Nurturing the Spirit of Heaven and Earth, Loving Nature and the Rivers and Mountains

Xuefeng

All things in heaven and earth, all of nature, are both the intrinsic and extrinsic manifestations of the Tao. Between heaven and earth, there is nothing noble and nothing lowly, nothing useless and nothing to be discarded. From bacteria to celestial bodies, from plants to mountains and rivers, all are manifestations of the Tao, all are components of the Tao.

Humans are part of nature, seamlessly integrated with the Tao. This means that humans are one with all things in heaven and earth. Therefore, we must cultivate the spirit of heaven and earth, love nature and the rivers and mountains. To show contempt for heaven and earth is to show contempt for oneself. To destroy nature and the rivers and mountains is to bring devastation upon oneself.

Selfishness is self-destruction, and self-destruction is selfishness. A person who lacks the spirit of heaven and earth is bound to act selfishly and recklessly. A person who does not love nature and the rivers and mountains will inevitably become an evil being, ultimately suffering nature’s retribution.

The so-called spirit of heaven and earth is the ability to merge oneself into all things in heaven and earth. I am everything, and everything is me. As long as all things exist, I exist; if all things perish, I perish. I coexist with the universe and all its creations.

With the spirit of heaven and earth, one can possess immense righteous energy and naturally develop a noble and pure character. This spirit allows one's consciousness to expand into infinite time and space, achieving unity with the spirit of the universe and thereby attaining eternal LIFE. The Daoist state of "harmony between heaven and man" can thus be realized.

“The grass on the vast plains withers and flourishes year after year. Wildfires cannot destroy it; with the spring breeze, it grows again.” All things undergo cycles of purification and elimination. Only through continuous self-purification and renewal can one refine one’s character and extend LIFE into infinite time and space. This is the spirit of heaven and earth, transcending ordinary perspectives. By attaining this understanding, one will no longer grieve over decline nor rejoice in prosperity but will instead ascend toward the highest realm of LIFE.

The spirit of heaven and earth is a vast, boundless, and magnanimous heart—like the ocean that embraces thousands of rivers. It is a transcendent, all-encompassing spirit, free from the limitations of self, space, and time, possessing the vision of a Buddha that perceives the infinitely small and the infinitely vast—a spirit of Hundun. It is the eternal spirit of merging oneself into the infinite universe and time-space. Lifechanyuan advocates for the spirit of heaven and earth because the entire universe is a Zen garden of LIFE. Once one comprehends its Zen essence, one can coexist with heaven and earth and attain enlightenment to become a celestial being.

Nature and the rivers and mountains are like my hair, skin, flesh, bones, and blood vessels. Loving nature and the rivers and mountains is loving myself. By loving nature and the rivers and mountains, one can hear the melodies of heaven and earth, savor the mysteries of creation, and understand the sacredness and will of the Greatest Creator. At the same time, this love can awaken one's compassion, enabling one to treat all things in the universe equally, without creating artificial distinctions of rank and status, thereby preventing unnecessary worries and sorrows and avoiding elimination by the laws of LIFE.

To reach the Celestial Islands Continent of the Elysium World, one must learn to observe nature, listen to nature, learn from nature, and love nature, and from this, create nature. On Snow Peak Island, Super Celestial Being Yu’e’s mystical arts stem from the marvelous practice of creating nature. This divine mastery originates from meticulous observation, imitation, and creation of the myriad aspects of nature. Without an understanding of nature’s manifestations, one cannot attain her level of mystical power. Therefore, one must listen to every celestial and earthly melody, observe every blade of grass and every flower, appreciate every change in the wind, clouds, rain, and snow, and focus on the ever-shifting natural scenery. One must strive to imprint within one’s heart all the true, good, beautiful, and loving phenomena one sees, hears, smells, and senses so that they can be embedded in one’s consciousness and later replicated in the Celestial Islands.

I have always praised the images of "The Heavenly Kingdom is So Delightful" reposted by Wan’nian Celestial. If we can deeply imprint those scenes into our subconscious, they will lay the foundation for our journey to the Thousand-year World. To become a celestial, one must constantly envision beauty, especially the unparalleled landscapes of nature. The images reposted by Penglai Celestial and Canghai Celestial have the same effect.

To become a celestial, one must continuously transcend oneself, elevate oneself, step out of the self, step out of family and nation, step out of religion and politics, and step out of the human world. One must continuously eliminate the old self and refresh oneself, not be bound by fixed thought patterns, and open the heart to an expansive, boundless realm. One must firmly believe in the existence of the Thousand-year World, the Ten-thousand-year World, and the Elysium World, and believe that through self-cultivation and refinement, one can reach the ideal celestial space.

The more one explores, the more one gains. The more one mines, the richer one becomes. The more one comprehends, the more one becomes spiritually agile. The further one advances, the wider the path becomes. Nurturing the spirit of heaven and earth, loving nature and the rivers and mountains, cherishing each day, and focusing on the future of LIFE—this is the path to becoming a celestial being.