Commentary on the text “Records of the Conversations of the Chan Master Linji”
“If you wish to attain freedom from dualism, from deaths and births, when it will be possible to freely go or stay, to take off or put on the garments of life, then you must right now come to know the person who is listening to my Dharma, who has no outward forms or signs, no roots or origins, no refuge or place of dwelling. Yet he, full of life and visible, is clearly seen in the water, even if he should go down to the bottom.”
What does it mean to attain freedom from duality, from deaths-and-births, and to come to know this person who is listening to the Dharma?
This person has no specific qualities. But this person is the Consciousness from which everything arises. Now, as you are listening to the Dharma, this person, who has no qualities, is shining within you right now in all his fullness, more brightly than your mind, intuition, and sense organs. It is precisely thanks to his radiance that you can hear, think, and perceive. Your human perception is a consequence of this radiance, that is, it is secondary.
Linji goes on to say:
“All his countless manifestations and functions are only emptiness; therefore, when you try to grasp him, he slips away from you, and the more diligently you seek him, the farther he runs from you. That is why he is called mysterious and incomprehensible.”
For example, many cherish the idea that he is attained through mauna. Others cherish the idea that he is attained in retreat. Still others cherish the idea that some particular diet or certain exercises can help him. But all of these are false views arising from delusion.
Of course, in a relative sense all these things help, and sometimes it is useful to adhere to them. However, they begin to become false views when they are turned into a fetish—that is, when they are not self-liberated, when the mind tries to build some kind of support for itself out of these views, recognizing them as something absolute.
When we speak of absolute truth, we must not construct such false views. When we speak of relative truth, we must respect the relative methods by which we carry out our practice. But the relative and the absolute must be distinguished: we must not project the relative onto the absolute; we must not shatter the conventional by means of the absolute, knowing where and when to apply them.
If we exalt the relative, we are eternalists. If we fall into the extreme of exalting the absolute and denying the conventional, we are nihilists. But the middle path consists in not falling into either extreme, flexibly combining absolute and relative truth.
Liberation from the False “I”
Linji goes on to say:
“Students of the Way! Do not give yourselves over to the power of your companion, who is only a dream and a mirage.”
What kind of companion is this? Everyone has this companion, and he is called the false “I.” If we are unconscious, we give ourselves over to his power. But this companion has bad habits. He has a tendency to darken consciousness when one becomes closely involved with him, so it is better to be strict with him.
Why is this companion a dream and a mirage? Because we think of our “I” as something that really exists. In reality, it is like a heap of thoughts that gathered together and began to consider themselves a separate being.
If you want to seek awakening, you need to get rid of all the ideas this companion offers you, to stop considering them something real. Whatever this companion may offer will be delusion.
For example, when I was giving lectures in Crimea, many beginning lay students came up to me and asked questions, setting forth their various concepts, relative or conventional ones. I asked them:
“Do you really think so?”
They answered:
“Well, yes.”
I said:
“Then you had better repent.”
Why did I say that to them? Because everything we think is a consequence of this false companion, who is only a dream and a mirage.
The Search for a True Teacher and the Overcoming of Impermanence
Linji says:
“Sooner or later, it will inevitably reveal its inconstancy and lead to unavoidable death. What other means of salvation are you seeking in this world? But in any case, you must persistently seek a good friend and mentor who possesses the necessary knowledge. One must not idly enjoy the pleasures of life, wasting precious time in vain, for everything is transient and perishable, and therefore inevitably leads to death. However, you cannot escape such a sorrowful fate, since your thoughts are changeable, unstable, and impermanent; therefore, on the physical plane you are dependent on the four elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—and on the spiritual plane you are confined within the framework of the four states—birth, existence, becoming, and destruction.”
If you rely on this false friend, then you are in fact seized by the five elements and the four states. And you can do nothing about it, because you are simply a plaything.
How can one avoid being seized by this false friend? One should take up the sword of discriminating wisdom and generate the light of clarity, which mercilessly cuts off any encroachments of this false friend and any of his claims to power over you. One must mercilessly cut off all his claims, again and again revealing the light of such clarity. And these claims manifest first of all in the form of coarse desires. But those who are unable to control coarse desires cannot even dream of liberation. Such people are usually told: “Do not even think about it. Do not even approach the holy Dharma.” Control of worldly desires is the first thing a yogin must master.
