Commentary on the Taiji Elixir Classic: "A Simple Explanation of Dao Yan" ⑤

Author: Kong De [Original Text] The human heart is two: one is true, the other is false. Therefore, for those who seek the true heart, not having any false thoughts is the true heart. A sincere character is the broadest and brightest. The place where one's true heart resides is the most peaceful and at ease. Handle affairs with sincerity, and be consistent in all principles. Seek the truth with sincerity; all are one. If one wants to use him to manage affairs, one must cultivate him to grow strong and keep him at ease. Then work hard but do not work, be still and respond. The Dan Jue states, "When the mind wades, it is retrieved; when retrieved, it is let go. After using it, one seeks peace again; seeking peace leads to enlightenment." Who can't keep quiet in the midst of chaos? The human heart has two aspects; One is true heart, the other is false heart. It can be said that to seek the true heart, as long as no deluded thoughts arise, that is the true heart. The character of a true heart is the broadest and brightest, and the realm in which a true heart exists is the most secure and at ease. If you handle things with sincerity, no matter how complicated the situation is, it will never change. If one seeks truth with sincerity, no matter how special the phenomenon is, it can grasp its essence. However, if one wants to respond to things with sincerity, then the heart must discover its true nature, cultivate and strengthen it, and also be able to maintain its ease and freedom. Then you mistakenly connect anything. It seems very tiring, but in fact, it's very easy. Because sincerity is quiet, and quietness can handle everything. Danjue tells people a way to seek true feelings, which is called: "As soon as the heart moves, it should be immediately withdrawn; once it is withdrawn, it should be let go." Once the mind has been used, it seeks tranquility again. When one seeks tranquility, enlightenment can arise. By this reasoning, who says that one cannot find tranquility in the hustle and bustle of life? [Explanation] True heart is the original heart, the original heart is the heart that heaven and earth naturally give birth to me, and the heart that heaven and earth naturally give birth to me is the heart of heaven and earth naturally. This heart is merely a void of clarity and wisdom. Selfless and desireless, achieving harmony and moderation, possessing the virtue of rebirth and the power of transformation. The deluded mind is the acquired human heart, the acquired human heart is the heart of selfish desire, and the heart of selfish desire is the heart that goes against the way and reason. True heart is selfless and is one with the universe, thus being the broadest and brightest. Since it is selfless, it has no desires, and thus is the most at ease and free. The true heart is like an empty bell. When struck, it responds; when not struck, it returns to emptiness and stillness. Therefore, in dealing with matters, one should "work hard but not work, remain calm and respond." True heart is the child of true nature and the father of true destiny. When a person is sincere, his life can be saved and all matters can be fulfilled. However, when people lag behind heaven, the five desires arise, the six doors are tainted by dust, and false thoughts arise. Selfishness is at play, and true feelings are often obscured. Even if it appears from time to time, people won't notice. Therefore, those who practice Taoism must first find the true heart and then cultivate it to grow stronger. But this so-called cultivation is to nourish a true heart with a true heart, not any other wonderful way of cultivation. The Dan Jue states, "When the mind wanders, it should be withdrawn." This "mind wanders" refers to deluded thoughts. When deluded thoughts are eliminated throughout one's life, it is like "returning the mind as soon as it wanders". However, those who "leave" are deluded thoughts, and those who "take back" are either conscious spirits or acquired human hearts. Therefore, "take back and let go". To "let go again" means to let go of delusions and to withdraw the mind. Once these two are let go, true feelings are revealed. To deal with matters sincerely comes from peace. However, there is some labor, so "seek peace through repetition", and peace is achieved through peace. The most terrifying thing is that if one doesn't use it, they will feel at ease. But once they do, it will give rise to the human heart after birth and they won't be at ease. How can sincerity grow stronger? For instance, if there are ten points in the heart and ten points are occupied by deluded thoughts, there will be no place for the true heart. When delusion takes up nine parts, sincerity gains one part of the status. In conclusion, if one's delusions decrease a little, one's true heart will increase a little. To reduce false thoughts is to strengthen the heart. When all delusions are completely eradicated, the true heart is extremely complete. If a person has no deluded thoughts, wherever is not a peaceful place! "Enlightenment" is "my heart". "My heart" refers to the true heart. Heaven and earth have no heart; they take the true heart of the human heart as their heart. The Great Way is formless, while the human body is tangible. The Great Way, with an formless heart, is contained within the tangible human body. Therefore, the true "heart" of "me" can act in accordance with the Way of heaven. The ancients "looked up to the sky and down to the earth", that is, acted with sincerity, and thus were able to understand the eternal and undying truth of the universe and nature. It is quite rare to find someone who does not see their true heart and does not gain enlightenment! When one gains true heart and enlightenment, everything becomes natural. How amazing is that? ！ 　　 