Elementary Life Manual (Internal Reference)¶
Entry summary: The Elementary Life Manual is the first tier of Lifechanyuan's Life Manual series, compiled by Xuefeng from classical Chinese wisdom texts. Xuefeng states: "The Elementary Life Manual contains the wisdom of sages and worthies; gaining this wisdom enables one to keep safe and at peace." It comprises five main parts and one supplementary volume (Weilu Yehua). Its role is to steady body and mind, reduce friction with the world, and establish the character foundation needed for deeper cultivation practice.
I. System Position¶
(Chanyuan Corpus · Life Manual · The Life Manual)
"The Elementary Life Manual contains the wisdom of sages and worthies; gaining this wisdom enables one to keep safe and at peace.
The Intermediate Life Manual (I) contains the wisdom of immortals and sages; gaining this wisdom enables one to enter the Tao.
The Intermediate Life Manual (II) contains the language of prophets; understanding its meaning enables one to connect with spiritual beings.
The Intermediate Life Manual (III) contains the wisdom of Buddhas; gaining this wisdom enables one to transcend time and space.
The Intermediate Life Manual (IV) contains the wisdom of gods; gaining this wisdom enables one to obtain eternal LIFE in high-level spaces.
The Advanced Life Manual speaks of the supreme being of the universe — the Greatest Creator — its spirit and the way it governs the universe, enabling everyone to understand the mysteries of the universe and the true meaning of life."
II. Source and Editorial Notes¶
(Xuefeng Corpus · Heart and Soul · My Non-Form Hundun Outlook on Life)
"One should read extensively from the classics of sages. The lotus rises unstained from murky water — its purity comes from its nature; the pine stands upright through winter frost — its steadfastness comes from its nature. Nature is the key. Reading the classics of sages cultivates one's nature. I often read Zengguang Xianwen and Caigen Tan, and thus compiled the Life Manual, thereby cultivating celestial nature (xianxing)."
(Xuefeng Corpus · Miscellaneous Essays · Talking to My Child about the Greatest Creator)
"What I instilled in you earlier was mainly the content of Zengguang Xianwen, because it is the crystallized wisdom of China's ancestors, refined through a thousand years. Though it contains some clever stratagems, it is on the whole good and wise. I re-examined and rearranged this content and wrote it into the Life Manual. In your spare time, log on to the Lifechanyuan website and read it often for your benefit."
III. Elementary Life Manual, Part One (Selected)¶
(Chanyuan Corpus · Life Manual · Elementary Life Manual, Part I)
"The Central Plains: rich with treasures, hidden with dragons and crouching tigers, producing sages in abundance; Chinese culture: flowing from deep sources, vast and profound, wisdom unparalleled; Reaching up to the Heavenly Emperor, pointing down into the human heart, roaming the great void, subtle and penetrating; Here I gather warnings and sayings to awaken the spiritual nature, climbing step by step to the realm of the worthy."
"Cast off vulgarity, rise to the extraordinary, transcend the ordinary to become holy — simply do good, do not ask about what lies ahead; In entering and leaving the world, exhaust the heart and let go of the heart — in ten thousand things, all comes down to this one heart."
"Broad wisdom resembles foolishness; great skill appears clumsy — humility brings gain, fullness invites loss."
"To know contentment is always to be content; to know when to stop is always to avoid shame."
"Plant melons, harvest melons; plant beans, harvest beans — Heaven's net is vast; though loose, nothing slips through. Good meets good in return; evil meets evil — if the return has not yet come, its time has not yet arrived."
IV. Elementary Life Manual, Part Two (Selected)¶
(Chanyuan Corpus · Life Manual · Elementary Life Manual, Part II)
"Nurture the upright spirit of heaven and earth; take the sages of all ages as your model; walk the path of the Greatest Creator; travel the road of the worthy."
"Keep the mind bright and luminous; let no thought be hidden or dark; be open-minded to understand righteousness; be earnest to resist material desire."
"Do not touch the path of desire; do not retreat from the path of principle — concealing evil makes evil grow; praising goodness makes goodness shrink."
"Awakening elevates the spiritual nature; stay mindful and everything becomes a source of learning."
"Open the window and sunlight and moonlight enter; cast your gaze far and the distant mountains are green — in Lifechanyuan one obtains LIFE; the spiritual nature surpasses the ordinary."
