Classification of People¶
Internal Reference · Back to main entry
I. Definition and Nature¶
People are divided into five types — the Muddled, the Worldly, the Ordinary, the Virtuous, and the Sage. Those dominated by instinct are the Muddled; those dominated by self-interest are the Worldly; those dominated by emotion are the Ordinary; those dominated by reason are the Virtuous; those dominated by spirituality are the Sage. The Sage is equivalent to the Celestial.
(New Era 800 Concepts, 4th Edition · Concept 22)
On the surface, people appear similar — the same basic physiology, the same daily routines of eating, sleeping, and working. Yet the moment you converse with someone or watch them handle a task, the differences become unmistakable. Most people assume that differences between people come down only to money and status. In reality, the primary difference lies in spirituality and wisdom. To help us understand what kind of person we are — so that we may have direction in moving forward — I have divided people into five types: the Muddled (浑人), the Worldly (俗人), the Ordinary (凡人), the Virtuous (贤人), and the Celestial (仙人). Using this map, you can locate your current coordinate point and coordinate system.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Classification of People)
From the surface, all humans belong to the same species and appear the same. But when we penetrate into the realm of thinking, we find that people differ profoundly. There are heavenly people (天人), divine people (神人), celestials (仙人), true people (真人), supreme people (至人), the virtuous (贤人), the ordinary (凡人), the worldly (俗人), and the muddled (浑人).
(Chanyuan Corpus · Tianqi · Material Thinking)
II. The Purpose of Classification — Finding One's Coordinates¶
Classification alone means little. But when we focus on life's evolution, we discover one of life's great mysteries — the essence of reincarnation and transformation. Once we understand this, our lives enter the Tao. On that path, we can cut through the fog and move directly toward the higher spaces of LIFE, rather than treading in place or sliding downward. This is the purpose of classifying people.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Tianqi · Material Thinking)
Classifying people is not an intellectual game. It is done so we can determine our position among others and find direction and purpose. Without classification, it is difficult to locate our coordinate system and coordinate point. Our lives become a tangle, and we die without ever understanding what life was about.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Tianqi · The Virtuous, Part I)
Seeing the nine types — heavenly people, divine people, celestials, true people, supreme people, the virtuous, the ordinary, the worldly, and the muddled — allows us to clearly see the trajectory of life's evolution and the direction of cultivation. For example: if you are Ordinary, your minimum goal is to develop into the Virtuous, not to match yourself against the Worldly. If you are Virtuous, you should aspire toward the Sages — not slide downward.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Tianqi · Material Thinking)
III. The Five Types in Detail¶
1. The Muddled (浑人)¶
Core trait: Living by instinct. Life is disordered, with no clear goals, confused values, and inability to distinguish priority from urgency. Physical impulse surpasses emotion and reason. They have no accurate self-assessment and no sense of life's meaning — constantly rushing about and stumbling, perpetually lost in confusion and worry. When things go well: arrogant, blindly optimistic. When things go poorly: despairing, blaming others. Hot-tempered, easily manipulated, drawn to heroes and spectacle. Loyal to friends in a raw, unthinking way. Inwardly transparent and straightforward. No real responsibility toward family, society, or others. No selfishness in the calculating sense, but also no genuine faith.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Classification of People)
2. The Worldly (俗人)¶
Core trait: Living by desire. Life revolves around money, fame, status, and beauty. They love to show off, flatter others, and be flattered. Every word and action serves self-interest; when threatened, all bonds — family, friendship, ethics, law — are abandoned. Ruthless in pursuit of goals, capable of betrayal. Short-sighted, self-serving, prone to rumor and gossip. Drawn to intrigue, manipulation, and hidden knowledge. Love to perform virtue while secretly cutting corners. No genuine compassion. Wherever there is conflict, the Worldly are present; wherever homes are unhappy, the Worldly dwell.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Classification of People)
3. The Ordinary (凡人)¶
Core trait: Living by emotion. Life centers on family, friends, colleagues, community, nation. Life's minimum standard: enough food, healthy children, a harmonious home, social peace. Mid-level standard: to bring honor to the family name, to see children succeed, to accumulate wealth and standing. Highest standard: to build great deeds for one's nation or people, to be remembered for generations. The Ordinary are the most internally tormented of all five types — they have thought, feeling, ambition, and principle, yet they are immersed in the world of red dust. Daily they must deal with the Muddled and Worldly, battle social prejudice, struggle against their own desires, and wrestle with traditional moral codes. They want so much but receive so little. Their faith exists but is borrowed, blind, fragile — shifting with time and environment. As they age, they resign themselves to fate. The Ordinary are never satisfied; their suffering never ends.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Classification of People)
4. The Virtuous (贤人)¶
Core trait: Living by reason. They are clear-headed — knowing when to advance, when to retreat, what to want, what to release. Their goal is health, abundance, and freedom. They have their own principles and can act in accordance with a higher standard than mere survival. They manage their own time, maintain harmonious relationships, and have largely freed themselves from the grip of money, fame, and status. Well-read, articulate, compassionate, and composed — they are the backbone of a civilized society. The Virtuous are gems among people.
