123. Refining True Self to Attain Eternal Life

¹ The final aim of quiet sitting is the refinement that yields a true self.

¹ 靜坐最後的目的，就是希望煉成真我。

² Each person sitting here today is a “false self.” A bodily envelope. An odorous skin bag. A physical thing with a phenomenal form. A body that must die.

² 今天在座的每一位都是假我，是一個軀殼，是一個有色相的形體，一個必死之身。

³ For as long as the Earth has existed, the principle of creation has been: All material objects formed from aggregation of etropons will be destroyed. Even mountains, rivers, and land masses will end in destruction.

³ 自有地球以來，依造化的原理，凡是由電子凝結而成的物質體，一定會毀滅。山河大地同樣會毀滅。

⁴ Only by tempering jing, qi, and shen and through cultivating self-nature and physical body can we yield a “true self” that has eternal life. Eternal life means abiding with the universe.

⁴ 只有鍛煉精、氣、神，經過性命雙修，煉成的「真我」，可以永生。永生就是與宇宙共始終。

⁵ But as I mentioned above, aside from material things that are sure to end in destruction, there are persons thousands of years old that are still living on this Earth, with their bodily envelopes still existing. These persons are earth immortals.

⁵ 但是在我剛才講的物質體最後一定要毀滅之外，這個地球上現在還有活幾千年歲的人，軀殼還存在，這些人就是地仙。

⁶ Immortals come in three categories: heavenly immortals, earth immortals, and human immortals.

⁶ 仙有三種：天仙、地仙、人仙。

⁷ Heavenly immortals are the “golden immortals of the Daluo Heaven.” ^[31] They have attained a perfected true self, and have received summons from God to ascend, shedding their bodily envelopes.

⁷ 天仙是大羅金仙，就是修成真我，奉詔飛昇，脫離軀殼者。

⁸ An earth immortal can use or not use his fleshly body as he pleases. Having attained the Dao, he can assume numerous forms. When his mission of saving the world is complete, he is summoned by God. He metamorphoses naturally, letting his corpse fall away.

⁸ 地仙的軀殼可以要可以不要，成道以後可以千變萬化。等到救世任務完成，奉到　上帝詔命，自然屍解蛻化而去。

⁹ [A human immortal is] anyone who enforces justice on behalf of heaven. He does not act in self-interest and assumes the mission of rescuing others in times of calamity, while striving continuously hard to cultivate himself. Such a person will be given heavenly title by God. He is an immortal among men.

⁹ 凡是能夠體天行道，不為個人打算，一面負起　上帝的救劫使命，一面用功修煉，能得　上帝錫封天職者，就是人中之仙。

Chinese Original Quiet Sitting, October, 1991

《靜坐要義》－民國八十年十月