Master Tells A Story

According to Mme. Alexandra David-Neel, in "Magic and Mystery in Tibet," there was a temple with a lama. "Lama" doesn't mean monk; lama means anyone who has passed the examination in the Tibetan monastery. But all the monks have to pass this lama degree, if they are learned monks. Some of the laborer monks and some kind of guarding monks are different. Now, there was a lama who studied very hard and meditated. He always did retreats alone and was really very, very diligent in his practice. He could sit all day long without moving, et cetera. Can you do that? No. I can't, even. I sleep. He had practiced and could even control his breathing so that his breathing had become very fine. The people whom they say have stopped breathing, that doesn't mean they've really stopped breathing. Those yogis control their breathing until it's so fine that even if you put a hair in front of their nose, it doesn't move. Because they breathe inwardly, the breathing becomes so fine. In the Chinese Zen tradition, it is called, "turtle-breathing." That's why the turtles can live in the sea, in the water, because they turn their breathing in a different way. In yoga, they call it "stopping breathing," but actually it doesn't. It's so fine that it becomes like nonexistent. Now, this lama had already reached the level of non-breathing or turtle-breathing. Men become turtles; great progress! (Laughter) Then he wanted to learn another step further, "tummo" heat. The heat from the solar plexus in the abdomen is used to heat the body when they go into the Himalayan Mountains, and when it's cold in the winter even. They never get cold. They don't have to wear any clothes. They just clothe themselves with a thin cotton sheet or some things like that. However, the master of that place did not accept him. The lama meditated twenty hours a day, he ate only once a day, and he kept the precepts; but the master did not accept him to learn this tummo heat. The lama thought that his meditation was not enough, so he shut himself up, and made a retreat again for a long time. He meditated without sleeping, without eating, even. He thought, "Okay!" and he came back again, and asked the master to accept him. Everyone thought he would have no problem, but the master still wouldn't accept him. It must have been something from inside, not outside. Everyone thought that something was wrong with the master. Why was he so unfair? People talked, talked, talked, about the master who was unfair. Most of the masters in Tibet or India, when they don't accept you, they don't accept. They don't talk. They don't explain; there's no need for that. They have enough power, reputation, and privilege to do that. But this master, perhaps he was humble, perhaps he was gentle, perhaps he wanted to avoid gossip about his unfairness in the temple, so he explained to this man. He said: "I think that you are not yet ready, but if you want, I'll give you a test, all right? If you pass this test, then I will accept you. Fair enough?" Anyhow, the test was easy. The master told him, "If you can meditate, sit in this room for one day without moving, then I'll accept you." Oh, it was so easy. For the lama, it was like a child's game because he had practiced every day. Everything is just practice. Even to sit without moving, is just practice. It's like people in the circus who practice until they can walk on a thin rope without falling. We can do that with practice. He had practiced very well, "Oh, just one day to meditate, no problem!" he thought this to himself. He dared not say that openly, but inside he was very proud. He accepted right away. Everyone knew about that and thought the master must have been joking, trying to make fun, or something. Otherwise, maybe he was bored in the temple with nothing to do, and was trying to make trouble for the disciple; because this man, not to say one day, but for one week, didn't have to move. No problem, he had already practiced for a long time like that. To practice the heat, first you have to meditate and cleanse yourself. There are many regulations before the master accepts you further even. So before you want to learn tummo heat, you practice with me to sit and meditate one day without moving, at least. [Laughter] Everyone thought this lama had already fulfilled all these preconditions, so why didn't the master accept him? Nevertheless, the master said, "Okay, you sit here one day, and I'll accept you." Before the test began, the lama asked once more to make sure that was all there was to it, - "just to sit one day in this room?" The master said, "Yes, nothing more." Also just to make sure everyone heard it, [laughter] so that the master would not make another test again, because they do; masters do. Like the master of Milarepa, Marpa - he was famous for not keeping any promises. [Laughter] Also, like the story I told you of one monk in India, (I've forgotten his name), who never kept his promises. The masters don't have to. Ordinary people can scold them and say, "You don't keep your promises! You're terrible!" But the masters don't care. They don't care what others think