Chapter III Cultivation Of Xinxing
All cultivators of Falun Gong must place cultivation of Xinxing (mind-nature) as their top priority, and firmly believe that Xinxing is the key to Gong (cultivation energy) development. This is the principle of higher-level cultivation. Strictly speaking, the energy potency that determines one’s level is not developed through practice, but through Xinxing cultivation. The improvement of Xinxing is easier said than done. Cultivators must be able to give up a great deal, improve their enlightenment quality, bear sufferings upon sufferings and endure almost unendurable things, etc. Why have some people practiced for many years, yet their Gong still has not grown? The fundamental causes are: first, they do not pay attention to Xinxing; and second, they do not know the righteous law of a higher level. This issue must be disclosed. Many masters who teach Gong talk about Xinxing; they are genuinely teaching. Those who only teach movements and techniques but never discuss Xinxing are actually teaching evil cultivation. Therefore, practitioners must spend a great deal of effort on improving their Xinxing. Only then can they enter into high-level cultivation.
The Xinxing discussed in Falun Gong can not be mixed with or covered by "De" (virtues) alone. It encompasses a lot more than "De" does. It encompasses many different aspects including those of "De". "De" is only one manifestation of one’s Xinxing, so using "De" alone to understand the meaning of Xinxing is not enough. Xinxing also encompasses how to deal with the two issues of "gain" and "loss". "Gain" is to gain conformity to the characteristic of the universe. The characteristic that makes up the universe is Zhen-Shan-Ren (truthfulness-benevolence-forbearance). The degree of conformity between a cultivator and the cosmic characteristic is reflected upon the individual’s De. "Loss" is to give up those ill thoughts and conducts of greed, personal gain, lust, desire, killing, battering, stealing, robbing, deceiving, jealousy, etc. If one cultivates toward a higher level, he also needs to give up the pursuit of desires and lust that is natural and deeply-rooted in human beings. In other words, one should give up all attachments, and should take lightly all personal fame and gain.
A complete person is composed of a physical body and a character. The same is true with the universe. In addition to the existence of substance, there also simultaneously exists the characteristic of "Zhen-Shan-Ren". Every particle in the air contains this characteristic. In the ordinary society, this characteristic is reflected in the fact that doing good deeds earns praise and doing bad things earns punishment. At a higher level, the characteristic also displays the state of supernormal capabilities. People who adapt themselves to this kind of characteristic are good people; those who stray away from it are bad. People who comply with and have assimilated to it are those who have achieved the way. Thus, cultivators are required to have extremely high Xinxing to conform to this characteristic. Only in this way can one cultivate toward a higher level.
It is easy to be a good person, but it is not that easy to cultivate Xinxing. Cultivators must be mentally prepared. One should be truly willing before he tries to rectify his mind. People live in this world where the society gets very complicated. You want to do good deeds, but there are some people who do not want you to; you do not want to harm others, but others may harm you for various reasons. Some of these things happen for unnatural reasons. Will you understand the reasons? What should you do? Being confronted with all the conflicts in this world, your Xinxing is under test at every moment. When confronted with indescribable humiliation, when your direct personal interest has been harmed, when faced with money and lust, when in a power struggle, when rage and jealousy come out of conflicts, when various conflicts in the society and within the family take place and when all kinds of sufferings occur, can you always handle yourself in accordance with the strict Xinxing requirement? Of course, if you can do all of this, you are already an enlightened one. After all, most cultivators start as ordinary people. The cultivation of Xinxing is also gradual and moves upward little by little. Determined cultivators should be prepared to endure great sufferings and face difficulties with a firm mind, and eventually they will attain the Righteous Attainment. My hope to all cultivators is that you guard your Xinxing well and improve your energy potency soon!
Both the communities of Qigong and religion talk about loss and gain. Some people regard "loss" as "being charitable", doing some good deeds or giving a hand to people in trouble; "gain" as "gaining Gong (cultivation energy)". Even monks in the temples also say that one should be charitable. This understanding narrows the meaning of "loss". The "loss" we talk about, however, is much broader, and is something of a large scale. The things we require you to lose are the attachments of ordinary people and the mind that does not let go of those attachments. If you can let go of things you consider important and let go of things you do not think you can give up, that is "loss" in the real sense. Offering help and expressing charity is only a part of "loss".
As an ordinary person, one wants to have a little fame, personal gain, a better living standard, more comfort and more money. These are goals of ordinary people. As cultivators, we are different as what we acquire is Gong, not these. We need to care less about our personal gain, taking it lightly, but we are not asked to really lose any material things. We cultivate in the ordinary society and need to live the same as the ordinary people. The key is to let go of your attachments; you are not required to really lose anything. Whatever belongs to you will not be lost, but the things that do not belong to you cannot be acquired either. If acquired, they will have to be returned to others. If you gain something, you must lose something else. Of course, it is impossible to do everything very well all at once, nor is it possible to become enlightened overnight. But, by cultivating little by little and improving step by step, it is attainable. You will gain however much you lose. With a light attitude toward personal gains, you’d rather gain less for a peace of mind. You may suffer some losses when it comes to material things, but you will gain in terms of De (virtues) and Gong. This is where the truth lies. It is not for you to intentionally gain De and Gong through the exchange of fame, money and personal gain. This should be further understood through experience using your enlightenment quality.