Detachment and the Light of Clarity
Whether you want it or not, the light of clarity will not awaken until detachment arises in you, like the detachment of a vira-yogin. Of course, one should not pour boiling water over oneself, disfigure one’s body, or do anything else of that kind. What is being spoken of here is inner detachment. And when inner detachment from any desires arises in you, this is the first sign that you have generated the light of clarity and are no longer subject to the dictates of your body.
The ideas of Tantra are very profound, yet all of them are based on detachment, on freedom from worldly desires. If you have not understood this principle, if your heart is still seized now by jealousy, now by attachment, now by lust, now by desire, your spiritual practice will never be crowned with success. Only one who has attained great detachment from any desires dares even to be called a person of the path, not to mention any transcendental practices. Those people who call themselves practitioners of Tantra but have not understood the principle of detachment from desires cannot hope to attain liberation.
After control over desires has been acquired, you pay attention to the light of clarity, which must continuously shine in your consciousness from early morning until the moment you fall asleep. If you forget the light of clarity, falling into habitual relationships, allowing distractions, becoming caught up in the conceptual flow of dualistic thoughts, permitting yourself to make plans that are like dreams, then you too cannot hope for awakening, even if you have managed to achieve detachment. Because detachment is not everything. Detachment in itself is merely a means to generate and release the light of clarity of your consciousness. Only when you generate the deep light of clarity and continuously maintain it does it begin to reveal its secrets to you.
When you discover the light of clarity, you leave in your soul all the paths of this world. Then it truly becomes all the same to you whether you have friends or not, whether someone nearby has fallen in the Dharma or, on the contrary, attained realization, whether people speak slander or praise of you, whether the weather outside is good or not so good. All of this ceases to matter to you, because what is most important to you is maintaining the light of clarity. You understand that the one who maintains the light of clarity will be liberated, while the one who does not maintain it will fall into the hands of Yama’s servants and be reborn according to his merit.
Many novice postulants do not understand this. Again and again they allow themselves to daydream and see dreams of the mind: to be careless, to form factions, to befriend one another like ordinary people, to hold impure views, to discuss senior monks whose level is so high that if they attain it in their entire lives, they will be very fortunate. All of these are various false views arising from a lack of clarity, which should be avoided in every way. But an experienced person of the Dharma is like a warrior who goes to war, having forgotten all his attachments and possessing a fearless heart, with nothing left but his duty. The difference between an experienced practitioner and a practitioner who has not tasted the light of clarity is immense.
To attain detachment and the light of clarity does not mean to stop eating, sleeping, speaking, or doing anything. It only means that one must have a different consciousness and abide in non-action while doing all this. This is a fundamentally different level of perceiving actions and seeing everything.
One saint said to his lay disciples: “What you think of me is not at all what I am. I even go to the toilet differently.”
Another master said: “When I want to sleep, I sleep; when I want to eat, I eat.” He was asked: “Then how are you different from others? After all, others do the same thing.” He said: “Nothing of the sort. If they did the same thing, they would be buddhas.”
This means that any actions of saints are performed from the state of non-action, from the great space of the all-encompassing Ground, which is never lost. Therefore, for them there is no difference whether to perform an action or not; there is a single “taste.” However, actions are performed because such is the prarabdha karma that is allowed to act.
Overcoming the Power of the Four Elements
Linji says:
“Students of the Way! You must right now realize the emptiness and illusory nature of these four elements and states, and then they will no longer oppress you.”
Question: What is the state of the illusoriness of the four elements?
Linji answered:
“As soon as one thought of doubt arises in your consciousness, earth becomes an obstacle for you. As soon as one thought of lust arises in your consciousness, water begins to wet you. As soon as one angry thought arises in your consciousness, fire burns you. As soon as one joyful thought arises in your consciousness, wind begins to blow upon you.”
