Look Up to the Stars While Standing in the Gutter

Xuefeng

November 11, 2023

In life's journey, there will be times when you find yourself living in the gutter.

The gutter—is characterized by its darkness, dampness, foul odor, and the presence of rodents, snakes, cockroaches, and mosquitoes.

Living in the gutter feels like being neither alive nor dead, unable to live well yet unable to die, trapped and unable to escape, enduring the torment of both physical and mental suffering.

Have you experienced any of this? Local thugs and bullies harass you, disrupting your normal life, bullying you and your loved ones, smash your windows, shout loudly in front of your door at midnight, smear paint on your door, and frequently threaten you with phrases like “If you do not [something], I'll [something] you”.

Have you ever experienced this? You're bullied, but you have no recourse. You call out to the heavens but receive no answer. You call out to the earth but find no relief. There's nowhere to seek justice, nowhere to air grievances. You feel deeply troubled and contemplate hanging yourself.

Have you experienced this? Being unemployed, having no savings in the bank, responsible for caring for family members, having no land for farming, no job prospects, seeking help from anyone possible but finding no one willing to assist.

Have you experienced this? Your home being destroyed time and again, being repeatedly driven out of your own home, with nowhere to go in this vast world, nowhere to settle, wandering every day, struggling to survive in a state of disappointment, hopelessness, and despair.

Have you ever experienced this? Once your home was filled with esteemed guests, 'there were no ordinary visitors.' You were spirited, full of ambition, guiding and stirring the world with your words. Suddenly, one day, you became a prisoner, your home was ruined, your possessions confiscated. Former close friends and those whom you once helped scattered, no one came to rescue you, not even to visit.

Have you experienced this? You struggled immensely to escape the clutches, setting off on a journey toward your free homeland. However, along the way, you had to dodge police exploitation and extortion from the underworld, endure life-threatening jungle adventures, and traverse turbulent seas. As funds depleted, food supplies vanished, and illness struck.

Have you experienced this? The person you trusted the most betrayed and deceived you, emptied your pockets, sabotaged your career, and spread a series of untrue accusations against you. You found no one to stand up for your justice, people looked at you with suspicion.

Have you experienced this? Unknowingly, you fell into an organization or a trap. Initially, you tasted all the sweetness, thinking you were on the path to success and a superior life. But once certain conspiracies unraveled, you found yourself trapped with no way out and had to consider desperate measures.

When any of these experiences happen, it proves you're currently living in the gutter.

Living in the gutter is akin to standing on the cliff of death. One misstep and you'll plummet into the abyss, bidding farewell to life. Globally, approximately 1 million people commit suicide each year, with about 10 to 20 million attempting it. Those contemplating or committing suicide are those living in the gutter at that moment.

If you're living in the gutter, here's some advice: look up to the stars.

1) the heavens have eyes, the earth has eyes, and everyone has a pair of eyes. When you stand in the gutter, the heavens, the earth, and people are all watching you, observing how you handle it. If you look up at the stars, there's a chance to escape the gutter.

2) Angels and Bodhisattvas are working among us, attempting to guide people to paradise. Only by looking up can you see and find them. Clearly express yourself; they can assist you. "Heaven helps those who help themselves."

3) Light your inner divine lamp. The more difficult the situation, the more crucial it is to seek truth, kindness, beauty, love, faith, and honesty because the more beautiful things are, the less likely they'll be found in the gutter. If you pursue falsehood, evil, ugliness, hatred, doubt, and deceit, you'll never escape the gutter.

4) Pray to the Greatest Creator, seeking forgiveness and a path to light. Invite the Greatest Creator into your heart; believe that the Greatest Creator can help you escape the gutter.

5) Don't bow to anything in the gutter, do not believe anything in the gutter, and do not glorify the darkness in the gutter. Don't harbor any illusions about anything in the gutter. If you do not look up at the stars, but instead, hold onto a false hope of gaining liberation by flattering and glorifying the gutter, you'll never escape from it.

6) Never align yourself with the gutter; everything that happens in the gutter is sinful. Don't attempt to escape the gutter using its ways, tricks, paths, or methods. Doing so will only cause you to sink deeper into the gutter, possibly beyond redemption.

7) Believe that there are countless kind, hardworking, and willing-to-help people in this world. They are the ones you can trust and rely on, but the premise is to maintain your own good qualities. Only then will you have the chance to climb out of the gutter and never fall into it again.

8) Remember two important sayings: "The world is faultless; all faults lie within us", and "The sum of positive and negative energy in the universe is zero." Focus on what you can do for others and society, not what you can get from them. This attitude will bring salvation.

Living in the gutter happens to be the best opportunity for a profound transformation, a chance to transcend the ordinary. It requires a complete reset—since you're already standing on the edge of death, why not completely wipe out your past perspectives on life, values, beliefs, and worldview? Replace them entirely with a set of 'four perspectives' that are completely different from your previous ones. However, the prerequisite is to look up at the stars. Don't waste time and energy complaining about everything in the gutter, and above all, do not compromise and collude with anything of the gutter.