The Depth of Wisdom
Leaves need sunshine. Land demands rainfall. People aspire to be full when starved. What does the soul demand? Since the beginning of history, the answer has always been the incessant pursuit of wisdom. This depth of wisdom can be used as a guiding light to lead us along the right path in our life. Following this wisdom, we are able to overcome self-created obstacles and achieve our objectives in life. Through this wisdom one’s heart will be peaceful, tranquil, pure and clean and allow us to reach eternal satisfaction.
The path of life growth is an ordeal in itself. People say that we will learn from the experience when we get up after falling down. What if we cannot help ourselves after confronting these life ordeals? Hurting ourselves and others is the natural outcome. In the modern era, our resilience to the pressures of daily life and the ability of manage our emotions have become significantly diminished. Our society has fashioned a “fast everything” life style. In this fast paced environment, not only are we losing our health, but most importantly, we are in a serious deficit of making good judgments in our lives and too often we ignore (the wisdom) our inner voice. This phenomenon can be paralleled to a master musician who has lost his hearing and hence unable to create wonderful musical master works. Thus, life has become meaningless for the deaf music master. If we succumb to life’s ordeals, then all of humankind will suffer.
Ancient wisdom is not written in books, but passed down by word of mouth. The heart determines whether or not the recipient is able to retain the essence of the wisdom. This is what we call “The truth lies in the depth of wisdom.” However, what we gain from our experiences is not necessarily wisdom. Wisdom is not something we can find, but something that comes from inspiration. What we have to do is uncover the genuine nature and heart hidden in the depth of our souls. When the inner thought of goodness is inspired, one will be completely changed and a new person will emerge. Tai Ji is the combination of yin and yang. Yang is followed by yin; and yin is followed by yang. Only through constantly improving ourselves will we be able to gain wisdom.
What I would like to share with you today is to “practice uplifting your heart.” What does this mean? We tend to view our world single sided, and sometimes we even hinder our own spiritual growth by our narrow-mindedness. To vitalize our heart is to make ourselves internally balanced. The way to become a balanced being is to unsadden our heart, to lift up our spirit, to avoid becoming overwhelmed while in ecstasy, to be kind, to think in a balanced way, to strengthen the capacity of our heart, to be in control of our mind, our sensitivity and our inspiration.
A Chinese poem says that when one pays attention to an uncomplaining heart, this expression of silence is more powerful than words of endless sadness. In southern China, the rain never seems to stop. A General, disturbed by all the possible outcomes is in torn on whether or not to issue an order. In contrast, another Chinese poem says that when a sage discusses the world situation with a carefree mindset, then it seems as if an eagle is able to fly out of a picture. This is because whatever a wise man says happens and is a sign from heaven! This deep and profound wisdom is hard to understand by anyone without true wisdom.
How will the inspiration of heart benefit us? All nations are trying to correct the problems facing humankind. Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, proposed his idea in March of this year and paid special attention on UN reform. Why is this important? A further exploration of this question will start a stage of maturity and stability of humankind. The implementation of Millennium Development Goals is not going well and blocked by difficulties. An alarm in the depth of our heart reminds us that we must improve strategies that effect the world’s development. Therefore, the MDGs have to revise their original plan and expand the explanation of larger freedom.
All things of the world have their destinies. Only a nature of goodness brings stability and harmony. It is time for humanity to evolve and contribute to the betterment of the world. Through true understanding, we will be able to obtain the wisdom of reform. Its profound meaning is necessary for the welfare of humanity and the happiness of our descendents. It is also a kind of spiritual inspiration.
I inherited the heart of an ancient culture and deeply understand that humankind possesses unlimited potential. Once we realize the true nature of life, we will instinctively be able to exercise the power of human potential. Humankind has reached the point where the development of resources is close to its limit. What comes along with this development is the destruction of nature. When our hearts awaken to this destruction, the shocking reality will be the next urgent issue humankind faces.
Do we really understand ourselves? In the 21st century when human thoughts are changing, major breakthroughs in the pursuit of spirit have been achieved. Thanks to advancements in modern psychology, many aspects of man’s inner heart can be systematically analyzed and understood. But the scope is limited and the progress is slow. This is a clear demonstration that “the wisdom of heart” advocated by ancient sages is on a higher level than modern psychology.
In order to understand our hearts, we need to constantly improve ourselves, and listen for the real voices from our hearts. Wisdom lies within the depth of a pure and clean heart. Let the voice of our hearts guide us in our search of the invisible truths of life. The book of life is a book of wisdom. Every sentence is a gem based upon the foundation of practical actions. Once we genuinely put the book into real-life practice, we will feel how close we are to the truth.
Us being here at this juncture of time and space, our role is not to merely be passive beneficiary. Our current existence in this world is meant to discover the exit to our next life. We all come to this world as a lesson to improve ourselves. Time has changed, and seeds we have planted are budding. When self-talking in the mid-night, we are settled that world peace is always our first priority.
Lighten up people’s hearts so that the world can have a great future because of the enlightened wisdom of humankind.