Humans Create the Environment, the Environment Transforms Humans

Xuefeng

June 7, 2023

Nature has bestowed upon humanity all the resources for life. How to utilize these natural resources to create a beautiful and comfortable environment depends on the richness of the human spirit and soul.

We can observe the yards of different households. Some families, although not economically affluent, have clean and tidy yards with blooming flowers and fruit trees. On the other hand, some families have lifeless yards filled with garbage, dirty and unkempt. With the same conditions, different individuals create different living environments.

When we look at the social living environments in countries like the United States, China, and Japan, we find stark differences. In the United States, private property and territory are sacred and inviolable. In China, there is a promotion of "wealth equality" and "common prosperity." In Japan, private enterprises are protected, allowing century-old businesses to thrive. This indicates that the values of Americans, Chinese, and Japanese are completely different, resulting in vastly different social living environments.

For example, there is a piece of land in front of a house. Some people prefer to transform it into a lawn, while others prefer to grow vegetables. Some may turn it into a small square. Different consciousness leads to different environmental choices.

From this, we can understand that the environment is a product of human consciousness. The kind of consciousness one possesses determines their living environment.

Conversely, the environment can transform individuals.

The story of Mencius' mother's three moves best illustrates the impact of the environment on a person. Mencius' mother moved three times in order to provide a better environment for her son's growth. Initially, they lived near a cemetery, where Mencius would play among the graves. His mother realized that staying there would ruin her child's potential, so they moved next to a market. However, Mencius would spend his days playing as if he were a merchant. His mother felt that this place wouldn't allow her son to grow healthily, so they moved again, this time next to a school. There, Mencius would engage in games of ritual and respect.

The environment, being a graveyard, led Mencius to learn funeral customs and blow trumpets. The environment being a slaughterhouse, Mencius learned how to butcher pigs and sheep. The environment being a school, Mencius developed a love for reading and learning etiquette.

Understanding the principle that humans create environment and environment transforms humans establishes a guiding beacon for human development. As individuals, we should first determine what kind of person we want to become. If we aspire to be materially wealthy, we should go to places where money is abundant, and markets are prosperous. If we want to be skilled debaters, we should go to places with many people and lively debates. If we desire to become celestial beings, we should immerse ourselves in the serene beauty of nature with few inhabitants. If we aspire to become a Buddha, we should seek environments where we have nothing but possess everything.

"Living with virtuous people is like entering a room filled with fragrant orchids. If you stay there for a long time and will not smell their fragrance, that’s because you are influenced by and used to them. Living with wicked people is like entering a fish market. If you stay there for a long time and will not smell the stench, that’s also because you are influenced by and used to them."

If you want to emanate a pleasant fragrance, surround yourself with flowers. If you want to emit a foul odor, stay in the toilet.

If you deeply understand that you are currently in the toilet and aspire to live among flowers, the best way is to leave the toilet, break free from its confines, and enter an environment where flowers bloom.

The principles are clear, the path is well-defined, but the dilemma lies in how to break free from the barriers of the toilet. It's difficult! Especially when there are entanglements of family, emotions, and debts. Escaping the toilet is as challenging as reaching the blue sky.

In the end, we will realize that heaven exists, but we cannot step beyond the door of the toilet. The greatest obstacle that prevents us from transcending is the ties of family, emotions, and debts. Once we are free from these attachments, heaven is not far away. However, who among ordinary people can truly overcome the threshold of family, emotions, and debts?