Moving with One's Nature (Suíxìng ér Dòng)¶

Moving with One's Nature (suíxìng ér dòng, 随性而动) means acting in accordance with the greatest driving force within one's heart — an impulse that originates not from desire, rationality, or social pressure, but from the arrangement of the Dao itself. It is one of the central principles of Lifechanyuan, and the concrete expression of Laozi's fa ziran ("follow naturalness").

"Moving with one's nature means acting in accordance with the greatest driving force within one's heart. And where does that greatest driving force come from? It comes from the arrangement of the script — that is, the arrangement of the Dao."

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Q&A Section · Xuefeng Answers Questions from the Chanyuan Celestials

Version	Best for	Focus
Friendly version	First-time readers	What does it feel like? How do I practice it daily?
Academic version	Researchers	Fa ziran principle, ego-noise discrimination, celestial consciousness analysis
Internal reference	Deep study	Full source compilation: definition, cultivation, celestial nature, Thousand-Year World, 800 Concepts

I. Following Naturalness (Fa Ziran)¶

Laozi observed that moving with the Dao means following naturalness (fa ziran). In Xuefeng's framework, this abstract principle is given a concrete form:

"Through his observation of the Dao, Laozi discovered that to move with the Dao is to 'follow naturalness.' What is 'following naturalness'? It is moving with one's nature. What is 'moving with one's nature'? It is acting according to the driving force of one's inner power. A mouse digging a burrow and a wolf eating a sheep are both moving with their nature... Anything that violates the laws of nature moves against the heavenly Dao."

— Guide's Articles · 2007 · Why We Are Alive

"Why did Jesus teach us to become like little children? Because children move with their nature — they live by 'following naturalness.' A child does not care whether something is moral or not, does not care what others think or how they are seen. When they want to cry, they cry; when they want to laugh, they laugh — natural, real, and without concealment."

— Guide's Articles · 2007 · Why We Are Alive

II. The Core of the Way of the Greatest Creator¶

Moving with one's nature is not merely a behavioral principle — it is the core of the Way of the Greatest Creator.

"The core content of the Way of the Greatest Creator is: move with one's nature and act by following naturalness."

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Celebrity Section · Can We Go One Step Further?

"All life in the universe, as long as it lives according to the tathāgata-nature designed by the Greatest Creator (the cosmic subconsciousness, the true nature, the instinct), is walking the Way of the Greatest Creator. As long as a person strictly lives by the first driving force within their heart, they are walking the Way of the Greatest Creator — which is why Lifechanyuan emphasizes 'moving with one's nature.'"

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Q&A Section · Several Q&As about the Way of the Greatest Creator

Every person has a xìng (nature). That nature is the heavenly mandate (tiānmìng). Following one's nature means following the heavenly mandate; following the heavenly mandate means merging with the Dao; merging with the Dao — that is the state of a celestial being.

III. Moving with One's Nature and Cultivation¶

The core task of spiritual cultivation is to distinguish between "the noise of the small self" and "the true driving force of the inner heart."

"Spiritual cultivation is the ability to distinguish between the noise coming from the small self and the driving force coming from the inner heart — and then to move with one's nature by following that inner drive."

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Q&A Section · Xuefeng Answers Questions from the Chanyuan Celestials

"Following the greatest voice within, following the impulse of the heart — moving with one's nature rather than being moved by others' thoughts or one's own rational analysis and judgment — that is moving with the Dao, playing one's own role."

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Q&A Section · Confusion about the Role One Should Play in Life

Special note: For Chanyuan Celestials, following the Tour Guide Route Map takes precedence over moving with one's nature in the early stages of cultivation — until sufficient discernment is developed to ensure that one truly moves with heavenly nature rather than personal desire.

IV. The Characteristic of Celestial Consciousness¶

Moving with one's nature is one of the hallmarks of celestial consciousness — the mode of awareness that characterizes beings in the higher realms.

"Moving at ease wherever you are, moving with your nature, transforming with conditions, acting with the moment, living by following naturalness — dwelling here, stopping here, being here in all circumstances, roaming freely here, dwelling at ease wherever conditions lead, moving spontaneously and freely — that is celestial consciousness. Enjoying life, playing and delighting — that is celestial consciousness. Entrusting life to the Greatest Creator, entrusting the process of life to the Dao — that is celestial consciousness."

— Chanyuan Corpus · Thirty-Six Trigram Formations · The Formation of Structure

V. Under Non-Action, All Accords with the Dao¶

"Everything done by moving with one's nature while in the state of non-action (wu-wei) accords with the program of the Dao."

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Q&A Section · Answering Seven Questions from Cong Long Cao at the Tamera Community

From the perspective of hundun (chaotic) thinking — in which the universe's own logic supersedes human rational judgment:

"From the perspective of hundun thinking, right and wrong do not exist... from the divine perspective, human beings cannot distinguish right from wrong — what humans think is right may in fact be wrong. Therefore, one can only move with one's nature — that is, act in accordance with the greatest driving force within the heart, which comes from the arrangement of the cosmic script — the arrangement of the Dao."

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Q&A Section · Xuefeng Answers Questions from the Chanyuan Celestials

VI. The Four Adaptations (Sì Suí)¶

Moving with one's nature (suíxìng ér dòng) is one of four paired principles that together form a complete cultivation framework:

Principle	Meaning
Suíyù ér ān 随遇而安	Dwelling at ease in whatever circumstances arise — no anxiety
Suíyuán ér huà 随缘而化	Transforming with conditions as they come and go — no clinging
Suíxìng ér dòng 随性而动	Moving according to the greatest inner drive — no constraint
Suíjī ér zuò 随机而作	Acting with the moment — no delay, no forcing

"Moving at ease wherever you are, transforming with conditions, moving with your nature, and acting with the moment — this is walking the path of cultivation. Discomfort and pain do not come from cultivation; they come from ignorance — from not understanding, not awakening, not comprehending the Dao, not keeping the Dao."

— Xuefeng's Collected Works · Q&A Section · Xuefeng Answers Questions from the Chanyuan Celestials

Clarification¶

Moving with one's nature ≠ moving with private desires.

The xìng in suíxìng is heavenly nature, original nature, tathāgata-nature — the expression of the Dao within a LIFE; the greatest inner driving force (from the Dao's arrangement) — not private thoughts, desires, or the products of rational analysis. Spiritual cultivation is precisely the capacity to distinguish "the noise of the small self" from "the true inner drive," and thereby genuinely move with one's nature.

Compiled by: Lingzhou Cao