A cultivator of the great Tao once said: "I do not want the things that are desirable to others. I do not possess the things possessed by others; however I have things others do not. I want things others do not." As an ordinary person, one hardly has a moment when he feels satisfied. He wants everything, except for that rock lying on the ground that no one wants to pick up. But this Taoist cultivator said, "Then I will pick up this rock." A proverb goes like: "Rarity produces the precious and scarcity bears the uniqueness". Rocks are worthless here, but are the most valuable in the other dimension. Here he tells a principle that cannot be told by an ordinary person. Many enlightened high-level masters with great virtue have no material things. To them, there is nothing that they cannot give up.
The path of cultivation is the most correct. Cultivators are actually the most intelligent. The things that ordinary people struggle for and the minute benefits they will gain only last a short while. Even if you obtained through struggling, found for free, or gained a little benefit, so what? There is a saying among ordinary people: When you are born, you cannot bring anything with you; when you die, you cannot take anything away with you. You enter the world with nothing, and take nothing when you leave it. Even your bones will be burned to ashes. It does not matter if you have tons of money or are a dignitary; nothing can be taken with you when you leave. But Gong can be because it grows on the body of your main consciousness. I am telling you, it is not easy to possess Gong. It is so precious and so hard to acquire that it can not be exchanged for any amount of money. When your Gong has reached a very advanced level, and if one day should you decide not to cultivate anymore, as long as you do not do anything bad, you Gong will be converted into any material thing that you want. You can have them all. But, besides the things you can get in this world, you will no longer have things that are possessed by cultivators.
Some people, for the purpose of personal gain, have acquired things that do not belong to them via improper means. He thinks that he got a good deal. The truth is that he gained this benefit by exchanging his De with others, without knowing it. For cultivators, it has to be deducted from their Gong; for non-cultivators, it has to be deducted from their life expectancy or other aspects. In short, the books will be balanced. This is the cosmic principle. There are also some people who always bully others or harm others with ill words, etc. As these activities take place, they are throwing a corresponding portion of their De to the other party, exchanging De for the act of bullying others.
Some think it is a disadvantage to be a good person. From the viewpoint of ordinary people, they are at a disadvantage. However, they get things that ordinary people cannot. That is "De" - a white substance that is extremely precious. Without De, there will be no Gong; that is an absolute truth. Why is it that many people cultivate but their Gong fails to grow? It is exactly because they do not cultivate De. Many people talk about De and the requirement of De, but have failed to disclose the real principle of how De is transformed into Gong. It is left for individuals to comprehend. The close to ten thousand volumes of the Tripitaka as well as the principles taught by Sakyamuni during the forty-odd years he was alive, all talked about one thing - De; the books of ancient Chinese Taoist cultivation all discussed De; the 5,000 word book Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) by Lao Zi also reflected upon De. However, some people simply do not comprehend.
We talk about "loss". When you gain, you must lose. When you truly want to cultivate, you will encounter some tribulations. Reflected in real life, one may experience a little suffering in the physical body, or feel uncomfortable here and there. But, it is not an illness. Also, it may show up in society, the family or the workplace, which are all possible. Conflicts suddenly arise because of personal gain or emotional friction, the goal of which is to let you improve Xinxing. These things usually happen very suddenly and appear to be extremely intense. If you have encountered something very tricky, something that embarrasses you, makes you lose face, or puts you in an awkward position, how are you going to handle it at that point? If you stay calm and unruffled, if you are able to do that, your Xinxing will be improved through this tribulation. Correspondingly, your Gong will have developed by the same amount. If you can achieve a little, you will gain a little. How much you gain depends on how much effort you make. Most of the time, when people are in the middle of a tribulation, they may not be able to realize this. However, we must realize it, and should not mix ourselves with ordinary people. When conflicts arise, we should adopt a better attitude. Since we cultivate among ordinary people, our Xinxing will also be tempered among ordinary people. We are bound to make some mistakes, and also learn from them. It is impossible not to encounter any problems and to just have your Gong develop comfortably.
3. Simultaneous Cultivation of "Zhen-Shan-Ren"
Our cultivation way cultivates "Zhen-Shan-Ren" (truthfulness-benevolence-forbearance) all at the same time. "Zhen" is to tell the truth, do truthful things, return to the original true self and become a true person in the end. "Shan" is to grow benevolent compassion, do compassionate things and save people. The ability of Ren is particularly emphasized. Only with Ren can people with great virtues be cultivated successfully. Ren is a very powerful thing, transcending Zhen and Shan. The entire process of cultivation is to make you forbear, guard Xinxing (mind-nature) and not do as you please.
