The ability to maintain a relaxed, calm and natural state is worth all the effort to nurture. Think about how impactful the state is on what thoughts we have, what we do and how we do everything. This special state we have been working on is too important because it is the baseline if we want to live in a way that benefits ourselves and others and does no harm. In this state, our Qi and body are nourished. We are able to see things more clearly and more positively. We are more likely to relate to and interact with others in a harmonious way. We can experience true joy. This state is also the foundation for true growth, namely the development of realization and wisdom. In other words, if we want any of these to happen, the effort to cultivate this state cannot be spared.
The first step of cultivating the relaxed, calm and natural state is to look inward so we can become aware of the state we are in. As simple as it may sound, it is not easy to apply because focusing on the outer world is a deeply-entrenched habit–we turn our focus to anything but our inner state. The good news is: practice does make perfect. Eventually the awareness will become constant. Even when we need to attend to the external, this awareness will remain. The purpose of the constant awareness is to spot the change of our state. For most people who do not work specifically on their state, their state changes in reaction to the ever-changing inner and outer environment. However, awareness is a mechanism that helps us notice unhealthy changes as soon as the relaxed, calm and natural state is lost. This will give us the opportunity to make adjustment to our state without prolonging it. Losing this state is losing yourself and does not serve your life whatsoever. It is a form of self-damage. On this Full Moon day, I would like you to go deep into your heart and ask one question: “Is there anything in the world that is worth losing my good state and damaging myself?” or, when you lose the good state, “Should I allow this to take joy away from me?’ I hope you will not stop asking these questions until you truly see the answer with your heart.
If you would like to learn more from Yuan Tze about the calm, relaxed and natural state check out our Learn REN XUE website for the Replay of his six-part online Be the Master of Your State workshop series run in 2020.
