Enlightenment opens up the world, where one realizes there is no distinction or separation among oneself, others, and the world.
What is the state of life after enlightenment? It is living a more fulfilling life in the mundane world.
One of my students once asked me, “Teacher, if we can already live a fulfilling life in the mundane world, why do we need to seek enlightenment?”
What is the purpose of our spiritual practice?
It is not about sitting cross-legged or achieving something high-end. It is about extending and liberating our lives, and having control over this world.
For me, financial freedom is what it’s all about. Being able to buy whatever I want; at least being able to afford what I want instead of wanting something but not being able to afford it. I want a sense of freedom in my body, to go wherever I want.
For example, during the Children’s Day holiday, I wanted to go to Lhasa, Tibet, to visit Mount Kailash. Last year, I went to the Kunlun Mountains, with an altitude of over 5,000 meters. As long as my body allows it, I have the freedom to move my legs and eyes. And I also have emotional freedom within this red dust world.
I often tell people that in emotional relationships, you should be tolerant and happy and do happy things with your significant other. In any case, you must have freedom; the freedom to treat someone well, but also the freedom to let go if the fate is over. Being free and easy, and welcoming the next person, can lead to more happiness and more stories to tell.
In life, there are more possibilities. As I said earlier, I’m the one who has the final say!
If you don’t have spiritual awakening, you’ll experience a lot of pain and suffering in the state of ignorance, from your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body.
In terms of money, it is truly distressing when you have no money and can’t pay your credit card bills.
When your body is sick and you can’t get up, it is also distressing to see other people go out and have fun.
When there are conflicts in your emotional relationships, your relationship with your children isn’t good, or even your original family’s situation, it is also distressing.
These kinds of relationships are not as smooth as they seem. In our mental state, we can say that this red dust world is really beautiful, and life is full of color and fragrance.
But when we think about it, those are other people’s lives and stories. We still have to worry about how to pay the credit card bill tomorrow.
The degree of freedom and extension here is different, and it depends on the level of our energy. When our energy level is high, we can manifest faster and achieve what we desire. We can even see through the truth behind things and no longer be entangled in surface-level truths.
If I still have to pay my credit card bill tomorrow, and I keep living in fear and worry, I won’t be able to pay it off.
How to pay off credit card debt and clear your financial obligations?
The first step is to stop your thoughts and prevent fearful illusions from taking over your mind. This process of detangling energies is achieved through enlightenment. As humans, we tend to weave stories around our ego and constantly come up with reasons for our actions. It is a self-protective mechanism that also causes fear and suppression, ultimately reducing our quality of life.
As we ascend to a higher level of energy, we walk a circle of life, and while returning to our starting point, our mindset is no longer the same as it was before. True childishness is being carefree, living the way we want to without any unnecessary baggage. In enlightenment, we return to this child-like state, with the ability to see through people’s hearts and understand the cause and effect of emotional relationships.
However, we still have the ability to let go of our burdens and live freely and comfortably without hurting others. The key is not to be trapped in other people’s stories or fears, or even our own self-judgment. This is true liberation and freedom.
However, it’s difficult to achieve this state of liberation and freedom when not enlightened. This is because we tend to hold on to our worries and burden ourselves with unnecessary thoughts. Only in an enlightened energy field can we let go of our worries and move forward with fewer burdens.
For example, when it comes to grabbing red envelopes, I would go after them just like everyone else. I don’t think about being a teacher and whether I should or shouldn’t grab a red envelope. To me, everything is just a toy, even money. Sometimes when someone takes my red envelope, I playfully say to them, “Hey, you took my toy, give it back!” They joke around and say, “Sure, teacher, here’s your toy back!”
It’s because I don’t carry the burden of being a teacher and what a teacher should or shouldn’t do. To me, this world is all a game, and everything is an illusion. If we get trapped in these illusions, it’ll be another form of programming, activating the entire process.
Is enlightenment returning to the state of a child?
Many students ask, “Hey, is enlightenment returning to the state of a child? Can I do that now?”
Yes, as the energy consciousness continues to rise, all our practice is a process of false cultivation becoming true. At the beginning, it’s false, but as the energy frequency gradually increases, our consciousness also improves.
