A Worry-Free Life (Internal Reference)¶
This version is for deep study. All passages are translated from the original Chinese teachings of Guide Xuefeng.
I. Definition: The Three Treasures¶
The three treasures of a worry-free life: firm faith in the Greatest Creator, belief in cause and effect, and wholeheartedly doing one's best in everything.
(New Era Human 800 Concepts, 4th edition · Concept 43)
II. Core Teaching: The Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life¶
Being born into this world, worries are inevitable — worries about food, clothing, shelter, aging, sickness, and death; worries about a smooth life and a beautiful future; worries about the safety of loved ones; worries about having unobstructed channels for love and sexuality. Because of all this, life is filled with anxiety. Even those who have set out on the Way of the Greatest Creator and the path of Lifechanyuan often still worry about the future, still hesitate and waver and turn back on the road ahead.
For this reason, I am pointing out here the Three Treasures of a worry-free life, which can help you firm your resolve, climb over the mountains, cross through the marshes, and arrive directly at the Celestial Realm.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life)
III. The First Treasure: Firm Faith in the Greatest Creator¶
"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." — Romans 1:20
We were made by the Greatest Creator. How do we know this? Let me give three examples. Women have breasts, yet breasts do not produce milk in ordinary times — only a few days after a child is born does milk begin to flow abundantly. What does this tell us? It tells us that the Greatest Creator designed this program, that the Greatest Creator watches over the newborn child. Look at our hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and armpit hair: hair can grow without limit, yet why don't eyebrows, eyelashes, and armpit hair grow without limit? Why are eyebrows curved? Why are eyelashes distributed along the upper and lower eyelid margins? Why is armpit hair so soft? Think through these questions and you will see that the Greatest Creator is watching over us. When human beings reach puberty, they begin to feel a special attraction toward the opposite sex; kissing and touching cause the genitals to secrete lubricating fluid, making sexual union possible — without this, one could not enjoy the beauty of sexual life. This program is extraordinarily complex. What does it teach us? It teaches us that this is a precious gift from the Greatest Creator, filling life with longing and beautiful enjoyment.
As long as we are skilled at reading the Wordless Celestial Book, we can see the Greatest Creator's care for humanity in every thing and phenomenon in nature. From this we can conclude: we were made by the Greatest Creator, and the Greatest Creator will certainly take care of us. We need not worry or fret about our future lives — we need only live naturally according to the program the Greatest Creator designed, and we will be free of worry.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life)
IV. The Second Treasure: Belief in Cause and Effect¶
"As you sow, so shall you reap." "Good deeds are rewarded with good, and evil deeds are punished with evil — if it hasn't happened yet, the time has not yet come; when the time comes, retribution will surely follow." "Fortune and calamity have no gates; people call them upon themselves. The return of good and evil follows like a shadow." "One who speaks good, sees good, and does good — three goods in a day, and within three years Heaven will bestow blessings. One who speaks evil, sees evil, and does evil — three evils in a day, and within three years Heaven will bring calamity." "The law of karma is flawless; Heaven's net is vast, loose in appearance, but lets nothing slip through." "To know the causes of the past life, look at what this life receives; to know the fruits of the next life, look at what this life creates."
People must believe in cause and effect. Once you believe in cause and effect, when you encounter setbacks and difficulties on the road of life, you will not blame Heaven, not blame the earth, not blame society, not blame others — you will be able to bear it with an equanimous heart. And once you believe in cause and effect, so long as you devote your whole life to truth, goodness, beauty, love, faith, and sincerity, then the picture of your future life will inevitably be composed of truth, goodness, beauty, love, faith, and sincerity — what is there to worry about? So long as you do not harm nature and all living beings, do not harm others and society, treat all things with kindness, then all things will treat you with kindness — what is there to worry about?
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life)
V. The Third Treasure: Wholeheartedly Doing One's Best¶
"Do what lies in your power, then leave the rest to Heaven." Do your best each day to complete things well and fully; be wholehearted toward family, friends, society, and nature; give full effort to what you do each day. In this way you will have no regrets. As for whether wishes come true and ideals are realized — "do not be impatient and anxious for what you desire." "A rope can saw through wood; water drops can pierce stone — one who seeks the Way must keep pressing forward. When water reaches the channel it flows naturally; when the melon is ripe it falls from the stem — one who attains the Way simply follows the natural course of things." In all things, if you have done your wholehearted best, there is nothing to worry about.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life)
VI. The Destination: Holding the Three Treasures Leads to the Celestial Realm¶
Firm faith in the Greatest Creator, belief in cause and effect, and wholeheartedly doing one's best in everything — these are the Three Treasures of a worry-free life. With these Three Treasures in hand, one can "let the wind and waves howl as they please — I stroll at ease through my own courtyard." One will be free of worry about food, clothing, shelter, aging, sickness, and death, and free of worry about the future. If one remains steadfast throughout life, one reaches the Celestial Realm.
(Chanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life)
VII. Practice in Adversity¶
The Three Treasures of a worry-free life are one of the Chanyuan Ideals. Have we adhered to them? If we have, what is there still to worry about?
(Guide's Other Writings · 2017 · I Have Something to Say)
Right now I am making no other choice — I can only proceed according to the Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life.
(Guide's Other Writings · 2017 · Haven't Found Any Idle Remarks These Past Two Days)
The Greatest Creator is with us always; the divine beings, Buddhas, celestials, and saints are with us always; the sage leader is with us always; all people throughout the world who aspire toward and pursue a beautiful life are with us always. Do not worry about how to live tomorrow — firm faith in the Greatest Creator, firm belief in cause and effect, give your wholehearted best each day, and for the rest, the Tao will arrange.
(Xuefeng Corpus ·励志 Chapter · Living On with Spiritual Support)
VIII. The Celestial Perspective: Three Treasures Bestowed upon Chanyuan Celestials¶
I have already bestowed upon you all the Three Treasures of a worry-free life — could you still be worried about not having enough to eat in the future?
(Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Chapter · A Celestial Is Always in a State of Contentment)
(To a Chanyuan Celestial:) You need only follow your nature, act according to circumstances, and do your best in all things — that is reaching the Celestial Realm. What is there to be unsatisfied about?
(Chanyuan Corpus · Cultivation Chapter · A Celestial Is Always in a State of Contentment)
IX. Core Principle of Second Home Life¶
The Three Treasures of a Worry-Free Life: firm faith in the Greatest Creator, belief in cause and effect, and doing one's wholehearted best each day.
(Guide's Other Writings · 2014 · Core Life Principles of the Second Home)