How to live a good life

 

Most people would say that they want to live a good life, but what does that mean? Imagine a world where all people have what they need, live in harmony with the natural world and are free to create beauty and wonder from our divine intelligence. This amazing Earth we inhabit certainly can support that reality, even though if we look around, it isn’t what we see today. So, how to live a good life and truly make a difference in this world? Join me in exploring the beautiful REN XUE pathway.

What are the treasures in your life

I think that a good life is aligned with this reality and with shared human interests. The true interests shared by all people are to be healthy, happy, have a genuine sense of well-being, grow, and contribute in a meaningful way to others. This is called the ‘Five Treasures of Life’ in Ren Xue, and it is what we aspire to cultivate as Ren Xue students and practitioners. I really believe the life and true civilization I’m describing here is what almost every person would say they want, but I also know that most people would not believe it is possible. 

But why? Why is it when we can all agree that this is the world and human destiny we desire, and when we have a planet that can support it, and when we have intelligence that can enable it - why is it that what we have seems so far from this reality and seems so impossible to achieve?

How to live a good life - transform your unhealthy patterns

In Ren Xue teachings, the barrier is identified as unhealthy patterns of thinking or consciousness. These patterns are based in fear and begin as sensible reactions to situations we face as children as a means of survival.

I’m referring to patterns like:

  • greediness
  • polarized thinking
  • overgeneralization
  • unfounded suspicions
  • negativity
  • self-centeredness
  • stubbornness
  • competitiveness

These patterns and the reactions they create are meant to serve survival by ensuring that we have what we need and are safe in the face of a hostile world. When we come from an expectation of a hostile world, instead of the abundant, intelligent, connected world we actually live in, we act from fear and behave the way we so often see people behave in the world today.

How to create a good life in peace and harmony

There is a way out, and it begins with each of us. The truth of the matter is that we are on an intelligent, living planet, full of abundance. We are intelligent, loving beings, full of good intention and desire for peace and loving existence. We can replace the fearful, unhealthy patterns of our consciousness with some recognition and effort, and by connecting to our hearts. We are all capable of this and our future depends on it.

Human minds work according to patterns. It is how we manage in a complex world to understand, build, and grow. Patterns are not bad, and they are even necessary for us to function, but patterns are unhealthy when they originate from fear and there is no actual threat to survival. They become bad habits and if they aren’t replaced with good habits, they continue to create damage and destruction.

First, we have to recognize them, and we have to clearly see the ignorance they perpetuate and the truth they cover up. Let’s consider an example. In the part of the world I live in, nearly everyone is affected by patterns of greediness and self-centeredness that have us over-consume almost everything. The over-consumption pattern ignores the truth that we don’t actually need all of the things that we buy. We don’t need a new mobile phone every 2 years, a new car every 4 years, a bigger house, and more clothes and shoes when our closets and drawers are overflowing. It ignores that producing all of the things we buy and throw away destroys the natural environment and exploits animals and human beings that are damaged in the production of those things. 

This pattern avoids the truth that we are all connected - humans, animals, the natural resources of the planet. If we ignore that truth and pretend that we can keep producing and buying things we don’t even need without consequence, it leads to large-scale damage and destruction, and great suffering of people and nature.

How to make a difference in the world

The underlying patterns of greediness and self-centeredness can only continue in ignorance, so one thing we can do is stop and look at what we are doing, and the truth that we ignore. We can look at the impact and the damage and suffering our actions create, not with shame and guilt or blame, but with true understanding and compassion, and resolve to act differently from now on. We can replace the patterns of greediness and self-centeredness with patterns of love, compassion, and kindness. We can replace the patterns based in fear of not having enough or as much as someone else with patterns based on unconditional trust that we don’t have to over-consume to have what we need to thrive in the world. We can trust that everything we need will be provided without hoarding and ignoring the suffering we create in the process.

How to live a good life by establishing new, healthy patterns

This is just one obvious and clear example of how unhealthy patterns prevent living a good life. Many others obstruct the truth and damage and destroy life in ignorance. But we do have the power to change them. Recognizing and replacing unhealthy patterns in ourselves is the beginning. To do this we connect with our heart so we can see clearly, and then act on the truth  revealed. This starts something that grows - it serves as an example and inspiration. It touches others and encourages them to do the same. You can help to grow this upward spiral of realization and enlightenment - it is done bit by bit, one moment at a time, one pattern at a time, one choice at a time, one action at a time. And the benefits to yourself come immediately - your life gets better and better because it is lived more and more from the heart - from trust, love, openness, gratitude, and true respect. A life lived from truth instead of fear. A life lived with integrity and connection to reality.

Transforming unhealthy patterns with Yuan Qigong

You can learn more about how to recognize and replace unhealthy patterns and cultivate a good life for yourself and a better world in the Ren Xue teachings. Ling Yuan - Changing Patterns is an advanced and very effective Qigong method to connect to your true heart and true self and identify and change unhealthy patterns which are blocking you from living the good life you actually want to live.

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About The Author

Portrait drawing of Janel Brandon

Janel Brandon

Australia
Since I was a young child when I would lie in bed at night trying to feel where 'I' end and 'everything else' begins, I've been curious about what this life and world is all about. I've been a truth seeker for as long as I can remember, and I long to feel connected with this planet and all the beings that live here. I discovered Yuan Tze and Ren Xue in 2022, and ever since I've felt certain that this is a powerful vehicle for positive and natural growth, one that can help us learn to work together in harmony with the laws of life and make this world a place that feels like home to all of us.

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