Testing Whether You Live in the Spiritual World

Xuefeng

April 12, 2024

First and foremost, it's essential to determine that living in the material world, described in one word, is tiresome, both physically and mentally. If one lives in the spiritual world, described in two words, it's effortless. Living in the world of the soul means living lightly.

If a person spends their days, months, and years worrying and fretting about life's necessities, such as food, clothing, shelter, transportation, birth, aging, illness, and death, and focuses on how to accumulate material wealth and make more money, then that person is living in the material world.

How can one know if they are living in the spiritual world? Use the following six indicators to assess:

1.In your inner world, there is someone or a group of people, whether near or far, whom you firmly believe will always lend a helping hand to get you through difficult times. They will fulfill all your reasonable needs, even satisfying your sexual desires anytime and anywhere, so you always maintain vigor and vitality. You no longer worry or fear encountering difficulties or setbacks in life's journey. You joyfully engage in labor and creation every day, willingly sharing the fruits of your labor with those you hold dear in your heart.

2.You deeply believe in certain truths: as you sow, so shall you reap; the cause and effect are perfectly matching; divine punishments, though slow, are always sure, with big meshes yet letting nothing slip through; what you receive and what you give are always equal, the divine law exists forever, and Tao is just; everything in the universe operates within Tao. Therefore, you remain calm, facing difficulties and disasters with composure, neither startled nor frightened. You remain serene amidst everything that happens around you, neither rejoicing nor grieving. You understand that everything is impermanent and cannot be held onto, so you live each day contentedly, without haste, worry, or fear, treating everything with a balanced and equitable mindset and accepting all things with an ordinary mind and the mind of Tao, whether it be gains or losses, fortune or misfortune, life or death.

3.You finally understand that life is a journey of LIFE in the human world, akin to a dream. Eventually, the dream will end, and upon awakening, you realize that everything in the dream was illusory. Therefore, you are no longer bound by anything in the present or reality. You are no longer burdened or troubled by houses, cars, money, parents, children, wives, husbands, and so forth because everything you possess on life's journey is merely a fantasy of the dream, and you are always prepared to awaken from the dream to the celestial World.

4.Having seen through the mysteries of life, you realize that whether in ancient times or the present, whether among great figures, wealthy individuals, or leaders, or the vicissitudes of human history and the changes of dynasties, it's all just a farce. Even if a person lives to be 150 years old, it's just a fleeting illusion in the vastness of the cosmos. Therefore, life is but a play, and coming to the human world is merely for observation and amusement. Nothing and no one, whether family, friends, ethnic groups, nations, political parties, religions, etc., is worth sacrificing one's LIFE for or racking one's brain and exhausting oneself with worry and distress over this. Consequently, you live freely, calmly, carefreely, and joyfully.

5.Understanding the mysteries of LIFE, space and time, you discover and become aware of the existence of several celestial Worlds and heavens after death, such as the Thousand-year World, Ten-thousand-year World, and the Elysium Islands Continents. Thus, you set your sights on the journey to the celestial World, heaven, as the ultimate goal of your entire life's endeavor. You no longer overly concern yourself with earthly affairs, nor do you worry about or miss anything, or anyone related to you in the human world. As for material enjoyments, such as houses, cars, money, status, glory, and fame, none of these exist in your Dharma eyes. People's opinions, comments, and discussions, etc., about you are merely fleeting winds passing through the bamboo grove or geese crossing the cold pond. Your sole focus is on preparing your body, mind, spirit, and laboring creation for the journey to the celestial World, which is meant by "devotion to the Celestial Islands."

6.You have steadfast faith in the Greatest Creator. The connotation of this faith is very rich and would require writing a book to fully explain. Those who understand its principles and truths will possess a bit of holographic thinking. With a bit of holographic thinking, one can not only travel freely in the spiritual world but also roam boundlessly in the infinite and endless world of the soul.

If you feel or already possess any of the above six items, without a doubt, you have freed yourself from the shackles of the material world and are living in the spiritual world.