Wandering and sitting idly are certainly not the way. However, one should not wander through the city or the clouds and mountains. Instead, one should use one's energy to wander through all the orifices of the body. One should not meditate on the dry wood or the cold altar. Instead, one should meditate with one's spirit within the wonderful orifices of this body. Wandering and sitting idly are certainly not the behaviors of the Great Way of cultivation and are not worth emulating. But monks can adopt another form of "wandering and sitting". For instance, there is no need to travel to the city or deep mountains, but one can let the inner energy flow within all the key points of the body. Instead of engaging in fruitless formal meditation, one should meditate one's spirit within one's own illusory and wonderful senses. [Explanation] The term "wanderer" originally referred to the behavior of those seeking the truth from the Tao. Later, it gradually evolved into the act of some professional Taoists using their skills in talismans, martial arts, and medicine to either save the world and help others or raise funds for alms. Those who sit idly do not grasp the true meaning of the path of cultivation. They meditate all day long, their minds become restless and empty, 炁 lacking vitality and having no effect at all. They are still bound to die of old age and illness, and may even die faster than those who do not practice. Wandering and sitting idly cannot be regarded as true cultivation because they cannot solve one's fundamental cultivation problems. From this perspective, spiritual cultivation focuses on the essence rather than the form. In other words, the human body is like the universe and the four directions. If one truly cultivates the Tao, why bother to wander around the city and the clouds and mountains? The inner energy flowing through all the key points of the body is also a great way of wandering! As the old saying goes: Always transport the true energy through the false shell, and always look inward while still wandering outward. This is the true way of wandering. The phrase "withered wood and cold altar" does not refer to the hardships and sufferings of a Taoist's cultivation. Just having a sitting posture without the true energy flowing within is like a withered tree. If one only has sitting practice but no true Yang energy is produced in the body, it is a cold altar. "Miao Qiao" refers to the realm of nothingness. Learning the Tao is based on the foundation of Dan. Once the foundation of the elixir solidifies, one can return home to cultivate the land and support one's family, becoming a refined scholar for several years. Then, one can go into the mountains to seek a teacher and complete the great path. That man who abandoned his family and wife, recited scriptures and burned incense, merely indulged in the sun, is truly a man of black feet! To study the Tao, one must lay a solid foundation of elixir as the fundamental basis. If Danji is firmly established, he can return home to engage in normal social and human affairs, and become an extraordinary moralist, philanthropist and theorist for a considerable period of time. After fulfilling all his social and family responsibilities and obligations, he can enter the secluded mountains and seek the guidance of a wise teacher to embark on the entire path. Those who tend to squander their family property and abandon their wives and children to become monks have no idea what the true meaning of spiritual cultivation is. They merely spend their days chanting sutras and burning incense, and are nothing but vulgar people just going through the motions. They are not worth talking about. [Explanation] As the ancients said, "The Tao is not far from people." The Dao exists in heaven, on earth, in people, in things, and in families. Those who can see hold the way, those who can hear hold the way, those who can hear hold the way, those who can taste hold the way, those who can touch hold the way, and those who can think hold the way. The Dao to man is like a fish in water; the Dao is among people, and people are within the Dao. Therefore, avoiding society and people to cultivate the Tao is not true cultivation of the Tao. However, when it comes to spiritual cultivation, there are reasons and methods. Once one takes action, there will be verification. However, all