of them. Sometimes the disciples wanted to hold this master, lock him in the house, even. He was so scared that every time people invited him, he promised, "Okay, I'll come the next day or next week." Yet he never came, so he was very famous for breaking promises. Milarepa's master was also very famous for breaking promises. He made him build a house and then promised that after he built the house he would give him initiation. But then another house was built and another house was built, and he had him bring a stone here and bring a stone there. However, he never kept his promise, and this lama was afraid of a case like that. He read too many books. [Master and all laugh] He had to make sure the master promised in front of everyone that the lama would just have to sit one day here and then he would be accepted. "Fine," the master said, "No problem. Just that." Then, in front of everyone, the lama went into the room. Suddenly the master threw in three snakes and shut the door. He said, "You sit in there." (Laughter) The lama sat throughout the day. He had no problem being shut in there. After the whole day, the master opened the door, but still refused the lama. Being very kind and gentle, he explained. Some masters never explain. Most masters don't explain what they do to you. They scold you, and they don't say why. Even if you think, "It's not my fault," they still don't explain until you know it yourself, or you don't know it. It's your problem. (Master laughs) They're very sparing with words. Actually, you know why? It's good enough that they already accept disciples, say a few words, and teach inside. (Master points to Her wisdom eye.) How would you like to go and talk and teach people all the time? It's scary. You have only a few children at home and you can't even teach them. It's very difficult to teach people when they have already grown up and have a lot of fixed ideas inside their heads. They are a lot of trouble; they misunderstand you all the time. Anyhow, the master here was very kind and explained to him. He said, "How can a person like you progress any further? In the room, there were poisonous snakes and you didn't drive them out. You just sat there with them. You're so stupid! (Laughter) It doesn't matter how high a level you practice, what is the use of such a stupid and a no-commonsense person?" He continued, "You only pay attention to the technique, to the appearance of things, like how to meditate well, sit all day, don't move, and sit correctly. But you don't pay attention to your inner movement, your inner turbulence. It doesn't matter how you practice or even if you practice the tummo heat from the solar plexus, it's no use to you. It's no use to anyone. What is the use?" Then the lama finally understood that the three poisonous snakes the master threw inside were his own poisonous snakes: greed, anger and attachment -- lust for things. Can you understand clearly what the master meant? (Applause) The lama was so stupid. He thought that the master had tested him to see whether he was courageous enough to sit there with the three poisonous snakes. Also, the snakes represented his own inner qualities that he did not try to control. He just tried to sit, and to sit perfectly, which is an art we can perfect, we can master. Just like the people who walk on the rope in the circus, they have no magical power. They have no meditation practice. They just practice. It is just like walking in the air or walking on the water. I forgot to tell you how to walk on the water. You want to hear? This is also practice, but for twenty-five years at least. People can walk in the air because they concentrate on one thing. They might concentrate on the stars. Some people concentrate on the stars at night and can walk, but when the stars "set," they have to stop. Some people are so good at the skill that they can keep this star always in their mind. Therefore, they can continue to walk many days, nonstop, with no eating, no sleeping. No problem. This is the power of the mind, the power of practice. Anything you practice well, you can do well. In English, they also say, "Practice makes the master." So, the master also practiced for many lifetimes. When you master the art of egolessness, then you become a master. Master yourself first, and then you become master of the universe. Very simple. Nothing more. No one else you have to fight with, no army you have to battle with -- just yourself. Once you master yourself, you are the master. Everyone in the universe will recognize it. It doesn't matter how many people you win; it doesn't count. Master yourself. Always check inside, what is the rise and fall of your own habits, thinking and personality. Keep on with your business. Mind your own business. Talk less. If it is not necessary, don't talk. Eat just enough, sleep just enough, etc. When you become a master, you can do anything you want. You can eat all day long, you can talk all day long, (laughter) can sleep all day long. Really, I promise you. Then you work or not work, do or not do, it's up to you. You meditate or don't meditate, it is your choice. You eat or not