Thirty-Six Eight-Diagram Arrays: The Array of Indulgence

Xuefeng

All humans possess a degree of laziness, seeking comfort and indulgence, even to the point of extravagance and debauchery. Ultimately, when things reach an extreme, they reverse, returning to poverty and humility, completing a cycle of transitioning from poverty to wealth, from wealth back to poverty, from lowliness to nobility, and from nobility back to lowliness. This is the indulgence array.

Humans are capable of striving, but when are they most likely to strive? The answer: When they are poor and humble.

Humans are capable of falling, but when are they most likely to fall? The answer: When they are rich and noble.

Ninety-eight percent of humanity finds it difficult to escape the indulgence array. Examples of those who have not been able to escape the indulgence array, from ancient to modern times, are countless and as vast as the ocean. From the downfall of a prosperous civilization to the decline of a thriving nation, from the prosperity of a family business to the corruption and decadence of a prominent figure, though the lessons are profound, people still follow one after another. This demonstrates the formidable power of the indulgence array.

Without maintaining a clear mind and adhering to one’s original intentions, no one can escape the indulgence array.

Everyone can introspect. When we make some progress, do we begin to cultivate feelings of pride and complacency? When we become slightly affluent, do we already start to crave enjoyment and comfort? When we receive praise and admiration for our merit from those around us, do we start to feel a bit dizzy and lose our direction? When we attain some status and power, does our inner self no longer remain humble and cautious but instead reveal arrogance and dominance in our words and actions?

With even a little gain, we become arrogant; with a little comfort, we stop striving; with a little accumulation, we become corrupted; with a little elevation, we think we have grasped the truth. Humans are so narrow-minded, so incredible, so hopeless, and so base yet difficult to reform.

“It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality,” because the indulgence array is at work.

During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhou Yu of Eastern Wu planned to lure Liu Bei of Shu into marriage with the luxurious life of Eastern Wu. If not for the superior strategies of Zhuge Liang of Shu, Liu Bei would have fallen into the indulgence array and suffered a setback.

During the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, if not for the unwavering will of Tang Monk, reaching the Holy Mountain to obtain the scriptures would have been difficult.

Look at the decline of the ancient Roman Empire. “After the founding of Rome, the slave-owning class liberated themselves from physical labor through slaves. However, at this time, they were not thinking about the prospects of the republic or the empire, let alone becoming a “philosopher king”; instead, they were engrossed in money and power struggles. When the ruling class fell into a situation they could not extricate themselves from, and the elites of the era did not think about problems from a historical perspective, the empire not only lost the driving force to create a new civilization but also foreshadowed the decline of the empire. “The eyes of the rich only focus on gold, and due to their luxurious lifestyles, they are like moldy pockets that have worn out and can no longer hold wisdom, frankness, and loyalty.” As the upper-class society continued to decay, “with the end of the republic, a large number of “new people” who became rich through commerce entered the Senate, and the number of aristocrats who were both officials and businessmen increased… Therefore, political power was drawn into the circulation field from various different channels, and the destruction of the legal system began from here.” Columella also said: “We often enjoy excessive banquets, we even use steam baths to make ourselves sweat profusely in order to eliminate the indigestion brought about by overeating every day; after drying our sweaty bodies, we will feel unbearably thirsty and think about banquets again.” Looking at the increase in holidays, “during the time of Augustus, there were only 66 holidays according to the calendar; this increased to 87 days during Tiberius. In the mid-4th century, it unprecedentedly increased to 175 days.” Excessive extravagance in material life consumes resources, corrupts the ruling class, poisons social customs, and fundamentally destroys the spirit on which the Roman Empire was founded and progressed, which is no different from pulling the firewood from under the pot for civilization.

If we forget the scene of the fall of ancient Rome due to its ancient age, then we should still remember the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement that occurred in China 160 years ago. Why did the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom fall? The answer: Because it did not escape the indulgence array.

The decline of civilizations, empires, nations, companies, and other phenomena, organizations, and groups is actually the decline of human nature, the result of humans seeking comfort, extravagance, and indulgence. It is an inevitable cycle caused by not escaping the indulgence array.

As practitioners who have embarked on the path of the Greatest Creator, if we do not escape the indulgence array, the end result will still be the abandonment of previous efforts and a return to the cycle.

Lifechanyuan has already created a paradise on earth—the Second Home, a secluded utopia. Every Lifechanyuan member should remember their original intentions. The more superior the environment and conditions, the more diligent, thrifty, modest, and cautious one should be. There should be no room for laziness, waste, or extravagance, let alone indulging in comfort and pleasure leading to corruption and decadence. Spiritual and mental enjoyment should be maximized, but material enjoyment should be limited. This limitation cannot be ensured by regulations but must be maintained by adhering to the values of Lifechanyuan and each member’s voluntary efforts to build their soul garden. If a Lifechanyuan member is petty about what they eat, selective about where they live, wasteful about what they wear, extravagant about how they travel and communicate, lazy and sloppy in their work, and receives more from the home than they contribute, and does not put effort into improving the nonmaterial structure of their LIFE daily but instead thinks about freedom and even promiscuity in love and sex, they have already embarked on the path of seeking comfort and falling into corruption and decadence. This is what worries me the most.

Without escaping the indulgence array, the beautiful utopia of the Second Home will be short-lived and eventually fade away, making it difficult to create a beautiful new life model for humanity.

Without escaping the indulgence array, we cannot realize the ultimate ideal of going to heaven.

How to escape the indulgence array?

Apart from adhering to the Eight Hundred Values for New Era Human and building one’s own soul garden as soon as possible, there is no other way.