Fate and Transcendence · Internal Reference¶
Source writings compiled without alteration. For deep study.
I. The Nature and Scope of Fate¶
Fatalism holds that all change and development in the world — the birth, aging, illness, and death of every person and living being, along with their fortune and misfortune — is predetermined by destiny, or decreed by heaven. Individual life is powerless before this; one can only drift along and submit to heaven's will.
For the vast majority of ordinary people, this fatalistic view is correct. "Everything is decreed by fate; not half a point is left to the self." A person cannot choose the environment or era into which they are born, cannot choose their birth parents, cannot choose their ethnicity or country. There are eighteen factors in life that the self cannot govern — this is fate, and one can only submit to heaven's will.
The Tao is a program, a perfect operating mechanism that no person or force can resist — one can only follow the Tao. The Earth can only orbit the Sun within the solar system; the Moon can only orbit the Earth. This is the fate of the Earth and the Moon — they are powerless before it and can only comply.
Spring growth, summer flourishing, autumn harvest, winter storage — peach trees can only bear peaches; apricot trees can only bear apricots. This is the fate of plants; they can only be as they are. Fish can only survive in water; big fish eat small fish; small fish eat shrimp; herbivores eat grass; carnivores eat meat; cats chase mice; dogs guard the home. A pig, from the moment it is born, is fated to enter the slaughterhouse — this is the pig's fate, and it can only be so.
Humans are born, grow old, fall ill, and die. As humans, we cannot escape this program of birth, aging, illness, and death — this is fate.
Every species, every individual life, has its own trajectory of development — determined by its program, not freely changeable, and difficult to alter from within. This is fate.
— The Chanyuan Corpus · Wisdom Chapter · "Fate and the Transcendence of Fate"
II. The Great Script of Human Life¶
The entire universe, including the myriad forms of life within it, is arranged according to an orderly program. One might say that everything is being performed according to a "script." Every species, every person, is a character whose role has been determined within this script — they can only enact the plot as written. When to be born, when to die, when to gain wealth, when to fall ill, when to encounter hardship, when to hold office — all of this is planned. This is fate; people can only be as they are.
Who can escape this inevitable fate? Very few.
An actor can only perform the characters written in the script, following the director's instructions. When required to cry, they must cry; when required to laugh, they must laugh; even the lines they speak are predetermined — the actor has no choice in the matter.
Human life is a great script, and those living within it are merely characters within that script. Who plays the lead, who plays supporting roles, who is an extra; who appears on stage at what moment, who exits when — all of this is arranged. Although people cannot feel this, although each person subjectively senses that they are making choices and decisions, the actual situation is that all their words and actions have already been arranged in advance. Many things must be done even if one is unwilling; some words must be said even if one does not wish to say them. The person who gave birth to us can only be called "mother" — we cannot call her "grandmother" or "sister."
Since it is a script, time as such does not exist. Imagine reading through a novel from beginning to end — the characters and plot are clear and vivid. When we are on page 80, we call that page the "present," pages before 80 are the "past," and pages after 80 are the "future." But if we read in a random order, any page becomes the present. If we return to the novel years later, the characters and events are still alive and immediate. There is really no such thing as past, present, and future. As humans, we feel that this moment is the present, yesterday is the past, and tomorrow is the future. Yet a reader of the script could see our situation tomorrow — we ourselves cannot see tomorrow's circumstances because we are confined within the script. We cannot return to the past or advance into the future, because we are human and not divine; humans are not permitted to know the contents of the script. If we knew, the program would be disrupted and the universe thrown into chaos. "The people may be led by it, but not told of it" — this is a form of mercy toward humanity, and also a requirement of the script's enactment.
— The Chanyuan Corpus · Wisdom Chapter · "Fate and the Transcendence of Fate"
III. The Possibility of Transcendence¶
Yet every rule has its exceptions. "Heaven's net is vast; though wide-meshed, nothing slips through" — yet it also allows openings. For 98% of all beings, there is no escape from the script. For 1–2%, the net opens — this too is part of the program. It is like a scheduled actor who, for special reasons, no longer continues their role; the director then arranges for another actor to carry on the plot.
The wise sages of humanity have continually explored the mysteries of life, time, and space, pointing toward a radiant path. The way guided by Jesus Christ leads to the Kingdom of Heaven — though Jesus did not explain it in detail, following his guidance can free one from the constraints of the fixed program and enter the Kingdom of the Greatest Creator. The Buddha, Shakyamuni, urged us tirelessly to release our attachment to self-form, to lay down our ego-clinging — guiding us out of the sea of suffering and across to the shore of Buddhahood. Muhammad told us that by drawing on the authority of Allah (the Greatest Creator), we can escape the confines of heaven and earth, walk out of the "script," and enjoy heavenly life. Lao Tzu pointed us toward the path of "lasting vision and long life." Seth's teachings on consciousness, projection, and the relationship between awareness and reality all reveal that through cultivation, one can exit the "pre-programmed" constraints and enact one's own life across time and space. The wisdom unfolded by Osho in response to lived reality also awakens us to how we might leave the realm of necessity and enter the realm of freedom.
