Sharing Life's Wisdom Through Personal Experience

Xuefeng

August 21, 2007

Life presents us with 84,000 paths, each leading to unique experiences and perspectives. While everyone strives to live their best life, the ways we live and the feelings we experience vary greatly.

Life itself is a complex topic. Regardless, everyone hopes and works to live a life that is wealthier, freer, healthier, more exciting, and meaningful—a life full of joy, promise, and potential.

Only those who deeply contemplate life and diligently strive for a better existence can truly understand its essence. They come to realize that the teachings of Jesus and Buddha are invaluable treasures, and they gain profound insights into the wisdom of the sages throughout history.

Thanks to the grace of the Greatest Creator and the teachings of Jesus Christ and Buddha Sakyamuni, my life has entered a miraculous realm.

Nowadays, I live like a celestial being. I don’t worry about food, clothing, shelter, or transportation. I have no anxieties about life’s many concerns. My body is healthy, my mind serene, and my heart filled with joy. I live in an environment of perennial beauty, surrounded by blooming flowers and chirping birds. My life is free from worldly distractions and pressures. I sleep and wake as I please. Every day feels like a weekend, every moment like a holiday. At my age, few can achieve this state of life and being.

This blissful life didn’t appear out of nowhere. It is the result of divine enlightenment, the guidance of Christ and Buddha, and my own diligent efforts. In other words, it is the outcome of adhering to a correct view of life and LIFE.

I often reflect on my childhood friends, classmates, siblings, colleagues, and acquaintances. Comparing our paths, I find that I live the happiest life. This difference stems from the distinct life paths we chose, guided by our differing outlooks on life and values.

For instance, I loved studying and reading from a young age. Exaggeratedly speaking, there wasn’t a single day I didn’t read. I believed in the saying, "In books, there is a house of gold; in books, there are beauties like jade." Meanwhile, many childhood friends preferred playing or farming over reading. Initially, we all stood at the same starting line, but over time, our paths diverged. When they realized how far behind they had fallen, it was too late to catch up.

Whenever I visit my hometown and meet old friends, their feelings of inferiority become evident. To them, I seem extraordinary. My siblings also hold me in high regard, treating me more like an esteemed guest than a family member.

I often inquire about my middle school classmates' lives. Of the nearly 50 students in my class, over half have left the countryside to find jobs, earning government salaries. Yet, when I compare my life to theirs, I do not envy any of them. On the contrary, they envy my lifestyle, and I can sense their relative self-consciousness when we meet. To them, I am not just an ordinary person.

Comparing myself to my technical school, college, and university classmates, few, if any, have surpassed me. While they focused solely on immediate gains, I looked ahead to five or ten years down the line. For example, even before my child was born, I was already planning for his education in the United States—a foresight my peers could hardly match.

Take one close friend from middle school as an example. When choosing schools, I aimed for the one farthest from home, while he opted for the nearest. As a result, I went from Gansu to Zhangjiakou, while he attended a local teacher training school. Thirty years later, I am still energetic and thriving, while he appears much older and worn.

My colleagues, too, rarely compare to me. Most are content with the status quo, hesitant to step outside their comfort zones. They cling to the security of stable jobs and cannot fathom leaving to explore new opportunities. When I decided to leave my job and venture out on my own, they cautioned me: "What if you lose your income? What if you have no house? What if you get sick? What if you have nowhere to turn?" Today, the problems they worried about are all resolved for me, while they are now grappling with their own "what ifs." My friends are doing well, with the best six being department heads. They have solved problems like housing, cars, wives, children, parents, and money better than those around them, earning the respect of their peers. However, they are cogs in a machine, while I am the machine itself. I make all my decisions based on my own will, whereas they can only be good cogs in the machine. This is the difference in our mindsets. They still work the eight-to-five grind, while I do what I want when I want!

My friends in business are now wealthier than I am. For the past five or six years, I have been accumulating spiritual and soul wealth, while they have been accumulating material wealth, making it hard for me to compare with them materially. Nevertheless, they will never surpass me in life’s ultimate meaning. During a recent gathering after my trip back home, I noticed their overwhelming frustrations despite their immense wealth. Each of them is a multimillionaire, yet they remain troubled, worrying incessantly about business losses, currency devaluation, audits, and disputes with unions over employee issues.

