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Between Master and Disciples

Knowing Yourself Through Diligent Questing, Part 1 of 7, Oct. 2, 2006

2020-11-07
Lecture Language:English
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Just me, personally, I do most things in the night because the whole world is more calm and they don’t bother me too much. Daytime, I have other work to do. What I mean is, nighttime is more for a lot of detailed work. Or maybe bureaucracy work, paperwork, office work, creativity work. Mostly, I need more concentration.

About the Irish? Actually, some Irish told me. The three criminals, thieves, ran away from the police. Remember? (Yes.) Now you remember nothing. OK. It sounds like us, told you already. OK? Yeah. Remember the joke? The three thieves ran away from the police, and they saw the warehouse, so they ran inside. And they saw three bags, lying on the ground. So, three of them all went inside the bags and tied it. So the police came inside and kicked the first bag. The French thief said, “Gghhh.” Excuse me, it’s not the French, anybody, but in the joke, it’s like that. So the police said, “Ah! They’re just pigs.” So he went to the second bag and he kicked it. The English thief said, “Quack, quack, quack,” inside the bag. So the police thought, “Ah, they’re just ducks.” So they kicked the third bag. The Irish man inside said, “Potatoes.” But you knew the joke already. What’s so funny? You didn’t? Oh, you’re kidding me? I told it all over the world! But today it seems appropriate. So if you want to stay, I advise you to hide yourself in the lemon trees or olive trees, those small, small ones. We don’t have any big trees, so small ones will do.

In the book called “The Monkey Goes to the West.” One of the Chinese classics, or one of the Chinese six classics, including the “Three Kingdoms”, the “Warring Period”, things like that. Anyway, I think they’re translated into English, but you don’t have to read it. It’s like that. The monkey. The monkey in that book symbolizes our mind. So the monkey is a disciple of Xuanzang. Xuanzang was the monk who went all the way from China to India in order to get the real Buddhist scriptures. Remember that? Because at that time there’s some Buddhism that spread to China, but he wanted to know the real thing. He didn’t want just the oral transmission. He wanted to go to India to see what more the Buddha had said. Because no matter how many, at that time the transportation was not that convenient, so maybe he brought just even a book, just one book or two, like the sample booklet, for example, but not the whole Key of Enlightenment. So he went to India, and all the way, he encountered many miraculous things, or many mysterious events. He met demons, he met gods, he met magicians, he met all kinds of temptations and obstacles, as well as help.

So anyway, in one of the episodes, it’s like this: the monkey, before he met Xuanzang, that symbolizes before he met the real master. The master doesn’t know much. It’s the monkey who helps him all the way. The monkey has magical power, the monkey has strategy, the monkey has solutions to any problem, any obstacle. So it’s the monkey who protects the master all the way from China to India. So you understand very well now, right? It’s the mind. He’s helpful, but you’ve got to befriend him. Anyway, before the monkey met Xuanzang, the monk, he had learned all kinds of magical tricks. He was supposed to learn until 120. That’s the complete magical menu. But then he didn’t have enough... he didn’t learn all of that. He learned only 72 tricks. And one of the tricks is to turn himself into anything he wants, including a tree. But when he reached that power to turn himself into a tree, he hadn’t completely learned it yet. But he always wanted to show off. Before he met the master, he showed off with his... Because he was the smartest one. He was above all the other students from that school, of the magical school at that time. So the master taught him, and he learned so fast. Very quick! And then he learned to 73 or 72 or something, I forgot. I read it when I was a kid, like seven, eight years old. Forgive me if I forgot. But something like that. The number doesn’t matter. He learned about two-thirds of the way only. So when he learned something, they competed with each other, the students, who was the best. And other students had not learned how to make themselves into a tree yet, something like that. So he showed off; he turned himself into a tree. But he hadn’t completely learned, so the tail was still wagging behind the tree. So the master came out and saw it, and saw that he was kind of showing off his power, which was forbidden in that school. You can learn, but you have to be discreet. You use it only in emergency, only when you really need it, to save your life or to save other people, not to show off for fun. So because of that, the master kicked him out of that school. Therefore, he learned only two-thirds of the way.

So, if you have any of that magical power, I advise you; you could stay. Make sure your tail is cupped between the branches somewhere, at least, and not behind there, wagging all the way. So, it’s the story of the monkey tail. You read them? You read these stories? (Yes.) How many read? Raise hands. Mostly the Chinese, of course. Is it translated? I think it has been translated into English. You read it? (They made a television program.) Oh, they did make a television program. They made it in China. You can even buy it. Maybe no subtitles, but you can learn Chinese. Learn Chinese first. And then we can watch it. You see it’s very important the language. Yesterday some French people, because they didn’t translate well, and made it so different. That’s why they asked those questions.

Wow, it’s too hot. Do you want to go to the beach or something? (Yes.) Is there a beach nearby? (Yes.) Is the beach nearby? Is it close by? Anyone knows? How far? Five kilometers! That far! We can’t walk? It’s five kilometers from here. Can you walk? (Yes!) You want to? (Yes, only if You want to.) What? Only if I go? Make an old woman walk 5 kilometers just for you to have fun? It’s nice, but I thought it’s nearby, you can go and dip into the sea. Before long, like a few years ago, I told you, I had a small hotel with ten rooms, with two apartments also. That’s like 12, 14... you could say, like 16 rooms. And next to the beach. Not here! Not here! In Spain, but not here. (Twenty minutes by car.) By car? Yeah, I know. Do we have enough cars? They all go by car? You all go by car? They fly, baby. They fly. They’re angels. They fly! They still don’t believe that Jesus came already. Jesus came from the sky, always.

