The Way Of The Future

Выходит что Зангези — это Чжуан-цзы:

Зангези:

Мне, бабочке, залетевшей
В комнату человеческой жизни,
Оставить почерк моей пыли
По суровым окнам, подписью узника,
На строгих стеклах рока.
Так скучны и серы
Обои из человеческой жизни!
Окон прозрачное «нет»!
Я уж стер свое синее зарево, точек узоры,
Мою голубую бурю крыла — первую свежесть.
Пыльца снята, крылья увяли и стали прозрачны и жестки.
Бьюсь я устало в окно человека.
Вечные числа стучатся оттуда
Призывом на родину, число зовут к числам вернуться.

2-й прохожий:

Бабочкой захотелось быть, вот чего хитрец захотел!

3-й прохожий:

Миляга! Какая он бабочка… баба он!

И сказал я: горе мне! погиб я! ибо я человек с нечистыми устами, и живу среди народа также с нечистыми устами, — и глаза мои видели Царя, Господа Саваофа. Тогда прилетел ко мне один из Серафимов, и в руке у него горящий уголь, который он взял клещами с жертвенника, и коснулся уст моих и сказал: вот, это коснулось уст твоих, и беззаконие твое удалено от тебя, и грех твой очищен. И услышал я голос Господа, говорящего: кого Мне послать? и кто пойдет для Нас? И я сказал: вот я, пошли меня. И сказал Он: пойди и скажи этому народу [то что] слухом услышите — и не уразумеете, и очами смотреть будете — и не увидите.

книга пророка Исаии (6: 5–7)

Оказывается, Велимир Хлебников родился в стане монгольских кочевников-буддистов.

Этой ночью в голове моей пусто,
Хотя прошлой в ней было столько гостей.
Когда я уже научусь выражать свои чувства
Без помощи этих слов-костылей?
На предыдущем витке просветления
Я перестал быть учеником.
Но, будучи зацеплен за логическое мышление,
Снова сделал себя дураком.
Молодое вино долго стоит в кадушке,
Ему нужно время чтобы созреть.
Не хмурьте бровь на квакающую лягушку –
Это лучшее, что она может спеть!

Another song translation, actually just one verse. This one’s from “The Blind” by Hvost. Enjoy!

The fool did not know
The wisest solution:
Stay stupid until
The end of your days.
The wise, having learned
This thought from his Guru,
Could barely reach
The level of fool.

Another Liberation-theme song, called The Instant. This is an old soviet mantra song from a movie called “Sannikov Land”. Hope you enjoy it.

All is ghost-like in this stormy world.
There is but the Instant,
So it is what you should hold on to.
There is but the Instant
Between the past and the future.
This very phenomena is what’s referred to as “Life”!

Dwelling in peace can hardly rejoice the heart,
Dwelling in peace is for the hoary Pyramids.
While for a star that has broken down,
There’s but one Instant, the dazzling Instant!

Though this world keeps rushing on through centuries,
My Goal is not always the same way.
What do I treasure in this life? What do I risk with?
Only this Instant, this Instant alone!

Whether happiness or suffering it is to be experienced,
There is only this Instant,
Hold on to it, Son.
There is but the Instant
Between past and future.
This very thing is what’s known as “Life”!

Summary of the highest teachings, from 100000 songs of Milarepa, stories 21-41.

Obstacles:

• bring all manifestations to the path: when you eat, drink, sleep, dream. If you’re determined to practice, you’ll understand this.
• utilize all sufferings as helpful conditions and gracious gifts
• like a crack of a horsewhip, demonic obstacles are good stimulants for indolent beginners
• unexpected shock sharpens one’s awareness
• demonic obstacles are the very causes that aid one’s body and mind in devotion and quicken the arising of Samadhi
• to those advanced yogis who have already reached stability on the Path, these obstacles become the nourishment of Wisdom
• transmute the obstacles into aids
• distracting, illusory and confusing thoughts are the Dharmakaya itself

Relationship with others:

• don’t look for recommendations from others, cut off the tie of influence, break through other’s domination
• self-respect is your royal elephant
• don’t forget your Self-Buddha pride
• he who submits to the will of others is ever sad

Meditation:

• relax completely, and observe what happens — this very act by itself produces strength
• meditate on Mind-Essence in effortless manner, especially if you find your mind running wild
• relax, relax, and come to Self-Realm; let go, let go, and in the flow of Awareness the pure and impure will become one
• search for nothing, don’t wish for accomplishment, this will cut off thoughts and ideas
• meditate on vastness and infinity, devoid of edge or center; use the depth of the pure sky or the ocean as the parable.
• meditate like a river flowing on and on
• observe the deep Essence of the wavering mind, observe the unstable change
• in practicing the Meditation-of-no-Perception, have you fallen into the pitfall of forms?
• do not bestir yourself and think too much but putting your mind at ease in the state of naturalness make no effort whatsoever
• when you behold the void nature of Mind, analyze it not as one or many

