The meaning of our life is to understand nature and solve all its mysteries. It is a long and timeless journey to reach the ultimate goal of enlightenment.
Knowing Yourself
Chinese Buddhist and Taoist understanding and experience conclude that there are four stages of spiritual evolution. The first step is “self-knowledge” (Zìshì, 自識). In this step, the mask on your face begins to fall, allowing you to see your spiritual being more clearly. The mistakes you have made and the wrongs you have hidden in your subconscious mind will gradually appear in your conscious mind. In the Chinese Qigōng society, it is believed that the subconscious mind is related to your spiritual connection with nature and is more truthful than the conscious mind. When your mask falls off, you must face your true self. You must confront and analyze your past. You must also seek ways to rid yourself of the deep-seated guilt in order to achieve lasting emotional balance.
Self Awareness
The next step is “self-awareness” (Zìjué, 自覺). If you pay attention in this step, you will become aware of your deep inner spirit and your problems. You will also begin to recognize the existence of other spiritual beings. Slowly and gradually, you will begin to pay attention to your thoughts and behaviors as well as to others. Through this awareness, you will be able to become aware of your existence and understand the role you have to play in this society. Through this “self-awareness” meditation process, you will create a calm and peaceful mind that allows you to be in harmony with others and nature.
Don't Wake Yourself Up
From awareness, you gradually enter the third stage of cultivation. This stage is the stage of “self-awakening” (Zìxǐng/Zìwù, 自醒/自悟). In the stage of self-awareness, you pay attention, gather information, and learn to understand yourself and your surroundings. In this third stage of self-awakening, you gradually begin to wake up and see things more clearly. After awakening, many people come to see how ugly human spiritual beings are and decide to stay away from secular society and become monks or hermits. Others change their thoughts about the meaning of life after awakening. Many are able to develop their confidence and make their lives more meaningful.
Freedom from Captivity
After awakening, we will understand how we have been abused by political and spiritual leaders and led to wars and spiritual control. You begin to seek ways to free yourself from bondage. This “liberation from bondage” stage (Jiětuō, 解脫) means seeking freedom both physically and spiritually so that you can achieve “spiritual independence.” When you reach this stage, your spiritual being can be independent and does not have to rely on anyone else. Once you have reached this state, you will not be easily abused.
Buddhist and Daoist priests sought a way to escape the cycle of reincarnation. They sought a way to construct an independent soul that could survive without a physical body. This was their ultimate goal of spiritual immortality and liberation from spiritual bondage.
If we look at human history, we can see that the entire human race is in the third stage of self-awakening. We have awakened and realized how ugly and materially greedy humans have historically been. However, it will still take a long time to reach the final stage of liberation from bondage. Spiritual development is the key to moving to the next stage.
To advance ourselves to the next stage of spiritual development, we must confront our dark side, which is hidden deep within our genetic memory, our subconscious. Then, we must grasp and follow the awakening to the present. Only then will we be able to create a future that is “free from bondage” and reach a stage of harmony and peace in the human world.
Quote: Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming is from the Qigong Grand Circulation for Spiritual Enlightenment.