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Avalokiteshvara:
On Reaching Nirvana

Written by Anna Zubkova

Edited and translated from Russian
by Vladimir Antonov

Corrector of the English translation
— Keenan Murphy

Bodhisattva* Avalokiteshvara introduced Himself to us two years ago. He promised that, when the time comes, He will help to revive the true Buddhism on the Earth.

And now, He began to slightly open His ideas to us.

He led us to one of His favorite forest places, which we had visited before. Here, He is seen as the Dissolving Transparency.

Avalokiteshvara briefly showed us His Appearance: eyes shine with the deepest Tenderness… They draw one into His Depths, plunging one into the Infinite Primordial Calm… His smile, slightly touching His lips, shines from the Depths. It is internal, not external…

After showing us His Appearance, Avalokiteshvara again dissolves the visible outline of Himself. Only the clear sense of His Presence and His Blessing Touch remain… His Care — soft and gentle — hugs and caresses us from all sides… It is similar to a gentle breeze in the heat, or the warmth of the morning sun, or a calm, even flame of a campfire that has already been burning for a long time… And, everywhere in His Depths, there is the total Transparent Peace of the complete Unity into One with the Primordial Consciousness of the entire universe…

… When we had united with Him in His Transparency, He began to say:

“How simple it is to live, following the Path of inner peace and fulfilling only Good acts!

“True Buddhism is to carry purity, calm, and peace within oneself.

“The word shanti is much more comprehensive — in comparison with the words peace and tranquility. Unlike those words, shanti does not signify either idleness, or lethargy, or laziness, or wasting time.

“Restructuring life to stay in the bliss of sattva is the work of the transformation of both ourselves and the world around. But this transformation is not carried out by struggling against the world to change it into how ‘I want’ — but by changing ourselves to the extent that many people around us also desire to stay in the same harmony. That is non-violence.

“Conscious harmlessness (ahimsa*) and the giving away of love, harmony, and peace, are important for beginning the spiritual journey of the soul. In addition to this, we also need to attain purity in both goals and ideals, thoughts, and states of the soul.

“True Buddhism is the Path of justice and compassion, loving-kindness, silence, and peace of the soul.

“Buddhism teaches us to live without causing unnecessary worries to anyone in the universe, and to instead love and give gentle affection to others. And, by living in this way, one gradually learns to dissolve oneself in the Real Life, that is, in the Infinity of God’s Existence, the Existence of the Creator of all the ‘manifested universe’. As a result, one disappears as an individual ‘I’ — in the great state of Mergence with the Divine Primordial Consciousness, feeling oneself as being only Him. Then the feeling comes that there is nothing besides Him, the One Who lives in everything, including all material bodies. And He receives into Himself all the worthy Consciousnesses at the end of Their long journey Home.

“This state of the ‘burnt I’ is called Nirvana. Such an Ascetic becomes Part of the Primordial Consciousness and may manifest the Will of the One.

“This is Nirvana — wherein one is completely dissolved in God. This One has no other life, but the life of God!

“And the Life of God is one of Love and Care for all beings: for their development and perfecting.

“My Bodhisattva Teachings were exactly this.

“While preparing for the state of a Bodhisattva, an ascetic acquires the ability to wait in patience and peace for that unique moment to act — to act when the universe reveals the correct time for this particular action. Patience is a part of the great Wisdom of the Bodhisattvas.

“I will speak about this Path through short parables.

“I hope that My Love, being expressed now in the style of laconic wisdom, will help a large number of people who have the patience to read or hear My thoughts.

“Let My words, like the ringing of a bell in clear air, help ready souls to awaken from their sleep!”

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Parable on Patience

The Master was sitting motionless in a lotus position.

The disciples asked:

“How can You sit here and do nothing when there are so many troubles on the Earth?!”

“I do not increase them, and this, by itself, is already doing much…

“And, being in a state of Calm, I see those rare moments when My words or actions may bring benefit and reduce suffering and distress.

“Then — I act.”

Parable on Small and Large

One day, a man reproached the Master:

“You could lead all humanity to Liberation, but You only teach people to love all beings and to do no harm. But this is so little! What You do is nothing more than a drop in the sea!”