The external elements are the result of the fluctuations of our consciousness. When our consciousness fluctuates, the pranas deviate from the central channel, and then the external elements become solid, while consciousness becomes dualistic. When consciousness does not fluctuate, prana, on the contrary, enters the central channel, and then the external elements also become subdued.
Of course, an ordinary person feels the elements as external. But how does a yogin who is immersed in presence feel the elements? He feels the earth as one with his body, because at the level of the muladhara he has the space of non-dual presence mixed with the earth. He feels water as inseparable from the fluids of his body. And at the level of the svadhisthana chakra he has non-dual presence mixed with the universal element of water. Sometimes he can strengthen the samadhi of earth, and sometimes that of water; then the element submits to him and ceases to act upon him in the ordinary way.
This happens when natural presence mixes with the energy in the chakras. And then the kleshas, anger, lust, and attachment cease to color the mirror of the mind; they submit to it and enter the central channel, becoming pranas of wisdom. Accordingly, the elements are also subdued.
Linji says:
“If you can comprehend this, then external circumstances will no longer be able to control you. And whatever situation you find yourself in, always and everywhere you yourself will use the situation and control it, because you will understand that these four great elements are like a dream and a mirage.”
Water, earth, fire, and wind do not exist in and of themselves. Earth arises from smell, water from taste, fire from sight, and wind from touch. When these senses are self-liberated, the elements are also self-liberated. For example, earth may be felt as the infinite prana of the muladhara chakra, extending into space, one with your body. But now this prana is not external; it comes out of your body. And the more deeply you immerse yourself in sahaja samadhi, integrating with the element of earth, the more you can saturate your central channel with this prana and gradually bring it under control.
When you have a great deal of this prana, you can even cause local earthquakes. For example, when I was practicing kundalini yoga in retreat, the floor beneath me was constantly “shaking.” When I practiced chandali, the walls constantly cracked. And after good practices, wherever I went, light bulbs exploded everywhere. Whenever I wanted, the weather was hot and the sun shone brightly, although for some time I practiced beyond the Arctic Circle.
When your wind affects the elements, it is always strongly manifested. When your mind is one-pointed, it can influence the elements with great power, because it is not separate from them. You see the deities of the elements, and they begin to obey you, because these deities are your own subtle energies.
Freedom from the Elements and Gaining Faith in Oneself
“Students of the Way! The one among you who is now listening to my Dharma is not your four primary elements, but can easily and freely use these four elements. If you can understand this, then you will gain complete freedom to leave or to stay.”
That consciousness within, which is now listening to this lecture, is free from the elements; it does not depend on them, although it seems that they bind it.
Linji says:
“I, the mountain monk, believe that one must not love or hate anything.”
Addressing the assembly, the master said:
“You present-day adepts who study the Way need to have faith in yourselves. Do not seek anything outside yourselves! If, not trusting yourselves, you seek something outside yourselves, relying on external circumstances, then you will never be able to free yourselves from attachment to worldly passions and dependence on objective conditions; you will never be able to recognize the true and the false.”
To rely on consciousness, not to seek outside oneself, means to constantly maintain the presence of awareness, making it dominant. If you have not made the presence of awareness dominant, then you are always looking outward. And when you look outward, you do not see the guru, because the guru is the principle of awareness. You look at your friends, at what mood they are in, and you fall under the influence of relationships with them. You look at many superficial things, forgetting your true essence.
True Guru Yoga begins when you discover this space of inner consciousness and begin to understand the essence of the non-duality of your own consciousness, the guru’s consciousness, and the consciousness of everything.
The Dangers of Attachment and the Action of Maras
Above all, monks should avoid personal relationships based on attachment, envy, or rivalry. The worst of these is attachment. Attachment is Mara; it is a real devil that destroys monks. In fact, there are many Maras, and they have their own forms of service. There are Maras who specialize in tempting monks. This is not a joke; it is really so. There are many non-physical beings. And among them are those who feed on the energy of living beings. They are compelled to instill illnesses or base passions in people. And these non-physical beings become satiated and satisfied when people generate the wind element or the fire element while experiencing passions or illnesses. There are entire clans of Maras who do nothing but seek out weak beings among people and instill all this in them. When people, at the instigation of Maras, do something bad or wrong, generating impure elements of wind and fire, they feed on this. It is believed that the wind and fire elements of practitioners are the most nourishing for such Maras, and therefore tempting a monk is a very attractive matter for them.
