Sages (Part One)

Xuefeng

In The Classification of People, I divided humanity into five categories: ignorant people, worldly people, mortals, sages, and celestials. This classification is based on the varying degrees to which instinct, desire, emotion, reason, and spirituality dominate human nature. For instance, those driven by instinct are ignorant people, those driven by desire are worldly people, those driven by emotion are mortals, those driven by reason are sages, and those driven by spirituality are celestials.

This is a broad and absolute categorization. Celestials can be further classified into ghost celestials, human celestials, land celestials, deity celestials, and super celestials. In Revelation Chapter, article 68, saints are discussed, and they belong to the celestial category. Based on the depth of their alignment with the Tao, celestials can be subdivided into ultimate beings, true beings, celestial beings, divine beings, and heavenly beings.

If categorized by levels, humanity can be divided into three tiers: Lower level: ignorant people, worldly people, and mortals; Middle level: sages; Upper level: saints (including ultimate beings, true beings, celestial beings, divine beings, and heavenly beings). Among these, celestials only include human celestials and land celestials. Deity celestials and super celestials no longer belong to the human realm, while ghost celestials are also outside humanity.

The purpose of classifying people is not to toy with concepts but to help us determine our position among humanity and identify the direction and goal of our progress. Without classification, it becomes difficult to establish a reference point or coordinate system for our lives. Without it, life becomes a tangled mess, and we may go through life without ever understanding what it is truly about.

We know that stones, for example, can be categorized into diamonds, rubies, sapphires, cat's eyes, topazes, spinels, aquamarines, zircons, emeralds, tourmalines, garnets, jadeites, opals, moonstones, sunstones, turquoise, malachites, agates, pebbles, bluestones, flint, and so on. Each type of stone has its own unique characteristics. Similarly, people can be categorized into heavenly beings, divine beings, celestials, true beings, perfected beings, saints, mortals, worldly people, and ignorant people, based on their unique traits.

A sage is someone who has transcended the constraints of instinct, desire, and emotion to enter a life of reason, but they still fall short of a life of spirituality. Sages remain unclear about whether existence precedes consciousness or vice versa. They readily accept scientific knowledge, logical reasoning, empirically proven facts, and the wisdom distilled from humanity's millennia of experience. However, when it comes to transcending conventional thinking, sages are often at a loss, bewildered, and even resistant. It is akin to a scale capable of measuring up to 100 kilograms—it works seamlessly within this range but becomes useless when the weight exceeds its capacity.

Recently, a friend visited my home to swim but almost drowned. He could only swim five meters, and beyond that, he started floundering in place. Fortunately, someone was there to rescue him; otherwise, the consequences could have been dire.

The development of Lifechanyuan vividly illustrates this phenomenon. Many people are initially enthusiastic and actively participate, but as the path deepens, they find it difficult to keep up. They start to feel that certain aspects are unsuitable or problematic, attempting to explain things or draw boundaries based on their rational thinking as sages. They try to impose limits on the boundless mysteries of the universe using simple formulas or laws, which is both distressing and regrettable.

Everything has limits: pots, pans, trucks, and computers have their capacities; even springs have an elastic limit. The Earth's mass and speed must remain within limits to maintain balance and order. The problem is, human thought is limitless. Left to themselves, people may never break free from rigid thinking. But with guidance, they can transcend conventional thinking and enter a vast new dimension. Unfortunately, few people are humble enough to accept such guidance, while many remain stubbornly attached to their views. There are 80 billion celestial islands in the Celestial Islands Continent waiting for people to inhabit, yet too few are able to meet the standards required.

Newton discovered three threshold cosmic velocities: 7.9 km/s, 11.2 km/s, and 16.7 km/s. If we assume that 7.9 km/s is the universal principle, we will never escape Earth's gravitational pull. If we assume that 11.2 km/s is the universal principle, we will never break free from the solar system's control. If we assume that Einstein's principle of the speed of light applies to all matter (including nonmaterial),then we are doomed to be forever bound to Earth, trapped in a cycle of conflict over food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Sages are only one step away from truth. They are like someone hanging onto a withered vine over a cliff, waiting for rescue. As Buddha said, "Let go," and they will step into the ranks of saints. But if they refuse to let go, they will perish along with the vine.

If sages do not abandon their entire way of thinking and empty their minds, they will remain sages forever.

So, what exactly is the state of sages? See Revelation Chapter, article 70.