Human Nature: You Probably Think You Know What It Is¶

I. The Oldest Question¶

Is human nature good or evil?

Philosophers have argued about this for thousands of years. Mencius said good. Xunzi said evil. Hobbes said brutal. Rousseau said noble until corrupted. The debate has never been resolved — because, according to Guide Xuefeng, the question itself is based on a false premise.

Human nature is not fixed. It changes.

II. What Human Nature Actually Is¶

Here is Xuefeng's precise definition:

"Honesty is the essential nature of human beings; dullness is the essential nature of objects; cunning is the essential nature of animals; transcendence is the essential nature of Buddhas."

Four types of beings. Four essential qualities. Humans are the ones defined by honesty.

Honesty here doesn't just mean "telling the truth." It means: what the mouth says is what the heart thinks. A deer is a deer, a horse is a horse. No hedging, no trimming to the wind, no performing one face while hiding another. Directness, not cleverness.

This places human nature precisely within a cosmic spectrum — above material things (dullness) and animals (cunning), but below Buddhas (transcendence) and Immortals. It's a coordinate, not a moral judgment.

III. Every Person Contains All Eight Natures¶

Here is the foundational background that changes everything:

According to the principle of cosmic holography, every single person simultaneously carries eight attributes: divine nature, demonic nature, Buddha nature, immortal nature, human nature, animal nature, material nature, and empty nature.

One flower, one world. Every person is a microcosm of the universe.

This means: the same person can be a saint in one environment and a monster in another. Not because they "changed" — but because a different attribute was activated.

Historical evidence: - When wars are constant, people tend toward belligerence - When hunger and cold prevail, people tend toward theft - When comfort and warmth abound, people tend toward indulgence - When a sage governs, people tend toward virtue

The lesson: never permanently judge any living person. Only at death can a final verdict be reached.

IV. Your Environment Is Your Nature¶

This leads to one of the most practical statements in the entire system:

"If you want to become a beast, go live among beasts; if you want to remain human, spend your days among humans; if you want to become an Immortal, immerse yourself in the Immortal's environment; if you want to become divine, live entirely within the antimatter world."

This is not poetry. It is a description of how human nature actually works.

Which means: the most important decision you can make is about your environment — the people around you, the information you consume, the community you inhabit. You don't change your nature directly. You change the environment that activates it.

V. The Three Core Values: Truth, Goodness, and Beauty¶

Truth, Goodness, and Beauty are not decorative slogans. They are the core values of human nature — and they are built into the structure of the universe itself.

Truth is the source of all artistic forms. Everything visible and tangible is a transient artistic expression of something deeper and more real. The person whose nature contains no truth will find their animal nature erupting at any moment, causing harm to others and nature.

Goodness is the mechanism that maintains ordered harmony. To see whether a person has goodness, look at one thing: are they in harmonious relation with the world around them? Wherever there is disharmony, at least one party is not good.

Beauty is harmonious proportion and symmetry. From celestial orbits to crystal structures, from family dynamics to social organization — everything that gives a sense of rightness and grace is operating on this principle.

And here is the key:

"The essential difference between the muddy person, the ordinary person, the sage, and the Immortal lies in the differing proportions of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in their human nature."

The more Truth, Goodness, and Beauty — the higher the LIFE level. It's that direct.

VI. The Eight Standards¶

Perfect human nature has eight concrete conditions. These are also the requirements for reaching the higher LIFE spaces:

Reverence for the Greatest Creator; respect for the divine; respect for others — know your place in the cosmos
Freedom from the drive to compete and fight — Shakyamuni said this is the highest state of being human
Love of nature — gratitude for what the Greatest Creator has given
Modesty, trustworthiness, honesty — the essential nature itself
Compassion and sympathy — the higher level of human nature; the bridge to Buddha nature
Equanimity in both fortune and adversity — no crowing in success, no blaming in failure
Compliance with natural law; no pursuit of the extraordinary — no shortcuts
Love of LIFE and labor — labor is humanity's most noble activity

The conclusion is unambiguous: "The only pass to higher LIFE spaces is: perfect human nature. Everything else is baggage and trash in life."

VII. Immortal Nature and Human Nature¶

Xuefeng draws a sharp contrast between the two:

Immortal nature: not meddling in others' hearts; not managing others' affairs.

Human nature: eyes fixed on others; wanting others to comply with one's own wishes.

"When human nature stirs, thorns and blades appear. When immortal nature shows, rain and wind are favorable."

The two most common evils of human nature are: - Evaluating others — interfering in others' paths, imposing your own standards - Managing others — the drive to control, to stand out, to be above others

These two evils are the hardest to see in yourself — because they usually wear the costume of "concern," "good intentions," or "responsibility."

VIII. The Bright Mirror That Gathers Dust¶

Here is a beautiful image:

The original nature is pure — like a bright mirror, luminous, uncontaminated.

But humans need to survive. They need safety, respect, recognition, status. So they strive — for money, power, fame. And as they strive, the mirror gathers dust. Anxiety, worry, resentment, anger, fear accumulate. The smog of human nature forms.

The strangest thing about this smog: the people most deeply inside it often feel the clearest. "Everyone else is asleep while I alone am awake." It's only when the wave arrives that they discover they've been swept away.

How do you clear the mirror?

Reduce desires. Control impulses. Don't look for shortcuts. Don't hurry. Let the restless heart grow calm. Observe events steadily. Trust that the storm will pass.

IX. The Pass¶

One sentence to carry with you:

"The only pass to higher LIFE spaces is: perfect human nature."

Not wealth. Not status. Not talent. Not even good deeds — if they come from a nature that is still fundamentally dishonest, still consumed by competition and the desire to manage others.

And the more poetic version of the same truth:

"Where flowers are fragrant, butterflies come naturally; where the heart is pure, Immortals arrive naturally."

Your circumstances — the people around you, the events that happen to you — are a reflection of what's inside you. External factors are secondary. The factor of human nature is primary.

What kind of future do you want? Look at how much Truth, Goodness, and Beauty your nature contains.

Question	Answer
What is the essential nature of humans?	Honesty
Why is human nature unpredictable?	Every person carries all eight cosmic attributes; environment determines which activates
What are the core values of human nature?	Truth, Goodness, and Beauty
What determines LIFE level?	The proportion of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty in one's nature
What are the two biggest evils of human nature?	Evaluating others; managing others
What is the only pass to higher LIFE spaces?	Perfect human nature