these require dedicated study time. And this initial learning is primarily based on the condition of establishing a solid foundation. Dan refers to the innate qi that is in harmony with the spirit and energy. The foundation refers to the innate energy that emerges and remains stable without fading away, firmly establishing the basis of life and existence. The establishment of the Dan foundation is reflected in three situations: First, when one's self-cultivation is perfected, the human heart is completely eradicated, and the heart for the Tao remains ever-present; The entrance halls of both are always open, and the mysterious female is always revealed. All the chronic diseases of the three will be eliminated, and no more illnesses will occur. In ancient times, if one wanted to establish a solid foundation for cultivation, they had to first seek out a wise master, temporarily leave their family, and engage in a specialized practice. Just like going to a specialized training class nowadays, understanding the principles and laws, practicing and putting them into practice, and achieving results. However, refining oneself is the most difficult skill in the cultivation of the Great Way. Don't be fooled by the purity and purity you have cultivated and refined during that short-term foundation-building practice. Once you enter the mundane world, your heart will be restless and your spirit will wander again. However, the great Way can never avoid the reality of life. Therefore, it is necessary to teach people to return home and "cultivate the land and support their parents", further tempering themselves from real life. Even in the face of suffering in real life, if one can still maintain an unwavering true heart, in the next step of attaining the full path, one will not retreat when encountering demons, be indifferent when facing scenes, and eventually achieve the supreme path. In ancient times, there were many people who practiced Taoism. They left their families and careers, ventured deep into the mountains, and isolated themselves from the mundane world. They were indeed able to keep their minds free from desires and engage in quiet cultivation, and they were indeed able to achieve considerable skill. However, once they return to the mundane world, their ordinary hearts are stirred again and their mundane thoughts waver, resulting in the collapse of their elixir foundation and all their previous efforts being wasted. Such people cannot grasp the entire great way, let alone those who recite scriptures and burn incense all day long. They do not know the reason, so what is there to talk about! Therefore, true cultivators tend to hide in the bustling city, not to be quiet ghosts in the deep mountains, nor to be idle followers in temples. However, the Great way also has a progressive process from the first vehicle to the superior one. For beginners, self-cultivation is essential; one must seek it in a bustling market. The ultimate goal is to cultivate one's vital energy. One must seek it in a secluded and deep mountain area where no human presence or disturbance from birds and beasts. Once one has completed the path, there will be no hindrance in walking through the six realms. The saying "Be a noble scholar and a refined Confucian scholar for a few years" implies that a scholar should have lofty aspirations, while a Confucian scholar should read extensively, practice propriety and righteousness, and thoroughly understand the principles and cultivate one's true nature. Both of these are laying the foundation for the future development of the Great Way. The ancients said that when it comes to cultivating skills, the rough will become rough when they acquire them, the meticulous will become meticulous when they acquire them, and the literati will become refined when they acquire them. The principle lies precisely here. To maintain good health, it is most important to nourish the kidneys with peace of mind. If the heart can be at peace, then the "Lihuo" mentioned in the Eight Trigrams, which is the consciousness of the spirit after birth, will not burn, and there will be no disease of the spirit's wavering and loss. On the contrary, it will make the heart more peaceful. If the water of essence does not leak out, there will be no depletion of essence, thus making the kidney essence even purer. When the kidney essence is pure and clear, it will remain in its original position, and the true Yang life fire within it will not be transformed into sex hormone impulses. When the mind is at peace, it will also remain in its place, and the divine fire will shine down upon the entire internal environment of the body like the sunlight and moonlight. The kidney essence is located at the bottom of the water. When the heart spirit is detached from the fire and shines down, the spirit and essence interact. The fire warms and the water warms, transforming into qi that spreads throughout the body. Only then can diseases be eliminated and formal cultivation be discussed. [Explanation] This chapter discusses the initial efforts and effectiveness of taking action. To