Commentary on the text “The Master’s Code”
Chapter 54. The First Step. Patience.
1. What does a disciple begin his Path with after entering the gates of the Master’s school?
2. He practices boundless patience, the ability to wait and believe. For days, weeks, months, and years on end, he waits patiently, like a solitary, mysterious dragon in a cave, doing his work until his patience grows, giving rise to boundless faith, willpower, fortitude, and mastery over himself and events.
First, we cultivate patience in order to gain mastery over ourselves and events, and to attain boundless willpower and fortitude. For years, we patiently perform our inner work, our alchemy; we nurture our awareness. Often, when you hear lectures on non-doing and contemplative presence, it may seem that liberation is easily attained, but this is certainly not the case. When the siddhas speak of non-doing and contemplative presence, they speak from their own highest level of realization. But before realizing it, they went through a very long and rigorous period of sadhana and training. It is very important not to overestimate your abilities, but, alongside understanding the highest teaching, to pay attention to the most essential foundational practices.
We follow the siddha tradition, which means that we adhere to the lineage of the ancient masters and their approaches to practical training. The tradition of the ancient masters emphasizes two things at once: first, the disciple is immediately told that the highest teaching is the direct vision of shunyata; second, emphasis is placed on thorough preparation, careful cultivation of the method, and prolonged training. It is precisely thanks to this approach that true realization is attained in our tradition. A roughly similar approach exists in the ancient martial arts traditions. When a disciple arrives, he is told, “For the first two years, you need to develop bodily stability.” And thanks to thorough preparation, the disciple can achieve excellent results.
3. The path to mastery over oneself lies through patience.
4. Patience, honed over years, becomes the disciple’s destiny and way of life.
5. To those who have attained boundless patience, the Spirit of the Path reveals a great mystery. It shows that the Path chosen by the disciple is the Path of eternity. Eternity lies behind; eternity lies ahead. Fuss and haste are out of place here; rapid success is impossible. The path of patience cuts away all illusions and falsehood in the disciple, compelling him, for the first time, to truly respect his choice.
Whenever someone has a “hasty” mind, I tell them, “Wait, time is different here. Why are you in such a hurry? Simply enter into this taste, into this different vision. You have years, decades ahead of you. You must enter into this vision carefully and meticulously, without haste, without making mistakes, without overlooking anything. You have an entire lifetime ahead of you, and you are slowly, gradually entering the world of the siddhas. Do not expect everything to be revealed to you at once. Be prepared for many things to remain closed to you for decades. This is not because something is being hidden from you, but because you need to accumulate a new vision in order to be able to see them. Proceed methodically toward your goal, without sudden spurts and without looking back—that is patience. Cultivate and train day after day, steadily, without expectations, without grand hopes.”
All grand hopes collapse, whereas practice without great expectations, on the contrary, brings the greatest hopes to fruition. Of course, everyone wants to become a buddha, but first one must at least complete ten thousand prostrations. That is much easier. It is elementary. For example, I have heard that a laywoman in Odesa has already completed ten thousand prostrations. The practice methodology is such that the disciple is given tasks that gradually become more difficult. They must be mastered diligently. For example, after completing the foundational practices, one must attain mindfulness and the first dhyana. Increasing your effort and mastery, you proceed steadily toward your goal for years, without distraction and without stopping. This is the true path to insight.
Gradually, you deepen your vision of the Dharma. First you undertake short retreats; then they become longer. Gradually, the emphasis shifts from service to practice; you undertake still longer retreats, followed by a prolonged period of seclusion and dark retreat, in which you completely renounce all of samsara and, while still alive, enter the bardo (the world after death), experiencing jyoti yoga and working with special instructions. Then you emerge from retreat to integrate your new experience into everyday life and learn to live with this new vision and practice non-doing, after which you once again enter into prolonged practice.
6. By acquiring patience, the disciple understands for the first time how to look at himself and the world through the eyes of eternity. Those who gave up, who failed to pass the stage of patience and attain wholeness, continue dreaming for the rest of their lives, for the Spirit of eternity has not touched them.
One disciple came to his teacher with this request: “Guru, I would like you to teach me how to walk through walls and teleport.” The teacher said, “Of course. But first, go to the cowshed; it needs to be cleaned up after the cow.” The disciple was deeply disappointed. But Dharma has its own laws. Whenever a disciple asks about contemplative non-action, I tell him, “You need to enter a new consciousness. With your present consciousness, even if I tell you about it, you will not be able to apply it.” Therefore, we begin by changing our karmic vision and cultivating a new consciousness.
Their only Path is to begin the Path of patience anew.