Being able to forbear when confronted with issues is not easy. Some say: if you do not hit back when beaten or do not talk back when slandered, or if you forbear even when you lose face in front of your family, relatives and good friends, haven’t you turned into "Ah Q" (a ‘foolish’ character in a Chinese novel)?! I say if you are acting normal in all aspects and your intelligence is no less that that of others, but you have only taken lightly the aspect of personal gain, no one is going to say you are stupid. Being able to forbear is not weak, or being "Ah Q". It is a display of strong will and self-restraint. There was a person called Han Xin in the history of China, who once suffered the humiliation of crawling between someone’s legs. That was forbearance in a big way. There is an ancient saying: "When an ordinary person is humiliated, he will draw his sword to fight." He will slander and swear at others, and throw punches at others. It is not easy for one to come into this world. Some people live for their ego. It is not worth it at all, and is also too tiring. There is a saying in China: by taking one step back, you will discover a boundless sea and sky. Take a step back when you are confronted with problematic things. When you do, you will find a whole different situation.
As a cultivator, you should not only show forbearance towards the people who have conflicts with you and those who embarrass you in person, but also adopt a better attitude and even thank them. Without their engaging in conflicts with you, how can you improve your Xinxing? How can the black substance be transformed into the white substance during the suffering? How can you develop your Gong? It is very hard when you are in the middle of a tribulation. But one must exercise self-restraint at that point because as energy potency increases, the tribulations get continually stronger. It all depends on whether you can improve your Xinxing. At the beginning, it may be upsetting to you, making you unbearably angry, so angry that your stomach or liver aches. But if you do not lose your temper and are able to tolerate it, that is good. You have started to forbear, intentionally to forbear. You will then gradually and continuously improve Xinxing, and will really view these things lightly. At that point, it will be an even bigger improvement. Ordinary people take some frictions and problems very seriously, live for the ego and cannot tolerate anything. When forced to irritation, they dare to do anything. But as a cultivator, the things that people take seriously seem to be very, very trivial to you, too trivial, because your goal is exceedingly long term, and very far-reaching. You will live as long as this universe. When you think about these things again, it would be all right if you have them; and it would be all right if you do not. When you think in a broad sense, you can overcome all these things.
Jealousy is a very big obstacle in cultivation, having a large impact on cultivators. It will directly impact the energy potency of the cultivator, harm your fellow cultivators and seriously interfere in our cultivation towards higher levels. As a cultivator, it must be gotten rid of one hundred percent. Some people have cultivated to a certain level, however, they have yet to let go of their jealousy. Moreover, the harder it is to get rid of, the easier it is for it to get stronger. This kind of opposing force makes the other already improved part of Xinxing (mind-nature) vulnerable. Why is jealousy being singled out for discussion? Because jealousy has the strongest and most prominent display among the Chinese, weighing the most in people’s minds. However, many people do not recognize that. Called the Oriental Jealousy or Asian Jealousy, jealousy is characteristic of people in the East. The Chinese people are very introverted, very reserved and do not express themselves easily, which easily leads to jealousy. Everything has two sides. So accordingly, an introverted personality has its pros and cons. Westerners are relatively extroverted. For instance, if a child scores 100 percent in school, he will happily call out on his way home, "I scored 100!..." Neighbors will open doors and windows to congratulate him: "Tom, congratulations!" They are all happy for him. If this happens in China, think about it, people would feel disgusted once they heard it: "He scored 100, so what? What is there to show off about?" The reaction is completely different with a jealous mentality.
People who are jealous look down upon others and do not allow others to surpass them. When they see someone more capable than they are, they begin to feel upset, cannot take it, and do not accept the fact. They want to get pay raises at the same time as others do, have a bonus of the same amount, and have everyone take the blame when something goes wrong. He gets green-eyed and jealous when he sees others making more money. Anyway, as long as others do better than he does, it will not be acceptable to him. Some people are afraid of accepting a bonus when they have achieved scientific research results. They are afraid of others becoming jealous; people who have been awarded certain honors do not dare to reveal these, as they are afraid of the jealousy and sarcasm. Some Qigong masters do not like it when other Qigong masters are teaching, so they will go to make trouble for them. This is an issue of Xinxing. A group is practicing together. Some people within this group have developed supernormal capabilities after practicing only a short period of time. Therefore, there are people who will say: "What does he have to brag about? I have practiced for so many years and have a big pile of certificates. How could he have developed supernormal capabilities before I have?" There goes the jealousy. Cultivation focuses within. A cultivator should cultivate himself and find causes of problems from within himself. You should try to improve whatever area you have not done enough in, working hard on yourself. If you try to find the causes in others, after others have completed cultivation and ascended upward, you will be the only one left here. Haven’t you wasted all your time? Cultivation is to cultivate yourself!
