Chapter Seven: Guidelines for Dao Cultivation

8/14/2019 Chapter Seven: Guidelines for Dao Cultivation

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Chapter Seven: Guidelines for Dao Cultivation

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001. The process of reduction from having to not having is called "Daocultivation."

002. Becoming a Buddha is the goal of our practice of the Dao, so establish a

strong will when you practice Dao. If ever your ambition should deviate from thisgoal, your results will fall off the mark.

003. To attain the perfect enlightenment is the goal of Dao practice. Thereforeyou must not have many ambitions or interests when you go forward toward thisgoal. As Lao-Tzu states: "When the sage governs, he clears people's minds, fillstheir bellies, weakens their ambition and strengthens their bones."

004. To practice Dao is to keep a tranquil mind at all times. If you do so, thenwherever you go, you are the Buddha himself because a Buddha can make himself ateasy in any situation. When you free yourself from worldly cares, release comesinstantly.

005. Practicing Dao means working toward attaining "great ease," which is achievedby reflecting deeply upon the self.

006. While maintaining equanimity while asking for nothing, practicing Dao isintended to make the "small individual" mingle with the "great Dao."

007. To practice Dao is to adjust oneself to conform with the natural laws of thecosmos and restore orientation.

008. Practicing Dao is the key to breaking through the transmigration cycle ofbirth and death.

009. Unless one can calm one's thoughts while practicing the Dao, one will fall

into the cycle of the transmigration of birth and death, and suffer continuously.

010. It is useful indeed when a practitioner of Dao really desires to enlightenhimself and to transcend birth and death, and to deviate from the suffering oflife cycles. Otherwise, life is wasted since the practitioner had listened to thegospel of truth for a long time yet failed to put it into practice.

011. Dao practice aims to solve the great matter of birth and death. Failing to doso, you accumulate the constraining power of karma.

012. Practitioners of the Dao should weaken the six roots and strengthen return tothe Root (one's true self), in order to transcend birth and rebirth, and avoiddisaster.

013. The value of practicing Dao is to understand the truth. How can one practiceDao if one does not understand the truth? If one does not understand the truth,the Dao cannot be spread.

014. As a practitioner of Dao, the only thing for you to do is to retrieve yourlost heart. Thus, do not go off into wild flights of fancy that will bring youtorment.

015. He who desires to attain enlightenment relies on his inner virtues.Otherwise, it is useless for a practitioner of Dao to accumulate merits without


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cultivating inner virtues (benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom and faith).

016. A practitioner of Dao should hold the key of Dao Cultivation; that is, heshould be eager to understand the essence of the Dao.

017. As a practitioner of Dao, you must not gripe to Heaven and grumble to people.As soon as you fall into such thinking, the sea of truth becomes the sea ofsuffering at once.

018. To practice Dao is to cast away all things that you did not have at the verybeginning.

019. To practice Dao is to maintain tranquillity before you give rise to adiscriminating mind.

020. While practicing Dao, you should keep a peaceful and balanced mind so thatyou can attain enlightenment. Thus, do not become afflicted with the fourirregular minds, i.e. indignation, fear, anxiety or luxury. If you cannot maintainmental stability, you will be unable to attain enlightenment. It is very importantto take this truth to heart.

021. To practice Dao means being able to both take this up and put things down.Only after assuming one's duty and returning to the truth can one truly put downall worldly cares.

022. Practicing Dao aims to free one from worldly attachment; the heart istranquil in its original state. If one desires to possess things, it is due to ahuman heart and fanciful thought. Thus, the factors determining whether one can befree from worldly cares are the strength of karma, level of the realization oftruth, and courageous behavior.

023. Practicing Dao aims to make one's mind reach a state of completetranquillity, not to give one magic power to fly here and there, or to see throughthings. These are abnormal powers and belong to heterodoxy.

024. The key to practicing Dao is to hold the "center," which is the same as theteaching in the Doctrine of the Mean, which states: "When the feelings of joy,anger, sorrow, and delight are perceived but not displayed, it is called the'center'."

025. Attaining enlightenment is the goal of our practice of the Dao. If you cannotattain enlightenment, you cannot find your true master. Thus, an awakened personwho is like a bright lamp standing in the dark brings brightness to this world.

026. Devote your greatest effort to completing the journey of Dao practice. It isimpossible to meet success accidentally and fail suddenly.

027. All you have to do in your lifetime is to practice Dao. Thus, you shouldcultivate yourself honestly, concretely and earnestly. This is not a guest rolefor you, as Dao is attained through blood and sweat.

028. Cultivation requires complete awakening to the moment, otherwise birth anddeath cannot be transcended. This is because the Three Hearts (the past, presentand future hearts) and the four notions (the notion of an ego, a personality, abeing and a life) will block up the path of attaining enlightenment and causegreat pain.

029. Never lose your bearing in Dao Cultivation when the power of karma is


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manifest. And never break your line of defense in Dao Cultivation when you are ina hurry or suffer deprivations and hardships.

030. When you practice Dao, you should reach the state of one heart and oneambition, and always remain diligent.

031. When practicing Dao, constantly purify your ideas, eliminating distractingthoughts and wild fancy.

032. A practitioner of Dao should maintain a mindset apart from all materialthings. Do not become trapped by your own consciousness, concepts, opinions orpersistence.

033. Practicing Dao means being aloof from the world and returning to emptiness.For it is impossible for a man to embrace Heaven and the mundane matters at thesame time.

034. When you practice Dao, you need not engage in pointless argument, for it hasno bearing on your life or death.

035. Practicing Dao means self-introspection only, not discussing matters of right

and wrong. As the Platform Sutra states: "Sincere practitioners of the Dao do notpay attention to people's faults."

036. Practitioners of the Dao who are sidetracked by personnel matters, argueabout the right and wrong, and fail to cultivate their mind and nature, will bedestroyed by future calamities all the same. So what use is it for them topractice Dao this way?

037. When you practice Dao, you must not be besieged with personnel matters. Youshould focus strictly on adhering your mind to the Heavenly Portal and returningto the true self. As our Master admonished us, "Do not care about anything butenlightening the true self. Heed not all causes you may encounter; care for thetruth only."

038. Practicing Dao involves using human nature as a vehicle for returning to truenature; this way, inter-personal relations will not sour.

039. When you practice Dao, do not fall into the limited sphere of human nature.Leap beyond human nature and take a look at the sphere of the great void.

040. Do not be jealous and greedy, nor envious, and do not blame God and man whileyou practice Dao. No matter how you may suffer deprivations and hardships, youmust always observe your true heart and true self.

041. Practicing Dao entails looking within oneself, to face one's defects andattachments honestly. Fail to do this and you leak away your life-wisdom.

042. While practicing Dao, you must be thoroughly in charge of yourself, yourthoughts, actions and words. Therefore you should speak and act cautiously.

043. If you deceive your conscience and cheat yourself while you practice Dao, youcut off the return path to heaven.

044. Never discriminate when you practice Dao, or you will nullify all yourprecious efforts and waste your accumulated merits. The Platform Sutra states:"The lost man, who without moving his body, discusses the right and wrongs, meritsand demerits, and likes and dislikes of others violates the Dao in all his


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actions."

045. The value of practicing Dao is to make one know his faults, correct hisfaults and possess the ability to look within the self.

046. Practitioners of the Dao must achieve self-consciousness, self-reliance andindependence. This way they do not influence one another.

047. A practitioner of Dao should surpass and conquer the self to achieveindependence and detachment.

048. Practicing Dao means settling body and mind and cultivating oneself in orderto support others. Other worldly matters are of little consequence.

049. Practicing Dao means gradual attainment while enlightening the self andothers. With temptation and forbearance shall come growth.

050. The value Dao practice lies in "consciousness." Thus, he who belongs to theupper level of intelligence realizes Dao with a smile; an intermediatepractitioner practices Dao painfully; and a lower level practitioner prostrateshimself pitifully.

051. It is not necessary to think when you practice Dao, only to bring out yoursincerity and face your own conscience.

052. Practice Dao means adhering your mind to the Heavenly Portal and returning tothe true self. Thus, rather than just thinking about it or studying it, you mustput it into true practice.

053. As a practitioner of Dao, you should learn to be alone and become accustomedto loneliness. Also, restrain yourself from idle talk.

054. The practitioner of Dao must hide himself for Dao cultivation. Life is veryshort, and you will fall into another life cycle if you fail to attain

enlightenment in this present life. However, even if you return to this worldagain, if you fail to gain virtuous knowledge or become mired in ignorance, you'llbe an old person by the time you awaken, facing life's termination once again.Remaining unenlightened, you will be trapped in the cycle of life, death, andrebirth over and over, subject to myriad calamities. However, in this presentlife, we have encountered the Enlightened Master and have received the Dao, for wehave a good condition and an affinity with Buddha. Thus, if you do not put fortheffort forth to cultivate yourself, time will not wait for you. Oh what a pitywhen the impermanence of life manifests itself. You may have reached therequirements and the realm of emptiness, but not having reached the sequence ofthe realm of nothingness, solitude and stillness, you cannot attain trueenlightenment. So now you realize how far you must go in practicing Dao. For lifeis too short, and when the power of karma comes, we do not know whether we can

steady our heart? Therefore we must refine our consciousness and treasure the timeto practice Dao with all our heart.