All phenomena arise from the mind; the mind transcends all phenomena. Mind is born from circumstance; circumstance is shaped by the mind. For the vast majority, everything is heaven's decree — they can only follow it. For those with a little cleverness but no great understanding, occasional moments of clarity are possible, but they remain muddled most of the time and lack the wisdom and energy to escape the grip of the program. For them too, everything remains fate.
— The Chanyuan Corpus · Wisdom Chapter · "Fate and the Transcendence of Fate"
IV. The Methods of Transcendence¶
One must understand not only the "what" but the "why" — only then can one find the opening, the passage. Those who understand the "why" and then act upon it can enter and pass through that passage into a far vaster domain of life. Just as someone who understands a computer program can rewrite it, a person who understands the mysteries of life and the human journey can change their fate and enter a broader realm, enjoying a freer and more fulfilling existence.
One must engage in abnormal thinking, otherwise fate cannot be escaped. One must be busy when ordinary people rest, and rest when they are busy — because 98% of ordinary people are enacting their lives according to the program of fate; their life trajectories have already been written into the script. If you wish to escape the confines of heaven and earth, to leap beyond the Three Realms unbound by the Five Elements, to exit the realm of necessity and enter the realm of freedom — you absolutely cannot resonate on the same frequency as the thinking and consciousness of the vast majority. You must "go in the opposite direction." What they fear, you do not fear. What they do not fear, you fear. What they are busy with, you are not busy with. What they are not busy with, you are. What they love, you may not love. What they do not love, you may love. When they weep, you laugh; when they laugh, you weep…
The path guided by the Lifechanyuan guide is one of counter-fate and counter-ordinary-humanity — guiding people first to acknowledge fate, to recognize fate, and then to transcend fate. Recognizing fate is easier; transcending fate is not easy. It requires Hundun thinking, thorough understanding of life, time, and space, detailed comprehension of the program and the "script," and above all it requires knowing the methods of transcendence — otherwise, no one can escape fate. Luck alone offers no hope. Charging blindly cannot lead one to the gate of the Kingdom of Heaven. "The gate of the Kingdom is narrow; few find it, and fewer still enter," because there are mysteries here, there are methods.
In sum: for 98% of ordinary people, everything is the result of fate. For the 1–2% who are Chanyuan Celestials, everything is a matter of consciousness and heart.
I further tell you: I possess the methods for transcending fate, for transcending time and space.
— The Chanyuan Corpus · Wisdom Chapter · "Fate and the Transcendence of Fate" (2008-09-22)
V. Transforming Fate Through Consciousness¶
The transformation of cause and effect depends on consciousness — not on words or actions, because words and actions are governed and directed by consciousness. When consciousness does not change, the trajectory of life does not change, fate does not change, and cause and effect will inevitably unfold. But if consciousness changes, the trajectory changes, fate changes, and what would otherwise have occurred does not come to pass. For example: if your consciousness is set on going to New York, you are walking the road to New York — the inevitable result is that one day you will arrive there. But if midway you change your intention and set your mind on going to London instead, all trajectories toward New York are instantly altered, and the outcome of arriving in New York no longer occurs.
Whether one moves toward heaven or toward hell depends entirely on each person's consciousness. Trajectories can be altered in an instant; destiny can be transformed in an instant — simply by changing one's fixed consciousness, everything transforms at once. "Heaven and hell differ by only one thought."
The Lifechanyuan values say: "Walk the path of the Greatest Creator; the purpose of life is to pursue joy, happiness, freedom, and bliss; the purpose of LIFE is to strive toward the Thousand-Year World, the Ten-Thousand-Year World, or the Elysium World on the Celestial Islands Continent." This is a form of consciousness. Once this consciousness is established, our outlook on life, our worldview, and our understanding of LIFE all transform. Our previous life trajectory is completely altered; chasing the sun, one escapes the darkness. Many thought-force constraints are broken through, and many bitter fruits that were otherwise destined to ripen cannot take form.
— The Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Chapter · "Transforming Cause and Effect Through Consciousness" (2008-06-12)
VI. Against Passive Fatalism¶
Those who passively submit to fate and believe that everything is arranged by destiny have simply not read the Chanyuan writings. The writings clearly state that "fate" (ming) is set by heaven — determined by the karma of past and previous lives — while "fortune" (yun) can be changed by oneself. The writings clearly provide three methods for changing one's fortune. Why not read them?
"Let fate arrange everything" — then what are we cultivating ourselves for? For nothing at all!
— Other Writings of the Guide · 2009 · "Must We Submit to Everything Fate Arranges?" (2009-03-24)
VII. Abnormal Thinking as the Key to Fate's Lock¶
One must engage in abnormal thinking, otherwise fate cannot be escaped. One must be busy when ordinary people rest, and rest when they are busy — because 98% of ordinary people enact their lives according to the program of fate; their life trajectories have already been written into the script. To escape the confines of heaven and earth, to leap beyond the Three Realms, to exit the realm of necessity and enter the realm of freedom — one absolutely cannot resonate on the same frequency as the thinking and consciousness of the vast majority. One must "go in the opposite direction."
— The New Era Human 800 Values, 4th Edition · Value 669