return from action to non-action, when heaven first returns to the primordial state, it is truly called the positioning of heaven and earth. What is the positioning of heaven and earth? Human beings are born from the face of nature. The human body, as the universe, is already positioned: the heart is above and the kidneys are below. God is above, spirit is below. Therefore, the purpose of positioning is to ensure that the heart and kidneys interact and the spirit and essence are mutually utilized to nourish the human body. However, in the later stage of life, when people develop selfish desires and recklessly stir their minds and bodies, they disrupt the innate positioning of heaven and earth: fire burns from above and water leaks from below. Fire consumes essence, and water drains the spirit. When the positions of heaven and earth are in chaos, all kinds of diseases will arise in both the body and mind. Therefore, the first step in taking action is to position the universe. What does it mean to return from action to non-action? To use the consciousness spirit is to act, and to return to the primordial spirit is to do nothing. At the beginning of taking action, the primordial spirit is not manifested, and the true heart is not seen. One must recognize the spirit to self-restrain and self-regulate one's hands. Just as a person has a sense of shame and is willing to reform and correct evil, he slaps himself in the face until he is relieved of his hatred, and then he can truly reform and establish a new self. To be active is to lock the mind like an ape, to tie the mind like a horse, to understand, to persuade and to transform oneself, to keep the spirit from wandering outside or thinking inwardly, to reflect the last light, to keep the mind in the dantian... In short, it is to use all the necessary methods and essentials at the time of taking action to achieve the purpose of concentrating the mind and regulating the breath. If the purpose of concentrating the mind and regulating the breath is not achieved, the so-called cultivation of the Great way is just empty talk. When ordinary people are nourishing their spirit and energy, the spirit is the master of collecting energy. If you gather a bit of energy, you will gain a bit of treasure; if you gather ten times of energy, you will gain ten times of treasure. The preciousness of qi is so great that even a hundred taels of gold and jade in the world cannot be exchanged for a single cent. Why should Taoists compete with the world for interest? It is beneficial to generate anger. Anger belongs to fire, and qi is also the source of fire. Throughout one's life of anger, qi follows and departs. One desires to retain it but cannot. What's more, even the mother's strap flew away together. Therefore, to cultivate one's energy, it is essential to avoid anger. To avoid anger, it is still essential to nourish the heart and spirit. Fame and fortune often come by accident; one should not have the intention of seeking dry rewards. Confucius said, "Learning lies in salary." The same is true for spiritual practice; one must not expect to be overly greedy. Whenever one meditates, it is necessary to keep the mind calm and focused, without the slightest thought or hope. One just needs to practice by holding onto the inner breath. Whenever people are engaged in nourishing their spirit and energy, the relationship between spirit and energy is that spirit is the master who gathers energy, while energy is the treasure that nurtures life. If one can gather a bit of energy, one will gain a bit of treasure. If one can gather ten parts of energy, it makes ten parts of treasure and energy precious to life. Even if one were to exchange the most valuable gold and jade in the world, a hundred taels of gold would not be able to buy even a bit of it. It can be said that qi is invaluable. What value does it have for a monk to compete with the world for monetary benefits? When one has a lot of money, it brings more troubles and more anger. These troubles and grievances are like flames, and human breath is the fuel of the flames. A lifetime of worry and resentment leads to the dissipation of one's energy, which cannot be held back even if one wants to. If the weather is fine after all the worries are gone, even the innate vital energy will be lost. This is like the mother strap getting separated together. Therefore, the top priority in cultivating one's qi is to avoid worries. To eliminate worries, the top priority should still be to nourish the heart and spirit. Fame and fortune are not something that can be achieved at will; they are entirely due to unexpected opportunities. Since the name was given by accident, there should be no intention to obtain a generous salary. Confucius said, "Just go ahead and learn and apply knowledge, and you will naturally obtain your rice bowl in the process of learning and applying it." Cultivation is similar to this root. Do not predict the effect in advance, for instance, how long it will take you to achieve a certain level of skill or how long it will take to cure the vegetable seed disease. In