055. As a practitioner of Dao, you must not always desire to understand externalmatters and should close off the Six Gates (eyes, ear, nose, tongue, body, andmind). You will plummet into pitch darkness if you give rise to fanciful thoughts.

056. It is not necessary to look for a quiet place to practice the Dao, forpracticing Dao involves freeing your mind from persistence to the six roots andthe six gunas. When your heart escapes from the six roots and six gunas for aminute, tranquillity will fill your heart for a minute. Thus, the ancient sages


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said: "You need not find a place by mountains and water to sit and meditate. Justcast away the products of the mind, and you can refresh the mind."

057. When you practice Dao, put forth efforts to both realize the Dao andcultivate yourself, and you will attain great achievement.

058. Practicing Dao means not always siting in meditation but achieving the fourconditions: mercy, almsgiving, quiescence and honesty. These four conditions are

the path to becoming a Buddha. If you meet these four conditions, you are indeed aBuddha and a Bodhisattva.

059. Practicing Dao aims to steady an unstable mind at all times. Never deviatefrom your true heart for an instant in daily life. Cultivation is a matter of theheart, not of the flesh.

060. Practicing Dao means maintaining tranquillity while in motion, not just whilesitting in meditation.

061. Put the classics of the world's five great religions into practice andencourage yourself at all times as you practice the Dao. The Heart Sutra teaches,"Reflect upon your true self." The Platform Sutra says, "The origin (one's true

self) is nothingness; where will you stain yourself?" The Tao Teh Ching instructs,"Investigating it with a lot of talk is not like holding to the center." AndMencius said: "To practice Dao, one needs nothing but to retrieve his lost heart."These teachings are all useful mottoes to live by.

062. As a practitioner of Dao, be free from cares and cultivate yourself with apure heart. If you burden the mind, you will be fearful and uneasy, and will gainnothing at all from Dao cultivation.

063. As a practitioner of Dao, you cannot do something against your consciencethat causes you to feel sorry. If you do, you will be unable to inhabit the PureLand. Therefore, you should treat people and Heaven sincerely.

064. As a practitioner of Dao, you must serve the almighty in Heaven. This is themost severe rule.

065. As a practitioner of Dao, you should maintain superb virtue, conduct andcorrect concepts, and be honored to serve Heaven, Buddha, the Bodhisattvas, andall people.

066. It is enough for a practitioner of Dao to measure all behaviors against one'sconscience. One must reflect upon one's conscience honestly.

067. As a practitioner of Dao, you must maintain a sincere heart towards Heaven,the Three Buddhas and yourself.

068. As a practitioner of Dao, strive to attain this goal: "Freedom from worldlycauses and conditions, and equanimity at all times." How can you achieve thesegoals? Relinquish attachments under all conditions and situations. How can oneachieve this goal? Understand the truth, have wisdom and courage. All threeconditions are equally vital.

069. Practicing Dao is your responsibility, and contentment brings happiness whenyou are grateful for all you possess.

070. Practicing Dao does is unrelated to external things. The "internal essence"is the most important factor, for it will influence your life and is the key to


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your rise or fall.

071. Practicing Dao means elevating the spirit constantly in order to attainsupreme goodness. This is called Buddha knowledge and awareness.

072. As a practitioner of Dao, you do not need others to encourage and comfortyou. You must make progress by yourself and awaken to yourself, to enlighten yourtrue self and obtain the great power of wisdom.

073. As a practitioner of Dao, you must fulfill the following conditions: do notgive rise to fanciful thoughts; do not say what you should not say; do not do whatyou should not do; do not act against the truth; and handle tasks dependably.

074. As a practitioner of Dao, you should lead a conscientious and careful life.Always keep the Holy Spirit in your heart. Constantly cultivate your mind andnature and examine yourself carefully. The Book of Odes states: "Those things thatthe Superior Man is unable to attain to are exactly the things that others cannotperceive."

075. As a practitioner of Dao, you should possess strength of character, for thesaints also insist on the dignity of Dao. As Confucius instructed: "When you study

the occult and perform miracles, later generations always tell about it. This Iwon't do. As a Superior Man, to go according to the Dao and abandon it half way--this I certainly cannot do."

076. Practicing Dao aims to resolve the problem of human desires. Using transientlife, we can attain the eternal life of wisdom.

077. As a practitioner of Dao, you should have firm faith, maintain your vows andnever waver. Thus, you should cultivate yourself with your enlightened mind. Ifyou do not seek to enlighten and realize your true self, you fall into sin.

078. Never lose sight of the objective of the Dao in your practice.

079. As a practitioner of Dao, you should restrain yourself in speech andbehavior. Restrain your temper and maintain a kind and pleasant countenance. Inthis way, you shall shine as an example of a practitioner of Dao.

080. Dao practice is the heritage of experience, so you must accept instructionfrom the Enlightened Master to derive benefit from Him and attain greatachievement. Otherwise, your efforts shall be fruitless as you lose direction orcultivate yourself blindly.

081. In your Dao cultivation, you must reach a state of making no distinctionbetween yourself and others. You should be prepared to sacrifice your life topropagate the Dao and save people. Clinging to the ego is the beginning ofconflicts and war, so forget the "self" first.

082. Practice Dao entails rebuilding the body and mind. Just like governmentefforts to sweep away crime and corruption, it is an ongoing and regular processthat takes time.

083. Those who practice Dao with confidence, wholeheartedness and perseverancesurely can attain enlightenment.

084. If you regard everything as not important while you practice Dao, thencontentment will bring you happiness. Perhaps you will not always be satisfied,but as long as it's acceptable that's okay.


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085. Practicing Dao is intended to restore your correct thought from fancifulthought. Therefore practicing Dao is a correct view of life for an awakenedperson, the mean that guides you to adjust and return to proper and correctattitudes toward life.

086. Practicing Dao means paying slight attention to mundane matters, whileregarding the inner essence as important. Therefore you should not be affected by

mundane matters, but put your true self first.

087. When you reach a certain level in Dao cultivation, your mind will becomepure, bright and still. You do not possess magic powers, but respond to all thingswith your frame of mind. You do not persist in form, but prevent mundane mattersfrom disturbing your peaceful mind.

088. When you practice Dao, you should make changes in your heart first. If you donot make changes in yourself, you will be unable to change others.

089. If those who practice Dao can cherish gratitude and repentance at all times,they will attain great achievement in Dao cultivation.

090. Practicing Dao aims to make one subdue fanciful thoughts and attainenlightenment. Let the perfect and bright true self shine in the heart.

091. When you practice Dao, you should cultivate yourself with a natural,unintentional and yielding mind.

092. As a practitioner of Dao, you must have principles, ideals and aspirations.

093. As a practitioner of Dao, you must have great wisdom, great benevolence, andgreat courage, and must take responsibility and perform tasks with full vigor andpromptness.

094. A practitioner of Dao has no liberty. His liberty consists in elevating his

mind and nature, achieving freedom from worldly cares, and transcending the ThreeRealms (desire, form and formlessness). This is true liberty.

095. Practicing Dao means maintaining a steady mind and cultivating the self whileneither being dissolute or constrained.

096. As a practitioner of Dao, you should learn selflessness and action throughinaction from Heaven and put them into practice immediately. Once you know rightor wrong for yourself, instantly repent and reform yourself.

097. As a practitioner of Dao, you should have the spirit of a Bodhisattva who cansacrifice himself for all. A Bodhisattva lives and dies for the Dao. Awakening isachieved to save this world and to deliver people, otherwise you are merely

selfish. And a selfish heart cannot be one with the great merciful heart of theMaitreya Buddha.

098. As a practitioner of Dao, you should remain mindful and respond to whateveryou encounter. For where there is essence, there is manifestation. Further, youshould be an example of a Dao practitioner and be able to tolerate anyone or anything.

099. As a practitioner of Dao, you should not hesitate to open your arms and heartto deliver people and embrace all beings.


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100. As a practitioner of Dao, care not for yourself only. You should contemplatewhether you have shown care for others or done anything to benefit them. "Have amercy on those who are not of your blood, and on the indigent." When you cantolerate anything, you will not have a discriminating mind and the world willbecome a commonwealth.

101. As a practitioner of Dao, follow the example of the Three Buddhas and deliverall beings in this world with noble character, incorruptible principles and great

mercy.

