Dear Ren Xue family,
In this very first full moon of the year, I would like to share this message with you as my way to wish you continual growth throughout the full moon life cultivation cycle of 2023.
Gongjing is a special heart state. Have you ever had a glimpse of Gongjing? Imagine yourself in a pristine place surrounded by breathtaking beauty. You feel totally one with all that is around. Gongjing in your heart can awaken at this time. When you are overtaken by a pure sense of deep respect and awe, you may feel like the usual sense of “self” has disappeared. Sometimes similar feelings can be aroused through worshipping what is regarded as a higher power in spiritual practices.
In daily life, feeling Gongjing doesn’t seem as accessible as some other heart qualities such as love or gratitude. This could be because our usual way of being and operating is more or less self-centered, which is not particularly helpful for experiencing Gongjing.
Why is it that we live in this self-centered way? Because we have developed unhealthy patterns. Although these patterns are originally for ensuring safety and survival in situations where danger lurks, once they are established, they can dominate everything we do even when there is little danger. Such patterns limit and twist our views so we are unable to see total reality. They drive us to think and act at all times as though we need to rely on our instinct to keep safe and survive. Life becomes centered around securing personal interest in order to increase our advantage for survival and so-called “development”. This is how the mainstream world operates – people are very busy pursuing external goals such as wealth and material possessions. The world becomes a competitive place with many unhappy people! When our main concern is our own personal interest, or its extension such as the interest of our own family, we inevitably will be on the watch for anything that could jeopardise our self-interest and be ready to do what it takes to protect it. This way of being creates walls around us, separating us from others. Gongjing is unlikely to have a place. If you pay attention, you might discover how quickly we can turn the world into an enemy, something we defend ourselves against.
How do we get out of this way of being and restore Gongjing in our hearts? We need to firstly recognize what is the true interest of a human being. In Ren Xue it is summarized as five things: health, true happiness, sense of wellbeing, growth, and making contribution. We call them the “Ren Xue High Five”. We also need to recognize that these five precious things can all be achieved through internal cultivation, through working with our innate resources and qualities. There is no need to be on the treadmill of competing and fighting, chasing the illusory goals that are thought to make us feel safe and happy. Try shifting into a completely different lane. Just observe and be. Let go of the urge to control, whether it is to control someone or something, or your own body, thoughts, or feelings.
Gradually, the unhealthy patterns will become less active and your sense of self will be less noisy. This does not mean you have disappeared or become unimportant. Rather, the meaningless, exhausting pursuit will slow down and true calmness and peace will return, and this will give Gongjing a chance to show up.
Feeling Gongjing is a basic need. It will nourish your heart and Shen. It will open the door to a completely new world. In this world, you will know what it feels like to be truly relaxed. You will find how wonderful life is when your life is in total harmony with all.
Yuan Tze
Experience this message on Unconditional Gongjing as a meditation on REN XUE TV
If you would like to learn more about Unconditional Gongjing, check out our Learn REN XUE website for the replay of Yuan Tze’s Transforming Patterns for Unconditional Gonjing online workshop.
