In this world, good people are suffering more, or bad people are suffering more? Good people are always suffering more. Yes? People who think they are good, they are simply a suffering. Isn’t it so? Please look at this.
Now, first of all, how did you become good? He is not okay, she is not okay, he is not okay, he is not okay, he is not okay, she is not okay – compared to all these people, I am a good man. From where did you get the idea that you’re good, tell me? You have compared yourself with lots of people, and you labelled everybody as bad, and now you feel good. Somebody who thinks is very good, in his mind nobody in the world is okay.
The more good you think you are, nobody is okay for you. Is that so? Isn’t it so? People who believe they are very good people, nobody wants to go anywhere near them, because they’re so good, no life can happen. Your goodness is only in comparison with something else, isn’t it? Yes? And you establishing yourself as good, and … if all these people are wretched people, then, “I am a really good man,” isn’t it? Isn’t it so?
It’s not your goodness which liberates you
Good people won’t get anywhere, either in this world or in other world. Can you take a joke? […]
One day, in his previous life, Shankaran Pillai was a good man. After a brief illness, he died. Being a good man, he naturally went to heaven. He landed up at heaven. There at the reception committee of angels, opened his account book. Page after page – good deed, good deed, good deed, good deed, good deed, cover to cover, only good deed. Then the angels were in confusion. Then they came to Shankaran Pillai and said, “Mr. Pillai there’s a little problem here.” He asked, “What is the problem?” The angels said, “See here, we have various kinds of accommodation in heaven, various levels of accommodation. One bad deed means highest heaven – seafront view. Two bad deeds – next level of accommodation. Three bad deeds – next level of accommodation, like this. But no bad deed, we don’t have such a place. We really don’t know what to do. You are the first man to come like this.”
Shankaran Pillai thought, “What nonsense. In the world, nobody wanted to come near me, because I was such a good man. I lived with a hope of getting got heaven, and even here problem?” Then the angels had a discussion, and they arrived at a conclusion. They said, “Don’t you worry Mr. Pillai, we have found a solution. Your body is still intact there. We’ll give you three hours of life. Just commit one bad deed. We’ll put you in the highest heaven, nothing is lost.”
Lo… Shankaran became… Shankaran Pillai became alive here. Then he sat there thinking how to commit a bad deed. And hour-and-a-half passed away. See, he is not like you, he has no practice. After hour-and-a-half he remembered, in the neighborhood, there is a woman who is well beyond her prime, who’s been casting, inviting glances at him. He being a good man, he never looked that way. Now, he thought, “Okay, adultery is a bad deed.” Because after all, he’s going to do whatever he is going to do just to go to heaven.
So he went looking for the woman. He went and knocked on her door. She came and opened the door. When she opened the door, Shankaran Pillai said, “I want you.” “Why Mr.Pillai, just yesterday evening they told me you are on your death bed. What is this?” He said, “It doesn’t matter. I want you.” He went in. You know, nature took over, things happened between them. He doesn’t want to die in her house. Time is running out. So he told her, “I need to go,” and he came to the door. The woman came to see him off, and she said, “Mr.Pillai, do you know what a good deed you’ve done for me today?” One more good deed, what to do?
So good people will neither make it here nor there. It’s not your goodness which liberates you. Your goodness is only in comparison with somebody else. Your goodness being in comparison with somebody else, it’s not about goodness, it’s about a kind of sickness. It’s just like, right now, people are going about like this – they are happy, they don’t know what joy is. Their happiness is just that, they have things that other people don’t have, isn’t it? Now, let’s say, you are all very hungry, but my stomach is full. And I feel so happy that nobody has food, but at least I have something to eat. Is this happiness or sickness? Hmm? Humanity is suffering from this sickness, which is passing off as happiness for most people, isn’t it so?
