Meditation is from ancient time till now the path of practicing Taoist (道家) cultivation to bring oneself to the level of saint, sage and God. The ancients meditate everyday and they were praised as having good intellect and knowledge.

     One's whole life requires much cultivation, 3000 scores of outward deeds (三千外功) and 800 scores of inward growth (八百內果). Outward deeds are to do good works (行善), to do good deeds (積德), and to accumulate happiness by charitable deeds (積福). Inward growth includes doing good deeds without any thought of reward (積蔭德) and the practice of meditation and cultivation (修煉打坐) to promote one's positive or Yang (陽) Chi (氣).

*Note: Doing good deeds without any thought of reward is doing work on the level of Heaven's Heart (因不住因自無果). Doing good deeds with the expectation of reward is doing work on the level of Human's Heart (因住因自有果).

     Distinguishing what is real from what is not

     Why do we need meditation, practice and cultivation? It is because our human life span is limited to around 100 years. Our life here on Earth is a large examination. It is a test for us to distinguish what is real from what is not. This test is not simple, but also not very difficult. Most people in their whole lives spend their time pursuing money and fame. They think this is real. But once their life ends, they can't bring a single penny, properties/possessions, and fame to the next world. So these material possessions are not real.

     One feels that one's human body is also real, but it is actually both real and not real together. It is actually assembled from: the five elements (五行), negative/Ying (陰) and positive/Yang (陽) Chi (氣), and the Essence (精), Chi (氣), and Spirit (神). Once one's life ends, the five elements, Ying/Yang Chi, Essence and Chi scatters and are not real. Only the soul is real because it forever is life. (*Note: A soul that has entered the human body is called a spirit. A soul that has left the body is called a soul.)

     So what is real? Real are the good deeds and bad sins that people carry with them to the next world. Actually this is your real score on your examination. One's examination is all recorded by: Heavenly Heart Mirror (天心鏡), Hell Heart Mirror (地心鏡), Human Heart Mirror (人心鏡), and the Conscience Heart Mirror (良心鏡). These mirrors act as the basis and evidence to record one's merits or demerits for one's judgement/punishment or reward/promotion. These punishments and rewards also carries to one's next reincarnation. So no one can evade this process of Heaven's Law. So once again, this is real.

     Promoting one's body, heart, and soul

     Most people who initiate into a religion always wish to learn good and become a better person. This is a very good first step. However, most people only remain in the stage of belief/unbelief (相信/不相信) and prayer (禱告), but not really changing and rebuilding their body (身), heart (心), and soul (靈). So they still fail in their religious attempt, because people are selfish (自私) and arrogant (自我膨脹). So everytime in the cycle of reincarnation (輪迴循環), they are not promoting themselves (提昇), but still drown in sin (沉淪). This is important and is the reason why people who initiate into a religion still make mistakes after mistakes (一錯再錯). If one comes down to Earth and isn't promoting and rebuilding oneself, then what is the purpose of making this trip to the human world (來人間一趟所為何)? It is important that people search for wisdom and intellect to promote oneself, and not only be like a robot seeking material pleasure (吃喝玩樂機器人).

     Purple & Golden Star

     On April 12, 2005, Jesus Sage (耶穌聖人) descended from Heaven to the Holy Heart Temple (崇心堂) in Taiwan (www.holyheart.com.tw). Jesus said that in Heaven's Big Universe (大宇宙天界), there is one star that has existed for many billion years (數拾億年的光陰). This star is very illuminating and beautiful, and emits a purple and gold colored radiance (能發出紫金色的光芒). It is a star where one can enjoy a life of leisure without restraint (能逍遙). The technology of this star is a thousand or hundred times more advanced and civilized (科技相當文明) than Earth's. If those in the human world want to promote themselves to this star, they must be qualified as being unbiased (公平), impartial (公正), and unselfish (無私) in the equality of all religious believers (平等宗教信仰者). As well as, having good fortune and morality (福德), wisdom and intelligence (智慧), mercy and compassion (慈悲), universal love (博愛), purity (清真), and to not have to be governed and educated by others, but instead can govern and educate oneself on the right path (無為). One must have all of these qualities to have the energy body to live on this star.