102. As a practitioner of Dao, you should have your own style. For example, fourBodhisattvas (Guanyin, Wenshu, Puxian and Dizang) who followed the BuddhaSakyamuni represented individually the qualities of mercy, wisdom, action andfaith. Buddha Sakyamuni also relied on them to spread the Buddha Dharma. The ZenMaster Jigong exemplified selflessness and limitless mercy. What is your greatestquality?

103. As a practitioner of Dao, you should speak as little as possible, for youwill lose your vigor and cause conflicts. Thus, do not engage in idle gossip, forit will only harm your self.

104. As a practitioner of Dao, if you do not give priority to practicing the Dao,how could you say that you are a practitioner of Dao! Dao is in you and you cannotfind it from the outside.

105. When you practice Dao, you must go away for a length of time and rid yourselfof all worldly cares.

106. As a practitioner of Dao, all you have to do today is go away and cultivateyourself. This way, you can recharge your essence, spirit and soul for the longerjourney ahead.

107. Keep tranquillity in your heart at all times so that you may confrontwhatever will happen in the future. This is proper cultivation.

108. Those who pay little attention to external matters and can enlighten theinternal true self are true practitioners of the Dao.

109. To stabilize each fanciful thought immediately is Dao cultivation. Thus, ifyou cannot quell each thought you give rise to, you will fall into the cycle ofbirth and death.

110. To return to the great void from the mundane world is the essence of Daocultivation.

111. The process of making your thought return to the state of non-thinking fromthe state of thinking is true Dao cultivation.

112. Never give rise to fanciful thoughts while you practice the Dao. If youcannot hold onto the "One"-- your true heart and peaceful heart--fanciful thoughtswill constantly arise.

113. Do not harbor any expectations or seek any gains from Dao practice. For whenyou can keep a tranquil mind and have no motives in your heart, you will be ableto attain enlightenment.

114. Those who practice Dao sincerely embody the power of wisdom, mercy andforgiveness, clarity, and the ability to set mundane matters aside. On the other


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hand, those who do not practice Dao shall not have such attributes.

115. Those who do not practice Dao sincerely are merely tourists in the realm ofDao.

116. Care only for cultivating yourself, and not for external matters. Thus, thefirst consideration is the true self, and all else is secondary.

117. Those who do not obey the Dharma to practice Dao belong to the Lesser Vehicleof Dharma. In common practice, when people prepare for an examination, they muststudy hard or take lessons after school. As a practitioner of Dao, how can we notmake efforts to cultivate ourselves? This is the basis of becoming a saint or asage. So it is a basic and essential condition for you to put deep effort intopracticing the Dao.

118. Other people's terminal in Dao cultivation is our starting point, so you musttake it seriously and value it.

119. Practitioners of Dao are unable to break through bottlenecks in Daocultivation because of: 1) Residual worldly cares that cause fixations andtorment; 2) failure to fulfill filial duty, causing pricks of conscience; 3)

insufficient realization of the truth, causing constant torment by human nature;4) failure to cultivate the self deeply, and withdrawal from advancement; 5)merely repeating what others say, and failing to enlighten the true self.

120. You should put effort forth to cultivate yourself post haste, for a gentlemanabides in the tranquillity of his true self in order to wait for the Mandate ofHeaven to come upon him. Thus, abide in the tranquillity of true self and you willreap the fruits of your effort.

121. The four principles of not doing taught by Confuciusi are the amulets forescaping from the Final Catastrophe and the key points of Dao cultivation.

122. Cultivation requires respect; fearful respect of God, and reverent respect

for all beings.

123. The true essence of Dao practice means being able to cultivate yourself whilewalking, standing, sitting or sleeping. Be able to uphold the "center" at alltimes and always keep tranquillity in your heart after responding to whatever youencounter.

124. In this present life, your most serious defects are areas you failed tocultivate well in past lives. If you did not complete a certain "course," you willfall into the cycle of birth and rebirth continuously, repeating your faults againand again. Thus, you have to amend these faults in this present life. When youhave many defects and weaknesses, you have to make up more courses and studyharder. There are no guarantees in Dao cultivation, so you have to try your best

to amend. Complain not; just do your best to complete all your courses.

125. People always regard the consciousness of karma and worldly attachment asreal, but regard the essence of the true self as unreal. Amending these conceptsinto correct concepts is Dao cultivation.

126. Practicing Dao at this time raises strength of concentration in order to havethe power to commune with the gods in the future.

127. Dao cultivation means subduing the fanciful thoughts and casting away humannature. The origin of the heart is birthlessness. What can you do if you allow


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your heart to wander all over the universe? Thus, your duty is to uphold"birthlessness," affix your mind to the center that before thinking, and maintainhold on the center.

128. Use the strength of concentration that comes from practicing Dao to controlwavering feelings.

129. Those who do not concentrate their minds on the Heavenly Portal and do not

reflect their light inward are not real practitioners of the Dao.

130. An unenlightened thought is called ignorance. Thus, you should always awakento each thought you engender while you practice Dao.

131. If you do not cultivate yourself perfectly and do not light up your heartlamp, you betray your own conscience.

132. You should obey the Correct Dharma while you practice Dao. Only the CorrectDharma can help you attain enlightenment, so you should treasure this opportunity.

133. At this time, you must subdue your human nature; the most important thing isto abide by your own Buddha nature.

134. Reflect on your past and advance your future. Become accustomed to practicingthe Dao alone.

135. It is very difficult to find a good cave on earth. As with acupuncture, theacupuncturist must find the correct point before inserting the needle. Similarly,you must find the correct starting point for Dao practice. You will know if youseek the Enlightened Master.

136. Only by practicing Dao can the power of karma be eliminated.

137. Buy a false image of Buddha and become reborn; practice true Dao cultivationand transcend birth and rebirth.

138. The Six Patriarch said: "Since the word 'Yana' (Vehicle) implies 'motion'(putting into practice), argument on this point is quite unnecessary." Thus, atrue practitioner of Dao should suit his action to his words and each thoughtshall be quiet and without worldly cares.

139. The most urgent thing for you is to put effort into practicing the Dao. Ifyou do not cultivate yourself today, what will it mean to amass souls?

140. Practicing Dao like a monk at home is the way to cultivation of the greatDao. Everyone in the whole world should understand this truth, because humannature requires a quiet and peaceful spirit.

141. The great Dao actively enters this world to deliver people, so the family canpractice Dao together to maintain their human ties. The superior and the inferiorcan get along well and maintain a peaceful mind. They may look like ordinarypeople, but their minds are freed from worldly cares. Thus, becoming a monk or nundoes not necessarily mean moving to a temple, but rather leaving the home of worryand the chain of birth and death and rebirth.

142. Those who are unable to conduct self-examination and achieve self-awarenessare not true practitioners of the Dao.

143. If you desire to attain enlightenment, you must attain a state of "One heart


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and one intention, achieved via progressively deep cultivation." Focus oncultivation, and your soul, spirit and body will reach a state of tranquility.

144. Never let the power of karma come between the practice of Dao by you orothers.

145. If not for the process of Dao practice, the Pure Land would be a hell for allbeings. In the Pure Land, there are no distinctions between you and me, yin and

yang, the seven emotions and six carnal desires, and everything belongs to therealm of the spirit. Therefore, always uphold the "center" before thinking, andyou can always reside in the Pure Land.

146. Human beings are the soul of all creatures, but they have lost their innateinstinct and their awakened mind. Therefore, men must undergo the process ofcultivation to restore their origin.

147. To stabilize each thought as it arises is true Dao cultivation. True Daocultivation is perfecting your mind and nature.

148. All you have to do in this present life is to cultivate yourself and makeyour soul achieve supreme goodness.

149. Restore fanciful thoughts to correct thoughts and abnormal thoughts to normalthoughts. This is proper cultivation.

150. Without correct knowledge and views, and without a complete character, howcan one possibly practice Dao?

151. People should know their fate and be satisfied. Insist on practicing Dao eventhough through extreme suffering. As Confucius stated, "The Superior Man neverleaves goodness for even the time of a single meal. In moments of haste he actsaccording to it. In times of difficulty or confusion he acts according to it."

152. The point initiated by the Enlightened Teacher is a very profound and subtle

Dharma, and is a real Buddha Dharma-- namely the Correct Dharma. It is the onlyway to stop the transmigration of the soul and to transcend birth and death toattain enlightenment.

153. Dao is transmitted by saints and people must practice Dao on their own. Thus,since you have received the point initiated by the Enlightened Master, you shouldmake efforts to cultivate your inner true self.

154. From ancient times, those who practice Dao sincerely were spoken ill of, butthey still keep pursuing the truth of the Lord and advance bravely withoutcomplaining or regretting.

