The Meaning of Life

Xuefeng

The meaning of life lies in how to extend our LIFE to higher-level LIFE spaces, which is to seek the Dao and become a Celestial Being. Without understanding this, life will be a state of confusion, impermanence, tragedy, brevity, and suffering. With this understanding, life will be clear, enduring, a comedy, eternal, and happy.

Due to the opposition between gods, human nature also contains two opposing sides: righteousness and evil. Every person, upon introspection, will find that they are a unity of gods and demons, and it depends on which aspect we develop toward. Developing toward righteousness can lead to becoming a Celestial Being or a Buddha, lacking clear moral direction, we continue to be human, while developing toward evil makes us become animals.

To maintain the relative stability of the universe, the Greatest Creator regulated everything in the universe and placed spirituality within all beings. Spirituality is the source of LIFE, and the Greatest Creator is the sole source of the essence of LIFE.

The law of energy conservation and the law of the indestructibility of life are universal principles in the cosmos. According to these laws, we understand that the total number of species on Earth remains constant. Every species has a natural upper limit to its population. When it develops to a certain number that threatens the survival of other species, it will inevitably decline. If one species increases, another will decrease. When the human population reaches a certain limit, it will no longer increase. However, the problem is where the increasing human population comes from and where the decreasing populations of other animals go.

The law states that everything has a spirit. In terms of spirituality, all beings are equal. The value of a wolf on Earth is no different from that of a sheep; the role of a human on Earth is no different from that of a monkey or a bee; the value of a peach tree is the same as that of a willow tree, and roses and grass are equally valuable. The difference lies in the quality of spirituality each possesses. For example, with the same type of stone, if its hardness reaches 10, it becomes a diamond; with a hardness of 9, it becomes a ruby or sapphire; with a hardness of 8.5, it becomes a Cat's Eye; with a hardness of 8, it becomes yellow sapphire or spinel; with a hardness of 7.5-8, it becomes aquamarine or zircon; with a hardness of 7.5, it becomes emerald or green sapphire. This hardness continues to decrease, resulting in tourmaline, quartz, amethyst (garnet), olivine, jadeite, wood fossil, soft jade, euclase, moonstone, sunstone, turquoise, etc.; with hardness ranging from 3.5-5.5, it becomes Xiuyu jade, pearls, peacocks, corals, and so forth, all the way down to granite and common pebbles. Similarly, based on the quality of spirituality that each possesses, one can evolve from achieving Buddhahood or becoming a Celestial Being to becoming a human, crane, tortoise, dog, horse, ox, sheep, pig, flying bird, or walking beast, and so on.

The same stone, such as aquamarine, can be divided into various grades based on its refractive index, specific gravity, color, transparency, brightness, and the pattern of its crystalline structure. The same applies to people, who can be divided into ignorant people, worldly people, mortals, sages, and saints based on their disposition, education, knowledge, wisdom, and level of civilization.

Human beings are composed of a material body and a spiritual soul. After death, the physical body, which originates from energy, returns to energy. The spiritual soul, on the other hand, comes from the Greatest Creator, and it is eternal and indestructible, undergoing a cycle of reincarnation. This cycle is determined by a person's actions during their human life, specifically, the purity of their spiritual soul after the physical body's death. Depending on this, the spiritual soul can ascend to become a Buddha or celestial, continue as a human, or descend to become a bird or a beast. Therefore, the increase in the human population on Earth comes from other species, and some animals transform into humans.

Now that we understand the position and predicament of humans, we must know that humans on Earth are under the guardianship of two opposing gods. We are faced with two completely different choices every day and every moment. One path requires us to sacrifice our immediate interests to pursue perfect humanity, with a focus on spiritual life and an increase in the quality of spirituality, ultimately leading to the Thousand-year World. The other path requires us to pursue material enjoyment at all costs, maximize material wealth and social status through competition, without considering any illusory afterlife.

Because righteousness and evil coexist within human nature, our lives are always filled with contradictions and suffering, regardless of how we conduct ourselves. Being kind, honest, upright, and diligent does not guarantee immediate rewards in this lifetime, just as being evil, deceitful, cunning, or lazy doesn't necessarily lead to a difficult life. Misfortunes and disasters can befall both the wicked and the righteous. Even if we continuously pray, make offerings, and refrain from wrongdoing, there is no guarantee of wealth, well-being for our descendants, or freedom from illness.

It's important to understand that our every word, action, and behavior have an impact on our spiritual essence, which will influence our next life. Therefore, we shouldn't use worldly success or failure to judge our moral standards. We should not imitate someone who engages in wrongdoing but still hold high positions, enjoy wealth, and have prosperous descendants. We should also refrain from mocking someone who dedicates their days to reciting scriptures and worshipping deities, yet experience poverty and hardship.

Our brief human existence is merely a transitional phase, and its significance lies in our pursuit of spiritual enlightenment and ascension. Human society can be likened to an alchemical furnace, where gold is refined into celestials, and the remaining impurities are classified accordingly.