Interpretation of the Fifteenth Rule of Love

Rule Number 15 — God is busy with the completion of your work, both outwardly and inwardly. He is fully occupied with you. Every human being is a work in progress that is slowly but inexorably moving toward perfection. We are each an unfinished work of art both waiting and striving to be completed. God deals with each of us separately because humanity is fine art of skilled penmanship where every single dot is equally important for the entire picture.

– Shams, to Peasant

Context - This rule arises when the Peasant who dropped Shams at the gates of the city of Konya is astonished by Shams’ politeness, as he had never been treated with such kindness before. At this moment, Shams shares this rule with him, conveying that everything and every being has its own important place in existence.

Interpretation within the Story - It appears that the Peasant had lived an underprivileged life and, as a result, had rarely experienced respect from the higher sections of society. When Shams suddenly treats him with kindness and politeness, he becomes confused and begins to doubt whether Shams is genuinely kind or mocking him. This reflects how the Peasant had reached a state where he believed that no one could treat him well, or that he did not deserve love, respect, or kindness.

Through this rule, Shams helps the Peasant understand that every individual is equally important for the proper functioning of existence. Each person is at a different level of evolution and contributes according to that level to the harmony of the whole.

At the same time, the Divine is constantly working to help us evolve through the various situations we encounter in life. Every life situation is an opportunity for growth. This evolution is both external and internal, although this distinction itself exists only in our perception. From the perspective of existence, everything is one. This means that the Divine supports our growth both materially and spiritually through the situations we face. These situations are instruments created by the Divine. Any internal transformation is reflected externally, and vice versa.

As Osho says, “no one is inferior, no one is superior, and no one is equal either. People are simply unique.”

We are all making our own unique contributions to the harmonious functioning of existence.

Deeper Interpretation Beyond the Story - One of Osho’s quotations says, “Life is perfect. It is not moving from imperfection to perfection. It is moving from perfection to perfection.”

This statement can be difficult to grasp because we tend to define perfection based on personal conditions. We often believe that certain events, people, or possessions must be present in our lives for them to be considered perfect.

However, Osho does not impose any such criteria. According to him, life as it is, is already perfect, because no other possibility exists. If the Divine has created life and we consider the Divine to be perfect, then life itself cannot be imperfect.

He also suggests that what we perceive as imperfection is, in fact, perfectly placed within existence. It may appear imperfect only because of our limited perspective, but from the standpoint of existence, everything is exactly as it should be, playing its role and contributing to situations that support our evolution.

If we are willing to learn and grow, even the most difficult events, such as wars, can offer profound lessons, such as the realization that humanity must be cautious in how much power it places in the hands of political leaders.

Thus, every person, and even every living or non-living entity, has a role to play in existence, and nothing can be considered insignificant.

One way to understand this is to see existence as a vast, intricate machine, where all of us are its components. No part is too important or too insignificant. Each plays its role in maintaining the functioning of the whole. Even the smallest screw, if it comes loose, can bring the entire system to a halt.

This rule ultimately reminds us that everyone and everything holds equal importance in sustaining existence and supporting our individual and collective evolution.

Gratitude!!!