155. "Receiving Dao first and cultivating yourself later" does not refer to the

end of the world, but rather that as of the year 1984, the entire world enteredthe era of amassing souls. Thus, it is critical for all people to cultivate theDao at this time.

156. Discuss the concepts of Dao cultivation when you are with fellow disciples,and do not talk about mundane matters, for attachment to mundane matters willcause people to lose faith in Dao. Thus, exemplify the style of a saint and becomea model for people.

157. A true human being is one who in everyday life exemplifies the five virtues(benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdom and faith).


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158. At this time, it is vital to know the following clearly: Over the process ofdelivery of beings, human emotion, numbers (of those who have received the Dao),and miracles are important. During the amassing of souls, what is important istrue nature (the truth), the results of Dao practice, and shattering all forms (topenetrate the truth).

159. Concern yourself only with obeying the rules. Thus, the 3,000 awe-inspiring

manners and the 80,000 bylaws of conduct are divine manifestations of BuddhaDharma.

160. The ancient saints said: "Better to cultivate yourself for one day than togive sermons for a thousand days." This aphorism underscores the importance ofexample through action.

161. The process of practicing Dao is similar to firing pottery in that one mustundergo tempering over time until all conditions are right to attainenlightenment.

162. Withdraw from man's world immediately so that you can enter the realm of thePure Land. Withdraw from man's world thoroughly, for you should not be uninhibited

and unbridled as you practice Dao. You must be diligent in Dao cultivation day andnight, for you must love the Dao to become one with the Dao. Learn from theexample of the monks in Japan's Yongping Monastery, for they exhaust theirenergies trying to learn the essence of Zen and Dao. Only dedication yieldsresults.

163. Every practitioner of Dao says that he wants to relinquish worldly cares,when most actually want to abandon control over their minds.

164. To identify and resolve your internal and external problems is the essence ofDao cultivation.

165. Do not pick a fight or become involved in causes and conditions. If you have

seen much of the world, you will contaminate yourself, causing obstacles to yourDao cultivation.

166. Laws govern behavior, while cultivation governs motivation. Therefore, bewareof your thoughts. This is the first step to practicing the Dao.

167. Studying sutra is supplementary to practicing Dao, which should always comefirst.

168. Converting your passions into a holy mission free from extraneous sentimentsis the essence of Dao cultivation.

169. Unless you have cultivated yourself fully, do not make idle comments about

others. As Jesus stated: "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged."

170. It is meaningless for Master's followers to seek his guidance unless theyunderstand the truth clearly and cultivate themselves sincerely.

171. Magic powers cannot resist the power of karma, and the Buddha Dharma cannotresist one's inner consciousness. For inner consciousness pushes one to love andto pursue external things. Therefore, you should be realistic when you practiceDao, for each step you take is a mark of progress.

172. Cultivating the heart, mind and body is our mission. Mencius said, "To


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preserve your mind and nourish your nature is to serve Heaven. Not seeing dualitybetween short life and long life, cultivate yourself by awaiting it. This is theway to establish your destiny."

173. Practicing Dao means doing what we are reluctant to do, which is not easy toovercome.

174. We practice Dao to our best ability and let Heaven arrange everything for us.

175. As a practitioner of Dao, all you have is nothingness. If you always want topossess something, then the void will become hell one day. Men are fond of mundanethings, so when the truth of the Lord enters this world in the future, Heaven willclear away all idols and return to nothingness.

176. As a practitioner of Dao, you should not compete with others and should becontent with everything you have. Thus, no matter whether you gain achievements,hardship, or weariness in this life, this world is still a prison.

177. Dao cultivation should reveal the true self directly.

178. As you practice Dao, be sure to seize each moment and hold no expectations

for the future. It is sufficient to simply maintain tranquillity in the moment.

179. Recognize the importance of Dao cultivation and practice Dao when walking,standing, sitting or sleeping. Thus, reflect upon your true self not only bysitting down in meditation but also through mindfulness at all times. Ultimately,you will attain a state of constant self-reflection.

180. If you do not cultivate yourself sincerely, instead just polishing up yoursurface and letting the Eight Winds affect you, you are no different from othercommon people. Thus, he who practices Dao sincerely will not be affected byexternal appearance. Similarly, the fish in the sea do not know that there arewaves on the surface of the sea, for the waves only appear on the surface.

181. There are several possible reasons you have yet to attain enlightenment, eventhough you have practiced Dao all this time: 1) You have lacked a sincere heart;2) you do not have a clear concept of Dao; 3) you are subject to multiple externaltemptations; 4) you lack a firm will.

182. Practicing Dao means utilizing various forms to realize the truth. Sinceancient times, all the awakened have used every method available to enlightenpeople. Therefore you should know that no matter how external circumstances maychange, you must recognize the truth and practice Dao sincerely.

183. Practicing Dao aims to make one lead a commonplace, normal and regular lifeand nothing more. The Zen Master Jigong said: "Treating everything neutrally canhelp one transcend the transmigration of birth and death." Thus, we can create

wonder within the commonplace, and eternity within the ephemeral.

184. As a practitioner of Dao, you should understand the truth clearly. The truthis similar to a blueprint: If you can see it clearly, the way that leads to thetruth will become straight and you can practice Dao easily.

185. In your Dao practice, no matter what circumstances you may encounter,anything that helps you elevate your mind and nature, whether fortune oradversity, is good. Favorable circumstances are not always good for you, andadversity is not always bad. Therefore, you should not gripe to Heaven and grumbleto people, and should be willing to accept Heaven's arrangements.


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186. Practicing Dao is not intended just to give you a faith, but to make yourealize that there is a Buddha in you, that Heaven is in your heart, and torealize the truth of the cycle of birth and rebirth. It is not about recruitingfollowers.

187. As you practice Dao, you must not rely on things or people, for people arefalse. Be independent and self-reliant. Awaken also to your inner primal

awareness--to your true self--for only by self-awakening to the truth can youattain enlightenment.

188. Practitioners of Dao lacking a clear concept of Dao will gripe to Heaven andgrumble to people. They equivocate about this or that when they run into thedifficulty or fall ill. If they didn't practice Dao cultivation, would they befree from setbacks and difficulty? Only understanding the truth clearly can freeone from worldly cares and transcend the cycle of birth and rebirth.

189. As practitioners of Dao, when you get along with each other, you should help,and guide and encourage one another. When your karma surfaces, it is sinful toattempt to influence the practice of others.

190. Any place is a good place to practice Dao, so if you can keep freeexpectation, your mind will be free and easy. Thus, when your mind deviates frommundane circumstances and you let anxieties go, you can free yourself from thisworld.

191. The value of practicing Dao is to enlighten your true heart, to throwyourself into cultivation and to progress via actual efforts--not simply bystudying the scriptures.

192. Never act willfully or callously in your personal cultivation or affairs.Always act in line with Buddhist canons.

193. While you practice Dao, if you dare not to face your weakest, most inflexible

areas, attempting to resolve and work beyond them, your efforts will be in vain.

194. As a practitioner of Dao you must have a sound personality, as when youperfect the Dao of mankind you can connect to the Dao of Heaven--the Dao ofmankind is a ladder that leads to Heaven. Thus, if you do not perfect the Dao ofMankind, you will be unable to return to the Pure Land. You might fail to perfectthe Dao of mankind because you have a deficit of the eight virtues. Even when youhave failed to perfect the five virtues--benevolence, justice, propriety, wisdomand faith--you will also be prevented from enlightenment.

195. When you practice Dao, you should enlighten yourself by steadying your mindwhen distracted by agitation, such are times that test your wisdom.

196. Practicing Dao is to make your mind become as pure as a newborn baby, not tobecome craftier.

197. Preaching the sutras is not related to Dao cultivation, for it is similar toacademic learning and not actual cultivation. The aims of Dao cultivation areunderstanding the Dao, embracing the Dao and abiding by the Dao.

198. When practitioners of the Dao are not freed from worldly attachment, it islike cooking sand, hoping to turn it into rice. Only Dao practice free fromworldly attachment is 'steaming rice from rice.'


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199. Without a sound personality and a correct concept of the Dao, then how couldyou practice the Dao?

200. One with a strong ego will not care for others, but only think from his ownstandpoint, persist in his own opinions, and act willfully. This kind of personcannot be called a practitioner of Dao.

201. Man knows perfectly well that practicing Dao and repentance are good for him,

but he still cannot resist the temptation of the power of karma. He yields to hisfeeling, making him captive.

202. From the unknowable beginning, all bad karma were caused by the Three Poisonsand generated from physical action, verbal action and mental action. Therefore,you should start to cultivate yourself by means of eliminating fanciful thoughts,being cautious in all words you speak and acting properly.

203. When you are still alive, you do not fortify your mind well, but care onlyfor building a mausoleum for the dead people. What does such a thing mean to you?The four elements are empty, so you cannot absurdly regard them as real. Thus, youshould stop your fanciful thoughts so you can soon be free from worldly cares andpractice Dao easily.

