is needed to go ahead. If I push you and the space ahead accepts you with the invitation, ”Come! be my guest,” then only can my pushing be significant. For my pushing, a space in the future is needed. The past does the work; the future gives space.
It is the view of astrology that looking from the standpoint of the past alone is insufficient and only partially scientific. The future is calling all the time, drawing us all the time. We do not know, we are not aware. This is the weakness of our eyes, this is our shortsightedness – we cannot see very far. About tomorrow nothing is revealed to us.