Always Strengthen Your Foundation
Xuefeng
October 1, 2022
Laozi once warned, “The Great Way is very simple, but people always seek shortcuts.”
Looking around, from ancient times to the present, generation after generation has rushed forward, eager to take shortcuts. They dream of overnight wealth and instant fame, imagining success so vividly that they become exhilarated. They scheme, maneuver, and try to outsmart the system—each wishing to achieve great wealth and high status, to be listed as top scholars in the imperial exams, or even to ascend to heaven and reach celestial palaces—all without hard labor. Sadly, wave after wave of these shortcut-seekers ultimately end up either impoverished and miserable, lamenting their fate, or behind bars, regretting their choices for life.
A wise saying goes: “Good and evil will always be repaid; what goes around, comes around. If you doubt it, look up—who has heaven ever spared?” Another saying reminds us: “If it’s meant to be, it will come; if not, do not force it.”
The dazzling tragedies and comedies of human life have been unfolding since time immemorial. While the rapid advancement of technology has brought convenience and material abundance, the essence of these stories remains unchanged—shortcut-seekers are as numerous as fish in a river, while those who meet a good end are as rare as a shooting star.
Why? Because of shortcuts.
For example, some young people refuse to study or work hard, yet constantly fantasize about achieving greatness. Some civil servants do their jobs half-heartedly, focusing instead on networking and currying favor to climb the ranks. Some officials prioritize flattery over serving the people. Some spiritual practitioners fail to earnestly follow the teachings of gods, Buddhas, and celestials, preferring to spend their days discussing doctrines, imagining themselves ascending to heaven. If you delve into people’s inner worlds, you will find that most are unwilling to achieve a happy life through diligent study and hard work; instead, they seek to fulfill their dreams through unnatural and shortcut methods.
Let me ask you, the reader of this article: Are you willing to toil in obscurity? When you sweat and toil, do you envy or resent those who seem to live a “happy” life without effort? If you are unwilling to work quietly and if you often feel envious or jealous of others, then you are a shortcut-seeker. You are not someone who pursues life with honesty and diligence.
Each person’s path is their own to walk. Whether you ascend to heaven or descend into hell is the result of your own choices and actions. As the saying goes, “There is nothing wrong with the world; if anything is wrong, it is within oneself.” If you encounter misfortune and hardship, do not blame heaven, your parents, others, or your environment. Everything stems from your own choices and actions. Do not blame gods, Buddhas, celestials, or saints. Do not blame anyone—not your loved ones, not your friends, not your superiors, not your colleagues, not your neighbors.
If today you feel angry, anxious, or resentful; if you are struggling in poverty or battling illness; if you feel stuck with no way out; if you are being oppressed or imprisoned—let me tell you: all of this is the result of your own poor choices.
Where did you go wrong? You failed to lay a solid foundation.
What foundation?
Knowledge of being human
Knowledge of the Greatest Creator
Cultivating your inner soul garden
Survival skills If you have never received systematic education on what it means to be human, you will not understand how to conduct yourself in life. Without knowing how to be a person, how can you expect to live happily?
If you lack a proper understanding of the Greatest Creator, you will not comprehend the relationship between humans and nature. You will not know how to live in harmony with nature—a living, breathing entity. If you fail to coexist harmoniously with nature, it will undoubtedly punish you.
Cultivating your soul garden is a lifelong endeavor—the most important task of one’s life. If your soul garden is as beautiful as poetry and painting, your life will be blessed and smooth, and you may even have the hope of entering heaven. But if your soul garden is overgrown with thorns and filled with filth, your life will inevitably be fraught with obstacles and hardships.
As human beings, we must possess survival skills, which require continuous learning—learning scientific knowledge, drawing from the experiences of predecessors, and mastering creative techniques. Everyone must acquire at least one skill in their lifetime. This is the fundamental prerequisite and guarantee for living a happy life. If you lack any skills yet still expect to live well, then either you are dreaming, or you are walking a dangerous path toward the devil.
If I were to offer one piece of advice, it would be this: Always focus on the basics.
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