Now, since you’re already awake and not digested, any questions? It’s so hot to meditate. Any questions? It’s better than in India. When I came back from India, the last time... Maybe not the last time, or the second or third time, I don’t know, I didn’t recognize myself even! When I looked into the mirror, I said, “Hah! Who are you? What have you done with me?” I was so black like one of our chocolate brothers and sisters here. Not like her, no! Oh, I was a real African princess! I was so black, so black, that I couldn’t even see myself in the mirror. Because I always slept outside. There was a time when I slept outside a lot, because the so-called master ran around with the disciples, and I was one of them. And they had only a small ashram, small houses, and everybody squeezed inside already. Especially the “cornflakes,” they don’t like the sun too much. Too hot, too hot. Oh, God! So I didn’t have a place. I told you already. I draped the... You know, the balcony is kind of square like this. You know, right? In the corner, it’s like this. So I wrapped my coat, my black overcoat, the fleece coat, I wrapped it over that corner, and I sat under that corner for six months long, day and night. I slept there too. It was overflowing inside. No room.

And also when I went to see any teacher in the Himalayas, I also slept outside. Or maybe on a veranda. Or maybe just under the tree somewhere. There was never enough place. In our places, also. And at that time, I couldn’t afford a tent. It’s heavy. I couldn’t carry it around. I carried just one pair of... looked like punjabis, like what you wear now, pajama-like trousers and a knee-length tunic. That’s it. And a couple of undergarments, and that’s it. And it was so heavy already, with a sleeping bag. If you go in the Himalayas in the higher region, it’s very damp, and the dampness soaks into the sleeping bag. So it’s getting heavier and heavier as you go higher, somehow. Like magic... bad magic! And when you sleep with the sleeping bag, it doesn’t feel that extraordinarily warm. Even though I bought the one, like army, it said “sub-zero,” but it only said “sub-zero,” it didn’t say how “sub.” In the Himalayan region it could be very “sub.” Like sub-30. It’s like Canada, no? Like Canada or Sweden in winter. It’s so high, that’s why. And the snow never left the mountain. It’s always capped on the peak. Always! You always see snow everywhere. But then at a lower level, it’s melted, and you see green. Yes, ma’am? Yes, Miss? Madam?

(Isabel wants You to know that there are buses from here to the beach.  She will have to find out timetables. And if not, well, next time, she said that she will write the timetables of the buses that go to the beach.) So how many buses? (I do know a regular line that goes to the beach.) I guess they go every half an hour, like every bus. (More or less, yes.) Or 20 minutes. But how many buses go every 20 minutes? You see the numbers. (She will have to find out the timetable.) Oh, please don’t bother, because we have to get all the buses. We have to get all the buses from the company to run at the same time. (I know, I know.) Never mind. I think they bathe in their own sweat, and that’s also fine. It’s also very salty! What’s the difference? Salty water is salty water, right?

Anyone, any other questions? Where’s Brother Wang?  Is Brother Wang here? He’s still out shopping? Just got money from me and then I don’t see him anymore.  Can’t trust your own people. My God! How long does it take to go shopping? He disappeared. I asked him, and from last night until now I don’t see him anywhere. After he got the money that’s it, can’t find him. I just wanted to ask if he has enough money already to buy vegetables, just by the way, because we talk about the money.

Any questions? Any other questions? (Yes, can I ask a question?) Where are you because the microphone is all over? (Here.) Ah. My wisdom eye cannot see you. You are there. Good. Tell me. (Can I ask about the meditation overnight?) Yes, sure! (It’s because I don’t understand very well. And when You were talking a bit earlier, You were saying that You work much better in the evenings.) Yeah. (And from the Hungary tapes as well, You said that people should be awake and meditating.) Yeah, awake and meditate! Especially when I was there. That was what I said. (And when You’re here as well, yes?) Yeah! Of course! If you “blah, blah, blah” all over the place, how will you get anything? (No, what I was saying, so, it’s Your power when really You are helping us, it’s very strong during the night?) No! Every time! (It’s just...) No, every time. But you have to be strong! (OK.) You have to be receptive. (Yes, OK.) Just at night, at least you’re more quiet. (Yes.)

Just me, personally, I do most things in the night because the whole world is more calm and they don’t bother me too much. Daytime, I have other work to do. What I mean is, nighttime is more for a lot of detailed work. Or maybe bureaucracy work, paperwork, office work, creativity work. Mostly, I need more concentration. In daytime, I can do anything. Daytime for me is more like cleaning up and playing with dogs, and doing other jobs. But I also do other jobs in the daytime, painting and all that. It depends. What I mean is, I can’t tell you. I don’t know, I can’t explain it. In the morning, it’s not very lively for me. (Thank You.) Maybe I’m still “hung over”, I still have a “hangover” from meditation at night. (Yes, I understand.) Maybe like that.

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