99. Transcending the Mundane, Entering the Sacred, and Mounting to Perfection

九九、超凡入聖登真

1 For thousands of years, the key stages of Daoist cultivation have been divided into “transcending the mundane,” “entering the sacred,” and “mounting to perfection.”

1 道家數千年來重要的修持功夫,可分「超凡」、「入聖」、「登真」幾個階段。

2 That is to say, a common person begins his practice by learning sainthood and sageliness. Only when the cultivation of sainthood and sageliness is complete, when the realm of sainthood and sageliness is attained, can we speak of cultivating perfection or cultivating the Dao. From there, one enters the final realm of perfected beings, accomplishing the highest aim of human life.

2 即是說:凡夫要以學做聖賢為起步功夫。先完成聖賢修養,達到聖賢境界,再修真修道,最後進入真人境界,達成人生最高境界之目的。

3 In our faith, we ask members to begin by “transcending the mundane” which means: first fulfilling the human Dao, making oneself a decent person, practicing the five cardinal disciplines each day, and studying and following all the regulations in the beginner level of striving and of the Precepts of Living.[17]

3 以天帝教而言,就是要同奮先從超凡下手,也就是要先盡人道,把人做好,力行日常五門功課,進修奮鬥初乘以及人生戒各項規定。

4 Pay close attention to the two Watchwords you have chosen. More than just making them part of your daily actions, you should also reflect and examine yourself every night. Has your conduct run counter to your conscience? If it has, repent and make amends. This is where righteous qi comes from.

4 尤其重在自己所認定的兩個字,不但要將這兩個字融於日常生活之中,切切實實的去做,而且每晚還要反省檢討,看看一天做人做事有無違反良心,有則認錯懺悔改過。這就是正氣的來源。

5 When you are filled with righteous qi, baneful influences will keep their distance. This is a good approach for self- improvement and cultivating self-nature. It is the first step toward sainthood and sageliness.

5 正氣充沛,邪魔自然遠避。這即是以心性修養與道德修養,為學做聖賢的入手方法。

6 At the same time, in all things, do not look for your own gain. Do not seek blessings for yourselves. Keep chanting the two Orisons [the Grand Orison and the Precious Orisons] to rescue all the living beings of this world, and beg God to avert and dispel nuclear holocausts.

6 同時更要不為自己打算,不求個人福報。為拯救天下蒼生,哀求 上帝化延世界核戰毀滅浩劫而誦唸兩誥。

7 From there continue to follow the heavenly Dao, to strive within you and toward heaven. Temper your three treasures of jing, qi, and shen. Learn to practice quiet sitting to directly cultivate “the great empty Dao of the highest heaven, which is a natural, non- purposive mindfulness.”

7 然後一面再修天道,向天奮鬥,一面向自己奮鬥,鍛煉精、氣、神三寶,學習靜坐,直修「昊天虛無大道自然無為心法」。

8 A saint is one who does good deeds to a great multitude of people. He sacrifices his small self for the completion of the greater self. Ultimately he “reaches perfection,” attaining the realm of perfected beings. In ordinary speech, a perfected being is called an immortal.

8 聖人都是為大多數人打算,犧牲小我,完成大我,最後自然登真,達到真人境界。真人也即是一般所謂的神仙。

9 As long as strivers of the Lord of Universe Church practice religiously the direct cultivation of the “Supreme Truth-Blossom Vehicle Method for reaching the highest heaven, which is a natural, non-purposive mindfulness for cultivating the great empty Dao,” it will finally bring them to the realm of perfected beings. This is a “return to oneness with nature,” being at God’s side and abiding with the universe.

9 而天帝教的同奮只要勤煉「帝教法華上乘直修昊天虛無大道自然無為心法」,最後必定可以達到真人的境界,回歸自然,回到 上帝的身邊,與宇宙共始終。

Chinese Original Quiet Sitting, October, 1991

靜坐要義-民國八十年十月

[17] The "Precepts of Living": 1) Not doing things offensive to God and reason, or being ruthless and devoid of human feelings; 2) Not deviating from the teachings of the classics and rebelling against orthodoxy; 3) Not messing up the code of morals; 4) Not creating bad relationships; 5) Not accumulating wealth illegally or unfairly; 6) Not harboring wicked thoughts.