Democracy · Internal Reference¶
Guide's original texts, archived for deep study
I. Why Democracy Doesn't Suit Lifechanyuan¶
Xuefeng Anthology · Chanyuan Section · Why Democracy Doesn't Suit Lifechanyuan
Democracy is a good thing, but it does not suit Lifechanyuan — just as salt is a good thing, but you do not put salt in honey.
Democracy is the instrument of politics. Wherever politics is practiced, democracy must be practiced. Politics without democracy is necessarily tyranny.
Lifechanyuan has two distinctive features: first, it walks the Way of the Greatest Creator; second, it carries out the work of "harvesting the ripened grain."
Walking the Way of the Greatest Creator means walking the Way of Nature — and democracy cannot be applied there. The sun is the center of the solar system; that is the Way of Nature. There is no democratic way to make the sun orbit Mars, no ballot that can make the Earth the center of the solar system or make the sun rise in the west. Water freezes at zero degrees; that is the Way of Nature. No democratic vote can make water freeze at thirty degrees in summer. Eyes are above the nose, and the nose is above the mouth — this falls within the Way of Nature. No democratic competition can move the mouth up to the forehead.
The mission of "harvesting the ripened grain" is carried by angels. Here a question arises: is Guide Xuefeng an angel? As Xuefeng, as Guide, I myself am uncertain. I am a living person — how could I be an angel?
When I trace back through my own life trajectory, I find no trace of being an angel. The entire cause of my founding Lifechanyuan was a strange car accident. After that accident, everything I have said and done has been driven entirely by an inner compulsion. The twenty parallel three-dimensional worlds, the thirty-six-dimensional space, the thirty-six bagua formations, the celestial worlds of the Kingdom of Heaven — the Thousand-Year World, the Ten-Thousand-Year World, the Elysium World, and the Celestial Islands Continent — were seen through traveling back and forth among the three realms. The classification of people, the eight ladders of thinking, the three elements that constitute the universe — all of it was written down as the inner drive moved me. Am I myself an angel? Or is an angel speaking through my body and spirit? Honestly, I cannot tell. But the fact is, the work of "harvesting the ripened grain" absolutely cannot be accomplished through a democratic system.
A person with no knowledge of the Kingdom of Heaven, or who can only imagine and speculate about it, is absolutely unable to guide "the ripened grain" into the Kingdom of Heaven — into the Greatest Creator's granary. This work cannot possibly be done by ten thousand ordinary people through democratic discussion.
Given these two factors, democracy does not suit Lifechanyuan.
If anyone believes democracy could suit Lifechanyuan, I would be happy to practice it — on one condition. If you want to practice democracy in Lifechanyuan, you must first solve the food, clothing, shelter, health, and end-of-life needs of all Chanyuan Celestials. You must guarantee that Chanyuan Celestials obtain a life of joy, happiness, freedom, and well-being. You must guide the Chanyuan Celestials into the Thousand-Year World, the Ten-Thousand-Year World, the Elysium World, and the Celestial Islands Continent. If you cannot guarantee these things, what gives you the right to demand democracy? Your eloquent words? Your logical thinking ability? Your lofty vocabulary and fashionable concepts? The promises you make to everyone? If so, might the straightforward, honest people be taken in by you? Might they be deceived? Show us through your actual contributions and dedication to Lifechanyuan that you have the right to practice democracy here.
2026-06-04
II. Democracy Is the Pursuit of Mediocre People¶
Chanyuan Corpus · Unconventional Thinking · Democracy Is the Pursuit of Mediocre People
Three mediocre minds can never surpass one Zhuge Liang, and even three thousand or thirty thousand mediocre minds put together cannot surpass one Zhuge Liang. When it comes to major decisions, the vision of one person with broad perspective and great ambition far exceeds the collective judgment of tens of thousands of mediocre people.
Democracy leads toward mediocrity, toward a dead end. The several dramatic reversals in Mao Zedong's career during modern Chinese history make this plain. In June 1929, Mao was forced out of his position as Secretary of the General Front Committee of the Red Fourth Army at the Party's "Seventh Congress" in western Fujian. In November 1931, at the Gannan Conference in Ruijin, he was subjected to mistaken internal criticism and squeezed out of the Central Bureau of the Soviet Area. In October 1932, at the Ningdu Conference, Mao was again sidelined, even losing his position as General Political Commissar of the First Front Army. In January 1934, during the Second All-Soviet Congress, Mao was stripped of power and removed from the chairmanship of the Central Executive Committee. The result? The red base areas shrank steadily, the revolution fell into decline, and ultimately the fifth counter-encirclement campaign ended in defeat. The Red Army was forced into strategic withdrawal — the heroic and tragic twenty-five-thousand-li Long March — and the central base area Mao himself had built was destroyed.
The entire universe operates as an autocracy: the Greatest Creator is the sole decision-maker. Only when all life in the universe obeys the Greatest Creator's will without exception can the universe operate in order and all life live effectively. If some cat or dog becomes indignant and shouts, "Greatest Creator, you're too dictatorial and overbearing! The seat of the Greatest Creator should rotate; who becomes the Greatest Creator should be determined by a democratic election of the entire universe!" — if that happened, the entire universe would necessarily cease to exist. The same applies to Lifechanyuan today: if a democratic election were held to choose who serves as Guide, and I were voted out, Lifechanyuan would inevitably collapse, and the aspirations and ideals of all Chanyuan Celestials would be impossible to fulfill.
