Looking for Your Own Garden of Eden

Xuefeng

December 1， 2007

Even tigers may be teased by dogs when they leave the remote mountains and come to lush and flat areas, dragons can be duped by shrimp when they are in shallow water, camels along the coast are harder to ride than donkeys, and domestic captive phoenixes are worse off than chickens.

The tiger is the king of the mountains, but tigers can only give play to their power and prestige in the mountains. Once they come down to the plains, a pack of wild dogs will dare to tease them.

Dragon are lords of the abyss, but dragons can only summon wind and call for rain in the abyss. If they fall into shallow depressions or ponds, the little shrimp and small fish can dupe them.

Camels can only demonstrate their most valuable qualities in deserts, but if one lives along the coast, it would be less useful than a donkey.

Phoenixes can roar out songs and show their magnificence in the quiet of plane trees, but if they are unfortunate enough to be kept in cages with feathers falling and listless in form and spirit, then they are worse than chickens.

These phenomena suggest such a truth, that all kinds of LIFE can only give full play to themselves and demonstrate their most precious qualities and values when they live in the environments suited to their natures. If they are unfortunate to live in an environment not suited to their own characteristics, not only can they not play out their strengths, but they might even be teased and duped by other creatures around them.

I call the environment which best suits one’s survival, their Garden of Eden.

Everyone has their own Garden of Eden and it is only inside of it that they will live out their elegant demeanour. If you are away from your Garden of Eden, you will be frustrated and have difficult times and even be regarded as a “waste” or “good for nothing” by others around you.

The White Swan was unfortunate to live within flocks of chickens and ducks in the beginning, being laughed at and mocked by them, and was ridiculed as, “the ugly duckling”. The genius painter, Vincent Van Gogh was spiritually enlightened, but had the misfortune to be living in a secular society, so he was unappreciated and taken advantage of all throughout his life and eventually died in poverty and with depression. Jiang Ziya, the founding minister of the Zhou Dynasty went to do business, but ended up with losses rather than profits. Chen Jingrun, who took the crown pearl of the Goldbach Conjecture, went to the market to buy vegetables and was ridiculed as being “a bit silly”.

One who is kind should not be a commander. If you are kind and soft, then you should never lead an army into battle, for you would never become a general.

One who is righteous should not engage in trade. If you have a strong sense of justice and are ready to help the weak, then you should never go into business, for you would never become wealthy.

One who is honest should not enter into politics. If you like seeking out the truth from facts and adhering to the truth, then you should never enter politics, for you would never become a senior official.

One who has a loving heart should not marry. If you have a loving heart, then you should never marry, for your love would be tied up and unable to shine with brilliance.

One who has a noble soul should not mingle in the secular world. If you have a graceful heart, then you should never mingle in the secular world, for you would be regarded as silly and your beauty would go unappreciated.

One who is unsophisticated should not engage in writing. If you are honest and simple, then you should never engage in writing, for your articles would not possess literary elegance and would likely invite scorn and ridicule.

One of integrity should not engage in the art of war. If you advocate honesty and hate cheating, then you should never go into a war to confront others, for “The art of war is full of tricks”. Confronting others, whether civil or military, is all about tactics and tricks, so you would be doomed to lose.

If you want to make your Life happy, joyful, free, and blessed, if you want to play to your strengths and expertise, if you want to stand out and rank high, and if you want to climb to the highest realm of Life and LIFE, then you must find your own Garden of Eden. If you come from the Thousand-year World or the Ten-thousand-year World of heaven, then you must not envy the world’s high positions and great wealth and not waste your time trying to get your ideal life from the mortal world, because its soil is not suitable for you to grow in, bloom, and bear fruit. Your Garden of Eden is in heaven, not in the mortal world.

Seek out those people who appreciate you, are nice to you, and who like you, but do not try to change anyone, especially those whose ideas and views are always against yours. “A leopard cannot change its spots. One cannot change one’s essential nature”. To those people who have different frequencies of mind and consciousness, no matter how impressively you sing their praises, how you comfort them, how you attempt to persuade them, they will never appreciate your feelings or understand your intentions. Even if you open your heart to them, they will still be indifferent and persist in their old ways.

When you find your Garden of Eden, you should cherish it. Never take for granted that you can do anything and give up your Garden of Eden. There was a Division Commander who battled like a fish in water and was very capable when he was in the army, but he grew proud and conceited and thought he would be capable in any environment, so he left the army and entered into civil administration. There, he expected to play a great role, yet after years of rushing about, he suffered setbacks everywhere and could not achieve anything. The hero in the army became good for nothing during peacetime. Why? Because he had left his own Garden of Eden. Never assume that cacti can grow everywhere or can please everyone.

That which comes easiest is the most valuable, however, that which comes easiest is the mostly likely to be ignored and undervalued. The Greatest Creator has given each of us a chance to access their Garden of Eden, but many of us do not pay due attention and do not value and understand their Nature as much. Many people get it and then lose it. It is easy to lose than gain. What a pity!

Look for your own Garden of Eden!

I hope that everyone will find their own Garden of Eden!