The Marvel of Zero — Formless Thinking (Part Four)

Xuefeng

July 28, 2008

Zero is like the sun, radiating boundlessly; Zero is a flower, vivid and fragrant; Zero is a clear spring, pure and refreshing; Zero is the Elysium World, filled with boundless joy.

Everything begins from zero; everything finds peace in zero. The myriad forms give rise to spirit—this is the origin of zero. The spirit transcends all forms—this is the dance of zero.

Without zero, nothing exists; by returning to zero, one gains everything.

The infinitely compassionate Buddha, Shakyamuni, teaches us to live without attachments: without attachment to self, others, beings, or lifespan; without attachment to Dharma or even to non-dharma. Do not let your mind linger on what is seen, what is heard, what is smelled, or what is touched. Do not let your mind be bound by laws, principles, doctrines, concepts, customs, habits, or rules. Simply put: let the mind be unbound.

What does it mean for the mind to be unbound? It means allowing the mind not to linger on anything perceived through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind. Further, it means not lingering on material things, nations, political parties, religions, family, companies, groups, relatives, friends, lovers, enemies, good people, bad people, positive events, negative events, the past, the future, joy, resentment, wealth, fame, status, favorable situations, adversity, success, failure, happiness, suffering, morality, precepts, natural laws, principles, and so on.

Formless thinking means letting everything return to zero.

The initial feeling of returning to zero is a knowing smile; the intermediate feeling is indescribable wonder; and the advanced experience is entering the Elysium World. If we do not have these sensations, it shows we have not truly returned to zero. The Buddha said, “To be free of all forms is to attain Buddhahood.” Simply put, when we become formless and return to zero, we become Buddhas.

The theory of becoming a Buddha is this simple! But the path to Buddhahood is exceedingly difficult!

Formless thinking is returning to zero. How can we marvelously utilize zero?

Let me offer three paths to experience the wonderful realm of returning to zero.

One Go to a vast desert, stand amidst it, gaze forward, and if you can free your mind from attachments, quiet your breath, and focus your spirit, you may suddenly feel a sense of emptiness, temporarily forgetting or completely ignoring your own existence. You blend into the desert, and suddenly, “the self dissolves, and the mind opens up,” giving rise to a wonderful sensation. At this moment, you have entered the Buddha’s realm.

You may also experience this by going to towering mountains, expansive grasslands, or visiting the grand waterfalls at the Canada-U.S. border or the Zimbabwe-Zambia border, standing by the sea, watching the sunrise or the sea of clouds from the peaks of great mountains, or sitting by a surging river. If you can clear your mind and quiet your breath, at a certain instant, you may completely ignore your own existence, experiencing a sublime, blissful feeling that transports you to the Buddha’s land.

Two During the experience of sexual climax, one might momentarily disregard the existence of the other person and forget oneself entirely, sensing only that everything is so wonderful: “I feel as if I am in paradise.” “It feels like an awakening, the beginning of life.” “An indescribable, almost unbearable ecstasy.” “A surge of intense fire, consuming everything, wonderful beyond words.” “It’s like leaving my body, leaving my mind, without concern for what usually seems so important.” In this perfect, ethereal realm, everything feels exhilarating, lifting the soul, pure, fresh, peaceful, beautiful. One may weep with joy, exclaiming, “God, I love you!” This is the Buddha land.

Three Practices such as meditation, contemplation, yoga, and Lifechanyuan’s "Transcendence from the Physical Body Meditation Method" can also lead us to a formless state. Especially when entering the fourth or fifth stage of meditation, one achieves a return to zero—a state of entering the Elysium World. The mysteries of this will be further explained during the practice of Lifechanyuan Meditation.

The above are ways anyone can experience the bliss of formlessness, allowing us to understand what the Elysium World is and what it is like to become a Buddha. However, these experiences are fleeting; they are but brief flashes of our Buddha-light. How can we experience and feel such wonder continuously, eternally?

The optimal approach is formless thinking. The above paths to bliss happen because, unknowingly, we enter a formless thinking state. If our minds remain attached to something at that moment, we cannot experience bliss. The question now is, for those of us living in this world with endless troubles, how can we free ourselves from them and enter the state of formless zero?