Some students also ask me, “Teacher, how do I know if I’m enlightened? When is it considered enlightenment? I have a great shock in my heart towards the world, and I have a great compassion for all beings. Does that mean I’m enlightened?”
Enlightenment has a living state, which is the state of living like a child. Without talking about supernatural abilities, just the essence of life, we can realize that the world and I are the same. Suddenly, I have a great compassion for the whole world and all beings. This is the state of dharma joy.
In the state of enlightenment, we can consciously and mindfully manage our consciousness and thoughts. Many times, our thoughts are in a state of disorder, and we can’t control them. They come and go like clouds in the sky, and we are powerless to stop them. Even worse, we can be carried away by our own thoughts.
The state of enlightenment is the ability to mindfully manage our consciousness and thoughts. That is, I can focus on a particular thought without having any other thoughts. I will be aware of my thoughts in this state and not have any other thoughts or causes.
In our normal state, thoughts and causes are disorderly and random, like hailstones falling on our heads.
There is a stage, or even a moment, where there is a process of Dharma joy, but it does not mean that it is the state of enlightenment. The state of enlightenment is the state of having Dharma joy 24 hours a day, being able to consciously manage one’s consciousness and thoughts, and most importantly, no longer producing distracting thoughts and entangled karma of cause and effect.
Without other entanglements of cause and effect, there is the saying in the Tao Te Ching: “In the pursuit of the Tao, every day something is dropped. Less and less do you need to force things, until finally you arrive at non-action. When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.”
What does it mean? It means to subtract, to subtract until it becomes a state of non-action. Because this world already has its own beauty, and there’s nothing for me to do but watch. If I like to play games, I’ll go and play in the mundane world. If I don’t like to play games, I’ll just watch, because everything is me, and I am all sentient beings. You experience what I experience.
The state of non-action is “In the pursuit of the Tao, every day something is dropped.”
When I see wealthy people, I think, “That’s great. I can also be wealthy like that.” When I see others happy, I think, “That’s really great. I can also be happy like that.” The flowers, the grass, the trees, and the mountains and rivers are all beautiful in this world, and I can also experience their beauty.
As I often say, “I see the green hills are charming, and the green hills see me in the same way.” If someone becomes a demon during their spiritual cultivation, people often ask me how to see it.
Like Su Dongpo and Fo Yin, what’s in your heart is what you see in the world. If you feel that this world is beautiful and all is Buddha, then you will reflect that beauty in your heart. If you see the world as filled with monsters and demons, then it is a reflection of what is in your heart.
This world is just as it is, reflecting what is in your heart.
In my Grounding and Energy Cultivation course, I teach about mind and consciousness cultivation, which is the process of visualization. What you think in your mind is just a reflection of how you see the world, but it is not really the true world.
As the Diamond Sutra says, “As a dream, a bubble, a shadow, and a lightning flash, so should you perceive all of the world.”
Since we already know that the world is illusory, what should we do? We should become an interesting soul, and let our inner soul emit joyful voices, play well in this world, constantly cultivate our energy, and use the mundane world as our cultivation field.
In the process of cultivating our heart in the mundane world, we should not disappoint love and good food. We should not disappoint the good things in life and should enjoy the experiences and feelings that we can have in the mundane world.
What kind of frequency will you enter after enlightenment?
I often tell my classmates that one day when you become enlightened, you will enter a channel or frequency of love and joy. All the emotions, love, hatred, and worries will disappear. Sometimes you may even miss those worries, but they are nothing but luxuries. So how did they disappear? How come you feel like you are left with nothing but simple-mindedness, enjoying yourself constantly? You will feel that other people’s worries are interesting and fun.
Being a fun soul in this world, living with vibrant colors, doing happy things with your loved ones, and making others happy, will gradually elevate the energy field around you, manifesting more wealth, better physical health, and smooth emotional relationships, and thus living a happier life in this world.
In fact, this is what enlightenment is all about. You truly understand the essence of life, which is happiness, real beauty, and a state in which our lives return to the true nature. It is what the Buddha called “returning to the original nature.”
The process of consciousness awakening is just the beginning of the spiritual journey, and it is not the end of our life journey. It is just the start, even like going to primary school for spiritual cultivation. You will discover that the world has just opened up, and there are new and different ways of playing in this world. It is a process of consciousness upgrading.