204. The Pure Land will not come to earth unless people can purify their heartsfirst. When people can keep tranquillity in their hearts, then the Kingdom ofBuddha will appear on earth. Thus, everyone should take action from understandingthe truth.

205. Life is like a process of studying to earn credits, so every practitioner ofDao should bear in mind that he has to put effort forth to cultivate himself inorder to return to the Pure Land.

206. Discard the desires of possession forthwith, so that the three types ofcalamities (water, fire, and wind) and the eight types of disasters (water, fire,swords, weapons, droughts, floods, famines, and hunger) will not come to you.

207. A Bodhisattva has the power of merits and virtues, so he can reflect upon histrue self. But people only have the power of karma, so they are always controlledby karma. Therefore one who can reflect upon his thought makes his path straight.

208. Buddha Nature is our original appearance. We possess it originally and not toobtain it by means of Dao cultivation.

209. If you have lost your great compassion for all creatures, as the Lord inHeaven has, how can you ever become one with Heaven?

210. If you can reduce inflexible opinions, your heart can become brighter. Thus,you know clearly in your heart if you are really free from worldly cares.

211. When you put effort forth to cultivate yourself day and night, you must reachthe state of never deviating from your true heart or true self. You cannot slackenfor even an instant in your efforts, for if you lack a sincere heart all yourefforts will prove fruitless.

212. If you can always maintain peace of mind in responding to all you encounter,you are truly free from worldly cares. Otherwise, you just shirk your duties andpersist in the false essence of emptiness.

213. If you keep tranquillity in your heart and put your true self at ease, you


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have already been to the Pure Land. Thus, you should absolutely believe and obeythe teachings of the saints of the five religions in the world, identify theseteachings from the scriptures, and eliminate all distance between your heart andthe scriptures.

214. Reflecting your mind inward turns your consciousness of karma into wisdom.

215. All the disciples of the five great religions are really practicing Dao,

while we just talk about Dao but do not put it into practice. This will get usnowhere.

216. If you can free yourself from worldly cares more often, you are makingprogress in Dao cultivation. Thus, as a practitioner of Dao, you are the onlymeasure of your own progress.

217. When the common people follow immediate causal circumstances, they follow thepower of karma and become controlled by the power of karma. But a practitioner ofDao remains rooted on the inside, and only follows external situations on thesurface.

218. It is very difficult to restore yourself to the essence of nothingness if you

constantly pursue fame, for only an easy mind can help us practice Dao easily.

219. First escape the tug of the whirlpool (your human heart) and then cultivateyourself immediately so that you can become a free and joyful person.

220. When your heart does not undulate, it is called stillness. Thus, only whenyou understand the Dao can you cultivate yourself. And only when you understandthe truth can you practice Dao sincerely.

221. If you have no ambitions toward acquisition in your everyday life, your heartwill not abide in anything. For men come into this world with nothing but abide atpossessing, so practicing Dao becomes very difficult.

222. Every day, learn and recite some words of wisdom from an awakened person onhow to attain enlightenment. This will encourage you to practice Dao deeply.

223. Only when with sincere practice and a certain level of attainment can onebecome one with the heavenly heart and gain protection and sustenance from Heaven.As the Doctrine of the Mean states: "Heaven develops each thing according to itspreparation. Thus, Heaven nourishes the growing sprout, and throws down theleaning tree."

224. If you accept education of Dao, your concepts will undergo transformation.When your concepts are changed, your fate will follow. For changing your conceptsis akin to changing your fate.

225. If you can dominate your thoughts, you also can control impermanence.

226. All dharmas originate in nothingness. Nothingness is the answer, nirvana, andthe other side of worldly illusion. Anyone who desires to understand the realm ofemptiness must undergo a difficult and arduous process. After profound practice,they can reach the true realm of emptiness.

227. One's success is 30% created by Heaven, with the remaining 70% based onindividual effort. Therefore, nobody can attain enlightenment without makingconcerted efforts. One must overcome the power of karma before attainingenlightenment.


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228. Other people sit in meditation and reflect upon their true selves, but if youfail to retrieve your heart and always think about matters while sitting inmeditation, you are committing a serious error. You must rest your mind, and theHeavenly Portal is the place to rest your mind. Thus, if you can concentrate yourmind here, you will not dissipate your energy again. If you cannot concentrateyour mind here, it is your problem.

229. The physical body is an extension of one's thought. If you can control yourthought, you can control the constraints of your physical body.

230. Sway not with the ebb and flow of causal circumstances, and you shall be atease.

231. Those driven by the human heart to strive for fame, authority and status, butwhy do so few strive to enlighten the true self?

232. If your heart is not influenced by physical pleasures, you are the Buddhahimself. On the other hand, if you cannot be your own master and your heart isinfluenced by external circumstances, you will act improperly and disorderly.

233. You should take advantage of the capacity to dominate your thought while youare still alive. For once you pass away, you cannot control your thought any more.You will be controlled by the power of karma and fall into the cycle of the fourtypes of birth and the six migrations.

234. Being on intimate terms with Heaven is truly sexy, for it is truly eternal.On the other hand, being on intimate terms with a wife or a husband isfallaciously sexy, for such relations are merely transient as the physical bodywill perish someday. Thus, we must always embrace Heaven.

235. So-called "Zen meditation" means never allowing one's thoughts to deviatefrom the true self during any activity, be it moving, standing, sitting still orsleeping. Thus, when the Kingdom of Buddha appears on earth one day, everyone will

find pleasure in the stability of meditation.

236. You should control your thoughts and reflect your attentions inward at alltimes so the devil will have no chance to step in your heart and the essence ofDao in your body.

237. People are always putting value judgments on things and constantly makingdistinctions, yet they never evaluate how they stand in the "great matter of birthand death."

238. Siting in meditation is not an end in itself, but intended to restore thepurity of the soul, keeping it clean from even a single particle of the dust ofthe mundane world.

239. Change your mind before you change the circumstances and transcend your mindbefore you transcend the circumstances. When your mind abides in nothing, allcircumstances will vanish as well. Thus, where there are no circumstances the mindis free, when there is no focus by the mind there are no circumstances.

240. An awakened person holds everything in the moment, but the common people lookwith expectation to the future.

241. You should possess wisdom, benevolence and courage so that you can stir andchange the power of karma for yourself and others.


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242. It is crucial to keep an easy and quiet mind. What benefit is it to you ifyou own everything but bury your soul?

243. You must possess the Dao, virtues, truth, awe-inspiring righteousness,wisdom, benevolence, courage, and foresight, and also vigilance in peaceful times.

244. Everything with form in this world is an illusion, so do not cling to any of

it. Cling to it, and you will be unable to understand the truth clearly. Themultiple worlds we see are merely foam in the sea, and do not exist in this world.They exist because of your judgmental thought, and they will disappear at oncewhen you eradicate judgmental thought. You feel suffering when you possess thingsand you experience real suffering from false substance. Thus, Buddha Sakyamunisaid: "All products are impermanent and all phenomena are empty and selfless." ThePlatform Sutra also admonishes, said: "Everything with form is unreal."

245. Life is the assemblage of all sufferings. People come into this world byreason of greed, hatred, and ignorance, so life is originally a dream--a dream ofa dream. How can you say it is real? As the Zen Master Yongjia stated: "There areclearly six hells in the dream, but when you awaken (attain enlightenment), yourealize that the multifarious world does not really exist at all."

246. Each Buddha comes into this world to guide people toward thoroughly resolvingthe problem of life and death. Since people want to return to nothingness, theymust return to the gate of stillness from the gate of birth and death. In otherwords, people should retrieve their mind from the point initiated by theEnlightened Master in order to finally resolve the problem of life and death.

247. What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses the kingdomof heaven?

248. If you do not attain enlightenment, it is not worth falling into the cycle ofthe transmigration of the soul, for there you will always remain.

249. If you keep tranquillity in your heart now, you plant the seed for becoming aBuddha in the future. If you cannot keep tranquillity in your heart, you areplanting the seed of falling into the transmigration of the soul.

250. We all share one Heaven and one true nature as kindred souls, so why do wedifferentiate among one another?

251. We all share the character of God, unqualified love for all beings. Butmankind's inability to steady the enlightened mind threatens us with the finalcatastrophe.

252. Nirvana is unattainable without stability through meditation. Without thewisdom of enlightenment, you cannot save yourself and others.

253. Unmitigated desire is the greatest sin.

254. With firm, immediate faith in the Dao, sincere cultivation, and thoroughrealization, achievement of the Dao will be real. However, if these conditionscannot be met, achievement will be false.

255. Carrying out instant justice means subduing fanciful thoughts immediately.Once you settle your body and mind, the karma that has accumulated for 60,000years can be wiped clean.


