Transcending the Mundane and Progressing Through the Unconventional

Xuefeng

Laozi said:

He who places himself behind others comes to the fore; he who regards himself lightly preserves himself.” "Being brings advantage, but non-being enables function.” "The multitude are bright and clear, while I alone seem dull and confused; the multitude are sharp and alert, while I alone am murky and troubled." "The common people all have their purposes, but I alone am stubborn and uncouth." "All men have surplus, but I alone seem destitute." "Precisely because I do not contend, no one in the world can contend with me." "Knowing the male, yet keeping to the female; knowing the white, yet keeping to the black; knowing honor, yet keeping to humility." "The highest virtue is not conscious of itself as virtue, and thus it is virtue; the inferior virtue never loses sight of virtue, and thus it is not virtue." "The bright way seems dim; the way forward seems to go back; the smooth way seems rough." "The great Tao is broad and level, yet people prefer shortcuts." "Do without doing, work without effort, taste the flavorless." "True words seem paradoxical." "The way of the sage is to act without striving."

To become a celestial being, one must transcend the worldly and progress through the unconventional. The mundane world can be summed up in one word: agitation. The mortal realm can be described with one word: noise. The celestial realm can be encapsulated in one phrase: tranquility. To transcend the worldly means to distance oneself from agitation and noise and return to tranquility.

Agitation is a state of unrest—reckless scurrying, constant wavering, feeling irritable, uneasy, anxious, overwhelmed by desires, distressed by poverty, fearful of gains and losses, and submissive to power and status. It manifests as internal heat, mental turmoil, inability to stand still, sit steadily, walk straight, or sleep peacefully. This is not a clinical disorder but a "Hell's Gate Dance Syndrome" caused by the grip of power, wealth, fame, and desire.

Tumult is clamorous, chaotic, and restless—stirring up trouble, engaging in jealousy and envy, yelling and shouting, finding fault with everything, obsessing over gossip, judging others, indulging in emotional entanglements, and fixating on petty calculations. It is as if one is under a spell, becoming erratic, alternating between highs and lows, appearing intelligent yet foolish. This too is a disease, called "Delusional Intelligence Disorder."

Those free from "Hell's Gate Dance Syndrome" and "Delusional Intelligence Disorder" have taken the first step toward transcending the mundane.

To progress through the unconventional means rejecting what the common folk embrace and embracing what they reject. If they go left, I go right; if they advance, I retreat; if they desire, I abandon; if they rejoice, I mourn; if they make noise, I remain silent; if they go out, I go in; if they discard, I use; if they value, I devalue; if they have, I lack; if they lack, I have; if they are righteous, I am unorthodox; if they hate, I love; if they are bright, I am dim; if they are perceptive, I am muddled; if they contend, I yield; if they perish, I endure. Reversing the values of the mundane world reveals the values of the celestial.

Dharma, non-Dharma, neither dharma nor non-dharma; good, not good, neither not good nor good. As the Wudang master Zhang Sanfeng said: "Amidst all this, one must invert and reverse."

Below are some insights on progression through the unconventional:

"People recognize the divine as divine, yet they do not understand that it is through the absence of divinity that the divine manifests." — The Yinfu Classic of the Yellow Emperor

"Knowing where to stop when one does not know is the highest wisdom. To pursue the infinite with the finite is folly." — Zhuangzi

"Accumulating gentleness leads to strength, accumulating weakness leads to power. Those who follow the Tao do not rely on ears, eyes, force, or will." — Liezi

"To excel at what others neglect, to delight in what others dislike, to find joy in what others shun, to act where others hesitate, to believe what others doubt, and to tread paths others avoid." — The Scripture of Western Ascension

"The superior person does not contend; the inferior person delights in contention. The highest virtue does not claim virtue; the lesser virtue clings to virtue. Those who cling to virtue do not understand the Dao." — The Scripture of Constant Purity and Tranquility

"By nourishing the formless, form endures; by guarding the intangible, essence remains pure. The unity of true form and essence leads to immortality." — The Ancient Scripture of the Supreme Lord

"Refrain from all evil, perform all good deeds, and blessings will follow in time." — The Treatise on Response and Retribution

"One aspires to attain the Tao of immortality, not to exhaust the human realm." — The Wondrous Scripture of Infinite Salvation

"The path to longevity is to neither see nor hear, neither flaunt nor seek glory; to abandon the world and the mundane, to preserve essence and spirit, to dwell in stillness and non-action—thus, one attains the Tao." — Annotations on the Primordial Lord’s Ancient Scripture

"The highest grade of people commits no offenses and holds onto nothing; the middle grade of people fluctuates between highs and lows, adapting to circumstances and disciplining themselves; the lowest grade of people is entangled in worldly matters and struggles to restrain themselves." — The Jade Purity Scripture

"Those who follow the Tao do not abandon their roots to chase the branches. If one is told the ultimate truth but refuses to believe, if one is taught the Tao but never practices it, then to the end of life, there is no benefit—how tragic!" — The Immortal Chronicles: The Story of Pengzu

"The supreme Tao does not distinguish between near and far; my eyes do not discern between noble and base. Heaven and hell—both are creations of the mind." — The Forty-Nine Chapters of the Supreme Void Sovereign

"Reversal is the movement of the Tao; yielding is the function of virtue. Turbidity leads to clarity; prolonged darkness gives rise to illumination." — The Zhouyi Cantong Qi

"My fate lies in my own hands, not in heaven." — The Inner Chapters of Baopuzi

"When yin and yang do not interact, it harms the person." — The Record of Nurturing Nature and Prolonging Life

"A day of leisure is a day of immortality. Face the world with an unattached heart—no need to seek Zen." — The Complete Works of Lüzu

"If the external world dominates the mind, one remains mundane; if the mind dominates the external world, one attains immortality." — Hao Taigu

"If the heart is detached from affairs, affairs will not trouble the heart." — The Secret Discourse on the Mysterious Pass

"With a clear heart and a steady will, the path to heaven is open." — The Golden Lotus Immortal Chronicles