Napoleon famously said: "Three commanders in charge are worse than one commander making the call." Only "one commander making the call" produces efficiency and order.
"The sage holds to the One and becomes the model for all under heaven." The entire universe has only one Greatest Creator making decisions. A government can have only one leader making decisions. A company can have only one boss. An orchestra can have only one conductor. This is "the model for all under heaven," and wise people should follow it.
In any enterprise, whoever founded it is the boss. Decisions large and small should be made by the boss.
Who wants democracy?
Answer: The irresponsible will want democracy. The mediocre in wisdom will want democracy. Those competing for power and profit will want democracy. Slippery and dishonest people will want democracy. The selfish will want democracy. Those wanting to shirk responsibility will want democracy. Drifters with no conviction of their own will want democracy. Those unwilling to sacrifice unselfishly or put in effort, yet wanting a share of the reward, will want democracy.
In every matter, large or small, there must be one person responsible. Within their area of responsibility, that one person decides — no discussion, debate, or argument, no democracy. If two or more people are responsible for one matter, the result is a wasteful process of low efficiency, ending in mutual finger-pointing and ultimately no one being responsible.
A flock of sheep, no matter how democratic, cannot outmatch a single wolf. A group of mediocre people, no matter how democratic, cannot match the far-sighted vision of one sage.
The Lifechanyuan era does not practice democracy. Instead it practices "each fulfilling their role, each bearing their responsibility" — "eight immortals crossing the sea, each showing their divine power" — each undertaking run by its specific responsible person alone, with everyone else giving full cooperation and following the responsible person's requirements without deviation.
If a responsible person cannot act decisively but always wants democratic resolution of every large and small matter, that proves this person is irresponsible, proves they lack the capacity to bear this responsibility, and means they are consuming and wasting everyone's time and energy, consuming and wasting natural and human resources.
Democracy is forever the pursuit of mediocre people; the wise should guard against it.
If a responsible person becomes arbitrarily willful, monopolizes power, and rules despotically — what should be done?
I don't know. What do you think?
2011/6/23
III. The Meaning of Democracy¶
Xuefeng Anthology · Warning to the World · The Meaning of Democracy
Democracy is a social operating mechanism that reflects the wishes of the broadest possible public and upholds the interests of the broadest possible public, in a fair, reasonable, orderly, and effective way.
Democratic thinking must carry universal, global, and holistic attributes. Any partial democracy is a narrow democracy — not true democracy.
However democratic a nation may be, if its democracy serves only its own nation's and citizens' interests without regard for other nations and their citizens, that nation's democracy is not true democracy. The more democratic a wolf pack is, the deeper the disaster for the sheep.
Likewise, regardless of how democratic its internal mechanisms are, a political party, religion, or social organization that disregards the wishes and interests of other parties, religions, and organizations does not practice true democracy. The more democratic the bandits on the mountain are among themselves, the more the villagers below suffer.
Democracy is not egalitarianism. Egalitarian thinking is not democratic thinking. Democracy is "a hundred flowers blooming, a hundred schools of thought contending," "eight immortals crossing the sea, each showing their power," equal opportunity, remuneration according to contribution — not a scramble to grab, take, and eat.
Democracy is not rotating who sits on the throne; not a monkey becoming king of the mountain; not everyone becoming a singer; not a fool becoming a board chairman. It is "no worthy person left in the wilds; all under heaven as one family" — the capable lead, each fulfilling their role.
Democracy is not planting potatoes in a watermelon field; not expecting peaches to grow on an apple tree; not laying eggs in a bird's nest; not insisting that factory workers go to the art studio to handle brushes or compose music. It is "cars on car roads, horses on horse paths" — each showing their ability in harmony and order.
Democracy is not "preserving heavenly principles by extinguishing human desires," not a one-size-fits-all approach, not sharing one big pot. It is letting each person fully display their own qualities, letting each person unfold the truth, goodness, beauty, and love of human nature — with clear levels and harmonious variety.
A person who in their heart only considers the interests of their own nation and ethnicity, or their own party or religious group, or their own company or family — that person is not qualified to talk about democracy.
As long as you remain a committed patriot, a party member, a religious devotee, or a guardian of traditional family values — you are not qualified to talk about democracy.
Only those who see themselves as world citizens working for the benefit of all humanity have the right to speak of democracy. Everyone else should stop waving the banner of democracy, stop building themselves a "memorial archway" of democracy.
2008-01-03
IV. New Era Eight Hundred Concepts — Democracy-Related Entries¶
New Era Eight Hundred Concepts, 4th Edition · Entry 10
Democracy is the pursuit of mediocre people. The Superman Philosophy should be practiced instead: whoever is responsible makes the decisions; whoever is responsible bears all consequences.
New Era Eight Hundred Concepts, 4th Edition · Entry 647
The Second Home (Life Oasis) does not practice democracy. Instead it employs the Superman Philosophy: all affairs of the community are divided among individuals, and each person is the sole decision-maker in the domain they are responsible for. That is: whoever is responsible makes the decisions; whoever is responsible bears all consequences.
New Era Eight Hundred Concepts, 4th Edition · Entry 659
Three mediocre minds can never surpass one Zhuge Liang. The thinking of millions can never match the far-sighted wisdom of a single sage. Democracy is forever the pursuit of the mediocre in wisdom, a tool for clinging to the old and resisting the new, and a hidden weapon for suppressing sages.