Buddham Saranam Gacchami | Osho

“Look at that boat,” the ferryman said. “Once, a Zen master was crossing a lake in an empty boat. Another boat came crashing into him. The master was furious — he shouted, he cursed. But when he looked closer, he saw the boat was empty. His anger vanished instantly. Who was there to be angry at?”

Long ago, in a small village on the banks of the Ganges, lived a man named Raghava. He was a scholar of scriptures, proud of his knowledge, yet deeply restless. Every morning, he would chant, "Buddham Sharanam Gacchami" — I go to the Buddha for refuge. But his voice was mechanical, a ritual without roots. He had read thousands of sutras, yet anger flared in him at the slightest insult. He knew the theory of compassion, yet envy gnawed at his heart whenever his neighbor prospered.

Raghava frowned. “I, the seeker, go to the Buddha, the awakened one.” buddham saranam gacchami osho

One evening, Raghava sat by the river, frustrated. “I have taken refuge in the Buddha a million times,” he cried to the sky, “yet I remain the same! Where is the transformation Osho speaks of? Where is the buddha in me?”

“So… what should I do?” he whispered. “Look at that boat,” the ferryman said

Raghava sat alone on the bank. For the first time, he did not chant. He simply breathed. The river flowed. The moon rose. And somewhere inside him, a boat that had been full of noise and ambition and fear — suddenly became empty.

Buddham Saranam Gacchami is not a journey. It is the end of the traveler. “When you go to the Buddha, you are missing the point. You have to become the Buddha. Not going somewhere — but waking up where you are.” The master was furious — he shouted, he cursed

With that, the ferryman waded deeper into the river and vanished beneath the dark water — leaving no ripple, no trace.