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Nobody is in the way, no Judas, but your mind has a tendency to throw its responsibility onto somebody or other. The mind goes on finding scapegoats. This is a trick of the mind to save itself, to protect itself.

Except for yourself, there is nobody in the way; only you are obstructing the path. Don’t call it names. Don’t say Judas; don’t say the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub; nobody is hindering your path. Once you believe that somebody else is hindering you, you are relieved. If it is not you, what can you do? Somebody else is obstructing the path. But I say there is nobody.

Religious people, so-called religious people, have always created such things. They have created a Devil, so whenever you commit a sin, it is the Devil who tempted you. One feels relieved: So it is not me after all, it is the Devil. Hindus don’t talk about the Devil, they have their own mythology: that in a past life you committed wrong karmas. Those karmas are forcing you to do wrong karmas now. Again you are relieved – so what can you do? Your past life cannot be changed now. And if you ask these Hindus, “How did it happen that in the past life I committed wrong karmas?” they will say, “In another life you did wrong things.” In the first place, in the very beginning, how did sin start? Then they become angry. They say, “Don’t ask such questions – you have to believe.”

The same question can be asked about people who believe in the Devil. There are more people who believe in the Devil than those who believe in God, because God is not very useful – the Devil is much more useful. God, in fact, is a little troublesome. If God is, then you feel restless; but if the Devil is, then you feel unburdened: you can throw all your responsibilities onto the Devil. You commit murder – the Devil tempted you. What can you do? You’re a helpless victim!

Remember, this is not going to help. Don’t pity yourself so much and don’t try to look like a victim. This is a trick of the mind. Except for you, nobody is hindering the path. And except for you, nobody is going to help you. So don’t throw off responsibility. Take all the responsibility there is because only through accepting responsibility will your maturity happen.

People go on using devices, and their devices look very logical. Of course, when you become angry and go almost mad, later on you repent, you feel guilty. Now how to manage it logically? Later on you say: I never wanted to do it. Later on you say: In spite of me it happened. Later on you have to repaint your image. You were mad, but you always think about yourself as one of the wisest and sanest people in the world. Now that image is broken. What can you do? Bring in the Devil, Judas – anything will do. You did not do it; somebody forced you to do it.

In the story, when Adam was expelled from the Garden of Eden, the same thing started. Adam threw the responsibility onto the woman, Eve. He said, “Eve seduced me to eat the fruit.” Of course, Eve said, “I did nothing; it was the serpent.” And the serpent could not say anything, so it was finished! So with the serpent, everything was okay. Poor serpent! Everybody is trying to shift the responsibility onto somebody else. If the serpent could speak he would say, “God created me, and he created me in such a way that I had to do it.”

Logic goes on finding ways and means – and it looks very logical. I have not come across anything more illogical than logic.

Let me tell you an anecdote:

The old blacksmith in a small town was telling a friend that when he was a young man his mother wanted him to be a dentist and his father urged him to become a blacksmith. “And you know,” said the old man, "it’s a lucky thing that my father had his way, because if I’d been a dentist I’d have starved to death.” “How do you know that?” asked the friend. “Well,” said the blacksmith, “I can prove it. I’ve been right here in this shop for over thirty years and doing a lot of blacksmithing, but not once in all that time has a living soul asked me to pull a tooth.”

Looks logical. Logic looks logical, but it is not logical. In small things it may seem logical, but when you come to the deep, ultimate questions of life, logic is the most illogical thing. It is good for arranging small things, managing small things, but life is bigger than logic. Logic is only a part, a very tiny part of life.

Listen to life. Close off and meditate more inside yourself. Close your eyes and meditate more, and see who is barring your path. Judas? There is nobody except you. If you are doing something wrong, take the responsibility on yourself, because that is the only way to transcend it one day. If you are doing it then the possibility is open: if you want not to, you may not do it. But if somebody else is forcing you to do it, then the possibility is lost, then freedom is impossible. Freedom and responsibility go together: they are two aspects of the same coin. If you want freedom, you have to be responsible for whatsoever you are doing. If you don’t want the responsibility, then you also lose your freedom.

