Outlook on Life and Values — Internal Reference¶

Overview: One's outlook on life and values constitute two pillars of Lifechanyuan's "four-perspective" framework (outlook on life, values, view of LIFE, and worldview). An outlook on life is one's understanding of life's purpose, meaning, and worth; values are the criteria by which one judges the importance of things. Lifechanyuan holds that most people suffer because of flawed outlooks and values that lead them in the wrong direction. The correct outlook, aligned with the Greatest Creator's Way, takes joy, freedom, and happiness as its immediate aim and ascending to the celestial realm as its ultimate destination.

I. Definition and Nature¶

"A worldview is one's understanding of and perspective on the world. An outlook on life is one's understanding of and perspective on the purpose, meaning, and value of human life. Values are one's understanding and evaluation of the importance of things — affirmations and negations." (Chanyuan Corpus · Wisdom Chapter · Four Perspectives Aligned: The Condition for Harmony, 2020-12-12)

"A life without direction is blind; a life without values is adrift. Most of life's suffering and misfortune come precisely from lacking direction and values." (New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · No. 49)

"For a pig to understand its reason for living, it must think like the farmer. For a person to understand their reason for living, they must think like the one who tends humanity. Anyone who has truly understood their reason for living has already become a celestial." (New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · No. 472)

II. Diagnosing Flawed Outlooks and Values¶

"The eighteen factors that cause suffering in life: first, flawed values, outlook on life, view of LIFE, and worldview; second, selfishness; third, greed; fourth, laziness; fifth, jealousy; sixth, complaining; seventh, comparison; eighth, the urge to win and compete; ninth, arrogance; tenth, dependency; eleventh, addictive love; twelfth, possessiveness; thirteenth, pursuit of fame and profit; fourteenth, attachment; fifteenth, wanting to control and reform others; sixteenth, departing from the natural Way; seventeenth, breaking laws and rules; eighteenth, the consciousness of marriage, family, ethnicity, nation, political party, religion, and organization." (New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · No. 36)

"Whoever uses traditional values as a template for new things is a reactionary incapable of progress." (New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · No. 12)

"Lifechanyuan's system and the Buddhist system are fundamentally different. Except for the view of LIFE, where the two are similar, their outlooks on life and their views of space-time are worlds apart." (Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A Chapter · Answering Fan's Questions on Truth and Buddhism)

"Looking across humanity, I have found something startling: most people are living in the wrong direction, ignoring the ultimate goal of life. Millennia of human suffering, and every individual's anxiety and exhaustion, originate from this wrong direction." (Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A Chapter · On the Roles One Should Play in a Lifetime)

III. The Correct Outlook on Life: Xuefeng's Example¶

"My experience of life is this: the purpose of living is to live joyfully, happily, freely, and blissfully."

"In my half-awakened stage, my outlook on life was: Life is a dream; the four elements are empty; feel it fully; leave no regrets."

"My outlook on life now is: Life is a journey; LIFE is infinite; benefit all living beings; go straight to Heaven." (Xuefeng Corpus · Inspiration Chapter · Striving That Forgets Its Purpose Is Wasted Effort, 2024-03-24)

"My life is like this: I firmly believe in, revere the Greatest Creator, revere LIFE, revere Nature, and walk the Greatest Creator's Way."

"My life is like this: I repay the Greatest Creator, repay society, repay Nature. Whatever I have received, I return with interest. I owe no debts."

"My life is like this: I open the Lifechanyuan Era, burn myself fully, and ultimately merge my LIFE into the Greatest Creator's spirit."

"My life is like this: I seek supreme enlightenment, do not squander this precious life, and am always ready to die in peace."

"I do not pursue material abundance, but seek richness of spirit and soul. I do not seek what the human world can offer; I seek to reach the Celestial Islands Continent of Elysium after leaving it." (Xuefeng Corpus · Inspiration Chapter · My Faith and Outlook on Life, 2005-11-21)

IV. The Correct Values: Faith in the Greatest Creator First¶

"Live for joy, happiness, freedom, and bliss — not for 'isms,' 'truth,' nations, political parties, organizations, religions, or families." (New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · No. 35)

"The first principle of universal values is faith in the Greatest Creator. This is the foundation of all universal values. Faith has nothing to do with religion." (New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · No. 710)

V. The Four-Perspective Framework: True Harmony Requires All Four¶

"Three perspectives aligned still cannot produce harmony. Only when all four are aligned can true harmony — like milk and water blending — be achieved."

"A view of LIFE is one's understanding of birth, death, and existence, and of space-time. Even if two people share the same worldview, outlook on life, and values, if their views of LIFE differ, harmonious coexistence remains difficult." (Chanyuan Corpus · Wisdom Chapter · Four Perspectives Aligned: The Condition for Harmony, 2020-12-12)

"Whether a nation, ethnic group, political party, religion, organization, or individual — all must adjust their worldview, outlook on life, and values in accordance with Lifechanyuan's principles. This is what the age demands; it is the wish of all good, diligent, honest, and trustworthy people; it is the ideal that sages throughout history have longed for; and it is an objective law that no individual's will can alter." (Xuefeng Corpus · Inspiration Chapter · The Spirit of Chanyuan Celestials)

"Complete independent consciousness means that one's outlook on life, values, view of LIFE, and worldview align with the Greatest Creator's Way — and on that basis, one can navigate all the affairs of life's journey with ease, without being swayed by others' thinking." (Xuefeng Corpus · Inspiration Chapter · Striving to Cultivate Complete Independent Consciousness)

VI. Rebuilding Outlooks and Values — The Necessity of the New Era¶

"You need to rebuild your outlook on life, your values, your moral view, your view of LIFE, and your worldview." (Chanyuan Corpus · Civilization Chapter · What You Cling To Is Precisely What Constrains You)

"The world is on the verge of great change. Those with alert minds have already sensed it. If you haven't, it is time to transform your thinking and reorient your outlook on life, your values, your view of LIFE, and your worldview!" (New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · No. 794)

VII. The Lifechanyuan Era: The Transformation of All Four Perspectives¶

"In the Lifechanyuan Era, people revere nature. Their outlooks on life, values, views of LIFE, and worldviews undergo profound change. This shift in consciousness brings sweeping change to the ways of production and living. Many industries and fields cease to exist; much of what is upheld today becomes obsolete. People focus more on spiritual and soulful fulfillment; in material enjoyment, they stop at satisfying the body's natural needs." (Xuefeng Corpus · Q&A Chapter · The Production System and Way of Life in the Lifechanyuan Era)

Awakening · Value, Meaning and Purpose of Life · Complete Independent Consciousness · Civilization Overview · Chanyuan Concepts · Self-Coherence