When a monk falls into attachment, this is precisely the action of such a Mara, whatever he may call it. Therefore, one should be most vigilant with regard to attachments.
Seeing the True Nature
Linji says:
“As for myself, whoever comes to me with a question, whether he is a monk or a layperson, I see through all his thoughts and immediately recognize what he has come with as soon as he opens his mouth. Wherever he may have come from, with whatever intentions he may have come here, all of this turns into a dream and a mirage as soon as he begins to utter words and names. For the hidden meaning of the teaching of all Buddhas lies not in words and names, but in seeing the person who is the master of the situation.”
Linji says that he recognizes whoever comes to him. Why can he do this? Because he does not see a person when a person comes to him. He immediately sees the Absolute acting in that person. The human part is a very small part of the Absolute, which is why all masters treat both their own human part and the human part of other people with great humor. The master’s consciousness is always attuned to the boundless part, and therefore he also tries to reorient the disciple’s consciousness from the human part to the boundless one. It does not matter by what means he does this. For example, if a disciple acts from the human part, the master may contradict him in any way and on any occasion, simply to reorient him toward the boundless part. And when this is understood, he stops contradicting, because his goal has been achieved.
The Person of the Way Without Support
“By mastering the position and governing the objective situation, this Person of the Way appears, having no support whatsoever.”
If you have discovered within yourself this Person of the Way who has no support, you master any situation. What does “master” mean? You transform it into a pure land, make it a mandala, and enthrone yourself as the central deity in this mandala. This means that the situation is harmoniously integrated into your consciousness, and you are enthroned at its very center. The situation is completely under your control, and everything in it is harmonious.
Why does this happen? Because you relate to the situation from the state of the center. When you do this, you abide in a state of supreme resourcefulness without attachment, and therefore in this situation you are the dominant force. This does not mean that you express yourself in this way or amuse your ego; rather, this situation becomes pure, completely harmonious, and favorable for you, because you are its central deity.
If, however, you do not manage to turn the situation in a favorable direction and make it a mandala, this means only one thing: you have failed to find this person who has no support and to become the central deity in this situation. At best, you are a deity of the periphery. At worst, you are an untamed demon who is not integrated into the mandala in relation to this situation. And then there is dissatisfaction; then you fight the situation or simply passively submit to it without understanding. But as soon as you discover this person who has no support, the situation shows you its sacred side. It does not matter what kind of situation it is: preparing prasada in the kitchen, managing others, group practice, and so on. If you are in this state, then wherever you are, the situation will manifest in pure vision, completely favorable for you. And vice versa.
Linji says:
“The state may change in any way, appearing in countless transformations, but this person who has no support always remains unchanged and governs the situation. Therefore it is said: ‘Reflecting itself in things, it manifests its form like the moon in water.’”
One in whom this person who has no support has been opened can govern many situations: people, cars, computers, monasteries, global communities. For one in whom this person has not been opened, it is difficult to cope even with their own dwelling or dishes. The question is: do you bring the principle of awareness into the situation? If you bring it in, there will never be disharmony, because this person without support will always tell you how to manifest impeccably in any situation.
The Great Vessel and the Master of the Situation
“Students of the Way! If you wish to master such a dharma, from now on you yourselves must become great men; but if you show weakness and indecision, nothing will come of it for you. It will be like a leaky vessel that cannot hold liquid oil. In order to be equal to a great vessel, you need only not allow other people’s doubts into yourself.”
These are very important words: “Do not allow other people’s doubts into yourself.” If you allow the doubts of others to enter your consciousness, it is like a darshan of Mara.
A yogi who possesses deep realization helps others in their practice. One who has not discovered within himself this person without support is constantly inclined to be dependent on the opinions of others. In the worst case, these are opinions of the lowest level. If they are the opinions of saints, then this is commendable. However, the opinion of saints accustoms you to gaining your own awareness.
“If always and everywhere, in any situation, you are the master of the situation, then wherever you are, that very place will be the truth.”