Jealousy also harms other fellow cultivators, such as the badmouthing which makes it hard for others to enter tranquillity; when he has supernormal capabilities, out of jealousy, he may use them to harm his fellow cultivators. For example, there is a person sitting there practicing who has been cultivating fairly well. Because he has Gong (cultivation energy), he sits there like a mountain. Then two beings float by, one of which used to be a monk, who because of jealousy, did not make it to enlightenment. Even though he possesses certain energy potency, he has not reached completion. When they arrive at where the person is meditating, one says, "So-and-so is practicing here. Let us go around." But the other says: "I am so powerful that in the past, I cut off a corner of Mount Tai." Immediately afterward, he tries to hit the practitioner. However, when he raises his hand, he cannot bring it down. Because the practitioner is cultivating the righteous way and has a protective shield, he is not able to hit him. When he wants to harm a cultivator of the righteous way, it becomes a serious issue. He gets punished. People who are jealous harm themselves as well as others.
Having attachments refers to when practitioners are over-pursuing a particular object or goal relentlessly, and are unable to step away or are even too stubborn to listen to any advice. Some people pursue having supernormal capabilities in this world, which will definitely impact their cultivation toward higher levels. The stronger the sentiment, the more difficult it is to give up and the more unbalanced and unstable the feeling will be. Later on, they will feel that they did not get anything and even start to doubt the things that they have been learning. Attachments stem from one’s desires. The attribute of these attachments is that their target or goal is plainly limited, fairly clear and explicit, and that frequently the person himself may not even recognize them. An ordinary person has many attachments. In order to pursue something and attain it, he can use any means necessary. The attachments of a cultivator are exhibited differently, such as the pursuit of a particular supernormal capability, indulging on a certain vision, obsession with a certain display, etc. As a cultivator, no matter what you pursue, it is incorrect. This must be eliminated. The Tao School talks about nothingness. The Buddha School discusses emptiness and enters the door of emptiness. Ultimately, we want to achieve the state of nothingness and emptiness, letting go of every attachment. Anything that you cannot let go of must be let go of, such as the pursuit of supernormal capabilities. If you pursue it, that means you want to use it. In reality, it is the opposite of the characteristic of our universe. It is actually still an issue of Xinxing (mind-nature). If you want to have it, then you actually want to flaunt it and show off in front of others. That is not something to show off so others can see. Even if the purpose of your using it is very innocent, just wanting to use it to do some good deeds, the good deeds that you have done may turn out to be not so good. It is not necessarily a good idea to handle matters of ordinary people using supernormal means. After some people hear my remarks that 70% of the class have had their Tianmu (third eye) opened, they start to wonder: "Why can’t I sense anything?" When they return home and practice, their attention is focused on their Tianmu, to the point of getting a headache. In the end, they still cannot see anything. This is called an attachment. Individuals differ in their physical condition and inborn quality. It is impossible for all of them to see through their Tianmu at the same time, nor is it possible to have their Tianmu at the same level. Some people may have been able to see and some may not have. That is all normal.
Attachments can hinder, slow down and destabilize the development of the energy potency of cultivators. In more serious cases, they may even result in cultivators taking an evil path. Particularly, certain supernormal capabilities may be used by people with inferior Xinxing to do bad things. There have been cases where bad deeds were committed using supernormal capabilities because of one’s unreliable Xinxing. Somewhere there was a male college student who developed a supernormal capability of mind control. With this, he could use his own thoughts to control the thoughts and conduct of others. Then he used it to do bad things. When some people practice, they may see some images appear. They always want to have a clear look and total understanding. This is also a form of attachment. A certain hobby has become an addiction for some; they are unable to shake it. That is also a form of attachment. Due to differences in inborn quality and purpose, some people cultivate in order to reach the highest level; some just to gain some things. The latter thought will for sure limit the goal of cultivation. Without getting rid of this kind of attachment, Gong will not be developed even with practice. Therefore, cultivators should take all material interests lightly, have no pursuit, and let everything happen naturally. Thus, the emergence of attachments will be avoided. This will depend on the Xinxing of the cultivator. If Xinxing is not improved fundamentally, enlightenment will not be reached with any form of attachment.
Karma is a type of black substance that is the opposite of De (virtues). In Buddhism, it is called bad karma; here, we call it simply "karma". So doing bad things is called "creating karma". Karma is created because of the wrong things that the person has done in this life or past lives. For instance, killing, bullying, fighting with others to gain personal interest, gossiping about someone behind his back, or being unfriendly to someone, etc. can all create karma. In addition, some karma is passed on from ancestors, family relatives or close friends. When one throws punches at someone else, he also throws out his white substance to the other person, and the vacated area in his body will be filled with the black substance. Killing is the greatest evildoing. It is a wrongdoing and will produce very heavy karma. Karma is the primary factor that causes sickness in people. Of course, it does not always manifest itself in the form of diseases; it may be in the form of encountering some troublesome matters, etc. It is all karma that is at work. Therefore, cultivators must not do anything bad. Any misconduct will result in bad messages, seriously impacting the issue of your cultivation.