Step Two. Cultivating the Will
What comes next once patience has been cultivated? Next, one must develop willpower and concentration.
Chapter 55. Step Two. Cultivating the Will.
1. What is the disciple’s second step on the Path? He practices attaining boundless will. Will is the energy of the Spirit itself.
2. Will is a priceless gift from the Infinite Spirit to man. But only one who has proven his right to gain mastery over it can make use of it.
Many understand qualities such as will and others as something personal and purely psychological. But this is not so, because all our personal qualities are prototypes of universal shaktis; in particular, will is a manifestation of iccha-shakti within us. To develop will within is also to master the universal iccha-shakti, through which karmic vision can be changed.
3. How is mastery over the will attained? Mastery over the will cannot be attained, for it is itself the source of supreme power. However, one can gain its patronage by earning its respect and making it an ally.
4. The power of a Master’s will is so boundless that even the gods respect him. The disciple must attain this power.
Thus, one should also practice concentration, training the will. Will is the power of our intention, the ability to hold a chosen object one-pointedly in consciousness, the ability to concentrate and devote oneself completely to what one is doing. This is also called the “art of sankalpa.” When sankalpa is expressed powerfully, space literally “adjusts” itself to the yogi’s intentions, “bends,” and karmic vision changes before one’s eyes. This is why many great yogis were able to change this world through the power of their sankalpa.
Overcoming the Mighty Forces of the Universe
5. The path to freedom is blocked by mighty forces of the universe that govern the destinies of all beings. They possess a boundless will that no human can resist, and nothing can compel them to change their intention except another, even more powerful boundless will—the will of a person who has become a Master.
Thus, when we say that the path to liberation lies through the purification of karma, these are not abstract matters. One could say that when we follow the path of liberation, we must free ourselves from Brahma’s intention, from collective karmic vision, from Yama’s intention, and from many other subtle energies that govern samsara. These energies are both internal and external, and to free oneself from their influence means to generate a will that surpasses their intentions. Then, in Yama’s heavens, your name will be struck from the book of death, with the words: “This jiva is worthy; he has earned the right to leave the ranks of mortals.”
This world, this universe, is the will of Brahma, the absolute being. His will extends to all living beings, but in different ways. For living beings that lack awareness, it manifests as karma accompanying samsara. For beings that have developed their awareness, it manifests differently—as liberation, as supreme rebirth. And when we develop will, we thereby demonstrate to our inner universal forces our readiness for liberation.
How can this be expressed? For example, in a dream you see beings superior to you who place obstacles in your way. If you possess awareness, you can awaken within the dream, and then the dream dissolves through the power of your concentration. If you lack awareness, the dream dominates you; you do not control it. Roughly the same thing happens in the bardo. When a living being leaves the body, the servants of Yama drag some and simply escort others to Yama-loka, where the soul is judged, the records of the secretary Chitragupta are examined, karmic deeds are weighed, and the place of the next reincarnation is determined.
Chitragupta, Yama, and the yamadutas (Yama’s servants) are all energies that a living being interprets in this way. But because these energies are more conscious and more powerful, the living being submits to them and can do nothing. It is similar to how you submit to a dream if you are not aware while dreaming. But developing awareness and will means being able to demonstrate a power of clarity that surpasses the records of Chitragupta, Yama, and the yamadutas, to disregard the law of reincarnation and say something like: “I am not an ordinary mortal; I am a siddha yogi, and therefore I am not subject to the general laws of rebirth. I am free from your power.” To say this means to express bhava, manifest sankalpa, and convince these subtle energies and deities of the depth of one’s awareness. To convince them means to self-liberate these energies.
It is said that a yogi who can do this governs reincarnation according to his own will. Then these subtle energies say: “Yes, this yogi has indeed attained a high level of consciousness. He can determine his own reincarnation, so let us leave him alone. He is not subject to our rules.” These subtle energies have many rules concerning different classes of living beings, and according to the yogi’s level they tell him: “This yogi is reborn under the rule of freedom of choice.” This is what is meant by the power of clarity and will that enables one to transcend the laws of samsara.
6. Only the boundless will of a Master is capable of intervening in the course of past events and switching the tracks of destiny. An ordinary, weak-willed being is incapable of this and is therefore like a prisoner in a dungeon, a fly stuck in honey, or a bird entangled in a snare.
7. By developing boundless will and becoming a Master, the disciple gains the power to direct events as he, and no one else, desires.
When it says “as he desires,” this does not mean some selfish desire. One could say that he directs events as the higher essence within him, the God within him, desires.
His desire and the desire of the Infinite Spirit become one; therefore, events obey him, and progress along the Path becomes possible.
