Awakening of the Spirit: Volume 24

The Awakening of Spiritual Awareness (24)

All things in heaven and earth have their own perceptions. Beauty and ugliness, good and evil, right and wrong, are all differentiated by the heart. What aligns with the heart is considered beautiful, good, and favorable.

What goes against the heart is deemed ugly, evil, and unfavorable. Times change according to one’s intentions; nothing is fixed or unchanging. Situations evolve with circumstances. Good and evil, favorable and unfavorable are in constant flux. All these distinctions arise from one’s own heart’s choices rather than true essence. Appreciating flowers in a garden may be seen as trivial; removing them brings joy. When illness afflicts the body, one turns to herbal remedies. At times, herbs are valued more than flowers; after their removal comes relief. When admiring flowers, they are seen as good; when using herbs for medicine, flowers become bad. The thoughts of good and evil fluctuate according to one’s heart.

The perception of good and bad is a habit formed over time. Consciousness is often bound by cognition, limiting one’s perspective from broadening. Thus, one’s heart is also constrained by the notions of good and evil as defined by cognition. One faces all people and matters through their own understanding of right and wrong: they delight in what is good and disdain what is bad. The thoughts of choice arise within the heart, bringing along troubles as well. Ancient sages cultivated their hearts primarily to suppress this deluded attachment to distinctions.

The four beginnings of the heart (compassion) and the four unwholesome states (anger, fear, pleasure-seeking, worry) all arise from within the heart itself. If one does not understand the workings of their own heart but continues to cling to delusions of distinction without end—expressed through these four unwholesome states—life will naturally be filled with troubles and distress. If one wishes to sever delusions of distinction through conscious intent alone, they must realize that consciousness and cognition develop simultaneously; they are shaped by life experiences in this lifetime—deeply rooted and hard to shake off. To truly sever delusions of distinction requires awakening the inherent wisdom (prajna) that everyone possesses within themselves. Without understanding one’s inherent virtue or realizing one’s bodhi nature while practicing all methods will still lead one to churn within consciousness cognition alone. Only by transcending consciousness can one see their true heart manifest naturally through the four beginnings (compassion, humility, discernment between right/wrong, shame for wrongdoing).

by Teacher Liu Hongming