Chapter 10: Breaking Illusions
If you have finished the first nine chapters and feel that what I said is very correct and makes a lot of sense, then you need to pay close attention from now on.
The first step is called borrowing cognition to break cognition, also known as breaking illusions.
First, treat all sentient beings as gods and Buddhas. Everything that happens when you interact with people is a test from the gods and Buddhas.
Sincerely engrave this thought in your mind and practice it in your life.
At the same time, continuously train yourself to perceive your own thoughts.
In the beginning, it is normal not to be aware of every thought, but afterwards, remember to reflect, recall, and remind yourself that the next time a thought arises, you must perceive it immediately and see what you are thinking.
Seeing what you are thinking means observing your own thoughts with your mind, which is the thought observing the thought, practicing deliberately.
Don’t listen to others say that observing the inner heart is not about thoughts observing thoughts, because once you get used to it, it won’t be thoughts observing thoughts anymore, but will become instinct.
Believe in yourself and persevere. If you are fast, you can achieve observation within half a month. If you persevere continuously, at most about a hundred days will lead to successful Foundation Establishment. Foundation Establishment means laying a good foundation.
In the process of practicing observing the inner heart, try to use methods to change thoughts. This method is similar to stealing concepts.
It’s similar to treating all sentient beings as Buddhas. You can also consider it as a thought of deceiving yourself, yes, a thought of deceiving yourself.
For example, when I have a dispute with someone, I treat the other person as a Buddha or Bodhisattva, and the dispute is just to help me practice observing my own thoughts, so that I can see what I am thinking and what emotions arise. He is helping me, not really trying to argue with me.
Once this thought arises, you will not focus on the matter or the person to get entangled.
Because you firmly believe that this person is here to help you cultivate, you can use him to practice observation and changing thoughts.
If you can change your thoughts, then the matter is actually changed by you.
Although the matter is still that matter and the person is still that person, due to the change in mindset, the matter becomes a good thing, and you will not get angry or troubled. At the same time, you also learn to change your thoughts, and the result is that you use this matter to improve yourself and are not dragged into entanglement and trouble by the matter.
After reaching this stage, at the same time, train yourself to control and transform thoughts. Controlling thoughts and transforming thoughts are very similar in meaning. It is to use your own way of changing thoughts to control what you think and what you don’t think. At the same time, the bad thoughts from before are also transformed by you.
That is to say, changing thoughts, transforming thoughts, and controlling thoughts happen simultaneously.
When you are bored, you can also learn from me and use delusions to restrain delusions. For example, visualize a sword or another magic tool in your mind. Yes, a magic tool.
Use your thoughts to carve its shape and appearance in your mind. Due to the instability of thought, this sword is sometimes wide and heavy, sometimes small and soft, changing at will, but none of that matters. You just need to remember to visualize this sword when you are bored, and then use your mind to control this sword to change its shape at will. It can be a Fang Tian Hua Ji, it can be a meteor hammer, whatever you want it to be.
This thing is used to sever thoughts. For example, when you feel irritable, visualize this sword and then use this thought sword to sever the thought that is making you irritable.
Objectify your thoughts. You can imagine irritability and distress as a ball or a small monster, and then in your mind, use a sword to chop down the monster.
The more deliberately you think, the better. You will find that when you think this way, the thing you were just worried about is let go and cast aside.
It seems simple and magical, but this is actually a method to bring the mind to one place.
Practice continuously, and slowly you will be able to perceive every thought that arises and then resolve it through similar methods.
Afterwards, various thoughts will launch a strong counterattack against you. Grit your teeth and persevere, continue to slay demons and eliminate evil.
Slowly, those bad thoughts will submit to you and fear you greatly, because no matter how many come, you can defeat them with a sweep of sword qi.
Treat controlling thoughts as playing. If it’s fun, you’re cultivating.
If you continue like this, you won’t have many thoughts a day, and even those previously disruptive and chaotic thoughts will become very few.
Of course, while cultivating like this, you must also continuously comprehend the principles of all things.
For example, you know that all lives will eventually leave, and you yourself are no exception. Therefore, who is here and who is gone should not cause too much pain.
Because this is destined and cannot be changed. The only thing you can do is to live well.
I once had a very good friend who left me a dying message. When I saw it, I was very sad and desperately called him, but no one answered.
I knew it was over, he was gone. I couldn’t help but recall the bits and pieces of our time together, and I missed him dearly.
When I found myself falling into sad emotions thinking about his departure, I directly chose to forget about his departure and only think about the happy times we spent together. This way, I controlled my emotions.
This is a method, not self-deception or heartlessness. In other words, if someone leaves, crying to death will be of no use, with a hundred harms and no benefit.
If you truly cherish this relationship, then keep this person well in your heart, don’t forget this friend, and don’t suffer. Live well, carrying the beauty you shared with him.
Isn’t there a saying that the true death of a human, besides the normal death of the physical body, is also being forgotten by others.
Also, in life, you must also get used to the so-called coming and going of people, because no one can be with another forever and never separate; it’s all temporary.
Don’t be sentimental about friends who remain friends and friends who are no longer in contact.
Human thought is unstable. Today you think well of this person, and they think well of you, and you two are good. Tomorrow, if this person thinks badly of you, and you lose contact, don’t be sad or entangled.
You yourself are constantly changing, so how can you demand that others remain unchanged? Do you understand? Accepting everything is actually a manifestation of compassion and kindness.
Don’t dwell on the past, on who was right or wrong; they all came to help you grow. You gained your own experiences from those events and comprehended some principles.
This applies to both good and bad things. In the end, you will find that they were all just processes that helped you become stronger.
What is called love that makes people die for each other, or heroic righteousness that shakes the heavens, is all temporary, because people’s hearts can change.
Look again in ten years: who among your children will still be spending lavishly by your side? Who will still be with you through life and death when you have elderly parents?
As a person, the greatest love is to take good care of oneself, and to take good care of one’s soul and body.
Because if these two are injured, no one can replace them.
After taking good care of yourself, continuously strengthen yourself, and then gain the ability to protect those you once wanted to protect.
Of course, in life, you should also practice great love, selflessness, and embrace all things.
If your heart contains all things, you will possess all things. In the words of fantasy novels, if you can achieve this, you have reached the realm of all things.
