Becoming a Celestial Being and a Buddha (Internal Edition)¶
Overview
In the Lifechanyuan system, "becoming a celestial being and a buddha" (成仙成佛) is the ultimate aim of cultivation practice and "the highest state of LIFE." Through perfecting the antimatter structure of LIFE, purifying the heart-mind, and awakening to the eight great truths, a person ascends from human existence to the state of a celestial being or a buddha and enters the higher-level LIFE spaces of the Kingdom of Heaven. Celestial beings and buddhas are distinguished: celestial beings embody supreme freedom and happiness — they are the freest, most joyful LIFE in the universe; buddhas embody supreme awakening — they are the most wise. Both are the highest destinations human LIFE can reach, and "perfecting human nature is all it takes — the celestial-buddha state arises naturally."
Related entries: Awakening, Illuminate the Mind–See the Nature, Self-Nature/Buddha-Nature, Eight No-Realms, Life Visa, Return to Zero, Wu Wei
I. Definition and Nature¶
(i) The Highest State of LIFE¶
The highest state of human life is: reading broadly, embracing the world, healing grave afflictions, reversing catastrophe, serving the people, and building the earth into a paradise where all peoples of the world live in harmony. The highest state of LIFE is: cultivation practice to save all sentient beings; becoming a celestial being and a buddha, realizing the supreme, perfect awakening.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 29)
(ii) What Is a Celestial Being — Constant Joy, Freedom, and Happiness¶
A person who has reached the state of constant joy, happiness, and freedom — that person has already become a celestial being.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 462)
The moment any person clearly understands the meaning of living, that person has already become a celestial being.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 472)
(iii) What Is a Buddha — Seeing One's True Nature¶
A buddha has no fixed mind; a buddha is the nature itself. Illuminate the mind and see the nature — see the nature and you see the buddha.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 687)
Without seeing the nature, one wanders endlessly, searching outward, and cannot find the buddha. Without seeing the nature, even if one can recite all twelve divisions of the scriptures, it is all the speech of demons. Without seeing the nature, wanting to attain the buddha's way is impossible. Without seeing the nature — chanting buddha's name, reciting sutras, holding mantras, giving generously, keeping precepts, diligent practice, building temples, repairing monasteries, making offerings, releasing lives, prostrating, burning incense — none of it can make one a buddha.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 688)
II. Distinguishing Celestial Beings from Buddhas¶
(i) The Distinction¶
A celestial being is the highest state a person can reach, with home base at the Celestial Islands Continent in the Elysium World. … A celestial being is a buddha — the difference is that a buddha still has certain constraints, while a celestial being is wholly free and unbound. A buddha has responsibilities; a celestial being has none at all. "Play however you like" is the defining characteristic of a celestial being. Once one becomes a buddha, there are still higher states; but once one becomes a celestial being, one has reached the absolute highest limit. Celestial beings live primarily for their own joy and pleasure — they do not concern themselves with affairs of the celestial realm or the human world. Buddhas do not seek entertainment or cling to temporary ease; they focus on attaining supreme, perfect awakening. Celestial beings are the freest, most joyful, most fortunate LIFE in the entire universe — the beloved of the Greatest Creator, bearing no responsibilities and fulfilling no obligations. Buddhas are the most wise LIFE in the universe, the strictest self-disciplinarians, bearing responsibilities and obligations when necessary.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 484)
Becoming a celestial being means reaching the Elysium World — the pinnacle of LIFE. A person cannot become a deity (god), and certainly cannot become the Greatest Creator.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 498)
III. The Path to Becoming a Celestial Being and a Buddha¶
(i) The Way of Becoming a Celestial Being — Entering the Ordinary to Transcend It¶
The way of becoming a celestial being lies in: entering the ordinary world to transcend it; engaging with the world to go beyond it; dedicating the heart completely to emptying the heart; inhabiting the ordinary to surpass it.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 461)
