[FOREWORD]
There is a saying, “The Body is the vessel in which to place one's xin, and sin is the master of the body.” Do all of you want to govern this xin?
A. General
Discussion of Xin:
a. A
person's soul should be of the utmost purity, a person's mind should be
tranquil, and neither the soul nor the mind should be disturbed or affected
by outside influences or worries.
A
person's soul should be pure, for when it is pure, Truth will remain inside
of it. A person should be firm with righteousness and then material enticements
from the outside will not intrude into his mind.
The
way for a person to reach the level of a Saint is by not allowing his mind
to waver and to keep his anger from rising. If a person's mind is full
of many ideas, his worries will naturally increase. If a person's mind
is occupied by doubt, then his mind will naturally produce many internal
disturbances. When a person's mind produces thoughts, all kinds of desires
will consequently arise. When a person's goal of life wavers, then the
will that he has to achieve his plans will cease.
b. All
of you should often be “guan xin” (which in Chinese figuratively means
concerned, and literally means to close one's xin), then you can be “kai
xin” (which in Chinese figuratively means happy, and literally means to
open one's xin).
In
other words, to “close xin” means to be concerned enough about yourself
(true self) to close your mind to all evil ideas and thoughts, and never
again let them appear in your mind. To “open xin” means to open up your
mind to Truth and propriety, and allow all righteous ideas and thoughts
to take root and be revealed. Without evil and only goodness in our xin,
will we not be happy? The following is a list of the evil thoughts and
ideas you should guard against and close off from your mind: greedy xin,
unrestrained xin, angry xin, obstinate xin, evil xin, biased xin, proud
xin, and doubting xin.
The following are the righteous thoughts and ideas you should foster by opening your mind: good xin, sincere xin, righteous xin, true xin, humble xin, respectful xin, believing xin.
c. The
reason that a Saint wants to receive Tao is because he wants to find his
“true-self.” But the reason why normal people want to receive Tao is
because they want to receive God’s favor.
If
a person cannot recognize his original mind, then he cannot enlighten his
mind, and if he cannot enlighten his original nature (ie. soul), then he
cannot enlighten his soul. If a person cannot recognize his original mind,
then it does not help him at all to learn about Tao. If a person cannot
enlighten his soul, then he does not gain anything from all the cultivation
methods he has learned.
d. A
person's mind can produce these kinds of thoughts: good and bad, enlightened
and confused, truthful and desireous. Thus a Saint enlightens his mind
by following the righteous thoughts and expelling the evil ones.
e. Every
of you should know that “the soul is the true-self,” and everybody is
a “double-sided person.”
One
side of a person is the physical body which represents the false-self;
the one which can produce feelings and awareness. The other side is the
true-self; that which has Real Existence, is always enlightened (though
its brightness may be covered over by the impurity of the false-self),
brilliant, and full of perfect goodness.
Most
people are greedy and covet things, thus they are forever trapped in the
cycle birth, death, and rebirth (sometimes called the transmigration of
the soul). These people also have unsettled minds which are full of vexations
(or annoyances), and they like to stubbornly cling to their own erroneous
ideas and thoughts. Thus all of these faults become very heavy burdens
in such people's lives.
To
be a cultivator of Tao, one should assume all kinds of responsibilities,
and be able to see clearly through the transitory and phenomenal world.
One
should be able to calculate the deeds he can do which are within his capability
and complete them, keep his mind open to let the good thoughts and ideas
reveal themselves, and he should also be broad-minded.
If
a person can be willing to part with wealth, business, feelings, etc.,
then he can be free of the burdens of life.
Thus
the habit of “grudging to give up” is the heavy burden of a person's
life. There is a saying, “ If a person is without any kind of burden,
then he must be very relaxed and free.”
Sakyamuni
Buddha said, “Give up all the desires and ideas in your mind then your
mind will be peaceful and you will awaken and enlighten your mind.” Thus
we can know that if a person's mind is peaceful, all his unrestrained thoughts
or conduct will cease, and at that moment he will be enlightened by his
own efforts.
Hence,
enlightenment can be obtained at the moment one gives up and ceases to
have thought and ideas in his mind. This condition is also called Heaven
is in the mind. In Confucianism it is said, “A person's mind should be
perfectly peaceful then he will reach the level called perfect goodness.”
A person's mind should often be in a state of tranquility and should be
released from the delusions of thinking.
f. To
cultivate oneself means to follow the doctrines, and if a person can perform
accordingly, he will be able to suppress and extinguish the desires and
ideas in his mind. Therefore, a person will be able to enlighten his own
mind if he is able to awaken to Truth, and if a person is be able to have
a tranquil mind, he could always act according to Truth. If a person wants
to cultivate himself, he mist first banish all selfish desires from his
mind.
If
a person can refrain from indulging in alcoholic drink and carnal pleasure,
then he will have the ability to purify his mind. As a result, a cultivator
can usually reach the following two levels of cultivation: contentment,
which brings composedness; and demandlessness, which produces a personality
of high moral quality. Most people think that they cannot live without
public esteem and profits, but a cultivator of Tao should lead a tranquil
life without chasing worldly desires.
[
FUTURE GOALS]
When
a person awakens to Truth, he will realize the meaning of life. When he
realizes the truth of righteousness and wrongfulness, he will understand
that all the things he has done have always been involved with both gains
and losses. When a person acts without understanding, he is called foolish.
When a person realizes what he should do but just does not want to perform
it, he is called remiss. If there is something beyond a person's achievement
and he does not mislead others to believe he is capable of doing it, then
he owns the inward morality of his mind. If a person is able to achieve
what he has claimed possible, then he owns the outward morality of his
conduct.