Buddhist-Meditation-Systematic-and-Practical

Maitripa had an attendant wiser than he and that
attendant saw that these small animals all achieved Full
Enlightenment by dying in this way. He even lamented
that he was a man, with no chance of getting
Enlightenment so quickly. Savaripa knew of this
attendant's wisdom and with a snap of the fingers
enabled him to fly through the air and then attain
heavenly birth. At the same time, the guru and his two
consorts disappeared, leaving Maitripa to bewail his loss.
For many years he was not able to meet them again.
From this story we should also understand that the usual
canons of conduct need not apply to those Fully
Enlightened Ones (though they often abide by it).
Vajrayana and Chan gurus may sometimes appear to act
in a "bad" manner, but they do this strictly as skillful
means and have, besides this, the resources of
supernormal powers with which to convert others. Their
actions are not comparable to those of common
unenlightened people, nor can their standards of conduct
be used by those still ruled by the five poisons. One
should therefore be careful not to judge an enlightened
mind too quickly.
b. The Obstacle of Propriety. In general, of course, for
the great majority of meditators, not to speak of
common persons, it is very beneficial to abide by
recognized standards of conduct. Both in ordinary
worldly life and in the training of the Hinayana, ethical
behavior is very useful and necessary; but if, in the
576