(ii) Three Things That Must Be Done¶
Three things that must be done to go from human to celestial being or buddha: repay all debts and sever karmic ties; give and dedicate, accumulate merit and virtue; perfect and complete the antimatter structure of one's LIFE.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 465)
(iii) Eight Great Awakenings Required¶
Going from the human world to the Kingdom of Heaven — that is, from human to celestial being — requires eight great awakenings: First, awaken to LIFE. LIFE is a spiritual antimatter structure — ever arising and ceasing, cycling through reincarnation, never extinguished. Second, awaken to life and death. Life and death are appearance, not substance — form, not foundation. "The grass on the plain withers each year and grows again with the spring wind." When the boat reaches the far shore, leave the boat and step ashore. Third, awaken to cause and effect. "Plant melons, reap melons; plant beans, reap beans." "Heaven's net is vast — coarse-meshed yet nothing slips through." Fourth, awaken to space. The universe contains twenty parallel worlds, thirty-six dimensional spaces, heaven, and hell. Heaven is set for those who are complete; hell for those with deficiencies. Whatever state of LIFE one is in, that is the space one inhabits. Fifth, awaken to karmic affinity. Everything is affinity — forming affinity with ghosts leads to the underworld; forming affinity with celestial beings leads to the celestial realm. Without clearing debts one cannot escape difficulty; without sufficient merit one cannot reach the celestial realm. Sixth, awaken to heart-nature. Reality is the projection of consciousness; consciousness creates reality. All phenomena arise from the heart-mind; the heart-mind transcends all phenomena. Three realms are only mind; ten thousand dharmas are only consciousness. When flowers bloom their fragrance draws butterflies; when the heart is pure, celestial beings arrive. A mind that dwells nowhere is the Tathagata. Nature is the characteristic of structure; nature is the buddha. Seventh, awaken to the cosmic arrays. The universe contains thirty-six karmic arrays — the source of all games, endlessly fascinating. Power, wealth, fame, profit, desire, and emotional attachment are all karmic arrays; deeply entangled in them, one cannot transcend. Only by attaining the supreme, perfect, equal awakening can one "go beyond the three realms and stand outside the five elements." Eighth, awaken to the original truth. Everything has an origin; the origin is the original truth. Consciousness, structure, and energy are the three elements constituting the universe; all else is "a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow — like dew, like lightning; thus should you contemplate." The Greatest Creator and the buddhas are the source of everything, the original truth. Recognize the Greatest Creator, walk the way of the Greatest Creator — all eighty-four thousand dharma gates become thoroughfares. Without recognizing the Greatest Creator, without walking his way — all eighty-four thousand dharma gates end in sheer cliffs.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 474)
(iv) The Three-Step Path to Becoming a Celestial Being¶
The three-step path to becoming a celestial being: First step — bid farewell to worry, pain, sorrow, anxiety, and fear; live in joy, happiness, freedom, and bliss — and you have already become a celestial being. Second step — the mind dwells nowhere, the mind is unobstructed; flowing freely with conditions, wandering at ease — always in a state of delight — and you are already a celestial being. Third step — no fixed mind; everything is nature, living within the nature; wonderfully flexible and extraordinarily responsive, possessing sixty-four kinds of spiritual capacity. The mind dwells nowhere; the mind is unobstructed; no-self, no-form; free and self-coherent. Flowing freely with conditions; wandering at ease; united with the Tao; graceful and unhurried.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 497)
(v) Aligning with Nature — Perfect Human Nature and the Celestial-Buddha State Arises Naturally¶
There is no special dharma gate for becoming a celestial being or a buddha — perfect human nature, and the celestial-buddha state arises naturally.
(Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Essay Volume · Cultivation Practice: Align with Nature)
If one has not yet perfected being human, the foundation is not solid. In that case, wanting to become a celestial being or a buddha is going against nature — going against the way of the Greatest Creator — and there is no point dreaming of entering the Greatest Creator's kingdom.
(Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Essay Volume · Cultivation Practice: Align with Nature)
(vi) The Secret of Becoming a Celestial Being — Consciousness Creates the Celestial Realm¶
One secret of becoming a celestial being is this: in our consciousness we must create the future, create the celestial realm. In our consciousness we must imagine ourselves as celestial beings. "Whatever thinking pattern one has, that is the form of LIFE one embodies." If we spend our days imagining life in the Thousand-Year World, gradually our LIFE's structure moves in that direction — and when the fruit is ripe and the water has found its course, the day comes when we can go to the Thousand-Year World. Others may think we have died; in reality, we have left the human world and gone to enjoy the life of immortals in the Thousand-Year World.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 469)
IV. Obstacles to Becoming a Celestial Being and a Buddha¶
(i) Fame and Fortune Are Traps on the Path to the Celestial State¶
Fame, fortune, glory, and riches are traps on the path to the celestial state; honor, shame, favor, and humiliation are obstacles. Only by having few personal desires, remaining unmoved by favor and disgrace, can one set foot on the path to the celestial state. Having few personal desires is the starting point; if selfishness is not removed, one falls into ordinary worldly life; if desire does not stop, one is consumed by the fire of desire.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 466)
(ii) Unresolved Karmic Ties Make It Difficult to Become a Celestial Being¶
To become a celestial being, one must form celestial affinities and sever mundane affinities. Without severing mundane affinities, it is difficult to become a celestial being.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 463)
(iii) Without Structural Support, Becoming a Celestial Being Is a Dream¶
Without procedural guarantees, talk of cultivation practice to become a celestial being or a buddha, of ascending the quality of LIFE to reach heaven … is all dreaming, all self-delusion.
(Source: Xuefeng Corpus · Political Essays Volume · Without Procedural Guarantees, Morality Is Hollow and Ideals Come to Nothing)
(iv) No One Else Can Become a Celestial Being on Your Behalf¶
When one person becomes a celestial being, their family and friends do not become celestial beings alongside them. Each person's path must be walked by that person alone.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 454)
V. Becoming a Celestial Being and the Maturation of LIFE¶
(i) Only a Mature Person Can Become a Celestial Being or a Buddha¶
Only a mature person has the flexible, flowing adaptability of water — fitting every shape, flowing without end; can achieve unity with heaven, earth, and others without obstruction; can maintain harmony with all things in the universe without a fixed self; can unite with the Tao without individual desire, pursuit, attachment, or possession. For this reason, only a mature person can become a celestial being or a buddha and go to live in the Kingdom of Heaven.
(Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Transmission Volume · The Maturity We Need and the Maturity We Don't)
(ii) Buddha Is Nature; Celestial Being Is Nature¶
Buddha is nature; celestial being is also nature. Only living fully within the nature is what the Greatest Creator intended in creating LIFE. … A child of three or five, if their heart-mind has not been polluted, is already in the state of a celestial being.
(Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Transmission Volume · The Maturity We Need and the Maturity We Don't)
VI. The Destination¶
(i) Purification of the Heart-Mind Is the Only Road to Becoming a Celestial Being and a Buddha¶
Heart-mind purification is not only about the happiness of this life — it is also the only road to becoming a celestial being and a buddha, to entering the higher-level LIFE spaces.
(Source: Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization Volume · My Understanding of "The Heart-Mind Purification Course Can Save Lives")
The process of building the chanyuan is the process of becoming a celestial being and a buddha.
(Source: Guide's Other Articles · 2006 · Several Suggestions on Building the Home Garden)
(ii) Transcend the Ordinary, Return to Stillness¶
To become a celestial being, one must transcend the ordinary and leave the mundane — moving counter to convention, retreating to advance. The mundane world can be described with one word: agitated. The ordinary world can be described with one word: clamorous. The celestial realm can be described with two words: clear stillness. Transcending the ordinary means leaving agitation and clamor behind and returning to clear stillness.
(Source: New Era Humanity Eight Hundred Concepts, Fourth Edition · Article 467)
Compiled by: Lingzhou Cao Date: 2026-05-04 Independent Quotations: ~22