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Chapter 19 - Master, What Do You Have? A medical doctor from a far away country came to visit me at the lakeside of Lake Sammamish. We sat solemnly and quietly at a round table, facing each other. "Master," said the doctor, "I find it strange that, although all the people in the world have two eyes, one nose, one mouth and two ears, you are honored as a master and I am not." I smiled, "Yes, the principle is very obvious. Why are you honored as a medical doctor and I am not?" "Master, I find you to be very ordinary. You have not even shaved very well. Your hair needs a haircut and your clothes are dusty." "You are right. Your medically trained eyes are quite extraordinary, and your observa-tion is also very keen. A so-called master or guru is a person who seeks inner illumination, that is, the shimmering inner heart which shines like a diamond. Externally, perhaps, he is practicing asceticism and radiating only the light of ordinary glass. "Then master, what do you have? What makes so many people in this world pay so much respect to you?" "Many people venerate me and learn from me, but not because they want to learn such arts as painting or music. Nor are they after the means to earn money, nor how to dress well and neatly. They are learning from me inner illumination. All I have to offer is just the knowledge which leads to inner illumination. Perhaps this is considered by some to be foolish and passe." "Master, can you explain it in a more concrete way?" "You might not understand what I will say, but you can try to listen carefully. A true Vajra Master is someone who understands thoughts and visualization best; he also teaches others about thoughts and visualization. A true Vajra Master is someone who has the supreme wisdom; he also teaches about wisdom. A true Vajra Master understands Empti-ness and Nothingness most; he also teaches his disciples about Emptiness and Nothingness. These abilities are what the master has." "Is there anything else you know?" "No, nothing more. Except for this: a true master can understand Lake Sammamish, but the worldly people do not necessarily understand Lake Sammamish. "Lake? This lake is an ordinary lake. Is there something special about it?" "Yes, Lake Sammamish is an ordinary, common lake. Apart from the water and the surrounding mountains, trees, and grass, it does not appear to have anything else. But, if this Lake Sammamish merges with a true master, then new and abundant knowledge will be generated. The thoughts, the wisdom, the Emptiness and Nothingness will emerge. This is what is different about what a master has." The doctor and I left the enclosing wall, crossed a wide street, and approached the lakeside. The sounds of the lake were murmuring. I opened up my mind and merged with the lake. I was not being controlled by the lake, nor was I controlling the lake. I was not teaching the lake, nor was the lake teaching me. But, the doctor did not quite understand what was going on. He was totally uncon-nected to the lake. Lake Sammamish is Lake Sammamish, and the doctor is the doctor. Just like a pig butcher who has no need for any church prayer, the doctor did not feel the necessity of prayer at all. The doctor did not understand Lake Sammamish. Perhaps in the residences by the lakeside, there are many people who also do not understand Lake Sammamish. So, not understanding Lake Sammamish, they are naturally not able to understand the master. Life at the lakeside is very pure and simple; it is also free of difficulties and strain. Worry has long since drifted far, far away. Desiring nothing has also made everything very easy. Clothes are unimportant; money is unimportant; the etiquette of people interacting with each other is unimportant. With no disruptive dreams, I always sleep throughout the night, not waking until the sun rises. I have no need to call and inquire after anyone; no need to appease or humor anyone; no need to learn to be slick and sly; no need to bow to the powerful. At the side of Lake Sammamish, there is no need to be too humble; nobody is a master and nobody is a servant. All is spontaneous and equal. I feel that I am very fortunate. Being a foolish Tantric practitioner, I am able to cultivate many useful things at the lakeside. These bits and pieces of Truth and Wisdom of the Cosmos are the priceless pearls of the world and can produce numerous masters. And no robber can take away these kinds of priceless pearls. Let me write a verse!
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