OK, now. Number thirty-five: “Abide in some place endlessly spacious, clear of trees, hills, habitations, thence comes the end of mind pressures.” OK. This you understand. Right? Like you stay in a very hilly mountain. All around you is only hills and skies, no people and no trees, because you stay on the top of the mountain. And you can see clearly all over around you, above you and under you. So you don’t feel pressure. Most of the people in the city, they live very closely knit together, and thus they feel a lot of pressure sometimes. Sometimes you do, huh? (Yes.) That’s why they need to go to the countryside, to the mountains to ski, or to the river to swim or to the beach. But there they have a crowd again because everybody flocks there. So there’s no end to crowds in this world.
People like to live in the city, crowded places, for security reasons. And for a job, for human contact, and for convenience in buying and exchanging things, etc., etc. But everything has a cost in this life. So if you live in a crowded city, it’s very convenient for buying and selling and for finding anything, for entertainment, for seeing people, and for eating and dancing and making merry. But also, there is a cost of being pressured because each one doesn’t have enough space for each other. Sometimes you feel like the others’ pressure is contagious, it is invading your privacy as well. Even though you have walls between each other, it doesn’t stop the pressure from the neighbors coming in.
That’s why most of the people who practice, they like to stay in a very remote place, like the desert. Like Lord Jesus went to the desert for 40 days, the Buddha sat under the Bodhi tree in the jungle for 49 days, etc. And Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) went into a cave for a month or two, etc. I heard. I’m not sure, I didn’t ask Him. And many Masters stayed in the Himalayas for example, at least for a period of time, to understand what They want to understand. And later They will spread what They understood to the whole world if They are merciful enough, and if They like to put up with people’s bad habits and the pressure Themselves. So that’s very easy to understand. And then, slowly the pressure of the mind has ceased to exist.
But mind you, you must know which company you are with as well. Sometimes you bring some people and the people you brought, the ones who are near and dear to you, sometimes are the pressure themselves. So some sayings say that the worst enemies are the ones who pretend to be your friends. Because they are your friends, so you’ll never suspect them.
In Âu Lạc (Vietnam), when the country was under the name “Âu Lạc,” you remember? There was the king who is almighty, or almighty on Earth, compared to other kings – not compared to the Almighty Father in Heaven. Because he had maybe aliens helping him. Well, what I suspect is that. They say there was a kind of a saintly... no, spirit, a spirit of a tortoise(-person) who helped him and advised him in many state matters.
And now, this spirit of this turtle(-person) – in the fairytales, we have all kinds of animal(-people) who are better than humans, like the fox(-people), turtle(-people), the dragon(-people), snake(-people). Yeah, because the humans are stupid. They think some of the animal(-people) are better than them. But never mind, just let’s make this story into an example only. So, it was supposed to be that the turtle(-person)’s spirit, I mean, this is the turtle(-person) above other ordinary turtle(-people). But in the ancient times, until now, the Asian people, especially the Chinese and the Aulacese (Vietnamese), they still think turtle(-people) are very sacred animal(-people) because they live very long, and sometimes they understand things. So they dare not kill these animal(-people).
Of course, there’s some truth in it. Just like before, the Aulacese (Vietnamese), or the fishermen, they worship dolphin(-people) or other... not the killer whale(-people), the whale(-people), the friendly whale(-people). (Yes.) Because sometimes during the storm and danger like that, typhoon, the whale(-people) or the dolphin(-people) will help them to guide their boats and push their boats back into safety. Sometimes they push human beings too who drown in the water back out of the water. Therefore, fish(-people) such as these, they never killed. And if some happened to die accidentally, or if they know it, they will make a tomb for that whale(-person) or dolphin(-person) and worship them day and night, the fishermen or those people who swim in the sea, for that reason.
There are some animal(-people) who are extremely intelligent. Of that there is no doubt. And we know that, too. Even pig(-people), the house pet(-people), they are known for their quality of faithfulness, loyalty, friendliness, and helpfulness in time of trouble. Many, on your newspapers, print every day some miracles done by animal(-people). Like dog(-people) who rescued children from burning houses, a pig(-person) ran many miles to fetch a rescuer for his owner. Or a horse(-person) staying at the tomb of his master until his death and never ate anything. Or some dog(-person) never left the tomb of his master, etc., etc. So many, many things.
So, it is not funny that humans sometimes think that the animal(-people) are better than us. In some aspects, it could be true. After all, all beings are created by God anyhow. So why wouldn’t they have the God spark inside them like we do. Just because they are in a different form and they use a different language, it doesn’t mean they are in any way less worthy than us. Is that not so? (Yes.) Just like the African people, they are black and they speak the African language, but that by no means says that they are less worthy than the white American or the yellow Asian. (Yes.) OK. Now, what was it then? Ah, number thirty-six, right?