conclusion, whenever there is a battle, one must remain calm and composed, without the slightest thought of judgment, hesitation or prediction. Just embrace your spirit with your breath and integrate it into your inner breathing to practice. [Explanation] In terms of the universe and nature, when it is in a state of extreme stillness and stillness, there is 炁 and there is no god. When stillness reaches its peak and movement emerges; when Yin gives rise to Yang; when there is no extreme and Taiji is formed, then there is the spirit. God was born of 炁. But with god, God is the ruler of 炁. This is like a bee colony. Originally, a bee colony has no queen bee. When it grows to a certain scale, it naturally supports or gives birth to a peak king to dominate the colony. Swarm migration. As long as the queen bee lands there, she will gather the swarm there. Therefore, calming the mind can gather energy, and calming the heart can bring harmony. The depletion of the body, spirit and energy is often caused by worries. Troubles arise again from the struggle for fame and fortune. Therefore, nourishing the spirit and energy lies in getting rid of worries, and getting rid of worries in turn lies in eliminating the mind that talks about fame and fortune. Some people do not believe that fame and fortune come by accident. They believe that as long as they strive with all their might, it is possible to obtain. In fact, when people talk about achievements and benefits, they mostly refer to material conditions and spiritual honors that exceed what ordinary people can enjoy. Precisely because of this, they are not accessible to everyone. Just like buying lottery tickets, there is only one big prize out of ten thousand tickets. Everyone wants to win, but there is only one winner. Everyone desires to strive for fame, fortune and power, yet only a few can achieve them. Even if he was the winner, he still made efforts. It was an opportunity that brought him along by chance, which was still an accident. Monks can see through these. They do not live passively, but can be content with whatever comes their way. They think that things are planned by people and accomplished by fate. They are neither elated by gains nor worried by losses. If a person has the intention of seeking some kind of benefit, he often resorts to any means necessary, infringes upon others' interests and loses his morality. If he fails to obtain it, he will become dejected or insane, harming his own body and mind. Confucius' saying, "Learning is where the salary lies," was indeed his requirement for the intellectuals of his time, but this statement has a broader meaning, that is, knowledge is infinite. As long as you learn and apply knowledge, you will obtain the corresponding benefits that you are bound to and should obtain in the process of learning and applying. Here I also want to talk about the meaning of the word "profit". This character is composed of "knife" and "rice". Its meaning is that cutting rice with a knife is faster and more convenient than pulling it by hand. The ancients believed that the knife belongs to metal among the Five Elements and to righteousness according to the Five Rites. Its essential function is to facilitate people. The Shuowen Shuowen holds that "profit is about valuing its meaning." The I Ching states: "Profit is the harmony of righteousness." It can be seen that the ancients' understanding of "profit" was to facilitate themselves and others. For instance, phrases like "selflessly benefiting others" and "mutual benefit" still carry this meaning. After the evolution of human society, with the emergence of currency circulation, people once again referred to money as "profit", and its original meaning remained mutual convenience, equality and mutual benefit. Since money can be exchanged for material goods, people gradually took obtaining money as their main pursuit goal. This adds personal interests to the character "profit", turning it into "private gain", and its original meaning has been forgotten by people. Instead, it has become a synonym for getting rich and benefiting oneself. And the cultivators pursue the original meaning of "benefit" to use it, benefiting themselves and others. In this way, he has a detached view of money. If he doesn't have it, he doesn't force it. If he does have it, he can widely bestow it upon others. The great moralists also believed that both profit and fame are public and can be used to benefit others, but one should not remain in a position of superiority for long. For instance, if you are very rich and always use money to help the poor, it doesn't seem like a bad thing. Conversely, if you help the poor, they will be grateful to you. Money is the public property of the world and everyone can possess it. If you merely act on behalf of the public, what kind of kindness do you have? Rather than helping the poor, why not use this money to develop education and promote science and technology? Let the poor learn cultural knowledge and scientific and technological knowledge, and become rich yourself. Isn't this a greater morality? For