8. Once even a measure of will has been attained, there is nothing in the world that the disciple cannot accomplish. When impeccable will is directed toward the desired goal, the result comes by itself.
At first, the disciple trains and cultivates consciousness, contemplation, and samadhi. Someday, having become a master and a saint, he advances to the next stage of evolution and becomes a deity. Then he himself begins to create inner universes, direct events, and alter karmic vision. Through the power of his will and his intention, his spiritual life enters a new phase. This is the period of celestial beings, a time of play and creativity, when his impeccable will influences karmic vision, manifesting the mandala of pure vision.
If the result does not come, it means that the will has not been developed or the wrong direction has been chosen. Developed will gives the disciple boundless control over himself and over any events in his life. The only thing that cannot be controlled, before which even boundless will is powerless, is the Infinite Spirit, for will is merely its energy, a part of it.
Will and the Path of Non-Action
Practicing the path of non-action does not mean simply drifting weak-willed at the mercy of the waves. Developing will does not contradict the path of non-action; moreover, true non-action is revealed when the willpower of yoga is already sufficiently developed within us. God’s grace descends most fully into a vessel that has been purified and completely prepared. The path of effortless presence and the descent of absolute power manifests best in a mind that possesses willpower, ichchha-shakti.
For example, I used to try to enable students to experience continuous awareness and the samadhi of light within six months through the power of my own consciousness. There was even one student who received shaktipat. In a short time, these students had experiences that some find difficult to attain even after twenty years of practice: the samadhi of light, continuous light in consciousness at night, and the cessation of breathing. Then I stopped doing this, realizing that the students lacked the willpower and concentration to sustain these experiences. I thought there was no point in giving them such experiences if their willpower had not yet been developed.
9. Those students who have acquired patience but have failed to develop boundless will can only believe and hope. They cannot direct events or achieve what they desire. They are unable to switch the tracks of destiny, because the will of the powerful beings controlling their lives proves much stronger.
What are these powerful beings that control one's life? They should not be understood in an eternalist sense. They are the karma and kleshas we are speaking about. Karma and kleshas are not necessarily merely something internal in the form of consciousness; they can manifest as subtle-material beings, as inner deities, demons, obstructing spirits, and so forth. Monks who have practiced contemplation for a long time understand what is meant.
Often, when a yogi meditates extensively and undergoes purification, he comes face to face with karmic creditors who present him with various bills. These are the beings controlling his life at that moment. And when he wishes to free himself from them, what is called the “battle with demons,” temptation, and so forth begins, because these controlling beings—the karmic creditors—are in no hurry to set the student free. But if the power of the yogi's consciousness is great, he passes through this period and his karma is purified.
11. How else is will cultivated? Through detachment. On the path of developing will, there is nothing in the world from which a student cannot detach, even if that thing is the student himself. Boundless will can be cultivated only with the help of a Master; it is impossible to attain it on one's own, except in dreams. For when proceeding on his own, sooner or later the student will want to convince himself that he has already attained it.
12. When teaching a student, a true Master always begins by teaching him patience and boundless will. If he does not teach the student these things, it can mean only one of two things: either the Master is not destined to teach, or the student already possesses them.
13. No training is possible until the student's patience and boundless will have been developed. Developing boundless will does not mean losing lightness, love, creativity, playfulness, and spontaneity on the Path. It means giving them infinite depth.
Developing Will Through Concentration and Dhyanas
So, how is will developed? Through concentration. Ordinarily, through concentration you should develop dhyanas, that is, levels of meditative absorption. How is dhyana experienced? For example, the monks' assignments include the following line: attain the first dhyana within three years. Attaining the first dhyana, the samadhi of the first dhyana, indicates that the yogi is capable of being reborn in the heavens of Brahman in the next life. This means that the yogi is able to enter the first dhyana at any moment he wishes.
What is the first dhyana? And what is access concentration? First, you concentrate on a point or a candle flame. Then you concentrate on an inner image. Your concentration should be such that your mind continuously touches the visualized object or point, like a stream of flowing oil, until consciousness and the point merge into one, until breathing begins to cease and the body feels light. You begin with five minutes, adding one minute each week. You continue in this way for six months, until the duration of your concentration reaches one hour. Once you reach the one-hour stage, you will be able to experience absorption in the first, second, and third dhyanas. Such absorption occurs when you can continuously hold the object of concentration for twenty-nine minutes without becoming distracted.
Preliminary stage (access concentration).
Distracting thoughts are overcome. Other thoughts and awareness of the body's sensory perceptions remain. The thought of the main object of concentration predominates. Feelings of rapture, happiness, and equanimity may arise. Once thoughts of the main object of concentration have begun, they are sustained. At times, there may be flashes of light or a feeling of lightness in the body.