“Yes, but the sea is made of drops! All great deeds start from small beginnings! To light a flame, it is first necessary to make a spark…

“The transformation of souls is similar: it starts with simple efforts. The Great Path to Nirvana becomes possible only after a small flame of love is kindled in the spiritual heart of the spiritual seeker!”

Parable on Doubts

Someone once asked the Master how to conquer doubt and uncertainty. The Master replied:

“All that one has, one can use to benefit oneself — or to harm oneself.

“If you do not believe in success, then you should not even embark on a journey! Why start a path where at the end you visualize only defeat?

“You should also not start any deed, if you consider it meaningless. This is a waste of the precious time of life in the body!

“But, if you do not critically analyze the correctness of your own steps on a selected path, — then it is possible to get so lost that you will be obliged to backtrack for a long time. In particular, if you do not think about what good or bad will be brought to the world through your deeds, you will cause a lot of troubles for others and for yourself!

“Indecision and fluctuations are inherent to a disturbed mind. Learn to immerse the mind in the peace of the heart! Only in the developed spiritual heart, can you feel the Truth! Only in it, can the Bodhisattvas show you the right choice!

“When you learn to keep your mind in the silence of the spiritual heart, your own critical analysis will then help you.

“Doubts will then turn into the ability to discern between good and bad, right and wrong. This will help you to avoid mistakes and strengthen your confidence on the Path of Love and Goodness!

“Only the heart’s love will allow you each time to make the right choice!”

Parable on the Help from the Master

Every day, students and simply curious people came to the Master and listened to His instructions and explanations. Day after day, He not only told them the commandments of kindness, compassion, and the nature of the world order, but also taught them how to immerse themselves into inner silence, and how to master meditations.

But one day, the Master said:

“I have taught you everything that was supposed to be taught. Now everyone must continue to develop themselves!”

“Did You tell us everything that You Yourself know? Do You have nothing more to teach us?» — some disappointed listeners asked, believing that by only listening to the speeches of the Master and being in His presence, — they would become perfect…

And many of these listeners went to seek other gurus… to listen and listen to the words of wisdom…

Only a few stayed with the Master so that they could help His new beginner students.

And they, in so doing, discovered for themselves the further steps of the Path and received the help of the Master.

They succeeded!

No matter how great are the skills of a Master, every student must still overcome the Path themselves! And no matter how great is the Teacher, it will not make disciples Enlightened!

The task of a Master consists only in specifying the Path and explaining how to walk it.

Parable on Conceit

One student said to the Master:

“I have finally overcome pride!”

“This is not so, my friend! If this happened, you would not tell Me about this! But you would prefer to remain in the happiness of existing in the Divine Fire of Nirvana — instead of boasting about your successes!”

Parable on Victories and Defeats

One man asked the Master about how not to be sad from failures and how not to be proud of one’s victories over rivals.

The Master said:

“When you master yourself, you will no longer have any failures or rivals!”

Parable on Wisdom

One student argued all the time, discussing statements from books with other students — instead of meditating.

The Master gently chided him:

“Instead of opening your mouth once again, it would be better to open your mind — to wisdom, and the soul — to inner calm!

“Clarity of understanding easily disappears in the excitement of thoughts. But, when the mind is calm, truth becomes apparent!

“You will not gain wisdom through books alone! You have to open the wisdom in yourself, becoming that soul, which has cognized the Primordial Consciousness! Only then will there be wisdom — and this wisdom will be yours!

“Only then will the wisdom of the Those Who Have Attained become your own wisdom!

“I would like everyone to be endowed with their own wisdom. And no one is able to give you such wisdom; it must be attained through your own efforts!”

Parable on the Past, Present, and Future

Students wanted to get predictions from the Master about the future. And they also asked Him to tell them about their own past lives. He replied:

“Whoever, in a continuous bustle, is overly concerned about one’s future or worries about one’s past, is missing the present!

“And it would be right to learn to live in the true present, that is, in the true Divine Existence!

“Events come and go…

“The past and the future are connected through every moment of now.

“Let human life, in its every moment, at every moment of now, be filled with peace, love, tenderness, and beauty!