V. Elementary Life Manual, Part Three (Selected)¶
(Chanyuan Corpus · Life Manual · Elementary Life Manual, Part III)
"Light the bright lamp within the heart — the world lies within the palm; the Greatest Creator, gods, Buddhas, immortals, and sages guide my path in turn."
"Act not merely for what is seen; do not lower your conduct for what is hidden — transcend beyond heaven and earth, enter not the midst of fame and profit."
"In sitting quietly, always reflect on your own faults; in idle talk, never discuss the rights and wrongs of others — better to be upright and lacking than to be crooked and have excess."
"Subduing demons begins with subduing your own heart; reining in arrogance begins with calming this very breath."
"When a person can put the heart down, they may transcend the ordinary and enter the holy."
VI. Elementary Life Manual, Part Four (Selected)¶
(Chanyuan Corpus · Life Manual · Elementary Life Manual, Part IV)
"Enter Lifechanyuan early, awaken early — in the place of lost paths, an immortal guides; the terrace near the water sees the moon first; flowers facing the sun bloom early in spring."
"At the height of literary achievement there is no clever trick; at the height of character there is only one's true nature — with no material desire in the heart, heaven and earth are still; with a lute and books at hand, this seat becomes that of an immortal."
"A life without a guilty conscience leaves no one to grind their teeth; a life without a shameful conscience means midnight knocks bring no alarm."
"With deep roots, the tree does not fear the wind's shaking; with an upright body, why fear the sun's shadow? — In Lifechanyuan one obtains LIFE; what is there to fear though heaven collapses and earth sinks?"
"Gods and Buddhas deserve reverence, not flattery; enmity should be resolved, not knotted — where in life do people not meet again? Do not let small grievances move you to anger."
"When enough is known, the paths of immortals and mortals diverge; when things are rightly used, life and death become distinct — let the heart be calm and stable; everywhere becomes green mountains and clear water."
VII. Elementary Life Manual, Part Five (Selected)¶
(Chanyuan Corpus · Life Manual · Elementary Life Manual, Part V)
"Watching birds fly in the clear sky, watching fish leap in flowing water — perceiving the vitality of the universe; Hearing the crane's cry on a frosty morning, listening to the cock crow on a snowy night — receiving the pure and clear breath of heaven and earth."
"Observing things move from stillness, watching people bustle from leisure — this is how one gains the delight of transcending the ordinary; Stealing leisure in the midst of busyness, finding stillness within movement — this is how one gains the skill of settling into life."
"Wealth and status are heartless things — the more importance you attach to them, the more harm they do you; Poverty and lowliness are enduring companions — the better you get along with them, the more they benefit you."
"Fame and profit are fetters — entangled in them, resistance breeds resentment, compliance breeds attachment; Wealth and status are like floating clouds — once seen through, gaining them brings no joy, losing them brings no sorrow."
"On matters of desire: do not think them easy and allow a first touch — one touch and you sink ten thousand fathoms deep; On matters of principle: do not fear the difficulty and retreat even a little — one step back and a thousand mountains lie between."
"Orchids grow in deep forests; they do not cease to be fragrant because no one is there — so too does the noble person cultivate virtue without bending when in poverty."
"One who adheres to virtue and the Tao may be lonely for a moment; one who clings to power and authority will be desolate for ten thousand ages."
"These five volumes are offered as a starting brick to invite jade; to save the world and rescue humanity, the rest depends on immortals, sages, worthies, and philosophers."
VIII. Cultivation Requirements¶
(Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan Perspectives · What Chanyuan Celestials Must Embody)
"Fifth: memorize 100 maxims from the Life Manual."
(Xuefeng Corpus · Inspirational Writings · Dancing to the Rhythm of Spring)
"We spare no day or night, racing against time — we memorize the Diamond Sutra and the Tao Te Ching, recite the Life Manual and the Morning-Noon-Evening-Night Sutras … merging our brief lives into the infinite ocean of LIFE, advancing unwaveringly toward the highest realm of LIFE — the Elysium Celestial Islands Continent."
(Xuefeng Corpus · Inspirational Writings · Second Home Morning Song)
"Look at the Life Manual, recite wellness maxims, Hear the fragrance of flowers and the songs of birds and the gurgling of streams — raise the sail of LIFE."
(Xuefeng Corpus · Warnings · Resonating with the Frequency of the Negative Universe)
"3. Be thoroughly versed in the Lifechanyuan Life Manual." (listed as a key condition for freeing oneself from negative-universe resonance)