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The Eighteen Grades of Life — Internal Reference

Overview: The Eighteen Grades of Life is a classification system for human beings based on the percentage of spirituality (lingxing) contained within their human nature. The greater the proportion, the higher the grade. Grade One represents those who are transcendent — masters of cosmic truth who serve as the Greatest Creator's representatives on earth. Grade Eighteen represents those who have completely inverted all distinctions between good and evil. The system uses spiritual quality — not social status, wealth, or worldly achievement — as its sole criterion. It is presented as a reference for self-reflection, not a fixed label: "No matter which grade one occupies, as long as one clarifies the meaning of life, there is always the possibility of change."

I. The Defining Standard

"Human beings are divided into eighteen grades according to the percentage of spirituality in their human nature. The greater the percentage, the higher the grade."

"Chanyuan Celestials have spiritual sensing (lingjue). They are at the minimum classed among the sages in the Classification of People and among the top five grades of the Eighteen Grades of Life." (Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan Chapter · Chanyuan Celestials)

II. The Eighteen Grades in Full

Grade One — Those Who Are Transcendent and Unworldly

"They are those who understand the intentions of the Greatest Creator, who have grasped the truth, who can see multi-dimensional space, who view the material world and human society through the lens of motion, development, and change, who spread the will of the supreme ruler of the universe, who guide people along the path of truth, goodness, beauty, and individual liberation — people who have no will, desire, or thought of their own. They possess profound wisdom, deep morality, and rich cosmic knowledge. They know clearly the value, meaning, and purpose of their existence as human beings, and they know where they are heading next. They make no excessive distinctions between closeness and distance, or between high and low status; they know the mechanism of karmic connection and separation. They do not interfere in worldly grievances and disputes; they have no concepts of nation, ethnicity, you, me, him, this, or that. They measure people by their spirituality — not by social position, identity, wealth, or whether they have contributed to worldly society. They are compassionate and kind; they especially care for the spiritual needs of the poor and the imprisoned, wishing to lead every 'lost sheep' into the flock of the Greatest Creator. They are the servants of the Lord — of the Buddha, the Greatest Creator; they are the representatives and executors of the Greatest Creator's will on earth. Their merit is boundless; their future is luminous."

"There are four main origins of those who reach Grade One: first, those who are born with innate spiritual roots in the divine and Buddha, generally sent by the celestial realm to complete a mission on earth; second, those who, having tasted every bitterness and sweetness of human life and suffered every torment, have thoroughly seen through worldly illusions and in despair arrived at the truth; third, those who love to think and always ask 'why,' relentlessly seeking the roots and origins of things, who through continuous observation, analysis, reasoning, and verification gradually approach cosmic truth; fourth, great scientists, great philosophers, and emperors."

Grade Two — Those Who Are Transcendent but Not Yet Unworldly

"They are resolute believers — they live for their faith, struggle for their faith, sacrifice for their faith. They firmly believe in the existence of the Greatest Creator, the divine, the Buddha, and celestials; they firmly believe in life after death, in karmic retribution, in resurrection in the Kingdom of the Greatest Creator. But because of errors in understanding and a lack of thoroughness in interpretation — and because of the subtle influence of worldly right and wrong — they are prone to blind following, prone to emotional responses; on the one hand they compel themselves, on the other they compel others to observe doctrines. They are self-imposed in their restrictions; they emphasize form and ritual and firmly believe that all religions other than their own are false."

Grade Three — Those Who Live Without Contention

"They are the most promising people in human society — people of wisdom, cultivation, and morality. They are the seeds of the celestials… They understand deeply that greed is the pit of life's suffering, that incorrect understanding is the source of life's troubles. While the masses are all intoxicated, they alone are sober. They are generally skilled at cultivating health; they live an ascetic life. They have slender, disease-free bodies; they keep their distance from crowds. They do not kill living beings, do not eat meat; they prefer fruits, vegetables, and tofu."

Grade Four — Those Who Seek Self-Liberation

"The impulses of their minds drive them to seek a unique way to express the passionate feelings within… What they do is not for money, fame, status, or making a living — it is called forth and driven by a kind of spirit (instinct). So their work is mostly expressed in painting, poetry, sculpture, music, dance, photography, exploration, philosophy, interpretation, and synthesis. They are warm, bold, uninhibited, and unconcerned with the norms of convention and common sense. They have a free and graceful, transcendent quality. Their thinking and consciousness are not confined to three-dimensional space; most live in four-dimensional space. They possess excellent human qualities — from them, the glow of truth, goodness, and beauty can be seen."

Grade Five — Those Who Faithfully Serve Others

"Loyalty is their most outstanding quality. They have exceptional wisdom and strategy but no pioneering spirit; they see everything keenly but have no leadership talent; they can distinguish right from wrong but have no boldness and boldness of action… They are genuinely talented servants — the indispensable generals, right arms, and capable assistants of Grade Seven and Grade Ten people who aspire to great things. Without Grade Five people's assistance, Grade Seven and Ten people cannot accomplish great things; without Grade Seven and Ten people's recognition and employment, Grade Five people cannot display their talent."