Study vs. Practice:

• don’t talk, shut-up and practice meditation. words, books, Sutras and Tantras don’t matter. Put it into practice.
• by merely understanding the Truth one will not be able to liberate oneself. Must proceed on the path, only then can actually realize what he has understood.
• don’t merely conceptualize the Void
• the knowledge has become too stupendous to comprehend, therefore try nothing else but work hard at the practice.
• never give yourself to studying words
• stop thinking so much and devote yourself to practice
• one may suppress desires and wandering thoughts but this alone will never ferry one across the ocean of Samsara. One needs Wisdom beyond form.
• concerning the View of Void Wisdom, the danger is to miss it through words and thoughts
• concerning the Illumination free from clinging, the danger is to miss it by adhering to mere concentration
• concerning the immaculate Fruit of Nakedness, the danger is to miss it through your thoughts.
• have you missed the Instructions because of mere verbal knowledge?
• have you lost the view of profound insight because of hindrance of dualism?
• are you still thinking the virtues are concrete and with definite form?
• merge all teachings into one practice
• when self-liberation appears within, engage not in logic and speculation
• when the Reality Beyond Playwords appears in your mind, do not let yourself indulge in talk, it is important to be humble and modest.

Paramitas and non-duality:

• self-control -> spontaneous action
• don’t boast of your understanding –>  the state beyond talking
• don’t boast of meditation experiences –> mind unified with Dharma Essence
• virtuous deeds to liberate sentient beings –> illusory nature of all beings
• not condemning others’ views –> understanding minds of others
• thanks to Guru must still be paid
• even if no fear of disturbance and distraction, remain in seclusion
• subdue habitual thinking and wandering thoughts –> be able to observe the mind
• realize self-awareness (the mind) as your Guru, until then stay with the teacher
• realize the truth of non-being, until then watch your Karma
• until Realization arises by itself, never forsake rules and rites
• transcend the separation of meditation and post-meditation, until then meditate in solitude
• make yourself always relaxed and free, until then keep your vows and precepts
• before all appearances have become aids in one’s meditation practice, Tantric Acts will be worldly desires disguised
• to take and to abandon is to be like a bee trapped in a net

Confidence:

• do not cherish any doubt
• stop thinking so much
• treading the Path of the deep Tantra, should one’s mind divided be, never can he attain accomplishment.
• if any unfaithful thought ever arises in one’s mind, he is not a great yogi
• observe the deep Essence of the wavering mind, observe the unstable change
• do not loose your faith, but increase your veneration
• if you loose not your faith, your prayers will be fulfilled
• in practicing the Action-of-Equality have you gone astray through indulgence and skepticism?
• the Ultimate Accomplishment is the full conviction of one’s mind
• the ultimate Guru is one’s mind; if one seeks elsewhere a Guru it is like trying to get rid of one’s own mind.
• do not feel uneasy but relax and set your mind at rest
• do not let the distracted thoughts mislead you into the trap of ego-clinging
• let the knots of skepticism untie  themselves
• when the Reality Beyond Playwords appears in your mind, do not let yourself indulge in talk, it is important to be humble and modest.
• “it’s this way, it’s that way” – it’s right here!

Conclusion:

Rest at ease w/o wandering thoughts, in the sphere beyond all words, in the non-doing state

Another song by E.Letov. This one is called Little Song about Holiness, Mouse, and Reed:

All night in the dream, something I knew so recklessly strange,
That in no way can be remembered, not by me, nor by you,
Nor by the mouse, nor by the reed, nor by the kennel, nor by the holster:

That which
Can’t be heard with ears,
Can’t be grasped with brains.

Blind hunter shoots by chance,
The cup has broken — therefore
Can’t catch up, can’t measure anymore,
Can’t catch up, can’t understand,

That which
Can’t be touched with hands,
Can’t be called with words.

Holy is, who caught the echo.
Twice is holy, who glimpsed the shadow.
Hundred times holy, in whose bosom lies,

That which
Can’t be seen with eyes,
Can’t be grasped with brains.

They easily laugh, their eyes are alive
They are not self-protective, they like living
And all them are together, this has always been so
They’re last who remember what Light is

When I am with them, I’m ceasing to die
They have open arms and colorful words
They breath the grass and are indifferent to everything
But Major is coming to have them destroyed

(after Ice Under Major’s Feet, by E. Letov, from Totalitarism)

So you say that Buddhism is like PHD while other religions are like college or school or even kindergarten. You also laugh at New Age saying it’s just healing and commerce and nonsense. I feel I need to explain my own view, which I think is the right view, because essentially it’s based on non-duality.

