Anyhow, the most important is our inner noise. Make sure that we calm our inner turbulence. That’s important, and that we can do by meditation and by listening to the high-level of explanation, etc. Of course, any explanation is not the highest means. Have to convey the sense of grandeur of the Absolute, but still, we cannot use any other means. So, we have two kinds of enlightening tools. One is inside, and one is outside. Some need it inside; some need it outside; some need both. And some need none, because he doesn’t understand anything. […]
One day I said... At that time there was a monk attendant. There was an attendant, a monk, and he sat next to me. And then I said, “Let’s go now.” We meditated together, and I said, “Let’s go now.” And then I said, “Well, I wanted to tell them something before I go. But I see all the monks were meditating so deeply and so quietly. I hate to disturb them. I’m afraid to disturb them. So, what do I do?” I asked the attendant. He said, “Don’t You worry. Once You get up, everybody gets up. They sit like that, but they know exactly what time to get up. So, don’t You worry, because already nearly time.” I said, “It’s nearly time, but I saw they sat so quietly. I dare not move. I dare not talk.” He said, “Don’t You worry. It’s always like that.” So, that is the story of Miaoli.
So, you see, even good noise, if untimely, is also disturbing. Right? Anyhow, the most important is our inner noise. Make sure that we calm our inner turbulence. That’s important, and that we can do by meditation and by listening to the high-level of explanation, etc. Of course, any explanation is not the highest means. Have to convey the sense of grandeur of the Absolute, but still, we cannot use any other means. So, we have two kinds of enlightening tools. One is inside, and one is outside. Some need it inside; some need it outside; some need both. And some need none, because he doesn’t understand anything. Neither inside, nor outside. And that is “superb.” In that case, whether he sits here or he sits in the supermarket, makes no difference. At that time, you’ll say, “Wow, he is above discrimination.”
But after a while, after you reach some capital of enlightenment, you also feel that way ‒ indiscriminating anywhere you go. Whether you sit in a supermarket, or you sit in the Himalayas, it’s the same to you. But that is not the same to the first person that we just referred to. Understand? (Yes.) Therefore, we say, “The sage seems like the ignorant.” But it’s not so. So, sometimes the Zen people say after you practice for a while, you see the river as not river, mountain as not mountain. But after great enlightenment, you see mountain as mountain, river as river. You’re back to nothing. Therefore, when you have no experiences, maybe you are experiencing the greatest enlightenment. Who knows? Maybe the Hong Kong guy last night, yesterday, he was on the highest peak. But the way he asked, it doesn’t seem so. Understand? He closed himself in a shell. But he will jump out of it later, later; if he wants to.
We cannot be attached to anything, even experiences. That’s why we should not talk about it at random, except on a special occasion. Or the Master requires it, or people required, and the Master allowed. Understand? (Yes.) Otherwise, everybody thinks, “Wow, fantastic! I want one.” It’s different. The patients are different. And then, if he wants to get well very fast, he wants the same medicine. He sees the patient next door drink the pink medicine and gets well in one week; he says to the doctor, “I want that. I don’t want this black one. I want the pink one.” Is that so funny? (Yes.) Yeah.
But yesterday afternoon, that Hong Kong boy, he said he experienced nothing. You come here, he thinks we enjoy too much, so he can’t get enlightenment. He didn’t want it. Well, we can enjoy but he doesn’t have to. If he came here to seek just meditation, just to train his bottom, then he can do so. Right? We didn’t really bind anybody to any fast rule here. I didn’t count your names when you came for bonfire. You can come or not come. Just because it’s Christmas and then since we are not always together, we relax. Every retreat is different. There are no fixed rules with me. Understand? (Yes.) I have been in retreat for two months. It’s enough for you to use. No need for you to do it. Yeah. No? (Yes.) Yeah. We are one, so whatever I have, I can give you. (Thank You, Master.)