Thus, at the stage of access concentration, the main object is maintained, but thoughts still arise and move around the periphery. In general, at the stage of access concentration, the main object no longer slips away. There is no great agitation or dullness. We usually say that a monk's main enemies in meditation are dullness and agitation, but these enemies are not permanent. In other words, at some point they are overcome, and then the experience of access concentration, the first dhyana, arises.
The First Dhyana.
With prolonged, uninterrupted focusing of the mind on the object of meditation, a moment comes when surface consciousness is overcome for the first time. This is complete absorption, or dhyana. The mind suddenly seems to immerse itself in the object and remains motionless within it. Distracting thoughts disappear completely. There are neither sensory perceptions nor ordinary awareness of one's body. Physical pain is not felt. Consciousness is dominated by rapture, bliss, and one-pointedness. When they arise simultaneously, these are the signs of dhyana.
Thus, the first dhyana contains one-pointedness, rapture, and bliss. What does attaining the first dhyana mean? It is when you can effortlessly hold the object for twenty-nine minutes. And what is mastery? It is when, having immersed yourself in this object at any time, you can remain seated for as long as you deem necessary (five hours, a day, three days—as long as you wish) without emerging from this state.
When this occurs, the yogin is said to have mastered the ability known as samyama. What is samyama? Samyama is the triad of dharana, dhyana, and samadhi. In other words, concentration and meditation that develop into samadhi are called samyama. Through the power of samyama, karmic vision is overcome and any abilities can be attained; the yogin attains various kinds of samadhi.
Samyama and Knowledge of the Worlds
Here is what the Shandilya Upanishad says about this:
Through samyama on Om, he comprehends all things. Holding the mind on the tip of the nose, he gains knowledge of the world of Indra; holding it below, he gains knowledge of the world of Agni. Through samyama on the chitta of the eye, he gains knowledge of all worlds; of the ear—knowledge of the world of Yama; on the areas beside the ears—knowledge of the world of Nirriti.
Samyama is very important to us as a basic practice when concentrating on a point, and later it is important when concentrating on the chakras. When samyama is performed on various parts of the body, energies moving through the body's channels are generated. Through these energies, the yogin can connect with the worlds corresponding to the channels of his body, since the microcosm of the body is identical to the macrocosm. Your forehead, nose, ears, and so on are a kind of gateway into other worlds. If you perform samyama on a particular point of the body, activating the pranas and nadis at that point, after some time you will have a corresponding mystical experience. You may see the deities of the worlds with which these channels are connected.
“Behind the ear—knowledge of the world of Varuna (the waters); on the chitta of the left ear—knowledge of the world of Vayu (the wind).”
For example, when the yogin concentrates on the auditory consciousness of the left ear, he becomes aware of the subtle aspects of prana.
“Of the throat—knowledge of the world of Soma (the moon); of the left eye—knowledge of the world of Shiva; of the head—knowledge of the world of Brahma (Brahma-loka); of the front part of the feet—knowledge of the world of Atala.”
The world of Atala is one of the hellish worlds, the world of the lowest, grossest energies.
“Of the feet—knowledge of the world of Vitala; of the ankles—knowledge of the world of Nitala; of the calves—knowledge of the world of Sutala.”
All these worlds are dominated by wrathful energies, with wrathful deities as their rulers. These are very harsh worlds. Sinners whose prana was fixed in their legs usually end up there. Naturally, there is no point in beginning practitioners descending into these worlds. Only a yogin who possesses great powers of energy sublimation and is able to manifest wrathful pranas as part of the natural state can visit these worlds; therefore, concentration on the feet and the lower parts of the body below the muladhara is not practiced.
“On the knees—knowledge of the world of Mahatala; on the thighs—knowledge of the world of Rasatala; on the lower back—knowledge of the world of Talatala; on the navel—knowledge of the world of Bhu; on the abdomen—knowledge of the world of Bhuvar; on the heart—knowledge of the world of Svar.”
The world of Bhuvar means the astral plane; the world of Svar means the upper world of the gods, the higher world of forms.
“On the place above the heart—knowledge of the world of Mahar; on the chitta of the throat—knowledge of the world of Jana; on the chitta of the place between the eyebrows—knowledge of the world of Tapas.”
The points above the anahata chakra and up to the space between the eyebrows are all different levels of the causal world, or the formless world.
“On the chitta of the head—knowledge of Satya-loka (the world of truth). By going beyond dharma and adharma, the past and future are known. By samyama on the sound produced by any being, the meaning of that living being’s sound is known.”