Some people advocate collecting the Qi (energy) of plants. When they teach exercises, they also teach how to collect Qi from plants; which tree has better Qi and the colors of Qi of different trees are being discussed with intense interest. In a park in our northeastern region, some people practiced a kind of Qigong that was unknown to me. They were rolling all over the ground. After they got up, they circled around the pine trees and collected the Qi of the pine trees. Within half a year, the grove of pine trees withered and turned yellow. This is conduct that creates karma! It is also killing! Whether from the aspect of maintaining the ecological balance and making the country green, or from the aspect of a higher level, collecting Qi from plants is not correct. The universe is vast and boundless, with Qi available everywhere for you to collect. Knock yourself out and go collect it. Why abuse these plants? As a cultivator, where is your heart of mercy and compassion?
Everything has intelligence. Modern science already recognizes that besides having life, plants also have intelligence, thoughts, feelings and even supersensory capabilities. When your Tianmu (third eye) has reached the level of the "Fa Eyesight", you will discover that the world is a totally different picture. When you go out, rocks, walls and even trees will talk to you. With every object there exists a living being, a life that has already been injected into it when the object was formed. Organic and inorganic substances are categorized by people living on earth. People living in temples get upset when they break a bowl because the moment it is destroyed, the living being is released. It did not finish its journey of life, and so would have nowhere to go. Therefore it will have extreme hatred for the person who killed it. The angrier it gets, the more karma the person has created. Some "Qigong masters" also hunt. Where did their benevolence and compassion go? The Buddha and Tao Schools do not do things against the principles of the universe. When he does these things, it is an act of killing.
Some people say that in the past they had created a lot of karma, i.e. killing chickens or fish, as well as fishing, etc. Does this mean that they can no longer cultivate? No, it does not. Back then, you did it not knowing the consequences, so it would not create too much karma. Just do not do it anymore in the future, and that should be fine. If you do it again, you are violating the principles knowingly, and that will be a problem. Some practitioners have this kind of karma. Your attendance in our seminar means that you have a predestined relationship; you can cultivate upward. Shall we swat flies or mosquitoes when they come inside? Now, you are all doing this at your level. If you swat them to death, it is not considered wrong. If you cannot drive them out, then kill them. What’s done is done. When the time has come for something to die, it is natural for it to die. When Sakyamuni was still alive, he once wanted to take a bath and asked his disciple to clean the bathtub. The disciple discovered many bugs in the bathtub, so he returned and asked what he should do. Sakyamuni repeatedly said: "It is the bathtub that I want you to clean." The disciple understood. He went back and cleaned the bathtub. You should not take certain issues too seriously. We do not intend to let you be an overly cautious person. In a complicated environment, I do not think it is right if you are nervous at every moment and afraid of doing something wrong. This would be a form of attachment; fear itself is an attachment.
We should have a benevolently compassionate as well as merciful heart when it comes to everything. That way, it is not easy to have problems. Lighten up on personal interests and be kind-hearted, and your compassionate heart will keep you away from wrongdoing. Believe it or not, you will discover that if you always hold a spiteful attitude and always want to fight and struggle, you will even turn good things into bad ones. I often see some people who, even when they are right, do not relent toward others. When he is right, he holds on to the things that can punish others. Similarly, we should not stir up trouble if certain things do not agree with us. At times, the things you do not like may not necessarily be wrong. As a cultivator, when you upgrade your level continuously, every sentence you say carries energy. You can control ordinary people, so you must not just speak however you please. Particularly, when you are not able to see the truth of the problems and the karmic relations, it is easy for you to commit wrongdoing and create karma.
The principles in this world are the same as those in heaven. You must eventually pay off what you owe others. Even for ordinary people, they too have to pay back what they owe others. Throughout one’s life, all the hardships and problems he has encountered resulted from karma. He has to pay back. For true cultivators, the paths of our lives will change. A new way that is suitable for your cultivation will be arranged. Some of your karma will be reduced by your master, and what remains will be used to improve your Xinxing (mind-nature). Through practice, and the cultivation of Xinxing, you exchange it and pay everything off. From now on, the problems you will confront will not happen by chance, so please be mentally prepared. By enduring some tribulations, you will let go of all the things that an ordinary person cannot let go of. You will run into many troublesome matters. Problems will arise from all aspects of family and society; or you may all of sudden encounter a disaster; furthermore, you may get blamed for what is actually others’ fault, so on and so forth. Cultivators are not supposed to get sick, but frequently, they may come down with a serious sickness out of the blue. It could come on with intense force, and they would suffer until they could not bear it. Even hospital examinations would not be able to give a diagnosis. But later, for some unknown reasons, it is cured without any treatment. In fact, the debt you owed has been paid off in this way. Perhaps one day, for no reason at all, your spouse starts a fight with you, losing his or her temper. Even very insignificant incidents may trigger big arguments. Afterwards, he or she would also feel confused about the loss of temper. As a cultivator, you should be clear as to why that kind of incident takes place. It is because "that thing" came. And it was asking you to pay off the karma. At that moment, you must keep yourself under control, guard your Xinxing and resolve things. Be appreciative and thankful that they were was helping you to pay back the karma.