     Xuan Yuan Yellow Emperor

     China has 5000 years of written history, while its unwritten history goes back in time many many years into the distant past. In China's first empire, the Yellow Emperor named Xuan Yuan (軒轅), regarded as the first great ruler of China, had 72 masters and teachers. The emperor's last teacher was the 13 years old Guang Cheng Zi Sage Teacher (廣成子仙師). One time the Older Emperor Student asked the Young Sage Teacher, "What is life's main path (compass of life) 人生大道?" The Sage Teacher answers, "Don't shake and lose your essence, don't move your temper and mood, only you and only your essence, only your essence and only one (勿搖爾精﹐勿動爾形﹐唯爾唯精﹐唯精唯一)". One stands for that essence is the foundation and the one basic path of meditation and cultivation. There are two kinds of essence. One is Ying Essence (陰精) and the other is Yang Essence (陽精). Ying Essence has quality; it creates human life (陰精有質﹐下放生人). Yang Essence has no specific trace or form; it creates Sage and Buddha (陽精無形﹐上行成仙). Yang Essence is created from the cultivation of Ying Essence. It is just like heating cold water (Ying) to become hot water (Yang) to create steam (Sage, Buddha, God).

     Alexander the Great

     Alexander the Great once paid a visit to the poor Greek philosopher Diogenes (who hated worldly possessions and lived in a barrel). Alexander had tried to invite the great philosopher, but the philosopher rejected his invitation. So Alexander the Great personally visited Diogenes to listen to his wise words to see if there is any benefit for himself. But as the king approach the philosopher, and asked if there was anything he could do for him, Diogenes replied, "You can stop blocking my sunlight". This shows that whatever great are your fame and riches; you are still not greater than the natural world.

     Ying and Yang

     There is a saying that says, "For human beings who don't believe in Ying and Yang, one's ten thousand lifetime is poor (不信陰陽萬世窮)". They will be poor in body, material and spiritual. Yang and Ying is just like God/ghost, morality/sin, truth/fake, heaven/hell, sun/moon, male/female, light/dark, yes/no, good/bad, hot/cold, white/black, positive/negative, etc.

     For animals and plants they can't truly cultivate. For some who do cultivate, they practiced Ying cultivation for a long time. This kind of cultivation is not real and it leads them to always be fighting one another. Plants and animals who practice Ying cultivation (i.e. mostly in thousand year trees, foxes and snakes), they can temporarily become human form (mostly during nighttimes) to deceive people, but in actuality they are still in animal/plant forms.

     For hungry ghosts in hell, they are in this form because they are being punished, and they can't cultivate.

     Only human beings living in the Ying Yang World, who have Ying Yang body, knowledge, willingness to learn, morality, wanting to promote oneself, heart of love, etc... will know to cultivate.

     Meditation, Practice & Cultivation

     The first step is to have belief in religion and be faithful in prayer. To enter the second step is through meditation, practice, and cultivation. There are two forms of meditation. The first is called before Sky meditation (先天打坐), and the second is called after Sky meditation (後天打坐).

     Before Sky meditation is the placement of both palms on the knees, whether one is sitting or lying down. This kind of meditation can be done anytime and anyplace (i.e. on the bus or train, or during your free time). It is convenient, easy and can keep long without being tired, because the hands belong to fire (always hot) and knees belong to water (always cool). Just like a small fire cooking cold water, as time passes, the temperature increases little by little. Practicing before Sky meditation will increase and strengthen the energy and heat in one's body (basic cultivation time: 100 days to build the foundation, next is 10 months to create a shapeless Sage fetus, then continue for 3 years to be Tao successful, but after this, like God, Buddha and Sage, they still continue to learn and cultivate with no limit to promote themselves). This meditation might be a little slow and takes time, but it is the best, because it gives more freedom and less restrictions (i.e. just like a fetus in the mother's uterus, it looks like the fetus is restricted in a small space and suffering, but it is actually in the water and can move freely, and the natural world is creating life and it is growing up).

     After Sky meditation is more well known. It is the crossing of both legs and both hands, sitting in a straight and upright posture. This form of meditation has restrictions, control, is more uncomfortable, and can't sit down too long (i.e. numbness can happen in parts of the body after sitting for over half an hour. Numbness is not good, and if numbness happens, one should relax, massage and move around to let the blood circulate, otherwise one will have more problems). These are the shortcomings and deficiencies of after Sky meditation, but it is much quicker to increase and strengthen the energy and heat in the body, because it uses the five element energy of the whole body for cultivation.

     Meditation is not the only path towards spiritual cultivation. So this is why Buddha once said that sometimes one sits down in meditation for one's whole life and one still have no progress, no success, and no worth. This is because it depends on many reasons. We can't rely and depend only on meditation, since we still need the promotion of 3000 scores of outward deeds, 800 scores of inward growth, etc., but meditation is a neccessary path in spiritual cultivation.

