Life is such a mystery, no one can understand it, and one who claims that he understands it is simply ignorant. He is not aware of what he is saying, of what nonsense he is talking.
If you are wise, this will be the first realization: life cannot be understood. Understanding is impossible. Only this much can be understood — that understanding is impossible.
If you go and ask the enlightened ones this will be their answer. But if you go and ask the unenlightened ones they will give you many answers, they will propose many doctrines; they will try to solve the mystery which cannot be solved. It is not a riddle. A riddle can be solved, a mystery is unsolvable by its very nature- there is no way to solve it.
Socrates said, "When I was young, I thought I knew much.
When I became old, ripe in wisdom, I came to understand that I knew nothing."
It is reported of one of the Sufi masters, Junnaid, that he was working with a new young man. The young man was not aware of Junnaid's inner wisdom, and Junnaid lived such an ordinary life that it needed very penetrating eyes to realize that you were near a buddha.
He worked like an ordinary laborer, and only those who had eyes would recognise him. To recognise Buddha was very easy — he was sitting under a Bodhi tree; to recognise Junnaid was very difficult — he was working like a laborer, not sitting under a Bodhi tree. He was in every way absolutely ordinary.
One young man working with him, and that young man was continually showing his knowledge, so whatsoever Junnaid would do, he would say, "This is wrong. This can be done in this way, it will be better" -he knew about erverything. Finally Junnaid laughed and said:," Young man, I am not young enough to know so much."
This is really something. He said, "I am not young enough to know so much." Only a young man can be so foolish, so inexperienced. Socrates was right when he said, "When I was young, I knew too much. When I became ripened, experienced, I came to realize only one thing — that I was absolutely ignorant."
Life is a mystery; that means it cannot be solved. And when all efforts to solve it prove futile, the mystery dawns upon you. Then the doors are open; then you are invited. As a knower, nobody enters the divine; as a child, ignorant, not knowing at all- the mystery embraces you. With a knowing mind you are clever, not innocent. Innocence is the door.
Become ignorant, become like a child. Only the heart of a child can knock at the doors of the divine, and only the heart of a child is heard. Your prayers cannot be heard; they are cunning. Only a child, only a heart which doesn't know can be.
OSHO