Grade Six — Those Who Live for Parents and Children

"They center their lives on the family; they are relatively respectful to the elderly, attentive to their spouse, doting on their children… Their families are harmonious and happy, always radiating an atmosphere of peace. Their parents are kind, their children obedient, without strange temperaments."

Grade Seven — Those Who Respond to Heaven's Call and Speak for the People

"They are outstanding, supremely talented, full of ambition, taking the relief of all common people as their mission… They half-believe and half-doubt the divine and the Buddha, but absolutely believe that human will can conquer heaven. In any hardship and adversity, they remain optimists… Their lives are lives of rebellion, revolution, reform, advance, and struggle."

Grade Eight — Those Who Enjoy Life

"They are the happiest, wisest, friendliest, most empathetic, most life-literate people in human society. They are content and know themselves… They possess the healthiest mentality among all people… They are the most ideal members of humanity."

Grade Nine — Those Who Live by Conscience

"They are absorbed all day long in evaluating all the rights and wrongs of the world they can learn about, using their own value system as the standard; they always live by their conscience. They are fiercely opposed to evil and clearly distinguish 'right from wrong.' Their mind can never be at rest… They like to argue, so their relationships are poor; in their families there is more resentment than laughter, more depression than ease. They are prone to illness, especially indigestion and heart disease."

Grade Ten — Those Who Regard Only Themselves as Supreme

"They are the people with the strongest willpower and the strongest self-control among all human beings — also the most capable, most ruthless… They are arrogant and domineering; those who submit to them flourish, those who resist them perish… They stop at nothing to achieve their aims."

Grade Eleven — Those Whose Hearts Are Bewildered by Love

"They are infatuated people. They see love as higher than anything else. For love they can pledge their lives, renounce kingdoms, quarrel with parents, duel with rivals, even risk prison, harm others, and betray people… They live their whole lives within the illusory beautiful realm of their own weaving."

Grade Twelve — Those Who Pursue Comprehensive Perfection

"They are the most exhausted and most pitiable people in the world. They constitute more than fifty percent of humanity — the common people among the common people — and their entire lives are devoted to pursuing comprehensive perfection. They are the slaves of life, not the masters of life; they are people driven by life every day."

Grade Thirteen — Those Who Toil for Fame, Profit, and Position

"They are very rational, unemotional, skilled at summarizing history, skilled at grasping the crux of problems, and above all practical. They are skilled at scheming, calculating, using every connection, seizing opportunities, and reading the direction of the wind."

Grade Fourteen — Those Whose Hearts Are Bewildered by Money

"They believe money is the most beautiful thing in the world. The greater the money in the bank, the more settled and satisfied they feel. Their lifelong purpose is to love money, think about money, earn money, and hoard money."

Grade Fifteen — Those Who Are Cynical and Pursue Immediate Pleasure

"They believe life is impermanent and one should seize pleasure while one can. Eating, drinking, and entertainment are the wise life — anything else is wasted time… They fundamentally misunderstand what it means to live freely, and never seriously engage with life, social ethics, or other people's true feelings."

Grade Sixteen — Those Who Are Selfish and Self-Serving

"In their hearts there is only themselves. What they want they should get; what they demand should be given. Their character is wayward and their temper large. They are unreasonable. The slightest displeasure provokes tantrums, quarrels, and wailing."

Grade Seventeen — Those Who Are Muddled and Living Just to Live

"Their value system is in chaos; they cannot distinguish priority or urgency; they do not know what they are living for. No direction, no goals, no ideals, no faith. 'Do a day's work as a monk and ring the bell for a day.' Live a day, count a day. They easily become mouthpieces, scapegoats, and sacrificial victims of events, movements, and wars."

Grade Eighteen — Those Who Have Completely Inverted All Distinctions Between Right and Wrong

"Except for their closest relatives, they have no sympathy, compassion, or loving-kindness toward others. They believe that living means using every means possible to deceive, seize, and swindle money and territory… They are a source of social instability and threatened safety."

(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · The Eighteen Grades of Life)

III. The Closing Principle: Every Grade Can Change

"The above eighteen grades of life are offered only for your reference. No matter which grade one occupies, the key is to clarify the meaning of life. As long as one has clarified the meaning of life, as long as one can quiet the mind, there is a way to change oneself — an opportunity to obtain pure spirituality — and hope of walking the road beyond space and time, extending one's precious LIFE into higher-dimensional LIFE spaces." (Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · The Eighteen Grades of Life)

Outlook on Life and Values · Value, Meaning and Purpose of Life · Spirituality · Levels of LIFE · Awakening