Every religion says it’s the right one. Every school of Buddhism claims it is superior. This makes it harder for materialistic people to adopt any religion and only causes further spread of western consumerist culture. Also, isn’t this a group version of egoistic thinking “I’m right and everybody else is wrong”?! Over thousands of years this attitude did not make anything better, only worse. Now is time to stop this and acknowledge that all rivers have the same water in them. Furthermore, we should not think “school X is for people with higher mental capacity” because mental capacity is not a single dimension that can be simply measured as “higher” or “lower”. Some people are better at left-brain thinking, some people at right-brain, and within each of these two there are infinite number of variations, talents, and capacities. Therefore we can only speak about “karmic affinity” to this or that religion. Yes, some religions get closer to the truth in terms of theoretical understanding, or in terms of immediate experience or in terms of faster realization, but if you enter the religion you’re not aligned with, you will still waste time even if it is a “better” religion. So, yes, “God is illumination”, whether you like that or not. Of course the God is void, just like Buddha is void or Dharma is void or any other subtle form.

Now, regarding New Age. Everybody laughs at New Age. Regular materialistic people laugh at New Age. Buddhism laughs at New Age. Every classic religion laughs at New Age. Actually, New Age is just a name stupid people use. What is New Age? It is the age we leave in now. You can’t say that current age is Old Age. At any time, 500 BC or 2010 AD, the current age is always the New Age.

In reality there are two phenomena that can be called New Age. One is the “popular” new age. This is what we refer to when we laugh at regular householders playing Shamans, Indians, and Buddhists like children play doctors. They make big eyes, bye colorful clothes, burn incenses and go for healing sessions. You call this kindergarten, and you’re right, but while this is a child’s play, it is still “better” than western materialistic culture, or communism, or making war.

But there is second New Age which is never spoken about. This second New Age people never call themselves New Age, maybe only to ridicule themselves. You can laugh at this second New Age too, but the truth is, these are the people who grew up amongst Soviet Communism and American Materialism, without any mountains or Gurus around, but against all odds they find books, they find mountains, they don’t learn many words, and although they drink wine or smoke marijuana or swear bad words they have intuition of the Path in their hearts. They may not be philosophically educated but they surely stay away from the worldly things, The Babylon as they call it. Most importantly, w/o any teachings they know the essence of all religions and they never say any religion is better than any other.

As one song says (forgive my bad translation, in reality it’s much more beautiful)

When I am with them I’m ceasing to die,
They have open arms and colorful words,
They breath the grass and they are indifferent to everything,
And they’re always together since beginning of times.

This is many words, but I wrote them not to enjoy myself but to make this important point. May the energy of this understanding spread around the world and enter the minds of other people.

Summary of highest instructions from 100000 songs of Milarepa based on stories 1-20.

Common mind and external objects:

• All manifestations, all outer forms are contained in the mind, are illusory visions of the mind.
• The root of confusion too comes from the mind. Evil of habitual thinking, clinging, desires.
• Clinging to the notion of ego.

Connection:

• Two-in-one: Void(ness) and form (aka manifestation) are identical i.e. not differentiated.
• Face the obstacles [during meditation and action] — they reveal the Void.
• Awaken from habitual thought of Storage consciousness

Nature of the subtle mind:

• Omnipresent like great space, knows all and lightens all.
• Illuminates all manifestations. Great illuminating self-awareness. Radiant, shining, bright.
• Is always blissful, embodied in bliss. great ecstasy.
• W/o coming and going. Unborn and immanent. No arising or extinction. w/o mutation or transition. w/o interruption. Perpetual.
• Non-clinging. Knows no self entity. Cannot be thought of or touched, not grasped, transcends all playwords. Has no description. Beyond words..
• Like feeling of staring into vast and empty pure sky. Transparent, yet vivid.

Meditation:

• meditation/not meditation/post meditation is a mistake
• instead, meditate all time, by day and night, constantly
• meditate in a manner of non-doing and non-effort, free from mind effort. no intentional effort.
• be non-distracted, beyond thoughts
• thoughts and mind both disappear
• if you watch it you can see nothing, fix the mind in this non-seeing state. something will be seen. assurance grows in your heart.
• stare / gaze
• for beginners who need some tangible form to get them going: imagine the infinity of space. imagine light endlessly spreading. taste the feeling. thoughts keep going like clouds but you watch the entire sky including all clouds, not just any single cloud.

Action:

• act naturally and spontaneously, w/o effort
• ask little questions and relax
• no actor, senses move freely but do not cling, no fear of change/flow. in all he does by day, attaches himself to nothing
• have peace of mind every time and no need to make any effort
• like  madman: no hope no fear no anxiety no panic no pretension, no confusion
• always happy / joyful; even if ups-and-downs
• indifferent to bad/good experiences, merge happiness & sorrow into one

Next steps:

• Easily to glimpse but hard to stabilize the realization. never depart from the experience.
• But this illumination is just surface experience of meditation (dhyana), its not The Wisdom
• Use it as foundation to penetrate Reality through deep thinking and contemplation
• Tie non-ego wisdom with rope of deep Dhyana plus kindness, compassion and bodhichitta
• When you see truth of the enlightened path — will see how wrong were your fears and hopes

Summary of summary.

• You already are the other bird 24/7