Thinking Self-Cultivation (8)

Xuefeng

February 4, 2013

Topics for Reflection

1.Dream vs. Reality Which version of yourself is more real—your dream self or your waking self? Your imagined self or your real-life self? Are we living in a dream or in reality? How do you interpret the phrase, “Life is but a dream”?

2.Proving Heaven By what means can you prove the existence of heaven? How far are you from heaven? What gaps remain between you and heaven?

3.The Existence of Time If everything is growing, aging, and dying, why claim that time doesn’t exist? How can you prove time is nonexistent? Can you reverse aging, return to the past, or leap into the future?

4.The Illusion of Life In dreams, you experience joy, fear, and worry, but upon waking, you realize it was all just a dream and find the events laughable. Knowing that life itself is no different from a dream, why do people remain attached to it? Why do they get emotionally invested in gains and losses, joys and sorrows, and life's fleeting experiences, even when they know it’s all ephemeral like bubbles?

5.Process vs. Outcome Which is more important: the process or the outcome? What is the dialectical relationship between them? Would you choose the outcome or the process? The challenge is that all processes are controlled by programs, leaving people powerless. Should we then submit to destiny or strive actively? Striving might conflict with the program, while submission could result in missed opportunities. How should one walk the path of life?

6.Predetermined Life If everything is programmed, inevitable, and predetermined, then every word spoken, action taken, and person encountered is fated. Life’s blessings, misfortunes, longevity, and happiness are all predestined. In this case, is it true that whether one is proactive or passive, nothing is truly under human control? Why or why not?

7.Facing Inescapable Confinement If you were permanently trapped in a sealed concrete room, or an earthquake confined you to a small space with no tools and no chance of rescue, the inevitable outcome would be death. In such a situation, what would you do? Do you have any way to escape?

8.Life’s Ultimate Worth What is worth exchanging your life for? Life is a journey; is the journey itself life? Can life exist without the journey? How should we conduct ourselves during this journey?