Strive for an Unshakable State

Xuefeng

It is often said, "Great love is silent, great love is like a mountain." “Love is like a mountain, affections are like water.”Love that is as steadfast as a mountain is the kind of love people can rely on, the kind that people eternally long for, the kind that brings peace and tranquility to the soul, and the kind that is an inexhaustible source of energy. If love is passionate and fiery one day and full of hate and resentment the next, this rapidly changing "love" is frightening and repels people.

The noblest quality of LIFE in the universe is its unshakable nature. It always maintains a certain state, regardless of facing storms or sunny days, regardless of being in hardship or in moments of triumph. Even in the face of death, it remains the same. It is like the sun, like a mountain, like a river that flows for a thousand years, like the eternal and unchanging laws and principles of the universe.

"It is hard to find a true bosom friend in life." Why is it so hard? Because people are changeable; others change, and we change too, making it hard to find lasting friendships and bosom friends. People are selfish and always weigh the pros and cons before acting. They advance when it benefits them and retreat when it doesn't. They are proactive when there is something to gain and passive when there isn't. They are enthusiastic when things align with their desires and passive when they don't. Therefore, it is hard for people to maintain a lifelong unchanging state, making them unreliable, hence "it is hard to find a true bosom friend in life."

Those who practice cultivation strive for the elevation of their LIFE quality. Whether they have achieved this elevation can be tested by how well they maintain a certain state. If they have reached a level where external changes do not affect their inner state at all, if they can remain carefree, untroubled, fearless, and free from delusions under any circumstances, and if all their activities become mere games, then they have mastered their cultivation. Otherwise, they still need to continue their practice.

What remains unchanged forever is the mindset or consciousness of playing a game. What constantly changes is the way and content of the game. If the way and content of the game remain unchangeably the same, it becomes rigidity, stubbornness, dogmatism, and ultimately death. When winter comes, wearing winter clothes is necessary. If one still wears summer clothes, that is not unshakable; that is being inflexible, having a granite head.

Nearly two hundred members of our Chanyuan members have reached a good state. They are happy in favorable environments and still happy in harsh conditions. They are happy when material conditions are good and still happy when they are poor. They are happy when everything goes smoothly and still happy when facing difficulties. They are happy when alive and still happy when facing death. They thoroughly understand "everything is a game, only LIFE is real" and have a profound realization of "The sage is selfless and therefore becomes truly self"

Retreating in the face of difficulties, retaliating when attacked, becoming passive when things do not go as desired, and fleeing when facing calamities are not qualities of a true cultivator. The Lifechanyuan has withstood tests because we uphold the chanyuan values, adhere to the rules of civilization under any circumstances, uphold the principles of sincerity, kindness, beauty, love, faith and honesty, cooperate with the government, maintain ideological alignment with national leaders, and do not oppose any person, country, party, religion, or organization. Everything else changes; we remain unchanged. Regardless of how others treat us, we remain unchanged. We do what we do. How others view and treat us is their freedom and their business, not ours. Our business is arranged by the Tao, not something others can control.

Places with eternal spring are great; places with distinct seasons are also good. Living in the mountains is great; living in deserts and wastelands is also fine. Living alone in a room is great; squeezing together with seven or eight people is also fine! Previously, everyone had three eggs a day; now, it’s one egg every three weeks, no problem! It won’t kill anyone! Regardless of whether we can eat eggs, our emotions do not fluctuate. This is a good state of unshakable mindset and consciousness, an elevated state of life. Even if we can’t survive tomorrow and die, so be it! Who can avoid death? Early or late, death is inevitable, so why cling to the fleeting, ephemeral time? As the sage Xi Jinping said, “Life and death are indifferent!”

Many chanyuan members have already reached the spiritual mountain, evident from their state. The rest should continue striving for the unshakable state!

August 19, 2014