The most wonderful thing in this world is actually the power of consciousness, including the elevation of spiritual power. This expansion of consciousness is what we call upgrading, and the most wonderful thing is to upgrade.
What is consciousness upgrading?
Many people ask me, “Teacher, what is consciousness upgrading?”
Consciousness upgrading is the process of constantly awakening in our entire consciousness space. The process of awakening is not our true level, climbing to what level, just like studying from high school to university, you think you have upgraded.
In our consciousness upgrading, it is not because you absorb more energy and upgrade to what level. In fact, there is no real upgrade in this world. We only use upgrading to express our expansion of consciousness, ability, and energy. The real upgrade actually does not exist, it depends on the depth of your awakening.
That is to say, when you are enlightened, you finally understand that this world is like a dream, all in a dreamlike state. We are just interpreting the balance of these past cause and effects in this world. Being able to awaken in consciousness is called enlightenment.
Therefore, the process of enlightenment, which is the upgrading process, is a deeper process that can make our consciousness return to the original light and the energy body of the original source. So you will feel a gradual improvement in your consciousness, which we call upgrading.
This upgrading actually does not really upgrade energy, not like smashing small monsters that will constantly upgrade. It is just that consciousness is getting deeper into the awakening of the original energy.
That is to say, taking back your original power, you know that at the beginning of life, even the energy comes from the original light. Who were you originally?
In fact, in the process of our initial enlightenment, we already knew who we were. When we knew who we were, it was actually the awakening of reincarnation that we humans say, which is the awakening puzzle that I talked about in my course on practical practice on the ground.
Through one puzzle, I know my other puzzles, the awakening of reincarnation. Knowing who I am is not enough when I know the human aspect of who I am.
This is just the beginning of enlightenment, but when I know who I am down the line, it actually has to be traced back to the process of upgrading.
That is to say, when we form an energy body, at that moment, when there is consciousness, awareness, and soul state, at that moment, who am I? What am I cultivating for?
Knowing the beginning and the end, I know where I come from and where I am going. This is such a simple question, but we humans have never understood it. We don’t know who we are, why we came this life, and what we will do in the future. Knowing the beginning and the end, after all, I know that I came from the moment of the soul body, and what kind of state of life am I?
Actually, this process is the upgrading process after enlightenment, not about supernatural powers, but about the expansion and improvement in the consciousness field. It is that I finally once again, deeply restored my true nature.
Four sentences from Teacher Wenxin for everyone
When I give lectures, I don’t use my brain at all. I just let the consciousness of the whole universe flow through me, and I say whatever comes to mind. I don’t know if my students can understand it or not. Even if they don’t, it doesn’t matter. As their consciousness expands, they will eventually be able to understand. But I want to emphasize that even if they don’t understand, there are a few things I want them to remember.
Firstly, the joy of the present moment is invaluable. No matter what state you’re in, just maintain a joyful heart. It really is worth a fortune. When you have a joyful energy, wealth will slowly come closer to you. I am the reincarnation of the God of Wealth, and I know exactly what he wants. Our ancestors used to say, “Be joyful and the God of Wealth will come to you.” You must have a joyful heart, and then the energy of wealth will come to you.
Because the God of Wealth is like a child. If you like me, I like you. If you don’t like me, then bye-bye. I’ll go play with someone else.
- So the first thing I want to say to everyone today is: always have a joyful heart. This is what's truly invaluable. - The second thing is to forgive yourself. When you stop judging and blaming yourself, and stop setting standards for yourself, your life will begin to flow smoothly and easily. You will truly become happier and happier. - The third thing I always say is: everything is okay. - And the fourth thing is: love yourself well. Love the vibrant and colorful world around you. This is what's truly important!
When you have a deep and sincere love, and love the world around you, your energy will naturally rise. Whether we’re talking about worldly matters or spiritual practice, as the Buddha said, “When you eat, just eat. When you sleep, just sleep.” What does this mean? It means to truly live in the present moment, and when you do things with a 100% loving and committed heart, that’s when you’ll truly awaken to the essence of life.
In the end, everyone can become a great master of enlightenment, because you’ll truly understand that the essence of life is love and joy. I wish everyone, whether in the mundane world or on a spiritual path, can attain the enlightenment of a great master by loving themselves well and living as a fun-loving spirit in this vibrant world!