Everybody likes to be free and nobody wants to be responsible. We go on shifting responsibility. And in shifting responsibility to others’ shoulders, you are throwing away all possibility of freedom. Become responsible! If you have been angry, you have been angry. Don’t say: In spite of myself… Don’t bring in Judas; don’t say: Somebody else, some other force, has possessed me. No, nobody is possessing you.

Whatsoever is happening, it is your choice. You have chosen it that way. You may be completely unaware of how you have chosen it, because sometimes you want one thing and you choose another – that creates the problem. You think you want one thing but you choose another. Or, you wanted something else, you have also chosen that, but the result is different.

For example: you want to dominate people – that’s your choice. You want to dominate people, but when you dominate them they fight you because they are also wanting the same thing. They will try to dominate you; and now you don’t like it – struggle, jealousy - hell is created all around it. And you say: I never wanted it. But you wanted to dominate people - that was the seed.

Always look for the cause. If the effect is there, the cause is bound to be there. If you have not seen the cause in the first place, the effect cannot be there, is not possible. People want to change the effect, but they don’t want to change the cause. This is the ordinary mind, the mind which is stupid.

The intelligent mind is of a totally different quality. Whenever it doesn’t want any effect, it goes deep into the cause and drops the cause – then there is no problem! You want people to love you, and you are getting angry and hateful, and you do all sorts of things to people. You want them to love you; and when they don’t love you, when they hate you and they are also angry at you, then you say: These things are happening and I have never chosen them. You have chosen them. You wanted something else, but your choice is wrong. Look at the cause.

Just a few days ago, a sannyasin came and he said nobody loves him here; he loves everybody and nobody loves him. He was very angry. I asked him to bring a few witnesses whom he loves and who don’t love him, and I would ask them what they say. They would say the same thing, that they love and nobody is returning their love. He was not ready to bring any witnesses.

Everybody goes on thinking that he loves people and nobody returns the love, but it has never happened that way. It is against the law; it is against dharma, against the ultimate law of life. If you love, love comes in return. If it is not coming, go deeper; somewhere in the name of love you have done something else.

A man asked his boss one day if he could borrow the farmer’s car on October 30th. The date was about a month away. “Sure,” said the farmer, the boss. “You can borrow the car. What’s happening then?” “I’m getting married that day.” “Fine!” said the farmer. “Who’s the lucky girl?” “Well, I ain’t picked her out yet,” was the reply. “Wanted to be sure of getting the car first.”

Nonessential things. You want to be sure of them first and you think the essential is going to follow. Change that attitude: think of the essential first; the nonessential follows. Think of the essential first! What is essential? The effect is not essential – the cause is. The other is not essential – you are.

Whatsoever is happening today, you have managed somehow. Unaware, unconscious, you have sown the seeds of it; now you have to reap it. People go on thinking that if they can manage the nonessential, the essential will come. For example, people think if they can earn enough money they will be happy. It is not so. If you are happy, you will be wealthy – that’s right, you will be rich. If you are happy, you will be rich. A happy person cannot be otherwise. He may not have big palaces, but still he will be rich. He may be a beggar on the street, but still he will be rich. But you first try to have much wealth, then you think you will be happy. It never happens that way because wealth cannot be a cause of happiness. Happiness is always a cause of wealth.

You think that essential things will come: First let me manage the nonessential. By managing the nonessential I will create a situation. First, power, prestige, wealth – all nonessential things.

Try to look deep into your being, and think of the essential. Be happy! Right this moment you can be happy. Nobody is barring the path. And if you cannot be happy right this moment, you can never be happy. Happiness has nothing to do with the future. Happiness knows no tomorrow because happiness does not depend on anything else. It is just an attitude. You can be happy right now as you are.

Try to just be happy for no reason at all, and you will be surprised! You can be happy for no reason at all because happiness is the reason for many things, it is a basic cause. You can be happy – try it. You have been trying the other way; now try it from the basic cause. First have the cause – be happy – and then effects will follow by themselves.

Always remember not to find scapegoats – that is a sure way to miss your life.