So... By thy fruits, shall thou be known. Right? The fruit speaks for the trees. Speaks by itself. So, you were happy, you were in bliss, and you’re happy, for nothing. You didn’t do much. You just lay there and enjoyed the Nirvana. It happens. Sometimes the parents are very rich, and you can get something out of that without having to work hard. But you can work later. Right? (Yes.) So, anyhow, the boy, the Hong Kong boy, he complained like that, that I enjoyed too much, not (being) strict with you. He missed the point. He forgot to enjoy and then he didn’t get it and he said, “I don’t have anything.” We cooked for him, we invited him, he didn’t eat it and he said, “I got nothing.” And blaming us for cooking too much.
OK. So, anyhow, after that, I went back to my tent, and we were talking with the attendant about this thing. And the attendant understood, said, “My God. This guy.” He understood everything, but that guy didn’t. I said, “Never mind.” Because I was feeling sorry for that guy also. So, we talked about that afterward. And then something like what ‒ forgotten. I forgot what I wanted to say. My God. Getting old. What was it that I wanted to talk about? You know? (You said that You told me.) Yes. (You said that I understood…) And then? (The whole situation.) And then what? (And then…) You don’t know. I wanted to say what about that? What was it before, please? (Make noise.) Make noise. (That this guy is fully...) Oh, yeah, yeah, Right, right.
So that guy, he complained that he didn’t have anything much; that he didn’t come here for singing and bonfires. We had that only last night, or the night before, really. Just for a few hours, and the rest of the time, can meditate. Right? (Yes.) Yeah. He didn’t have to join in. He doesn’t have to eat even if he doesn’t want to. So, people blame things on people or on the surrounding. That is when their attention is still fixed on the outside. That’s why they could not go inside. Understand? (Yes.) If you were disturbed by the noise, you know what to do. Just put pebbles in your ears. We have so many small stones for this purpose. Everywhere you can pick up pebbles and stuff your ears, your nose, your anything with them. So, there should not be any complaints. Understand? Any complaint is self-complaint. There’s nothing to complain about here. Right?
We have a very, very flexible schedule, just so that you can adjust yourself to whatever you want. Right? (Right.) Because sometimes you cannot meditate in the morning because of the time difference. America, Taiwan (Formosa), different times. So, maybe you wake up in the morning, but you feel sleepy, so you make up for that later on ‒ afternoon or the breaktime, whatever you want. Right? (Yes.) And also, some people are not used to meditating in the morning, then meditate at midnight or whatever. Understand? (Yes.) So, the whole time is free but you are responsible. You know what you come here for. Do I have to smack your bottom and say, “Hey, you know what you come here for. Sit!” You are not dog(-people). You are not dog(-people) that I have to run around and say, “Sit!” Right?
You know what you come here for. You’ve been here before or you have known about me before. You know what a retreat is. And if you don’t know, you can ask the next person, “What do we come here for?” And if you don’t, that’s your problem. I’m not responsible for it. Understand? (Yes.) So, he put the blame on me that I’m not so strict in this retreat, that I wear some nice clothes, that I sing with you, etc. Understand? (Yes.) It’s my choice. I don’t have to be like you. I’m the Teacher. (Yes.) I have no problem. Yeah. I have graduated. Why do you expect me to sit there and abuse my bottom over some of the examination topics? Right? (Right.) It’s you who has to take the examination. (Yes.) I’m just standing around, looking about and waiting for you. Understand? (Yes.) So, make no mistake and don’t cheat yourself, and try to cheat me. Cheat me out of my joy, my freedom, and my right. If I’m bound the way you are, how can I guide you? Understand? (Yes.)
So, you understand now: the mind is tricky. It blames everything, except itself. The self-righteous person says, “It’s because of you I have not become the Buddha in seven days. In the past, I used to become the Buddha in seven hours!” You know it all. (Yes.) So after you heard some complaint like this, you can only shake your ears, and wash them. You might get an infection. You understand very well what I’m talking about? (Yes.) Is there any indigestion, constipation? Nothing. (No.) OK. Very simple. Very, very simple. You have grown up. And especially such a person who has been in a few retreats already, and if he doesn’t want to grow and he wants me to bathe him like a baby all the time, I have no interest in doing that. You have to grow by yourself. I cannot grow for you. It is impossible. Right? (Right.)
Photo Caption: Covering Defects? No, Just Blooming Over Them.
