Chi
Kung Culture Society of TAIPEI
How can we find out the significance of life?
Finding out the significance of life is related to Ghost Month (the seventh lunar month). To reach Ghost Month each year, you have to go through the spring and summer which allow you to have internal movement. Most people do not have internal movement, so they are unclear about their life: where to go and what to do. We need a stable fixed direction to follow in our life. In Ghost Month we learn many things: how to go, how to go through transitions, who we are, the meaning of our life, how to save ourself, and how to stabilize ourself. We learn that there is not just one side to things, but rather two or more sides. We are able to look at both sides.
In our youth, we see things from just one side. We focus on having fun, and don't reflect on the wider perspective. As we are more willing to change, our viewpoint changes, and we learn how to be a person. Animals are unable to do this.
The meaning of life is to know yourself and how to be a person. When you know these things, then perhaps you can help others. When you attain the meaning of life, you can see how flawed your own viewpoint is. With this, you can have a deeper meaning of life emerge.
The human mind is small. When you are able to combine with Heaven and Earth, your mind becomes large, like Heaven's mind. When we use our small human mind, we distinguish things and can't see the meaning of life. We need to enlarge our mind so we can see our original mind or original face. This comes when we unite with Heaven and Earth. Our character and personality are external things, neither of which are important. They are the cause of our problem. The more we think, the more we hate, the more we have problem and the less we can see our original face or the unification of Heaven and Earth. This means our ability is reduced and our life has become less. We need to get rid of our character and personality so we can see our original face. This means we need to focus less on our friends and rely more on the Heaven Earth mind. Then your life will naturally open up. Otherwise, your life will shrink in a knot.
When we see the meaning of life, we have the Heaven Earth mind to face all things and then your life has meaning and does not include a distinguishing mind. Your poisons and fog are reduced naturally.
In the legend of Chinese Lovers day (the seventh day of the seventh lunar month), the two lovers (the cowboy and maid) meet once a year. If they were to meet everyday, their relationship would be locked up. They would no longer have romance, and their relationship would be full of calculation and hate as they struggle through the days. With this sort of attitude, their relationship would not have any space or emptiness inside it. If you don't have emptiness, then you can't bring it to any of your relationships. Your emptiness helps the people you have relationships with raise their level. When there is no emptiness, you are locked up. If you have a freedom mind (dz you hsin), then you can break through. Otherwise, you are just like a dog which is locked up. Your level and quality of emptiness determine your attitude and your stability (ding wei).
When we have lots of knowledge, habits and preferences, but no emptiness, we are not human. When you are at ease with yourself and act naturally (dzyou dz dzai) and have your stability (ding wei), then are yourself, human. All you need for your life to be complete is to have a balance and a center. When you think and have a distinguishing mind and hate, then you aren't yourself and your poisons and fog are wild within you.