OK, now [it’s] thirty-six: Here it comes again, romantic, sweet, sing-song language. I have to prepare my voice for the romantic tone. “Sweet-hearted One,” that’s what He called Her, “meditate on knowing and not knowing, existing and not existing. Then leave both aside that you might Be.” You know what “Be” is? That you may be, be your Self. Because knowing, not knowing, knowledge and ignorance, and good and bad, and ugly and beauty, all these make trouble. So, He said, you may contemplate on both. Knowing or not knowing, or existing and non-existing, contemplate on both if you like, but then leave both alone. And that is so that you may be – be the Real Self, the one without good, bad, without discrimination, the one that always exists, always pure, always real. Capiche? (Yes.) Just pretend that you do, so I can go on to the next. Otherwise, I am tired. You know, I’m very good at being tired, especially with all this intellectual thing.
Oh, my mind keeps “tricking” me all the time. It gives me two days’ notice, and then I still have not wanted to do this job. Today I didn’t intend to it either, but that’s how I do it. If I tell my mind, “OK, tomorrow, we are going to explain all these sutras and all that Bible,” then he drops dead. Yesterday, I was supposed to explain the remaining or part of it to you. Remember? (Yes.) But then I’m dead. I’m dead until this day. And today, I don’t say anything, not even to myself. I say, “I’m not going to do anything. I’m just running around. I’m just golfing around.” And then I came here and didn’t even tell him that I intend to gather the people. I didn’t tell the mind that I’m going to do anything. I just said to the [people on the] telephones, “Gather people in five minutes.” Before he knows. Before the mind knew, I already sat here and played around with all this. So that’s how we came to this. So better I don’t promise anything. Because the mind doesn’t like to work, not on this intellectual confusion, read books and explaining and all that. Well, but at least you know I can read books, no? You know I’m a scholar. Collar.
Now, number thirty-seven: You may “look…” intently, intensively, or tensely or “lovingly on one object.” Just look lovingly, relaxedly, is the best. Like this, maybe. And just look at that. “Don’t go on to any other object.” In other words, concentration. One-pointedness, mindfulness, that’s all the same thing. “And then here in the middle of this object, the blessing.” You’ll probably find it. That’s why people in the old times, they used crystal balls. And they read something in the future or whatever they desired to know. It is true. Not that all the people who gaze at the crystal ball would be able to speak the truth or to know the future, but many of them do. Of course, it’s just like you gaze into something and your mind is clear, because you’re concentrated on that object, on that subject, and then you’ll find out what’s happening in a very faraway, remote corner of the Earth or many thousands of miles apart. This is not a kind of superstition. It is just a mind-concentrating matter, and everyone can achieve that if we want to. So, this is just one of the things that has an effect.
If you concentrate sometimes on a shining object like a coin or a watch. Swiss watch, Rolex would be better. The more money, the higher the consciousness! You’ll be higher aware of the price. OK, maybe, I’m not sure. Just joking. I don’t work for Rolex company. Don’t misunderstand. But everybody tells me that they like Rolex, I don’t know why, so I just borrow it for you. If you like it so much, then borrow one and meditate on it, or draw a picture of it, or get one that they advertise on the newspapers and concentrate on it. Maybe you’ll get one. And then, when you concentrate on one object like this, without divided attention, then of course you will enter a state of clarity. And then of course, whatever you want to know, you’ll know. Or at least if you don’t want to know anything, then you enter the Blessed Field of God, the samadhi, in another world. Blessed Field, enter the Blessing, enter the Kingdom of God, enter the Real Being, enter the Buddha Nature, it is all the same thing. Food for the soul, that’s what it is.
Number thirty-eight: “Feel the Cosmos as translucent, ever-living presence.” If you can feel that, it’s fine. If you cannot feel it, you’d better recite the Five (Holy) Names and concentrate on the wisdom Eye. It’s just one of those imagination techniques. Like many of the Tibetans, they do. They use this similar kind of technique – imagination or feeling. Like you sit here and feel the Buddha is on top of you or imagine the Buddha’s on top of you. It’s similar. Until you really feel it. So, many people use this technique of imagination to create the real thing. They even created a person out of their imagination. Sometimes it’s very bad. If you can’t control the person of your creation, then they run around and do bad things, sometimes [they’d] kill you. Just like Frankenstein.
Number thirty-nine: “With utmost devotion, center on the two junctions of breath and know the Knower.” Got it? Do you know? No. Just try to concentrate on the coming-in and coming-out of the breath, in the middle of the two; then you’ll know the Knower. The Knower means your True Self, the One who knows, the real Buddha within you. Alright. Let’s stop here. Because I already feel like I want to know the Knower. Right now. So I think you should meditate. And know the Knower. And perhaps someday… Don’t say tomorrow, OK? Or my mind will drop dead again. Perhaps someday we will continue with all this. Oh, my God, we are only half… not even halfway yet. One-third. (Oh.) Already a lot! (Yes.) Talking about practitioners having nothing to do! Alright, close your lights outside and turn on the inner (Heavenly) Light.
Photo Caption: “Remember to Brighten Any Corner of the World with What You Have”