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256. If you fail to settle your heart well in this present life, thetransmigration of the soul will continue in future lives. Transmigration of thesoul transpires when the body, mind, and the Five Aggregates (form, feeling,discrimination, compositional factors and consciousness) are not emptied. Thesecan obscure the brightness of one's true nature.

257. Residue of the mind is formed when you do not reflect upon your true self.Thus, if you can "Guard against the products of the mind before they are stirred,"

as taught in the Great Learning, both the residue of the mind and harmful karmawill be eliminated, and your true self will become bright.

258. As soon as you desire to possess something you invite instant suffering.

259. He who desires to attain enlightenment must fulfill three conditions:

(1) a sincere heart;

(2) forward advancement;

(3) vows.

260. Dao can be applied to anything. When you do everything according to your truenature, you act according to the dictate of conscience.

261. To correct your temper is to change karma. To change karma is to rewrite yourfate.

262. If you fail to attain enlightenment now, the Pure Land will never berevealed.

263. Your present mental state is a home to return to in the future (the frame ofmind you set now decides which realm you will enter in the future).

264. Never is a Buddha detained or obstructed in the void, but people are

constantly obstructed and reside in the realm of dharma. But when the fourelements are eliminated, is not the embodiment of truth revealed? As the ZenMaster Yongjia stated: "The unreal body is the embodiment of truth."

265. The essence of Dao is God Himself, and all Buddhas are the magical workingsof Dao and the manifestation of God.

266. An awakened person awakes to his original enlightened Buddha-nature; a lostperson loses himself in illusion because of a prejudicial mind.

267. Buddha exists forever, and no matter how time and space change, He neverchanges Himself. Thus, there is not a past Buddha, a present Buddha or a futureBuddha because Buddha has no past, present, or the future. Buddha is one who can

always keep an enlightened mind and never be lost, but people are always inclinedto make forced distinctions. Life is transient, so it makes them feel they have apast, present and future, when in fact if you keep an easy mind, you are a Buddhayourself (a present Buddha).

268. Know the Dao, be fond of the Dao, take joy in the Dao, and be fascinated bythe Dao. As a practitioner of Dao, you should love Heaven like a lover and keepHim in your heart at all times. Confucius said: "I have never seen one who lovesvirtue as much as he loves sex."

269. If you quell both inner fanciful thoughts and external human sentiments, then


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the hindrance of karma that has accumulated for the last epoch of 60,000 yearswill be wiped clean.

270. You should comprehend and understand the Dao yourself, and become a salesmanof truth.

271. One whose true self is set free and fills up the six directions (east, west,south, north, up, and down) is God. One whose true self retreats to a secret place

is a small god. (In fact, God cannot be divided into great or small incarnations;only the effects differ.)

272. If you cannot identify with the Dao perfectly, you will remain trapped in thetransmigration of the soul.

273. When you attain perfect brightness of self, you will understand everythingclearly.

274. When the power of karma comes to you, you should stay calm and should notgripe to Heaven and grumble to people but repent and look inward at your true selfmore often.

275. When you practice Dao, new tests await you at each level of achievement(including the words you speak).

276. All the temptations created by the devil are turning points on the path ofprogress, not causes of degeneration.

277. If you desire to be saved and escape from calamity, you must keeptranquillity in your heart at all times and realize the truth clearly.

278. Dao is attained completely on one's own. It is precious because one canpractice the Dao at any time.

279. The illusion of mind becomes one's consciousness, so everything on earth is

merely transient. Thus, as long as you reflect your mind inward and concentrate iton the Heavenly Portal, you can return to the origin and restore your true self.

280. Man was once one with God, but went awry with one errant thought. Thus, ourduty is to restore our brightness so that we can connect with the way to heavenand return to God to receive eternal life.

281. Lead the power of the Dao to yourself, lest you become a graveyard for karma.

282. Loving God is an omen of enlightenment, for He reveals Himself in our hearts.

283. If you do not abide in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, you freeyourself from worldly cares and reside in the Pure Land.

284. The meaning of center is to steady one's thought before it arises. This iswhat is meant in the Great Learning, that "the superior man must be watchful overhimself when he is alone."

285. You should love God first, then others.

286. It is better to erect a lighthouse than place thousands of candles by thesea.

287. Mercy is the entire cause attaining enlightenment, so make the vow to "seek


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the Buddha's way from above, and deliver all beings below." Only in such a way canyou attain enlightenment and complete perfect wisdom.

288. Mindfulness in everyday living means steadying your thoughts at all moments.

289. Death is not horrible, but merely the dispersal of the Four Elements(water=blood, fire=heat, wind=breath, and the earth=flesh). Yet the true innerself will never change. If the persistence in your heart does not change, you will

continue to abide in the cycle of life and death and endure the same suffering asin this present life.

290. The Three Realms are caused by the mind; all dharmas are caused byconsciousness. Therefore, as all of the Six Migrations are products of the mind,you must break through it all.

291. Before attaining enlightenment, you should possess strong self-determinationand a level of understanding the truth, and must not be subject to externalmatters.

292. Promotion of the teachings of the true heart and dharma is not a trend, buttrue practice, enabling us to become one with the truth.

293. The point initiated by the Enlightened Master can help us attainenlightenment and supreme wisdom.

294. Each moment of live is a blessing from God.

295. If you hold the "center" at all times, you will not get angry, and canmaintain equanimity and a peaceful disposition so your qi (vital energy) will flowsmoothly. As the mind is the master of the body and true nature is the mother ofthe mind, as long as you can regulate your mind and nature well, health and peacewill be yours naturally.

296. All Buddhas and awakened people bring the truth of the cosmos to all beings,

helping people restore their original nature. Therefore, always keep tranquillityin your heart so that you can feel and respond to the truth. If you give rise tohuman sentiment or the three poisons, your connections to the truth shall besevered at once.

297. You should enhance the level of your mind and nature at all times as youpractice Dao. When you enhance the level of your mind and nature, you alignyourself with the Buddhas, but if you lower the level of your mind and nature, youentwine yourself with the four types of birth and the six migrations.

298. When the mind is not the mind and Buddha is not the Buddha; where lies themind-less mind and the Buddha-less Buddha, therefore lies the true Buddha.

299. Those who let their true selves fall into the cycle of four types of birthand the six migrations are similar to beggars. Those who make their true selvesfree from worldly worries are similar to a master of the temple.

300. As long as you become one with the essence of true self, you will be able tounderstand the truth of the cosmos.

301. Treating others cruelly is the same as treating yourself cruelly. The same istrue for treating others kindly.

302. The root of transmigration is firm consciousness and obstinacy. Confucius


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said: "There were four things the master eschewed: imposing his will,arbitrariness, stubbornness and egotism."

303. He who does not amend his greed, hatred, and ignorance is like an animal.

304. Each awakened person is the embodiment of God.

305. People have nothing at birth, and while they accumulate so many things they

still lack gratitude and know not to be satisfied with what they have. When youencounter difficulties, possessing things cannot resolve your problems; rather,only "nothingness" can bring about a thorough solution.

306. Man is the greatest miracle of the cosmos (for he can eat, move, cry, andlaugh). So instead of expecting a miracle, just restore calmness of mind andeverything will be fine.

307. The power of wisdom and mercy are the most efficient instruments ofresolution. As the power of wisdom can transform the power of karma, if you lackthe power of wisdom you will always be controlled by the power of karma.

308. If you cannot concentrate your mind on the Heavenly Portal, you lack virtue.

Thus, if you cannot keep an easy mind in everyday living, you cannot be free afterdeath.

309. Sexual desire does not exist in the physical body. It exits only in theturbid, confused mind, giving rise to the seven emotions and six desires. Thus,hold firmly to the "center" and keep a pure mind and peace of mind in response towhatever you encounter and everything will be all right.

310. Anyone who can understand and preach the reality of truth to people ishimself a Buddha, saint and immortal. For only an awakened person can shoulder aBuddha's duties.

311. No matter how great or many the systems we found, all are useless unless we

cast away our human nature.

312. God resides in you. If you deny God, you deny yourself as well.

313. When you lose your conscience, God leaves you. Thus, the catastrophe of thegreat wind shall descend upon the living to clear away human sentiment and thetemporal world.

314. At all times and places, bear in mind that you are the Buddha himself, andnever forget to constantly look inward into your true self.

315. If you cease awakening your conscience, even God cannot help you. If youclose the door of your mind, God will be unable to enter your mind.

316. It is no use to worship Buddha or to chant Buddha's name when you makemistakes, for the most important thing is to solve problems at the root. Thus, youshould not just keep repenting or kowtowing, but rather make up your mind tocorrect your errors at once and never commit them again. As the Platform Sutrastates: "By amending our mistakes, we gain wisdom. By defending our faults, webetray an unsound mind."