What does it mean to “be the master of the situation”? If you think it means trying to take power into your own hands, then, of course, this is a delusion. If one tries somehow to manifest with great audacity and become the master of the situation by suppressing others, then this is not it.
Linji draws attention here to a subtle point: being the master of the situation based on the principle of awareness. When you are in the principle of awareness, you are always the master of the situation. It does not matter whether you fully control this situation or only partially, or whether you let it go completely, accepting the authority of another; nevertheless, this deep person without support is always the master of any situation. He can accept any position, but he is always the master. Because being the master is his essence, because he is in fact the master of all things in the universe. A slave cannot attain enlightenment, while the master is enlightened from the very beginning; he does not even need to attain it. The point is to get rid of the slave and find the master. The slave is the false “I.”
Protection from External Influences
“Whatever comes to you from outside, do not allow anything to affect you and take possession of you.”
When practitioners engage in sadhana, they sometimes become overly sensitive. This happens because they let many things into their consciousness.
If your consciousness is vigilant, you will not allow anything to take possession of it or affect it. You will allow only blessings to influence your consciousness, enlightening it more and more. This is possible only when you continuously hold to the inner center. But when you cease to hold to the inner center, doubts again take possession of you, and then you fall under the power of your own illusions or the illusions of other people.
It is impossible to generate doubts in the consciousness of a saint. He may be praised or reviled, but it is impossible to generate doubts in his consciousness. He may be plunged into the abyss of hell or, conversely, raised up to the heavens, but he will perceive this with equanimity. In someone whose consciousness is weak, however, doubt can be generated very easily.
The Danger of Doubts
“As soon as one thought of doubt arises in you, Mara penetrates your consciousness, just as at the moment of a Bodhisattva’s doubt an opportunity appears for the activity of the demon of birth and death.”
One small thought of doubt creates an entire new world of samsara. A practitioner has doubt even if he has attained a certain degree of attentiveness. Doubts disappear only after the false “I” has completely disappeared, and therefore again and again the yogi clarifies the Dharma, finally freeing himself from the subtlest doubts.
Someone who has attained stability and abides free of doubt in seated meditation will have doubts if he is distracted from seated meditation or not given the opportunity to meditate. When I see this, I try to point it out to the student. Someone who has no doubts while maintaining contemplation in movement will have doubts when he encounters something that surpasses his ordinary vision or a great energy. When I see this, I help the student understand it. One who has an indestructible vajra consciousness, even when encountering any situation and energy, may experience doubt in dreamless sleep or in sleep with dreams. Again and again, the yogi must cut through and destroy various rigidified states and check whether doubts arise in him or not, until he attains indestructible diamond consciousness, in which no doubts are possible.
I read a report by one of the monks of another spiritual organization of yogis, in which he wrote about his impressions of service, of casting oneself aside. When all the monks entered retreat, he was given the service of providing for this retreat. Moreover, this service was round-the-clock, without sleep. There were a great many tasks that had to be done, and he was alone. And when he reached the tenth day in such a mode, he wrote: “On the tenth day it became truly difficult. Only then did I understand what it means to cast oneself aside. Something in me was destroyed, and something was born. I became a completely different person.” Such service was given to him as a personal practice for attainment. And at the time when others were attaining in retreat, he realized such diamond consciousness thanks to the unwavering casting aside of the “I.” In other words, he did not give rise to doubt even in such a harsh situation. And this is possible only when you have continuous meditation, continuous maintenance of the natural state.
Calmness of Thoughts and Non-Doing
“One need only calm one’s thoughts, and then you will not seek anything outside yourself, calmly and clearly reflecting external objects.”
When your thoughts are calm, you seek nothing outside yourself. You are fully satisfied; you know that seeking outside yourself is a great illusion, a delusion. It is impossible to influence your mind. But when your thoughts flow in a confused stream, you look for something outside yourself, you try to find support, and therefore your mind is easily confused.