instance, if you hold an official position in a certain area and can indeed do things for the people, they will all be willing to ask you for help when they have problems. This seems to be a good thing as well. If you think about it carefully, wouldn't it be even better if you could ensure that the common people could handle their own affairs well and no longer come to you for help? Confucius had a student who held an official position in a certain place. Confucius went to see him. When he arrived at the yatou, he saw that the courtyard was overgrown with weeds. Although he did not see the student, he kept praising the student for doing a good job in the official position. Why? The common people had no place to turn to officials for help, and no one came to the yamen. Over time, it naturally grew overgrown with weeds. If the common people encountered difficulties everywhere, the government office would not be so quiet. As in today's world. In some places, the number of public visits handled and the number of major cases resolved in a year are boasted about as achievements. On second thought, how wonderful it would be if there were no visits from the public and no major cases occurred! The same is true of spiritual practice. Some people only think of practicing martial arts when they are ill. If we were not ill, we would keep practicing martial arts. And if we never got sick and always had a good body, how wonderful that would be! One should not expect quick results in spiritual practice; it is only when one makes efforts that success will come naturally. Those who are overly eager for results will surely not have a calm heart or a peaceful mind. How can one perceive the original nature of the primordial beings if one is still trapped in action without stillness and restlessness? This is the saying, "When you try to plant flowers, they won't bloom; when you plant willows, they will provide shade." The method of tempering the mind starts from the small and progresses to the large. Now in the sweltering heat of the three hottest days of summer, a bowl of rice is enough, but seeking to be full is no longer feasible. A bit of coolness is fine, but seeking even greater coolness is not acceptable. It is not terrifying to count mosquitoes, but it is impossible to seek them with one's heart. From the small to the great, the present is the realm of refining the mind. The method of tempering one's mind should start from small things, gradually move on to big ones, and accumulate to achieve great things. For instance, we are now in the hottest and driest season of the three hottest days of summer. There is not much food to begin with. It is already very enough for us to have a bowl of rice. It is unrealistic to expect us to be full. It's already great to get a bit of coolness. It's unrealistic to expect even cooler. It is not something to be afraid of if a few mosquitoes disturb people. It is also unrealistic to think that it would be great if there were no mosquitoes at all. To cultivate one's mind, one should start from these specific and minor matters, and eventually move on to major issues. So, these specific and minute matters are precisely where the practice of refining the mind takes place. [Explanation] Cultivating the Tao is the effort of accumulating every little bit to make a fur coat and every grain to form a hill. At all times, in all matters and everywhere, there is a way to cultivate, and it must be cultivated. This is like a sculptor carving a fine jade carving; not a single cut can be taken lightly. If there is a single misstep, the entire work will be ruined. So in life, every word and deed, every move and every stop, every thought and every thought, before and after people, must all be directed towards the way. This is true cultivation, the cultivation of the great Way. When it comes to methods, they cannot be separated from eight words: middle, upright, flat, round, loose, quiet, gentle and harmonious. From the body to the mind, if it is carried out consistently, then cultivation of the Tao is everywhere and at all times. Nowadays, when you see some people who claim to be engaged in spiritual cultivation and preaching, or those who only preach with their mouths, you may not meet them in person, but just listen to their voices and read their writings, which is enough to make you admire them from the bottom of your heart. If you meet such a person, you will be greatly disappointed, for he shows no sign of any spiritual practice at all. Or they only practice spiritual cultivation while sitting down, and when they get off the seat, they still have evil thoughts and lustful desires, treating spiritual cultivation and being a person as two different things. None of these people are practitioners of Taoism. They are either deceiving demons or fake foreigners. In my opinion, the key to refining one's mind lies in understanding everything about oneself within an objective context, treating and grasping oneself in the most dialectical way, and facing and handling things in the most realistic manner. The heart is always at ease and one can let