A yogin who can perform samyama on the sound emanating from a living being can understand the language of birds and animals.
Thus, samyama and the points of the body are a separate subject requiring extensive explanation. The key to all these attainments and to understanding them is the ability to concentrate, based on willpower, which develops into samadhi.
Samyama on Karma and the Minds of Others
“By samyama on sanchita karma, one’s previous births are known.”
If your concentration is strong and you can accomplish samyama, you enter your subconscious and begin analyzing the samskaras located in your subtle body. It is like browsing files on a computer: the samskaras then reveal your past lives. This is usually accompanied by a voice explaining it to you, or you see yourself, and everything unfolds very quickly. Within a few minutes, the main aspects of your life unfold like a film.
“By samyama on another person’s mind, their thoughts are known.”
If your concentration is strong, you can enter another person’s subtle body and know their thoughts. This is not so difficult. I used to observe students in this way. Even if a person’s surface consciousness says one thing, their soul represents a truer state. In their surface consciousness, a person may not display even signs of realization, yet their subtle body may be very elevated. It may remain hidden. And when, through the power of samyama, you can enter another person’s subtle body, you can see their true motivation.
For example, I once meditated at the Sivananda Center in Simferopol. Lay students were passing by. When I concentrated on their minds, all the students passed by in their subtle bodies as usual, but the astral body of one mataji made a namaste gesture. This signified devotion and commitment at the subconscious level in the subtle body. On another occasion, I communicated with the subtle body of a monk who behaved normally, but when I spoke with him in the subtle body, he had a subconscious tendency toward irritation that he carefully concealed. In the same way, you can know a person’s true intention if you enter their subtle body. It manifests somewhat differently because it lives, as it were, a life of its own.
Once, a monk went on a trip. I had not heard from him for a long time and thought, “What is he doing there?” When I concentrated, I saw protective spirits who safeguard monastic vows. These protective spirits said, “Come with us, we’ll show you now. Look, do you see him? There he is.” You can see the minds of other people only after mastering the power of concentration. You can receive information about a person by directly seeing their mind, or spirits can tell you about it if you are interested. But since I have not been interested in this for the past five years, I no longer do it.
Projection of the Body and Other Abilities
“Through samyama on kaya-rupa (the physical body), other bodies become visible.”
This is a special point that requires clarification. When samyama is performed on the physical body, the yogin can project his physical body to other places. You gain the ability to project distinctly a subtle body that assumes the appearance of your physical body in another place, such as another city.
“Through samyama on strength, the strength of Hanuman is attained.”
When I was practicing for a long time in retreat, one mataji called and asked, “Did you come to visit us?” I said, “I did not come to you in my physical body; I was simply concentrating on it.” My subtle body was actually visible to the naked eye, and then it disappeared. I do not consider this a great siddhi. It is an ordinary result of the yogic practice of concentration. Even two nuns and one lay practitioner in our community accomplished something similar after intensive retreats.
“Through samyama on the sun, knowledge of the subtle worlds is attained. Through samyama on the moon, knowledge of the constellations is attained. Through samyama on the Pole Star, the movement of the firmament is known. Through samyama on one’s own essence, Purusha is known.”
For us, this line from the Upanishads is the most important. To abide in natural contemplation is to perform samyama on one’s own essence. We concentrate on the nature of Mind until we merge completely with it, and then it is said: “Purusha is known; the absolute Spirit is known within consciousness.” The entire practice of natural contemplation is nothing other than continuous concentration on the inner essence.
“Through samyama on the navel, knowledge of kaya-vyuha is attained (the mystical interconnection of all the particles of the body, which enables a person to work out all their karma in a single lifetime).”
Samyama on the navel makes it possible to become aware of the subtle body and gain extensive experience of the astral world.
“Through samyama on the throat, freedom from hunger and thirst is attained. Through samyama on the kurma-nadi (which is located in the throat), steadfastness is attained. Through samyama on the tara (the pupil of the eye), the vision of siddhas is attained. By becoming the lord of akasha within his body, he becomes capable of moving through akasha. Having mastered samyama, the yogin attains the supernatural powers inherent in the object on which he concentrates. Through samyama on anything, he attains all the abilities associated with the object of his samyama.”
Samyama as a Path to the Supreme Source
Supernatural powers are not our goal. Samyama is important to us in the context of our connection with the Supreme Source. It can be said that contemplation is samyama sustained continuously. We concentrate on the Supreme Essence and hold it constantly. We make this sustained awareness flexible by bringing it into everyday life. All other kinds of samyama are merely extensions of this principal samyama and aids to it.