When your thoughts are calm, you clearly reflect the external situation and can untangle the most complex things. Your mind is like a clean mirror. You know not only how to feed chickens, but also many other things: how to plan, how to govern, how to create. You can do all this very easily not only on the scale of a small group, but also on a vast scale, up to the scale of the universe. Why is this possible? Because your mind is clear, because personal problems no longer affect you. You can concentrate your mind on the problems of humanity, the universe, a large group of people, and take care of how to benefit them. Or you can concentrate your mind on some subtle global things, projects. All this happens very easily. However, if the mind is unclear, then doing this is impossible. Even a simple thing will cause you confusion, since you cannot properly reflect the situation.
“One need only trust the one who is functioning in you right now, and at once there will be no matter whatsoever.”
This is a very important phrase. One need only trust the deep awareness within you, and then there will not be a single matter in the universe that you would have to accomplish. This means that you will enter the gates of non-doing. To enter the gates of non-doing does not mean to abandon all actions, because you will perform them anyway. You will raise your arms, move your legs, move your jaws; your heart will function. You will not be able to avoid actions. As long as you have the energy of the body, actions will be performed.
To enter non-doing means to lose attachment, goals, bondage to hope and fear, and to act from the state of non-doing. When you enter non-doing, action is purified, becomes pure. When action is performed from non-doing, the world turns into a mandala, into pure space.
To the profane, ordinary actions and actions from the state of non-doing seem the same. However, the difference between them is as great as the difference between heaven and earth. Action from the state of non-doing is reunited with the Supreme Source and is its play. It is not a person bringing a spoon to his mouth, but the Supreme Source itself playing; an offering of nectar is being made to the deity. In the case of ordinary action, a person simply eats, actively consuming and then digesting food.
One Master would say this when he wanted to eat: “Being thirsts in me.” He did not say: “I want to eat.” He said: “Being thirsts in me.” That is, it was not his selfish desire. His mind was completely merged with the Absolute, and the Absolute manifested in this way in his body in the state of non-doing.
In general, Linji uses rather sharp expressions here. For example, he calls the monks “bald fools.” This is his sandhya-bhashya—a special symbolic language that allows the consciousness of those asleep to be awakened. He is one of the most radical teachers, whose sermons are like the sword of Manjushri, cutting through thousands of demons of duality in the minds of monks at every lecture.
The Four Immeasurables and an Even Mind
If your love extends only to what you like, then its value is small; it is not infinite. But to love what is unpleasant is already an attainment.
If your joy lasts only when conditions are favorable to it, then it is worldly joy. But to rejoice in contradictory conditions, when it would seem one should suffer, is true, infinite joy.
When you fully attain the four immeasurables, you will realize the indestructible diamond consciousness. Giving rise to divine pride and nurturing the four immeasurables are one and the same.
To be even-minded in a harmonious situation is of little merit. But to see the equality of a situation that is trying to destabilize you—that is infinite equanimity.
From the moment you came to the monastery, your mind must always be even, no matter what. Even if the earth and sky should tremble, the mind must be even. Therefore, constantly observe the mind.
Neither gods nor demons will disturb one whose mind is even. Only by attaining an even mind did all the Buddhas of the past achieve awakening. The whole trouble is that living beings fall into some karmic situation in which they cannot keep the mind even, and then higher spirits compel them to be reborn in the bardo. But one who has an even mind is respected even by gods like Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva as Parabrahman himself.
An uneven mind is a calamity; it is a gateway for Mara. It is a trap for the practitioner. An even mind is like a sword that cuts through all illusions. It is like a precious diamond, a true treasure for which one must fight every second. If you do not fight for an even mind, then you are only formally in the monastery, because to be in the monastery means to fight for an even mind day and night.
There is a saying: “If your mind is even, you abide in natural presence.” Neither joy nor sorrow should strike your heart. It is said that a true yogin must be like a person who would not even blink if the earth and sky changed places.
Which of you, upon finding yourself in hell, would not tremble, and upon finding yourself in heaven, would not rejoice, forgetting yourself? Only the one who constantly struggles for an even mind. If you do not attain an even mind, it is impossible to hope for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Even reaching the pure lands is difficult.
But if, from the early years of your novitiate, you understand the principle of the even mind, then all doors will be open before you, and even the gods will vie with one another to invite you to their heavenly abodes so that you may teach them the Dharma.
