Life Arranged Ingeniously, the Ordinary Life

Xuefeng

March 27, 2019

Times change, lives reincarnate with their ups and downs, and human reproduction flourishes. Time and tides annihilate emperors, generals, and ministers; green grass invades countless palaces and pavilions; the strong disappear in an instant with their great achievements; heroes who had once shed blood and tears are nowhere to be found; huge amounts of wealth perish quickly like dreams, even the rich starve to death in the wilderness; in front of desolate and dilapidated empty buildings was once bumper-to-bumper traffic. The winners were frustrated; the powerful were desolate; fires were extinguished into ashes regardless of how fierce they might have been; overwhelming storms returned to calmness.

In life, it does not matter whether you win or lose; in the world, it does not matter whether you are right or wrong, gaining or losing. Everything is destined, everything is a constant, we suffer from our own actions, we harvest what we sow, we are responsible for our wins and losses, the Greatest Creator never has special mercy for anyone and never intentionally abandons anyone. Those who exploited others will be exploited; those who hurt others will be hurt exactly the same, not more and not less. Evil rages in the guise of justice but will be contained eventually; self-interest is cheating and bluffing in the name of public good, but it will eventually be recalled. Advantages taken will surely be lost and every extra gain will become a loss.

Tao is never absent, angels never leave, the devil never slackens, prosperity ends in a big mess, prosperous ages end in ruins, lavish banquets end, that which flourishes dies, phenomena will not last, but essence never changes. There are tens of thousands of ways to die; if one does not know how they will die or where they will be in a hundred years, then what is the use of being busy? Why are you in a hurry? Clouds are rolling and unfolding, flowers are blooming and falling, rushing passers-by cannot hold anything, lonely ghosts cannot find places in which to settle down. What are you fighting for; what annoys you? It is all a waste of energy, a waste of the meaning of Life.

Useless usage has great use; power, status, reputation, money, real estate, and houses are all passing clouds, and the winner of them must be captured by the devil. The states of realm, virtue, quality, etiquette, gratitude, contentment, and courtesy are all the claims of life, so one will be blessed by heaven if one possesses them. The sum of all positive and negative energy of the universe is zero; if you gain something here, you will lose something there. Looking at heaven, looking at hell, looking at the world, everything is clear, joy is sorrow, gain is loss, suffering is happiness, frugality is abundance. You might be eager to get what you want, but when your desire is met, misfortune will follow; you might be eager to achieve success, but when you succeed, you will suffer from it.

Virtuous individuals, please listen to me: avoid the urban noise and return to the rural countryside. Life is like a chess game and each one is different. We cannot see it through; we cannot explore it all. Why not raise a few chickens and ducks or go to watch the full moon in a field? Pickles and steamed buns warm the stomach and ragged clothes are like honey to the heart. The chaos of the world is not without its source, do not go back and forth hurriedly and quarreling. It is hard to tell who is right and who is wrong when all are jollifications of knacks. A big fire will burn everything down, a flood will wash everything away, the pandemic came quietly, and man-made misfortunes are everywhere. Living today, we do not know tomorrow’s situation. Something superfluous might cost your life, so why rush yourself and worry?

The world is like an unsatisfactory tight dragnet, but everything is arranged ingeniously; every detail is clear, not a word or act is wrong. Do not hate anyone, do not complain about things happening in the world, results are what matter. Find the benevolence of the divine across three lifetimes. Evil things in the world are made by good people and supremely good deeds are made by evil people. Good intentions always create trouble and slander waits beside honor and favor. “Misery: happiness is to be found by its side; happiness: misery lurks beneath it!” “Disaster is a blessing in disguise”. It is better to cultivate in the countryside, to be an ordinary person, not to be famous, not to fight for profit, but to light the sacred lamp in your heart and watch the world change.

Relying on other people, one will exhaust themself on them, so why not rely on the Tao of the Greatest Creator? Everyone has a life trajectory that cannot be changed, so why bother to worry about others? Parents’ suffering cannot be replaced by their children’s, and the children’s sins cannot be negated by their parents, let alone by others. You might think that you are doing something for the good of others but how do you know that you are not working against Tao and disturbing their trajectories? You cannot give money to others without having money in your pockets. How can you guide others to live well if you do not live well? Depend on your own experiences and feelings and do not listen to others’ moral preachings.

No harm in life is greater than that which affection can do when it is deep and hurts very severely. Sentient beings are trapped in affection nets until they die in mazes of affection. If you cast your affection onto someone, then their burden will become yours, so why not direct your affection toward idyllic, green mountains and blue rivers? Attaching affection to flowers, birds, insects, and fish is more beneficial than doing so to people. How can you wash your feet while still standing in mud; how can you sever your worldly ties while still living in the world? Waves never end; repaying debts by borrowing will keep you in debt forever. We also need to repay our debts that we borrowed from nature. The only way to eradicate debt is by giving alms formlessly. Our minds should not abide in form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma, but should abide nowhere. This mind abiding nowhere is our true mind which is nature, Buddha, angels, and celestials.

Looking throughout the world, the best place for life is the New Oasis for Life.