eat, it's also your problem. No one cares anymore because you've become the master already. You've mastered everything. You control, you decide what to do. You will not harm yourself or anyone else anymore. (Applause) After that, the lama bowed to the master and thanked him for explaining what it was all about. The test was finished and he had failed. Everyone thought he had won because he was so courageous to sit there with the three poisonous snakes. Yes, many of us do that. Many of us shut our hearts and minds and sit day and night with our three poisonous snakes and are not afraid. But we're afraid of guns and thieves. We're afraid of the neighbors who are vicious. We're afraid of scorpions, even afraid of cockroaches. (Laughter) We're afraid of other people who are not nice, who are not gentle, but we're not afraid of the poisonous snakes that we lock up inside our own being. This is also a good lesson for us. Try to throw these poisonous snakes out, and then we're free. (Applause) Sometimes we are so used to these kinds of habits that we don't even know they are there. Sometimes you tell lies without even realizing you are telling lies. Some people try to scold or blame you for something, and you say, "No, I didn't do it." These habits pop up right away, and you know you did it. But it doesn't matter; it's all right. These things are not so harmful. Only when you truly deliberately lie to harm other people, or try to cover a very great mistake so that other people get blamed instead of you, then it becomes a very grievous thing. Try to take care that you don't do that. But those that are just habits, and you know and repent right away, it's all right. You don't do it on purpose, and you don't harm people. You don't deliberately harm people. Although this is also no good, at least you know you have it. You know it is no good and you try to minimize it. These are the things that you should take care of. Only you have to answer to your own conscience. It is not I who accuse you or tell you that you are a bad person or that you try to tell lies to me. It's not true. These are just habits. You don't check yourself that clearly. You think you're okay. You think you meditate very well with the three poisonous snakes inside. (Master laughs) You're very courageous, yes, indeed. People who climb Mount Everest are not as courageous as you. Also, there are many things that you think you're not greedy about. We talk about the three poisonous snakes like greed, anger, and lust -- the kinds of attachment. "Lust" means attachment to material things and even emotional pleasures. Like greed -- many people bring their children or their own selves here just so that I can heal them of sickness or things like that. It's not necessarily so. Master knows inside, and if it's your destiny to be healed on that day, then Master will do it. There is no need to force the issue. We think that outside we are greedy for money and things like that. But inside, as practitioners, we should not be greedy even for blessings. This is a kind of poisonous snake also. Not necessarily you are greedy for money or fame. Anything that doesn't belong to you and you try to snatch -- spiritually, emotionally or financially -- is greed. When you go outside, you tell the non-initiated people, "Oh, Master knows everything. You just pray to Her, and then She knows." But you, yourself, shove the problem in front of me, and even have to make noise so that I know, so that I pay attention to you. In that case, you also keep the poisonous snake -- the poisonous snake of ignorance, the poisonous snake of very little faith. Jesus always said, "Our Father makes everything in the world. How would He not clothe or feed you, oh you, of little faith?" We have to keep our speech and actions the same way. If you say, "Master is omnipresent; She knows everything," then let Her do Her work. There's no need to tell Her anything, or come rushing up. What for? It's not yet time for the child and you rush me to deliver her. (Laughter) What for? We practice patience, endurance and everything else. This is also a kind of greed that most people who have a problem always commit. They think they're not greedy and that already their body, speech and mind are all clean. I tell you, some of you come and I get a headache for three days. All clean! Very clean indeed! Your clothes are clean; your hair is clean; your nails are clean, but you are not that clean. So, we try always to mind our own business. To see how we fare with our own business is better than criticizing the next person and the initiates. Make sure you understand that the poisonous snakes are inside. Also, try to avoid the poisonous snakes outside, please. Don't say Master Ching Hai says inside is more important than outside and then just walk on the heads of snakes and things like that! (Laughter) Don't try that. Don't try to sit inside with the three live snakes like this monk. That's stupid! If it were up to me, I'd also scold him. Not every master is as kind as this master who explained to the lama about the three poisonous snakes, and the reason why he did not accept him.