The Heart of the Cultivator

Deiform Buddha

September 5, 2006

The heart of the Cultivator aligns with the hearts of the common people. They constantly hold the well-being of all people in their hearts. The happiness of the masses is their happiness, and the sorrow of the masses is their sorrow. As long as there is even one kind, honest, trustworthy, and hardworking person enduring hardship, the Cultivator will not enjoy personal joy. They see the world’s parents as their own parents, the world’s children as their own children, the world’s women as their own sisters, and the world’s men as their own brothers. If the neighbors cry, the Cultivator cannot laugh. If their family members cry, the Cultivator cannot laugh. They bear the world’s sorrows on their shoulders and work to relieve the world’s suffering.

The heart of the Cultivator aligns with the heart of all things. The universe is trustworthy, and all things are sentient. Trees, flowers, plants, insects, and animals exist for me, and they all contribute to my nourishment. Mountains, rivers, and vast lands support my existence, serving as the carrier of my life and the vessel for crossing the river. I take what I need without letting greed drive me to harm any living being. When all things cry, my heart cannot find peace. When the mountains and rivers are shattered, I cannot be whole. Let the grass and trees grow, let the butterflies flutter, let the streams flow clear, let the beasts and birds run and fly freely, my heart merges with all things, and all things live within my heart.

The heart of the Cultivator aligns with the heart of the universe. The vast sky understands my heart. The expansive universe travels with me. The universe is the cradle of my consciousness and the home of my thinking. As long as the universe exists, so do I; if the universe ceases, so do I. The twinkling stars send me greetings and blessings, the sun and moon move to care for, love, protect and bless me. In the 36-dimensional spaces and 36 worlds, traversing the vast oceans and touring the myriad realms, my heart melts into the universe, and the universe is filled with my heart.

The heart of the cultivator aligns with the heart of gods and Buddhas. We revere Jesus as a god and Shakyamuni as a Buddha, seeing Jesus as our father and Buddha as our teacher. We are the children of Jesus and disciples of Buddha. What Jesus desires is our desire, and Buddha’s teachings are our actions. Our consciousness merges with gods and Buddha, and our emotions blend with gods and Buddha. Clad in Jesus’ armor and wielding Shakyamuni’s staff, we become embodiments of Jesus and Buddha. We follow where Jesus points and go where Buddha leads.

The heart of the cultivator aligns with a heart of compassion. Our hearts are delicate and tender, like the tender shoots in early spring. This is true for all living beings. Our hearts should be as caring as if we were nurturing a newborn baby, and as merciful as witnessing the crystal morning dew on branches disappearing in an instant. Care is shown in the fleeting moment of flint light, and mercy is dedicated even in a small space like a snail’s horn. We sense genuine emotions in an instant and appreciate the fleeting beauty of a blooming flower. We dispel brutality and cruelty, drive away unkindness, and embrace all beings with wholehearted care, protecting them with great care as if they were in the palm of our hand.

The heart of the cultivator aligns with the state of Wuji, the Infinite. Transcending the bonds of life and death, we fulfill our duties without regrets, striving to liberate our hearts from further attachments. Unaffected by honor or disgrace, unconstrained by life or death, we let our hearts die in the present moment, valuing this transcendence above all else. We neither rejoice in life nor grieve for death. We allow our souls to drift away from the physical body and the current world at any time, merging into the essence of the Tao and the origin of the spirit. We transform in the boundless horizon of Wuji and exist eternally in the infinite space. We find our true selves in the realm of selflessness, maintaining serenity amidst turbulence. We dream within this dream-like world. Upon awakening, we break free from the cycle of rebirth, transcend the three realms, and return to our true home.

The heart of the cultivator aligns with a heart of harmony. The beauty of symmetry and proportion resides in harmony, and the interplay of yin and yang brings about the beauty of transformation. The contrast between black and white reveals colors, and the clash between good and evil gives birth to sainthood. By discarding the highest and lowest scores, we find joy in the beauty of moderation. Unperturbed by the drizzling rain, the rolling waves of the vast sea, the changing clouds, the blooming and wilting of flowers, the comings and goings of comets, and the migration of wild geese, one should be constantly in a state of "being" in order to contemplate the subtlety of the universe, and one should be constantly in a state of "non-being" in order to contemplate the limit of the universe. The Tao moves in its own way, the principles of nature are ever-present, and we play in the game of life, unrestrained.

The heart of the cultivator aligns with a heart of emptiness. All conditioned dharmas are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, like dew drops and a lightning flash. Contemplate them thus. Having a heart is the source of suffering, and the heart gives birth to desire, which attracts demons and disturbances. We let the mind remain unaffected by external conditions, not allowing the heart to be swayed by circumstances. With each thought, we transcend the mundane and with each intention, we aim for a lofty and distant view. A million years is but a second, and a second is a million years. We hold tightly onto the hand of the Greatest Creator, entrusting our life to the arrangement of the Tao. The Greatest Creator is our spirit, and the nature of the Tao is our heart. We take things as they are, associate with others by following natural come-and-go relations, act in accordance with one’s intrinsic nature, and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.