Do Not Pray for Miracles

Xuefeng

October 30, 2007

I understand the hearts of all people. As long as they are human, they more or less hope for miracles to happen. When we are in difficult situations, we hope for miracles to get us out of trouble. When we are in extreme pain, tormented by countless worries, we hope for miracles to quickly relieve our suffering. We fervently wish for pies to fall from the sky, for extraordinary abilities to command the wind and rain, to become famous overnight, to get rich overnight, and to be admired by everyone overnight. Such thoughts and hopes are normal. However, as Tao practitioners, we must be down-to-earth, advancing step by step towards perfection, transcendence, and the ideal shore.

Even if we have absolute faith in the Greatest Creator, the Greatest Creator will not fulfill our every wish. Our hopes cannot become reality immediately. The hardships we must endure, the suffering we must bear, the paths we must walk, and the tasks we must complete are all part of the program. We have not yet transcended the program or escaped the realms of heaven and earth.

We must believe that "when the water comes, the channel will be formed; when the melon is ripe, it will fall off the stem." Just as water will naturally boil if heated long enough, and persistence will eventually saw through wood or wear away stone, we must not rush things. We must not be impatient for results or expect our beautiful ideals to materialize overnight.

Miracles do happen often, but we should not pray for them. Just as a chick hatches from an egg after 21 days of incubation, wishing to hatch a chick in a few days disrupts the program and goes against the Tao.

It is unrealistic to expect to possess supernatural powers or extraordinary abilities after only a few days of practice. It is even more unrealistic to pray for Jesus to help us escape all difficulties right after becoming a Christian. Similarly, expecting to gain the Buddha's eye or the insight of enlightenment immediately after entering Buddhism, or hoping to master all the secrets of LIFE and become a celestial being in a day after entering Lifechanyuan, is also unrealistic.

Do not focus too much on the results, as this will delay your progress. Do not calculate how far you have walked or how much you have done. Just focus on each step you take and each task you perform in the present moment. Otherwise, you will never reach your destination.

To maintain the ordinary is extraordinary, while pursuing the extraordinary ultimately leads to ordinariness. Those who chase miracles will never achieve them, while those who adhere to the ordinary will eventually witness miracles.

Understand that Tao has its own processes; the Tao is the process itself. By following the process, your ideals will eventually come true. Avoiding the process leads to disorder, where miracles might occur but can be harmful, causing loss of normalcy and leading to obsession.

"Three feet of ice do not form in a single day; the water dripping through stone is not a result of one day's effort." You must eat the first eight steamed buns; otherwise, even if I present diamonds to you and pour secrets into your ears, you will not understand or know how to apply them.

Both sides in a war pray devoutly for divine support to defeat the other side. What can god do? Everyone prays for god to grant them success and prosperity. What can the Greatest Creator do? The Greatest Creator will not favor any side. The sun shines on both good and bad people. The outcome must be determined by the process. Whoever follows the process will be the ultimate winner.

Thus, praying for miracles is harmful. Miracles should occur naturally, without us trying to force them. Do not try to force growth or seek immediate results.

Hastening the process can slow progress. Constantly craving delicacies can be detrimental to health. There is no result without a process; skipping the process deprives you of the enjoyment of the journey. Being born today and ending up in a coffin tomorrow is not a good thing.

The process of cultivating Tao is like the growth of a tree. Watching its growth all the time makes it hard to see the progress. Only after some time can you see how much it has grown. The transition from human to celestial being is not instant. Replacing human consciousness with celestial consciousness and transforming human life structure into that of a celestial being requires time. Many people fall along the path to enlightenment because they are too eager for miracles.

Do not pray for miracles to happen. If a miracle does occur because of such a prayer, we will forever disregard the process and procedures, relying on luck, which can lead to obsession and madness. If a miracle does not occur, we will lose faith, blame heaven, collapse in belief, and face psychological and spiritual turmoil.

However, there are exceptions to every rule. When we are in extreme danger and peril, we should "maintain readiness for a long time to act at the crucial moment" and pray for miracles. Conventional methods should be used in normal circumstances, and unconventional methods should be used in exceptional situations. This is the common and wonderful use of Tao.