The Wondrous Use of Zero. Make yourself zero. Step aside; imagine that you do not exist. Everything has nothing to do with me. I do not exist; yet, the Earth continues to spin, mountains endure, rivers flow. Everything moves within the Tao, each thing governed by its own rules or natural order. Every person follows their unique life path and fate. Why should I worry? Why should I be anxious? All things are fleeting illusions, like fireworks or passing clouds. Life, death, and existence unfold naturally—go with the flow, transform with fate. If it’s interesting, I’ll join in; if not, I return to zero.

Whether the heavens collapse and the earth shatters, whether the ground quakes or mountains sway, Whether people are parted by life or death, or the moon waxes and wanes, Whether there’s theft, deceit, murder, or arson, Whether businesses fail or organizations collapse, Whether trade stagnates or the economy declines, Whether someone hangs themselves, jumps into a river, or crashes into a wall, Whether love fades or an affair begins, Whether the lights flash, the wine flows, and people revel or lose themselves in indulgence, Whether someone is demoted, imprisoned, or utterly defeated, Whether disputes arise, grievances deepen, truth is distorted, or morality is questioned—

None of this concerns me.

The Wondrous Use of Zero; leave humanity and enter the celestial realm ahead of time. The rise and fall of the world is none of my concern; the fate of nations, religions, parties, families—why should I care? Flowers may wither, let them wither; rain may fall, let it fall; winds may blow, let them blow; divorce may come, let it come; not wanting to live? Well, that’s a choice.

The Wondrous Use of Zero; make yourself shapeless. Let clouds gather and disperse, flowers bloom and fade, seas ebb and flow. Watch the play of humanity as if watching a movie. Step outside the three realms, beyond the five elements. Others may fight; I don’t fight. Others may seize; I don’t seize. Others may covet; I don’t covet. If it’s amusing, I appear; if it’s troubling, I disappear.

The Wondrous Use of Zero. The Greatest Creator is zero. I return to zero. I am one with the Greatest Creator. The Greatest Creator is eternal, and I am eternal. The Greatest Creator owns everything, and I have everything. I give everything to the Greatest Creator —success, failure, gain, and loss—let it not burden my heart. Birth, death, and separation come as they will. I am empty yet possess everything. I do nothing but accomplish everything, lacking in form but adapting to all forms, shapeless but filling all spaces. Insults come, ridicule comes, scorn comes, slander comes, attacks come, suffering comes, right and wrong come, poverty comes, sorrow comes, trouble comes, death comes—I return to zero. Joy comes, freedom comes, happiness comes, beauty comes—I emerge from zero. “Birds fly high in the sky, fish leap freely in the vast sea.” The realm is of my own making, moving freely in harmony.

Summary of Formless Thinking Formlessness is a realm of bliss and wonder. To become a celestial or a Buddha, to enter the Elysium World, one must first achieve formlessness. To achieve formlessness, one must adopt formless thinking, and the best path to formless thinking is the formless vessel crafted by the Buddha, Shakyamuni—the Diamond Sutra.

From time to time, by allowing ourselves to return to zero, we can transcend the world and escape worldly entanglements to experience the wondrous formless state. Everything begins from zero. If we do not enter a state of zero, we cannot begin life in the heavenly realm and will remain forever in the cycle of lower-level LIFE spaces.

I have explained the first seven steps of the eight-step thinking ladder. As a guide, I have led everyone to the edge of the heavenly realm. “The Buddha holds a flower, and Mahakasyapa smiles.” The final step—holographic thinking—must be grasped through your own meditation and insight. Holographic thinking is the hidden mystery of creation; every detail is divine power. Jesus spoke in parables, never revealing the divine secrets; Buddha Shakyamuni did not write down his teachings and left mysteries unsaid; Laozi hovered on the edges, refusing to break through. As Deiform Buddha, I too can only lead to this point, for revealing these secrets would disrupt the balance of yin and yang in the cosmos, and those who disclose divine secrets are the universe’s greatest sinners and face utter destruction.

The sages have said:

The saw cuts through wood, and water wears down stone—the seeker of the Tao must apply effort. When the fruit ripens, it falls; when the water fills, it flows—the Tao reveals itself to those who embrace the divine order of nature.