“This will make every new moment even more beautiful and saturated with true happiness!

“This is life on the crest of the carrying wave of the Ocean of Divine Consciousness! Or, the diving into the Depths of Its Infinity!”

Parable on the Rock and the Avalanche

Once, the Master and His disciples were in the mountains. One student used his foot to push a small stone off the edge of a cliff — to see how it would fall to the bottom… The stone, colliding with other stones, caused a rockslide. The roar sounded over a long distance.

The discouraged student guiltily looked up at the Master.

“Why have you broken the peace and quiet?”

“I did not want to do that… I’m sorry! I — just out of curiosity… I wanted to see how deep it was…”

“Well, let this be an example for all: even a small action, which is devoid of good qualities and disturbs the peace, can lead to large consequences:

“One small stone thrown into the abyss — can cause a rockslide in the mountains.

“A little quarrel between two people — can escalate into hatred and make them enemies for life.

“The revenge of some people on others — can grow into enormous bloody wars between nations.

“Like an avalanche, the effects of any action can amplify. Therefore, never break the calm, peace, and harmony in vain!

“You should never throw a stone without considering the consequences of such an action!

“And, after having seen the possible consequences that even small errors can make, learn not to make big mistakes!”

Parable on Bothering Others

A beginner student of the Master had a bad quality: he always pointed out to others their shortcomings. He lectured and reproached others, not even noticing that no one wanted to listen to him! By his homilies, he caused irritation and resentment among the people on which he often poured his edifications. But he himself considered it as one of his virtues, thinking that through this he was helping others…

The Master was waiting for an opportunity to help this student to see his problem.

… Once, an annoying fly buzzed and circled around this pupil, while he was picking berries for jam. The fly sat on his hands and face… He could not get rid of its annoying presence!

The Master noticed how much it annoyed the student, and said:

“You should be calm, my friend!”

“But what must I do?! I am so frustrated! I even want to kill it!…”

“Do not rush: God is teaching you a lesson by using this annoyance. It points you to a problem in yourself!”

“What problem?”

“You’ve heard the saying that when you point a finger at the defect of another — the remaining fingers are left pointing at you!

“You yourself often reproach others about their imperfections, in a way that it is quite out of place! Your comments are intrusive and not beneficial because they are made at the wrong time! It’s always better, when you see the defect of another, to turn your critical look at your own similar faults! Transform yourself, and then other people will want to follow your example!”

… When the student understood the Master, a little bird deftly caught the fly. And harmonious birdsong filled the space…

Parable on the Ability to Listen and Speak

Once, a disciple asked the Master:

“How can I learn the art of conversing properly?”

“Remember two simple rules:

‘To listen carefully — this means to display love to the other person!

‘And to speak, making sure that you are understood, — this is a manifestation of concern for your interlocutor!”

Parable on How to Lose Weight

An overweight man once asked the Master:

“How do I cope with the constant desire to eat? I force myself to go hungry — but then, I again realize that I think only about food… My thoughts are consumed by only desires associated with food! I’m so tired of fighting with my vice!…”

“This is very easy! Just try to turn your attention towards caring for others!”

Parable on the Sufferings of Mankind

One day, the Master was asked:

“Why is it that so much time has already passed since Shakyamuni Buddha proclaimed to people the Teachings of Truth, of reaching Nirvana, and of the state of the Buddha — yet the lives of people are still full of misery and sorrow?”

The Master answered:

“If you ask people if they want to get rid of suffering, most will answer ‘yes’. But then we must ask them why they do not fulfill His Teachings in their lives?…”

Parable on Non-Action

One man thought that he had mastered non-action. For this, he would try to do nothing, believing that it was a high manifestation of spirituality…

One day, he came to the Master and expected to hear praise for his progress.

But the Master said to him:

“Those, who are waiting for perfection to come by itself, without committing their own enormous efforts, are wrong!

“Non-action is not idleness!

“Meditation is namely work — the work of the soul, consciousness!

“You have not yet even started the ethical cleansing of yourself, but already expect to receive praise!

“The one, who lazily lies down and watches others who are walking on the Path, is not equal to those who persistently go to their Goal!”