After sitting in meditation for a long while, the legs will start to ache, sometimes with excruciating pain. People with Tianmu (third eye) of a higher level can see: when they are in great pain, there is a large block of black substance both inside and outside of the body coming down and being eliminated. The pain experienced when sitting in meditation is periodic and heart-piercing. Some people are able to understand and are determined not to uncross their legs. Therefore, the black substance will be eliminated and transformed into the white substance, which is in turn transformed into Gong. It is impossible for practitioners to pay off all their karma through sitting in meditation and practicing exercises. What is also required is to improve Xinxing and enlightenment quality, and to experience some tribulations. What’s important is that we should be compassionate. Compassion comes out very quickly in our Falun Gong. When many people sit in meditation, tears start to fall for no reason. Whatever they think of, they feel grief. Whomever they look at, they see suffering. It is actually the heart of benevolent compassion that has come out. Your nature, your true self starts to connect with the characteristic of the universe: Zhen-Shan-Ren. When your compassionate nature has been brought out, you will do things with kindness. From both inside and out, you look very kind. At that point, no one will bully you anymore. If someone did bully you at that point, your heart of benevolent compassion would function, and you would not do the same to him in return. It is this strength that makes you different from ordinary people.
When you encounter a tribulation, that benevolent compassion will help you overcome it. At the same time, my Fashen (law body) will look after you and protect your life, but you must overcome the tribulation. For example, when I was lecturing in Taiyuan, there was an old couple coming to attend my class. They were in a hurry when crossing the street. When they were in the middle of the road, a car came. It was speeding and instantly knocked the old lady down and dragged her along for more than 10 meters. In the end, she fell in the middle of the street. The car did not stop for another 20 meters. The driver got out of the car and said some nasty words, and the passengers sitting inside the car also uttered something negative. The old lady did not say anything. At that moment, she remembered what I had said. After she got up, she said, "Everything is all right, nothing is broken." She then went into the hall together with her husband. Had she said at that very moment, "Oh, it hurts here; it also hurts there. You need to take me to the hospital," it would have turned out to be really bad. But, she did not. The old lady said to me, "Master, I know what that was all about. It was helping me to pay off my karma!" A big chunk of karma and tribulation has been paid off. You can imagine that she has very high Xinxing and enlightenment quality. At such an advanced age and with the car going that fast, she was knocked down and dragged out that far, and finally fell heavily on the ground. Yet she got up with a righteous mind.
Sometimes, when a tribulation comes, it seems tremendous, so overwhelming that there does not seem to be any way out. Perhaps it stays around for quite a few days. All of a sudden, a path appears, and things start to take a huge turn. In fact, it is because we have improved our Xinxing and the issue has disappeared naturally.
In order to improve the realm of mind, one must go through all kinds of tests put forth by the tribulations of this world. During the process, if your Xinxing has really improved and stabilized, the karma will also have been eliminated; the tribulation will have been passed and your Gong will have developed. If during the Xinxing test, you fail to guard your Xinxing and conduct yourself improperly, do not be discouraged. Be proactive in gathering what you have learned from this lesson, find where you fall short, and put effort into "Zhen-Shan-Ren." The next problem that is going to test your Xinxing may come shortly thereafter. As energy potency develops, the test of the next tribulation may come on even stronger and more suddenly. As you overcome every problem, your energy potency grows a little bit higher. If you are unable to overcome a problem, your Gong will stagnate. Small tests lead to small improvement; big tests lead to big improvement. I hope every cultivator is prepared to bear great suffering and has the courage and strong will to embrace hardships. You will not acquire real Gong without giving. There exists no principle that lets you gain Gong comfortably without any suffering or giving. If Xinxing does not change for the better and you still carry your personal attachments, you will never cultivate to be an enlightened being!
Demonic interference refers to the phenomena or images that appear during the cultivation process, which try to prevent cultivators from cultivating toward a higher level. In other words, demons come to collect debts.
When cultivation has reached a higher level, the issue of demonic interference will definitely arise. It is inevitable that a person throughout his life, and his ancestors in their lives may have committed some wrongdoings, which are called karma. Whether one’s inborn quality is good or not determines how much karma this person carries with him. Even if he is a very good person, it is impossible for him not to have karma. Because you do not cultivate, you cannot experience it. If it is only for disease curing and health improvement, the demons will not care. However, once you have started cultivating toward a higher level, they will keep an eye on you. They can disturb you using many different methods, the goal of which is to prevent you from cultivating to a higher level and to make you fail in your cultivation. Demons present themselves in a variety of ways. Some do so in the form of the phenomena of daily life, while others interfere using messages from other dimensions. They dictate things to interfere with you every time you sit down, making it impossible to enter tranquillity, and thus also impossible to cultivate toward a higher level. Sometimes, the moment you sit down to meditate, you start to feel sleepy or have all kinds of thoughts going through your mind, and become unable to enter into the state of cultivation. Sometimes the moment you start practicing, your once-quiet surroundings all of a sudden are filled with the noise of footsteps, doors slamming, cars honking, telephones ringing and a variety of other forms of interference, making it impossible for you to become tranquil.