go everywhere. Of course, since the process of tempering the mind involves "tempering", there must be a process involved. This process must be refined from small things all the time and everywhere. To eliminate a bit of selfishness, one will gain a bit of impartiality; to eliminate a bit of worry, one will gain a bit of tranquility. After being refined for a long time, all selfish desires are purified and the natural order prevails. At that time, you will fully experience the incomparable joy brought by the "Heavenly Principle" flowing freely in your heart. How free and easy it is! Seeking sweetness in hardship and survival in death - this is the theory of the way of cultivation. To seek sweetness from bitterness and to find birth from death is an unbreakable law and an insurmountable experience in spiritual cultivation. The practices of predecessors verified and summarized it, and thus the rigorous conclusion of this consensus was reached. [Explanation] The saying "seeking sweetness in bitterness" refers to the "bitterness" from the perspective of ordinary people, while the "sweetness" is metaphorically expressed in terms of benefits gained. People take pleasure in eating well, dressing well, having money, fame and fortune, status, traveling in carriages and horses, living in luxurious houses, not overworking their bodies and fulfilling their desires, and so on. If you don't eat well. I can't dress well. No fame, no profit, no status, poor living and traveling conditions, no food without labor. Even if one works hard, it is hard to have enough to eat and wear. What one hopes for but cannot obtain is all regarded as suffering. However, the cultivators do not take this "suffering" as suffering and are content with whatever comes their way. For instance, meditation and practice, although not physical labor, require daily persistence without interruption. In the eyes of the world, this is also suffering. However, monks do not consider this as suffering. For instance, there are a hundred days of laying a foundation, ten months of pregnancy, three years of breastfeeding, and nine years of facing the wall. Along the way, one has to overcome countless dangerous obstacles, even if it is like going through fire and water, it is no less than going to the guillotine. The world would be even more astonished upon hearing this. It's even more bitter. However, it is precisely from these layers of "suffering" that the cultivators have appreciated the infinite magical power and efficacy of the Tao, which is why it seems bitter but tastes sweet. If one does not go through these layers of hardships that are hard for the world to bear, one would not taste the sweetness of this flavor. The so-called survival in death, here "death" refers to the human heart after death. To "survive" is to seek the essence of my life. In this life, thoughts and intentions govern one's behavior and conduct. One is constantly busy and never finds peace. It seems as if one is truly alive. But I have no idea how many thoughts and behaviors that go against the natural order there are in between. These thoughts that go against the natural order are constantly depleting one's primordial cypress, vital energy and spirit. So, this process of living is actually creating a process of death. Every bit of energy, vitality and spirit consumed means a bit of life is lost. When energy, vitality and spirit are exhausted, life is truly dead. For a monk to "survive in the dead" is to kill the heart and retrieve the heart of the Tao. The human heart is the consciousness of God, the last of all gods, the ultimate of all gods. The heart of the Tao is diveless; it is the origin of the divine, giving birth to the divine. The God of life can summon the primordial essence and energy, combine them into one area, and achieve an unceasing life. The death of the deceased, the death of dying to death; Surviving gives birth to the life that brings forth life. Or one may ask, since humans are human, it is precisely because they act in accordance with the spirit that they can distinguish themselves from lower animals. If the spirit were to die, wouldn't humans become vegetative? Little did they know that the spirit of death in the path of cultivation was not truly dead by accumulating seeds, but rather left unused. This useful consciousness and spirit return to the root and converge with the primordial spirit. From then on, the consciousness and spirit unite with the primordial spirit, and the human heart unites with the heart of the Tao. It is the spirit of ceaseless vitality that leads to great enlightenment and wisdom. This is precisely the mystery of spiritual cultivation and the miracle of life. In the past, when people practiced the Tao, they carried out genuine cultivation and verification, without a single empty word. Therefore, "seeking sweetness in hardship and survival in death" is actually a theory of the way of cultivation. The author, Mr. Kong De, authorizes this website for exclusive publication and recording. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use for other purposes is prohibited.