Self-Harmony: One of the Essential Qualities of Super Celestial Beings in the Celestial Islands
Xuefeng
December 6, 2009
To enter the Celestial Islands Continent of heaven, one must attain the fruit of Super Celestial Being. To attain the fruit of Super Celestial, one must possess the LIFE structure of a Super Celestial Being. Self-harmony is one of the eight essential qualities required for the life structure of Super Celestial Beings.
What is "self-consistency"?
Self-harmony means forming a complete and self-sufficient system within oneself—lacking nothing, operating in perfect internal harmony, and fulfilling all needs without relying on external factors.
Self-harmony is the perfection of one's intrisic light. As stated in the Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya Sūtra (The Heart Sutra):
"They are not born or destroyed; Nor are they stained or pure, Nor do they wax or wane.
Therefore, in emptiness, No form, no feeling, thought, or choice, Nor is there consciousness. No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; No color, sound, smell, taste, touch, Or object of the mind; No realm of sight, No realm of consciousness. No ignorance, And no end to ignorance. No old age and death, And no end to old age and death. No suffering, no cause of suffering, No ceasing of suffering, no path to follow. No wisdom, and no gain. No gain – thus the Bodhisattvas Live this Prajna Paramita, With no hindrance in the mind, No hindrance, therefore no fear, Far beyond delusive thoughts, This is Nirvana."
The Platform Sutra states: "All dharmas are inseparable from one's own nature."
"How pure is one's own nature—originally unstained. How unchanging is one's own nature—originally beyond birth and death. How complete is one's own nature—originally self-sufficient. How unwavering is one's own nature—originally unshaken. How miraculous is one's own nature—it gives rise to all dharmas."
Self-harmony is as described in Bodhidharma’s Bloodstream Sermon:
"There is no Buddha outside the mind, no Buddha outside one’s nature. It neither arises nor ceases, neither increases nor decreases, neither becomes tainted nor pure, neither good nor evil, neither comes nor goes. There is no right or wrong, no male or female, no monk or layperson, no old or young. There is no distinction between saint and commoner, no Buddha and no sentient beings, no practice and no realization, no cause and no effect, no strength and no form. Like empty space, it cannot be grasped or abandoned. Mountains, rivers, and stone walls cannot obstruct it. It comes and goes freely, possessing miraculous powers, passing through the mountains of the five aggregates and crossing the river of life and death. Its nature is originally pure and cannot be defiled. The Dharma body is originally beyond sensation—without hunger, thirst, heat, cold, illness, affection, kinship, suffering, joy, likes, dislikes, short or long, strong or weak."
Self-harmony is the essence of Tathāgata—"no self, no person, no sentient being, no lifespan, no dharma, and no non-dharma."
Self-harmony is "ethereal and obscure," "subtle and wondrous," "the profound and the minute," "the union of male and female," "the interplay of yin and yang," "the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji)."
How to Cultivate the Quality of Self-Consistency?
Manifest all phenomena and create all dharmas with the mind. That is, "consciousness creates reality."
Life is death, and death is life. Honor is disgrace, and disgrace is honor. Be unbound by life, death, honor, and disgrace. Know the masculine yet abide by the feminine; know the light yet embrace the darkness.
Emptiness is form, and form is emptiness. Reduce consciousness to zero and let the soul return to emptiness, spirit, and grace.
Everything is but a game—only LIFE is real. Cling to nothing.
Have nothing yet possess everything. Transcend time and space, roam freely like a celestial steed.
Follow your nature, indulge in imagination. Be unrestrained, go with the flow, and wander at ease.
Be in a state of Hundun—neither inside nor outside, neither bound nor limitless, neither right nor wrong, neither true nor false, neither good nor evil.
Let the "real" be like a dream and illusion, and let the "illusory" be reasonable and emotionally resonant.
The qualities of Super Celestial Beings cannot be understood by mortals, nor comprehended through logic, nor proven by science, nor verified by facts. Yet, they can be sensed through spiritual intuition and personally experienced. They are exquisitely blissful and beyond words.
Only through self-harmony can one attain the kingdom of freedom. Any reliance on external factors ultimately leads to a lack of freedom.
Frequently transcend the constraints of the physical body, material world, emotions, and fame. Listen to the ethereal melodies of the void, perceive the true Zen tunes, let the scenery imprint upon your heart, and let your heart enter an illusory realm. Seek the utmost beauty, and over time, self-harmony will be fully cultivated.
I came from the Kingdom of heaven and shall return to the Kingdom of heaven. Passing through the human world, I leave no trace in my heart. The world has never contained me; I have never belonged to the world. When the dream ends, I shall return to my true self. Returning to truth is being in the Celestial Islands. All phenomena arise from the mind; the mind transcends all phenomena. When the eyes open, myriad phenomena arise; when the eyes close, myriad phenomena cease. When phenomena arise, play the game; when phenomena disappear, return to the true self.
"Gate, gate, pāragate, pārasamgate, bodhi svāhā."
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