Yang Ning
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Questioner: I feel like there’s so much in my subconscious, I don’t know if it’s real or… I feel
it’s just a delusion. For instance, at the liberation altar the other day, together with others, I
felt like my consciousness had so many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Master: Yes, it’s a meditative state.
Questioner: Even though I couldn’t see them,
Master: Yes.
Questioner: I had this strong feeling… like, on that tree over there, there seemed to be one. I
couldn’t see anything, but I just sensed their presence all around me.”
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It’s alright. What’s happening here… this is common in practice. You’re seeing into your inner
world. It’s neither good nor bad— it just is. As you keep going, you’ll see many spiritual
realms. Like, for example, if you wear something that’s been blessed, you’ll feel warmth or
other sensations, or see lights and others visions— we call these wholesome states.
Wholesome states don’t hinder your practice. If a vision starts affecting your practice— then
it’s no longer wholesome. In the practice, this doesn’t mean— that what affected you is
inherently ‘bad’. It’s just that you’re attached to it, so it’s no longer wholesome. As for these
visions, observe them and enjoy. It’s fine. Even visions of traveling far, or your body glowing,
gods and Buddhas filling the sky, no problem. Horns on your head, spikes on your skin— all
fine. Just keep watching. The point is YOU. What does ‘off-track’ really mean?
I read an article that said, genius on the left, madman on the right— and in practice, the point
is… mad people… what they say can sound just like… the way a total genius talks, it’s often
beyond ordinary perception, and it even sounds quite profound. How to spot a real psycho?
See if they can live a normal, everyday life. No matter how brilliant you sound, right now,
you’re human. Don’t forget, you’re still human. Even if today, you say, “Teacher, in meditation
I flew two laps in the sky, I just got back.” “A lap around the sun, and a lap around the Earth.”
I believe you. I really do. Because mind is everywhere. So vast— no outside; so subtle— no
inside, beyond time and space. It has no speed. In a blink, you’re round three times. One
thought— you’ve circled the Milky Way and back. Whatever you saw, it’s fine. … But can you
actually come back? Your spirit is back, but your mind is still there… you return acting all
“mystical”… “I went to the Milky Way, —have you?” I’m just giving an example. You see what
I mean? I read that article, just sharing it with you all. You’re fine. You’re doing fine. But for
some others, it’s a problem. You’re looking fine. Others get lost completely in their visions,
they can’t return to the human realm. That is “going off-track.”So… if you can return to ordinary life, at least you’re still speaking “human.” Like when
chatting around, “Hey, have you eaten yet?” Or, “Teacher, I had this vision today…” This is
just… a normal description. Saying, “It feels I was in this state…” And you’re even doubting it.
“Was it real or not?” This is still being human. It means you can still back to ordinary life, in
three dimensions. You’re not off-track as a human, seeing a cat, a mountain, anything… your
case is not off-track. It’s all normal. It’s called a state. But those states… because right now,
you live in your own self-verified state. Others haven’t had your experiences. These happen
only to you. So, the states you see are different from others. Everyone sees differently. Back
to the human realm, tell your parents, “I’m your child.” You can’t say, “I’m a Buddha.” To your
spouse, “I’m your wife.” Or, “I’m your husband.” Don’t say, “I’m a Bhumi Bodhisattva.” And
don’t tell your kid, “I’m no longer your mom.” “Your mom neither comes nor goes. Neither
here nor beyond— I’m Tathagata.” You can’t talk like that in the mundane life. Sure, you may
joke with your fellow practitioners. This is how we are… no matter how great or radiant your
state, come back to life, speak human words.
In the Diamond Sutra, Buddha attained the three bodies, yet he showed dying at eighty—
birth, aging, sickness, and death. Then in the Diamond Sutra, he walked home, and washed
his feet. Washed his feet; washed his alms bowl. Then he sat and taught the Dharma. The
sutra shatters all notions— notions of Buddha, miracle powers. An arhat can walk above the
ground, yet the Buddha washed his feet— he even got cow dung on them, right? In India,
with all those cows everywhere, it’s just dirty. He showed all this for a reason. No matter how
great we become, even if today, you reach a Bhumi, with great miracle powers, blazing with
light, you’re still… an ordinary being, living in the human realm. This is the ultimate home of
practice. Back to the world, back to the ordinary. That light is just a realized state. Even if
you’re perfect, like the Buddha— walking along the Ganges banks, he was on foot,
parinirvana at eighty. The Buddha can show otherwise. But to help his disciples detach from
all notions, Buddha is very ordinary. In Chan, it’s even more ordinary. Chan patriarchs were
just ordinary people, in the end, the sixth patriarch couldn’t read a word, no schooling at all.