     Both forms of meditation have its good and its not good. So we can exchange and choose to use each form of meditation to fit each of our individual needs and lifestyle.

     Best and Right Times for Meditation

     Pure Wind Old Buddha (清風古佛) once said that there are four best and right times for meditation. They are 11pm to 1am, 5am to 7am, 11am to 1pm, and 5pm to 7pm.

1. 11pm to 1am is called "Three Pure Meditation" (三清坐).
   This is the time when the Sky opens and the Sky, Earth, and people are all pure and clean.

2. 5am to 7am is called "Long Life Meditation" (長生坐).
   This is the time when the negative/Ying energy can't control the positive/Yang energy. So the Yang energy is thriving and flourishing.

3. 11am to 1pm is called "Enlightenment Understanding Meditation" (圓明坐).
   This is the time when enlightenment is understanding; and understanding, the sun, time, and heart are all at the center.

4. 5pm to 7pm is called "Gold Essence Meditation" (金剛坐).
   This is the time when all things have grown, mature, and ripen. The essence is strong, full of energy, and is like gold light.

     Meditation and Cultivation Practice

     Meditation practice for human beings is not very easy. Most people who sit down for few minutes will feel uncomfortable, because their body itches, numb, aches, feel sleepy, and their mind wanders in thoughts, and it feels like lots of stress and suffering. So most people can't continue to meditate and give up the path to spiritual cultivation. This is a pity and most regretful. Instead you should continue to try to cultivate and learn more about meditation and wisdom to help you follow the right path and way to cultivation. This is because meditation and cultivation is like digging a well. In the beginning, there are many small and large rocks and sand that block your path. This is just like the pain, suffering, uncomfortable feelings, and the wandering thoughts that block your path to spiritual cultivation. But if you continue to dig, eventually you will find water, and from the reflection of the water you will be able to see your original self (e.g. the registered Tian De Religion member, William, revealed his original self as a golden fire phoenix during his registration [先天本來面目金色火鳳凰], view photo).

     Basic meditation and cultivation is the accumulation of essence to transform into energy (Chi), and then Chi transforms into spirit. Once you reach the spirit level you will have spiritual feeling and the sixth sense, and you will also have Spiritual Light (*Note: The essence area is from the feet to the belly button. The Chi area is from the belly button to the neck. The spirit area is from the neck to the top of the head).

     As you get better in meditation, your positive/Yang energy will increase and strengthen, and your negative/Ying energy will slowly go away. So your whole body will be full of positive/Yang energy like the sunlight, and your body will have less sickness.

     The left eye belongs to the Yang (Sun), and the right eye belongs to the Ying (Moon). When Ying (Moon) and Yang (Sun) comes together, it becomes Ying Yang Light. Although your eyes are closed, when the Ying Yang Light combines with the Spiritual Light it will illuminate and you will be able to view a screen of the true soul world, and you will more understand, go over, and surpass. Everybody who spends the time and patience in cultivation can all arrive at this level.

     During meditation when the Chi energy rises, let it naturally rise (don't forget you are meditating and don't help to raise the Chi energy 勿忘勿助). The Chinese character for meditation is 坐. The bottom sub-character means the earth (土). The top sub-characters are made up of two characters (人), which means people. One person represents the soul, and the other represents the body. So meditation is just like one real person (original soul) and one fake person (body) at the same time sitting down on the earth being clean and calm. At this time your breathing is made up of mutual exchange of [Earth's air/body's Chi/after Sky's Chi] and [outside Space's air/soul's Chi/before Sky's Chi/far far away Chi] to promote body's Chi to near God's Chi and human being level to God level. To become Sage, God, Buddha is not easy, but do your best in your whole life to follow the cultivation way and to become a cultivation person. It doesn't matter what is your religion, if you are a disciple, just don't forget your life's goal and remember to follow the footsteps of your founder.

     All of this is real and truth and can be kept forever, which is better than spending your whole life gaining riches and fame, because your lifetime is limited, and in the end you can't bring with you any of your material riches. Riches looks like it's real, but it is actually unreal and illusory. And cultivation looks like it is illusory, but it is the most real and true. It will let you promote to higher levels in the Sky Heavenly World.

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*Author's Note: Around 26 years old, I started the cultivation way. After reading many books and accumulating knowledge for many years, I've gathered together some knowledge in these works to let people have a basic understanding of the path towards the way of cultivation. Spiritual cultivation knowledge is difficult to find and read about. So we hope these works will provide an easy to understand and direct way for people to find life's main path.