Another kind of demon is the lust for sex. During the cultivator’s meditation or in his or her dreams, a beautiful woman or handsome man may appear in front of him or her. They will entice you, seduce you, making stimulating gestures and attracting your attachment to sexual lust. If you cannot pass it the first time, it will gradually escalate and continue to seduce you until you give up the idea of cultivating to a higher level. This is a difficult test to pass, and quite a few cultivators have failed because of this. I hope you are mentally prepared for it. If someone did not guard his Xinxing (mind-nature) well enough and failed once, he should truly learn a lesson from it. It will come and interfere again many times until you have truly maintained your Xinxing and completely let go of that attachment. This is a big hurdle that must be overcome. Otherwise, you cannot achieve the way, and cannot complete cultivation successfully.
Another kind of demon presents itself during practice or in dreams. Some people suddenly see some horrifying faces, which are ugly and vivid, or figures who are holding knives to kill people. However, they can only scare people. If it really stabbed, it would not be able to touch cultivators because the master has already installed a protective shield outside of the cultivator’s body to keep him unharmed. They try to scare people off so that they will stop cultivating. These only appear at one level or during one period of time, and very quickly, they will pass, in a few days, a week, or a few weeks. It all depends on how high your Xinxing is and how you treat this matter.
8. Inborn quality and Enlightenment Quality
Inborn quality refers to the white substance one brings with him when he is born. In fact it is De (virtues) – a tangible substance. The more this substance you bring with you, the better your inborn quality is. People with good inborn quality return to the truth and become enlightened more easily, because they do not have any obstacles in their thoughts. Once they hear about the study of Qigong, or about things concerning cultivation, they immediately become interested and are willing to learn. They can connect with the universe. Exactly as Lao Zi said, "When a wise man hears the Tao, he will practice it diligently. When an average man hears it, he will practice on and off. When a foolish man hears it, he will laugh at it loudly. If he does not laugh loudly, it is not the Tao." The people who can easily return to the truth and become enlightened are wise people. On the contrary, for a person with a lot of black substance and inferior inborn quality, there is a barrier formed outside of his body, making it impossible for him to accept good things. If in contact with good things, it will make him not believe in them. In fact, this is the role played by karma.
The discussion of inborn quality must involve the issue of enlightenment quality. When we talk about "enlightenment", some think being enlightened is the equivalent of being smart. The smart or shrewd people talked about by ordinary people are indeed far different from the cultivation we are discussing. These types of smart people usually can not easily attain enlightenment. They only focus on the practical material world, so as not to be taken advantage of, and so as not to give up anything good. In particular, a few individuals out there, who regard themselves as knowledgeable, educated and smart, think that cultivation is a fairytale. To them, practicing exercises and cultivating Xinxing (mind-nature) is inconceivable. They consider cultivators to be idiotic and superstitious. The enlightenment we talk about does not refer to being smart, but to returning to the human nature, to its true nature, being a good person, and conforming to the characteristic of the universe. Inborn quality determines one’s enlightenment quality. If one’s inborn quality is good, his enlightenment quality tends to be good, too. Inborn quality determines enlightenment quality; but enlightenment quality is not entirely dictated by inborn quality, either. No matter how good your inborn quality is, if your understanding or comprehension is lacking, it will not do. For some individuals, their inborn quality is not so good, but they possess superb enlightenment quality, so they can cultivate to a higher level. We offer salvation to all sentient beings. Therefore, we look at enlightenment quality, not inborn quality. Though you bring with you many bad things, as long as you are determined to cultivate to a higher level, this thought of yours is a righteous one. With this thought, you only need to give up a little more than others, and you will eventually reach enlightenment.
A cultivator’s body has already been purified. It will not contract illnesses after Gong (cultivation energy) has been developed, because the high-energy substance existing in the body no longer permits the presence of the black substance. But, some people just do not believe it, always thinking that they are sick and complaining, "Why am I so uncomfortable?" We say that what you have gained is Gong. You have gained such a good thing, so how can you not have discomfort? In cultivation, one has to give up corresponding things. In fact, those are all on the surface and have no impact on your body at all. They are not sicknesses although they appear to be. It all depends on how you understand it. Cultivators not only need to be able to bear the worst sufferings, but also need to have good enlightenment quality. Some people do not even try to comprehend when confronted with troublesome matters. I am talking about higher levels and how they can measure themselves against higher criteria, but they still treat themselves as ordinary people. They cannot even make themselves enter into the state of being true cultivators in order to cultivate, nor can they believe that they will be at a higher level, either.