Yet there is a limitation: they have escaped the binding of worldly affairs, but they cannot escape the limits of time and space. They cannot enter the higher spaces of LIFE. The Virtuous are only one step from the truth. With self-awakening or guidance from a higher source, they can purify their hearts and, through cultivation, transcend the mundane entirely — entering the realm of the Celestial.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Classification of People)
5. The Celestial (仙人)¶
Core trait: Living by spirituality. They have come to know the mysteries of the universe, the true meaning of human life, the laws governing the 36-dimensional space, and the nature of LIFE. They have freed themselves not only from wealth, fame, status, and desire, but also from the constraints of time and space. Carefree and unburdened. They have mastered the art of thinking, understand the mechanics of energy transformation, and can largely manifest their intentions. Life has become a wonderful game; "death" has become a beautiful aspiration.
They do not overly concern themselves with earthly suffering. They avoid the Worldly entirely and do not seek out the Ordinary. They tend to live quietly in beautiful natural settings, appearing like ordinary humble folk, living in harmony with the land. They love solitude and deep friendships with those of equal depth. They dislike noise and spectacle. Tea, chess, reading, and quiet practice are their pleasures. Sometimes they can spend a whole day playing with ants, or challenge a bird to a singing contest — and not care at all who wins.
Reaching the Celestial level, entry to the Millennium World is certain.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Classification of People)
IV. The Extended Classification — Nine Types and Three Tiers¶
The five-type classification uses instinct, desire, emotion, reason, and spirituality as dividing lines — a general, absolute framework. The Celestial level itself has finer subdivisions: ghost-celestials, human-celestials, earthly celestials, divine celestials, and heavenly celestials. The Sages discussed in Tianqi Chapter 68 belong to the Celestial tier; further divided by depth of Tao: Supreme People (至人), True People (真人), Celestials (仙人), Divine People (神人), and Heavenly People (天人).
In a three-tier model: - Lower tier: Muddled, Worldly, Ordinary - Middle tier: Virtuous - Upper tier: Sages (Supreme, True, Celestial, Divine, Heavenly)
Note: in the narrow sense, "Celestial" includes only human-celestials and earthly celestials. Divine celestials and heavenly celestials are no longer within the human domain; ghost-celestials are also outside it.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Tianqi · The Virtuous, Part I)
V. The Virtuous — The Critical Turning Point¶
The Virtuous have transcended instinct, desire, and emotion and entered rational life. But they still fall short of spiritual life. They struggle to determine whether existence precedes consciousness — they readily accept scientific, logical, and empirically-proven knowledge, but once pushed beyond conventional thinking, they become confused, resistant, even obstructive. Like a scale that can only measure up to 100 kg — perfectly capable within range, but helpless beyond it.
The Virtuous are one step from truth. They are like someone clinging to a dead vine on a cliff edge, waiting to be saved — as the Buddha said, "release your grip" and you enter the ranks of the Sages. If they cannot release, they will live and die with the vine. Without surrendering their entire way of thinking and emptying the mind, the Virtuous can only ever remain Virtuous.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Tianqi · The Virtuous, Part I)
Chanyuan Celestials have spiritual perception. At minimum, they are the Virtuous in the Classification of People, and within the top five grades in the Eighteen Grades of Life.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Chanyuan · Chanyuan Celestials)
VI. The Mirror Effect¶
Once you have read this classification, you already know your level. Consider the likely reactions:
- Muddled: Furious — wants to punch me.
- Worldly: Silently resentful — I've exposed them.
- Ordinary: Sad, with an inexplicable envy and jealousy. Those with money expected to be admired and followed — only to find that in a Virtuous person's eyes they are still a commoner, and in a Celestial's eyes still ignorant.
- Virtuous: Overjoyed — like meeting a long-sought kindred spirit, feeling suddenly wealthy beyond measure.
- Celestial: Laughs out loud — criticizes me for idle busywork.
Whatever your reaction — anger, envy, joy, or laughter — if you grow still, you will find gratitude rising within. Because now you know your position in life, and the direction you need to go.
To help develop the pure spirituality needed to evolve toward the Celestial level, I have also defined eighteen grades of life quality, for reference.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life · Classification of People)
VII. Classification as a Natural Arrangement¶
The diversity and hierarchy of species is nature's design. The classification of people in human society is equally a natural arrangement. Where there are bad people, there must also be good people. Where there are philanthropists, there must also be those who disrupt order. Therefore: be whatever you were born to be, live according to your nature — and you will find peace wherever you are, with no regret and no complaint.
(Xuefeng Corpus · Essays · People Have No Right of Choice)
VIII. Thinking Style Is the Root¶
Those who live by instinct are the Muddled. Those who live by desire are the Worldly. Those who live by emotion are the Ordinary. Those who live by reason are the Virtuous. Those who live by spirituality are the Celestial.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation · 18 Factors That Constitute Inevitability)
"What kind of thinking you have determines what form of LIFE you inhabit."
(Chanyuan Corpus · Tianqi · Material Thinking, quoting Taiji Grass)