One of the wealthiest among them, who owns several enterprises and employs hundreds of workers, lamented, “I’ve earned enough money to last multiple lifetimes, yet I must keep hustling every day—what else can I do?” His busyness made me feel pity for him. When people are trapped in the pursuit of money, their minds are consumed by considerations of profit and loss. They dismiss spiritual or soul matters as baseless, focusing solely on money as the most tangible and practical means to solve problems. However, no matter how much wealth one accumulates, becoming a slave to money emits a sense of decay.

Among the 16 people who went abroad with me, none live as freely and carefreely as I do.

I always plan ahead, adapting and improvising when necessary. The old saying goes, "Preparedness ensures success, while lack of it leads to failure." Life requires foresight, which can be simply understood as having ideals and aspirations. For instance, I began preparing for my move abroad long before it happened. I studied English and resolved to stay permanently from the second day of my arrival. When my contract ended two years later, I had seamlessly settled abroad. Others, lacking a clear plan, were at the mercy of fate.

Once I set my sights on a goal, I pursue it with unwavering determination. I abandon anything that might hold me back, even if it means giving up titles, records, achievements, jobs, houses, money, and connections. I let myself start from zero. As long as there’s a "watermelon" ahead, I won’t waste time picking up "sesame seeds" along the way. My approach has proven effective.

At the slightest dissatisfaction, I walk away—this is my principle. At one workplace, interpersonal conflicts and petty disputes consumed everyone's energy. I thought, “This place is not worth staying in. None of this belongs to me anyway.” So, I left without hesitation. As the saying goes, "There is no shortage of green grass under the heavens." Why force myself to get along with incompatible people? If it’s enjoyable, we interact; if not, I move on. This attitude toward people, situations, and environments has enabled me to live a life akin to that of a celestial being today.

Taiji Celestial has also benefited from my life philosophy. He now enjoys a carefree life, having moved from Shenyang to Rizhao and then to Kunming. Isn’t that freedom?

One key insight is about ownership: the more you own, the more you are burdened. I avoid ownership because it becomes a tether. I’ve moved houses almost every year, enjoying the fresh excitement each new environment brings. Owning a house, on the other hand, would tie me down.

The more one possesses, the more troubles they have—this is my realization. If any man disagrees, try marrying 10 wives; or any woman, try marrying 10 husbands. Or any couple, try having 20 children; or any business owner, try expanding from one company to 10 companies! Or try buying 10 large TVs to place in your home—or even 10 large beds, if you like.

The desire to own reflects a lack of confidence. Ironically, the more you own, the more troubled you become, draining life’s precious vitality. A better approach is to own nothing yet have access to everything—that’s the essence of a fulfilling life.

In the writings of Qiankun Celestial, the concept of “transforming consciousness” is discussed, which is a great treasure for life. People must continuously transform their consciousness. To understand it in a simple way: imagine yourself standing in a certain environment. Looking straight ahead, you see one scenery. Then, turning to your right, you see a different scenery. Turning around to look behind you, the scenery changes again. This is the essence of transforming consciousness. For instance, if a person or environment makes you uncomfortable, don’t fixate on it—move on. When one door closes, others open, but only if you stop fixating on the closed one.

Do not let a theory, doctrine, or worldview that makes you uncomfortable bind you. Life is short and so precious—why should I listen to you? Why should I go against my own will and personality to follow your rules? I will live in a way that brings me happiness and joy. Why should I abide by your teachings? Why should I let you block the information I need or deprive me of another possible path in life? My life is mine to decide. I am the most remarkable person—why should I bow down to anyone? If your temper and personality clash with mine, why should I entangle myself with you?

Of course, this requires unconventional thinking. You need to cultivate your own mental strength. When the power of your own thinking surpasses that of a theory or doctrine, you will no longer be bound by it. Traditional ideas are also a kind of mental force, restricting everyone’s thoughts and actions. However, if you dare to disdain them, they will lose their grip on you.

I’ve said enough for now—time to stop!