Enlightenment at a higher level refers to becoming enlightened, which is categorized into sudden enlightenment and gradual enlightenment. Sudden enlightenment refers to the process in which the entire cultivation is carried out in a locked mode. After you have completed the entire cultivation process and your Xinxing has been improved, at the last moment, all supernormal capabilities are unleashed all at once, Tianmu (third eye) instantly opens to the highest level, and your mind can communicate with the higher-level beings in other dimensions. One can instantly see the truth of the entire universe and its different dimensions and unitary paradises, and connect with them. One can also use his great supernormal powers. Sudden enlightenment is the most difficult path to take. Historically, only people with superb inborn quality have been selected to become disciples, and it has been passed on privately and individually. It is unbearable for average people! I took the path of sudden enlightenment.
The things I am imparting to you all belong to gradual enlightenment. During the process of cultivation, when the time comes for a certain supernormal capability to develop, it will develop. But, it is not certain that the supernormal capability that has been developed will be available for your use. When you have not improved your Xinxing to a certain level and are unable to handle yourself properly, it is easy for you to commit wrongdoing. For the time being, these supernormal capabilities will not be available for your use. However, eventually these will be available for you. Through cultivation, you will gradually improve your level and understand the truth about this universe. Just like sudden enlightenment, perfection will eventually be achieved. The path of gradual enlightenment is a little easier, and is not dangerous. The difficult part is that you see the entire cultivation process, so you should hold yourself to even higher standards.
Some people cannot enter into tranquillity during practice, and are searching for a way to do so. Some have asked me, "Master, why can’t I be tranquil during practice? Can you teach me a method or technique so that I can become tranquil when I sit in meditation?" I say, how can you become tranquil?! Even if a deity came to teach you a way, you would not be able to become tranquil. Why? The reason is that your own mind is not clear and clean. Living in this society with many emotions and desires, various personal interests, matters of your own or even your family’s and friends’ have occupied too large a portion of your mind, commanding a high priority. How can you become tranquil when sitting in meditation? If you intentionally suppress something, it will come right back automatically.
The cultivation in Buddhism talks about "Precept, Samadhi (meditation in trance), and Wisdom". Precept is to give up those things to which you have attachments. Some adopt the approach of chanting the name of Buddha, which requires concentrated chanting to achieve the state of one thought replacing thousands of others. However, it is not simply an approach, but a type of ability. If you do not believe it, you should try chanting. I can promise you that when you chant the name of Buddha in your mouth, other things will start to surface in your mind. It was Tibetan Tantrism that first taught how to chant the name of Buddha. They had to chant the name of the Buddha hundreds of thousands of times per day for a week. They chanted until they got dizzy, then finally, there was nothing left in their minds. This one thought had replaced all others. That is a type of ability, which you may not be able to do. There are also some other methods of practice that teach you how to focus your thoughts on your Dantian (elixir field; lower abdomen area), or teach other methods such as counting or fixating your eyes on objects, etc. As a matter of fact, all of these methods will not make you enter into the absolute tranquillity. Cultivators have to acquire a clear and clean mind, give up their own personal interest and let go of the mind that is filled with desires.
Actually, whether or not one can enter stillness and tranquillity is a reflection of the height of one’s ability and levels. Being able to enter tranquillity the moment you sit down is an indication of a high level. If you cannot become tranquil for the time being, it is all right. You can slowly accomplish that during cultivation. Xinxing (mind-nature) improves gradually, as does Gong. Without making light of your own personal interests and desires, there is no way for Gong to develop.
Cultivators should hold themselves to higher standards at all times. Cultivators are being interfered with continuously by all kinds of complicated social phenomena, many vulgar and unhealthy things, as well as various emotions and desires. The things that are promoted in television, movies and literature induce you to become a stronger and more practical person among the mundane. If you cannot go beyond these, you will distance yourself even further away from a cultivator’s Xinxing and mental state and will acquire less Gong. Cultivators should have little or no dealings with those vulgar and unhealthy things. They should turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to these, and should be unmoved by people or things. I often say, the minds of ordinary people cannot move me. I will not get happy when someone praises me; I will not get upset when someone yells at me. No matter how serious the Xinxing interference among the ordinary people may get, it has no effect on me. Cultivators should take very lightly all the personal interests gained, and not care about them. At that point, your intention to get enlightened becomes solid. Without the strong attachment to the pursuit of fame and personal gain, and by regarding them as something that does not matter, you will not become frustrated or upset and will always stay in a psychological equilibrium. Putting down everything, you will naturally become clear and clean.
I have taught you the great Fa (law) and all five sets of exercises. I have adjusted your bodies and installed "Falun" and "Qiji" (energy mechanism), and my Fashen (law body) also protects you. What should be given to you has all been given to you. During the class, it is all up to me. From this point on, it is all up to you. The master leads the way, cultivation depends on the individual. As long as you thoroughly study the great Fa, carefully experience and comprehend, guard your Xinxing every moment, diligently cultivate, bear the worst of all sufferings, and forbear the worst of all things, I think you will for sure succeed in your cultivation.
Improvement of Xinxing is the path of cultivation;
Suffering is the boat across the boundless Great Fa.