317. If you cannot adhere your mind closely to the Heavenly Portal, you will beunable to realize how precious the true teachings of the truth are. For this isthe way to quell wild fancy.


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318. As even magic power is no match for the inner power of karma, you must usethe power of your tranquility and wisdom to eliminate karma.

319. Lack of wisdom invites many worldly cares and the burden of heavy karma.Thus, refine your true self, open yourself and uphold the center.

320. As people persist in many things and pay excessive attention to causal

conditions, as long as they can adhere their minds to the Heavenly Portalfrequently and expand their inner virtues, their true selves will brighten andattachment to the mundane will diminish.

321. If one's six roots have a strong affinity for the mundane, the heart will beempty and will continue in its attachment to external matters, losing allgrounding in the true self.

322. No matter how serious your sins, as long as you awaken, repent, and makeamends you sow the seeds for becoming a Buddha and can attain enlightenment. Asthe Platform Sutra states: "A foolish passing thought makes one an ordinary man,while an enlightened second thought makes one a Buddha."

323. If you can worship all Buddhas, respect people, and awaken yourself andothers, you are a Bodhisattva and a Buddha.

324. Uphold your true self and empty your mind, and the power of karma will notaffect you.

325. Practitioners of the Dao are unable to light their heart lamps because of: 1)incomplete understanding of the truth; 2) failure to adhere the mind to theHeavenly Portal; 3) excessive expectations toward this world; 4) deeply ingrainedhabits of making distinctions between people and persisting in personal views.

326. People have a very strong consciousness of the ego, so they cannot stop fromfalling into the transmigration of the soul. Today they are unable to stop

fanciful thoughts because they do not know the Dharma, so the point initiated bythe Enlightened Master helps us know where to rest our mind and how to stopfalling back into the transmigration of the soul. Thus, failure to fix the mind onthe point initiated by the Enlightened Master keeps the heart lamp from beinglighted.

327. People fall into the transmigration of the soul because they give rise to anignorant idea, abandoning their consciences and joining materialism. Confuciussaid: "Set your aspirations on the Dao, hold to virtue." Thus, as a practitionerof Dao, set your sights on how to attain the Dao, not on how you are going to makea material living, and devote your energies to understanding the great Dao. Nomatter how bitter or happy you may be, as long as you draw breath you mustcultivate yourself. As Mencius stated: " Not seeing duality between short life and

long life, cultivate yourself by awaiting it. This is the way to set up yourdestiny." For the ancient saints and sages shared the same ambition.

328. If you cannot attain enlightenment in this present life, you will still fallback into the transmigration of the soul even if you have a long physical life.

329. Loss of conscience results from an unenlightened self. Thus, you must notdeceive yourself and others, for deceiving others is equal to deceiving Heaven,and will make you fall into the transmigration of the soul.

330. A "human heart" means excessive self-consciousness, which dominates us,


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preventing our hearts from having a secure anchor. Consequently, we rely on andbecome attached to external matters.

331. Returning to the Pure Land requires freedom from worldly cares and keepingtranquillity in your heart.

332. Only love can absolve all sins. (For love is full of mercy.)

333. Think not about what will happen after death, but rather what you can do forothers during your lifetime.

334. He who has the wisdom of nirvana is the richest person in this world.

335. Deep practice means repeating the same action over and over until perfectionis achieved.

336. Sins are connected to karma; likewise, karma is rooted in the mind. If themind is empty, sin will wither away with nowhere to cling.

337. Our minds, which originate in nothingness, are the products of circumstances.When circumstances do not exist, the mind is perfectly empty.

338. What is meant by saying "One must hold the heart to the point initiated bythe Enlightened Master at all times?" It means that whether walking, standing,sitting or sleeping, you should keep your mind neither static nor in motionthroughout the day. Keep tranquillity in your heart in response to whatever youencounter, and abide in nothing and hold the center whether you are in motion orsitting still.

339. Possess wisdom, benevolence and courage at all times, and neither abandonpeople nor enter nirvana. When you are free of worries (the Lesser Vehicle) anduse your enlightened true self (the Greater Vehicle) to bear people's burden, youare a saint and a Buddha.

340. Do not dwell on external matters. When you reflect upon your true self andcome to attain enlightenment, then you can preach what you have learned and awakenothers. Thus, the common element shared between you and others is "awakening."

341. If you give rise to thoughts of greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, anddoubt, then you are the devil himself. For jealousy, resentment, haughtiness, andsuspicion all plant the roots of hell, and can prevent you from transcending birthand death.

342. God works in mysterious ways. We need not ask 'why?', rather we should obeyGod's commands.

343. You were once a Buddha, but how did you become a weak, ignorant human being?

How could you change so quickly? The Zen Master Jigong never changes himself.Buddha never withdraws from the truth, for he possesses wisdom, benevolence andcourage.

344. Do not compare with others, neither feel inferior or superior to others. Youshould have confidence in yourself and practice Dao in a commonplace, normal, andregular fashion, as well as taking a frank, practical, honest, and faithfulattitude toward practice, and you will be able to attain enlightenment.

345. While death is the final destination of life, it also means the awakening ofthe soul. Thus, you need not fear death. Nevertheless, you should fear not


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attaining enlightenment before dying. Be realistic about death. After all, "Sincethe dawn of time, who has escaped death? The best we can do is leave a goodexample for posterity."

346. People often give rise to fanciful thoughts, yet never shut them completelyoff.

347. Do not allow yourself to be governed, controlled or dominated by wild fancy.

You must enlighten yourself in order to be help to Master. Otherwise, you cannoteven steady your mind and become a burden to Master.

348. Do not always recall the past or long for the future. You should keep restfulmind at all times and be free from worldly cares. The moment you find release, youenter the Pure Land.

349. Confucius said: "Everybody says 'I know,' but they are driven forward,becoming ensnared in traps and falling into pits without knowing how to avoidthem." These traps are greed, hatred, ignorance, desire and the Seven Emotions andSix Carnal Desires. Therefore, never believe that intelligence is absoluteintelligence. Sometimes mistakes come from being too smart, so be careful in youractions.

350. When you sit down in meditation, you should empty your mind completely,making it completely clear and spotless, letting all worries go and concentratingyour attention. For becoming a Buddha does not depend on thinking. As Confuciustaught, "To study and not think is a waste. To think and not study is dangerous."

351. He who desires to attain enlightenment must have mercy on others to convertand deliver them, accumulating merits and establishing virtues, and making effortsto practice the Dao profoundly and sincerely in accordance with the pointinitiated by the Enlightened Master. As the Doctrine of Mean states, "If you aresincere you will be enlightened."

352. It is not God or Master who does not love you. It is your heart that is out

of sequence with God and Master. That is why you have yet to show any response toyour practice of Dao.

353. You should reconsider and give up an idea rapidly when you give rise to anevil thought. Otherwise, you will invite evil spirits. When your mind is quiet,the gates of Heaven will open for you; but when you give rise to fancifulthoughts, the gates of hell will open. Thus, a good thought creates Heaven and anevil thought creates hell.

354. It is not necessary to confess your sins in a temple; confess to God almightywho resides within you at all times.

355. Karma will be wiped clean once you have attained enlightenment. For when the

light shines, it can drive away the darkness. As the Platform Sutra states: "Evenas the light of a lamp can penetrate a thousand years of darkness, a spark ofWisdom can do away with ignorance that has lasted for ages."

356. Since you have given up many ambitions of seeking achievement in this worldin order to enlighten your true self, if you do not attain enlightenment won't youlet yourself down? Will you not let down the souls of nine generations ofancestors and seven generations of descendents before and after you, anddisappoint the blessings of God and Master?

357. Keep gratitude in your heart, and you will not withdraw from Dao cultivation.


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358. Pity he who fails to cultivate himself in this life, as you will need othersto chant scriptures for you after you pass away. Thus, the most valuable thing forus is that Master guides us on how to attain enlightenment. Attainingenlightenment depends on one's own efforts, not depends on others, so everyonemust get there alone.

359. Distinguishing between good and bad natural essence of being is like grading

tea: One taste and you know whether it has a nice bouquet or too harsh, and it isdifficult to change the taste. Thus, Dao cultivation depends on one's naturalcapacity and the virtuous deeds of one's ancestors.

360. Only he who can reach the realm of emptiness, nothingness, solitude andstillness by practicing Dao, and has attained enlightenment to the glory of God isqualified to transmit the Dao. Only such a practitioner may go on to guide the wayto enlightenment for others.

361. The entire cosmos is God Himself. The planets are His cells, and human beingsare the germs in his cells. When the germs are ill, they need treatment or even anoperation if conditions warrant. Thus, God has set the date for an operation nowso that the sick germs can be cut away and health restored.

362. You will not be spared from catastrophe because of who you are, even if youare the founder of a temple, Lao Qianren, Qianren, a messenger of Heaven, aninstructor in the Dao, an ashram manager, or someone with a large temple.Everything not aligned with the truth, including human beings, affairs and allthings will be destroyed. Thus, cultivate yourself perfectly, keep a quiet mind,and light you heart lamp, and you will be able to escape the coming catastrophe.

363. Power to commune with the gods is just a manifestation of one'sconsciousness. If the three minds of the past, present, and future still exist,how can one attain enlightenment?

364. Master often sighs with frustration, wondering, 'Why do my disciples like to

distinguish between forms and not look into the truth? If they continue in thisway, they will only degenerate.

365. The devil uses all sorts of guises and methods to make us part from God, soif you give rise to fanciful thoughts you will become trapped in the realm of yin-yang and in the five fundamental elements (water, wood, fire, earth, and metal).But as long as you can keep tranquillity in your heart, you will be able to escapefrom the Three Realms.

366. If you give rise to wild fancy, you are reserving a space for the devil.

367. Where there are no enlightened minds, no arena of Dao exists.

368. If you can free yourself from worldly attachments as soon as possible, youcan attain enlightenment.

369. People like to fawn on others, but why do they not try to curry favor withGod? Because when they fawn on others, the reward they receive is humansensibilities; but when they try to curry favor with God, they receive the rewardof God's merciful love.

370. Ignorance is the most serious of the Three Poisons (greed, hatred, andignorance). If you are guilty of greed or hatred, your awareness can lead you tocorrect these faults, but with ignorance you may remain in the dark and persist in


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your own views unconsciously. Thus, you need the enlightenment of great mercy andwisdom (the Enlightened Master) to help you turn ignorance into wisdom.

371. To lead a vital, true and free life, for true happiness comes from elevatingyour soul.

372. If you do not put forth efforts to cultivate yourself during dailymeditation, you will be unable to respond appropriately to whatever you encounter.

So unless you nourish yourself properly with wisdom you are nothing but a waste.

373. People must be awakened with truth and wisdom.

374. Above the mind is true nature; below the mind is thought. Thus, yourunbending will determines whether you abide in your true self.

375. Heritage is the continuity of karma.

376. Man is formed by the power of karma, so if you want to change one person, youshould undertake to change him from within. Thus, you should cultivate yourselffrom your mind so that you will be able to attain enlightenment.

377. You should enlighten your true self on your own, and if you can overcome yourpassions you must enlighten your true self. As the Analects of Confucius states: "To completely overcome selfishness and keep to propriety is righteousness." TheGreat Learning also states: "The cultivation of the person depends on therectifying of the mind."

378. We are not afraid of getting lost for a short time, but lose ourselvesforever. Thus, the ancient sages said: "We are not afraid that we may give rise towild fancy, only that we awaken too late."

379. Do not give rise to thoughts of greed, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, ordoubt, or you play right into the devil's hands. For the devil doubts everythingexcept himself, so he is afraid people will realize they are Buddhas and feel

happy when they lose themselves.

380. What are all sentient beings? They are those who have not expanded theirinner spiritual light, so they are unenlightened Buddhas. What is the meaning ofBuddhas? They are those who have expanded their inner spiritual light, so they areenlightened beings.

381. Do not be pleased with yourself when you gain something or be disappointedwhen you lose something. When you do not care about anything, you will becontented with whatever comes.

382. He who saves your soul from the sea of suffering and points out yourshortcomings is your benefactor.

383. Whether your thoughts cling to or remain free from worldly attachment keepyou from the sea of suffering or plummet you into the transmigration of the soul.As the Diamond Sutra states: "When you have rejected all forms, you are a Buddha.When you persist in all forms, you are a man."

384. Man cannot be free from worldly cares because he cannot attune himself to thevibrations of the cosmos.

385. If you can thoroughly free yourself from worldly cares, fanciful thoughtswill disappear.


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386. In God's eyes, everything on this earth is worthless, because He iseverything. Thus, he who can serve the truth is the most honorable man to God. Asthe Bible states, "You are the temple of God."

387. A quiet mind makes all things safe and peaceful, and an unquiet mind makesall things unsafe and turbulent. Security and well-being are nothingness andpeace, so peace of mind brings one to realization of the truth, but an unquiet

mind makes one lose the truth.

388. You are unable to attain enlightenment today because you do not serve Godwith all your heart and do not practice Dao sincerely.

389. The virtues of modesty, accommodation and mercy must be revealed immediately.If you cultivate them only gradually, you have slacked off in your efforts.

390. Always maintain correct knowledge and views, and cultivate yourself as thecorrect dharma so that you can attain sainthood. Do not practice Dao by makingyour own path.

391. If you deny God, you betray God. The body is just form, but we are unable to

see through causal conditions, so the impending Catastrophe of the Great Wind willaim to eliminate all who deny God. Therefore, only when you have lighted yourheart lamp and revealed your conscience will you be able to escape thecatastrophe. Otherwise, you will be cast away by God.

392. People must enlighten themselves through their own efforts, not through theBuddha. So unless you want to change, nobody can help you.

393. Each thought comes from your mind, but where is your mind? If you do notrealize the origin of your mind, how will practice Dao blindly and recklessly. Asthe Platform Sutra states: "Without knowing the mind, there is no use learningdharma. On the other hand, he who knows the mind and sees intuitively his ownnature is a superior man, a 'teacher of gods and man, and a Buddha." The

Enlightened Master is the one who can point out your mind to you.

394. You should love and be fond of yourself, and respect and value God. When yourely on birthless God with all your heart, you can turn bad luck into good fortuneand attain security. Thus, reflect your mind inward at all times and reconcilewith God to lead a peaceful and happy life.

395. As long as you allow human sentiment and the seven emotions and the sixcarnal desires to arise even the slightest bit, you will be unable to reside inthe coming Kingdom of Buddha and will be excluded from the great of amassment ofsouls.

396. Man's capacity for self-restraint is weak, so you must rely on God and no

others.

397. In one's lifetime, it is one's duty to achieve perfect cultivation andfreedom from worldly attachment, thereby attaining perfect enlightenment.

398. Concept is the outline for action, and the guide of advancement. Therefore,you must have a correct concept of Dao cultivation to avoid mistakes, for "Anerror committed in the moment could cause an entire life of sorrows."

399. Never compare yourself to others, for such things as wealth, status, andlongevity are predetermined by destiny. Everyone must undergo such a process, so


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if you meet and greet every difficulty calmly, your life will be cultivated.

400. Even though you may manifest karma, never stray from your original intentionto practice Dao.

401. People are forgetful, so they often fail to accomplish their ideals andaspirations, and become regretful and upset.

402. It is very difficult for a man who seeks fame and notoriety eagerly torestore himself to the essence of nothingness.

403. Since we have received the Dao--the only way to transcend birth and deathtoday--only when we understand the truth clearly and cultivate ourselves sincerelycan crack the lifecycle of birth, aging, illness and death.

404. One who cannot submit meekly lacks Dao and high moral virtues.

405. The value of Dao is to help one reach the highest state--restoration to theessence of the void--but people lower themselves to possess mundane things.

406. Do not regard karma as your mission. The only sure way to eliminate the power

of karma is to practice Dao sincerely.

407. Understand the meaning of life and worship not idols. For when you cling toforms, you will lose the Dao. Thus, never keep idols in your heart, or you willattain nothing.

408. Indiscriminate love means transforming individual love into great love foreveryone, because we are all God's children and possess our own Buddha nature.

409. The saints achieve greatness because they are capable of what common peoplecannot do and achieve what common people cannot achieve. The saints achieveeverything through inaction, while the common people force things with intentionalaction.

410. There is no extreme suffering or happiness in this world, so our world is thebest place for us to practice Dao.

411. God, unable to bear the destruction of good and bad alike upon the approachof the Kingdom of Buddha, visits upon us both the Great Dao and the FinalCatastrophe of the Third Epoch, giving people the chance to change. If you do notwant to change and continue in your common ways, you will be eliminated throughselection.

412. Happiness in your lifetime is merely finding joy amidst hardship. Thereforeit is as transient as a flash of lightening. But the happiness of keepingtranquillity in your heart obtained from practicing Dao is eternal.

413. He who is not humble is unable to see his original appearance clearly. As thePlatform Sutra states: "To be humble in one's heart is a merit and to behavecourteously is a virtue."

414. Happy is he who is satisfied with all he has, has a composed mind, asks fornothing, does not judge, and refrains from conflicts with others.

415. God treats everyone fairly. He has made you neither very good nor very bad,so you should be content with your lot.


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416. It is our duty to treat others kindly, but it is also normal for others totreat us poorly.

417. When people come into this world, they have already forgotten their missionsand duties, and have lost their capacity for self-determination. Consequently, Godwho

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Chapter Seven: Guidelines for Dao Cultivation

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