The First Practice for Pursuing the Truth: Letting Go

Letting Go of the Barriers Between Oneself and God and One’s Hostility Toward God

I. Letting Go of One’s Notions and Imaginings About God: Letting Go of One’s Notions and Imaginings About God’s Work

F. God’s Work Does Not Change People’s Innate Conditions; It Aims to Change Their Corrupt Dispositions

At the last gathering, we continued to fellowship about the topic of “how to pursue the truth.” What was the main content of the fellowship? We fellowshipped about the differences between people’s innate conditions and their corrupt dispositions, and we specifically fellowshipped on these two aspects as well. Through the fellowship, do you have a certain understanding of the work God intends to do and which aspects of people God wants to change in saving people? (Yes. Through God’s last fellowship, I understood that what God intends to change with His work is people’s corrupt dispositions.) In saving people, God intends to rid them of their corrupt dispositions; He doesn’t intend to change their innate conditions, right? (Right.) God expresses the truth and supplies people with the truth, and uses various methods of work—all this is aimed at people’s corrupt dispositions. Through His work, God enables people to cast off the dispositions that they rely on for survival, which have been corrupted by Satan. In this way, God’s words and the truth are worked into people, becoming their life. This is the ultimate result that God’s work aims to achieve. What did you grasp from the fellowship on this aspect? What content left the deepest impression on you? Think about it for a moment. (God’s last fellowship helped me correct a fallacious view I had. In the past, I thought that God would change people’s inherent caliber, abilities, and personality, but through God’s fellowship, I understood that God does not perform supernatural work. God’s work is to change people’s corrupt dispositions and their various fallacious thoughts and viewpoints, which are things of Satan. By practicing God’s words, people’s normal humanity is restored, and their conscience and reason become increasingly normal. At the same time, I also understood the importance of pursuing the truth. Only by pursuing the truth and practicing the truth can our corrupt dispositions be resolved; when God’s words become our life, we achieve being saved by God. These two aspects of God’s fellowship left a relatively deep impression on me.) The content of the last fellowship involved a truth related to visions; it involved some specific aspects of God’s work, the objects of God’s work, and the results it aims to achieve. Based on the content that was fellowshipped, some specific questions arose. These questions include which manifestations in daily life are considered one’s innate conditions, which manifestations reflect one’s character or their humanity essence—that is, what we commonly refer to as some manifestations of whether a person’s humanity is good or bad—and which manifestations are revelations of corrupt dispositions. These are specific questions, yes? Although when we previously fellowshipped on this topic we provided some examples, they were not very targeted or specific. Today, we will specifically fellowship on this issue to distinguish between the manifestations people reveal that are innate conditions, those that pertain to their character, and those that fall into the category of corrupt dispositions, distinguishing the specific manifestations of these three aspects. In this way, it will be clearer how people should correlate the myriad issues they encounter in their daily lives with these three aspects based on God’s words and the truth. This includes which of people’s revelations are innate aspects of normal humanity that do not need to be dealt with or restrained; which aspects are revelations of problems with people’s humanity, and how they should change and correct these, or resolve them through seeking the truth; and which manifestations fall into the category of corrupt dispositions, and how people should come to understand the essence of these dispositions and resolve and cast them off through accepting and practicing the truth. These all have specific manifestations, and of course, there are specific paths of practice involved. According to people’s different manifestations, we will fellowship on the principles and paths of practice so that people can understand how to face and resolve these issues, and so people can have more concrete attitudes and paths of practice for various problems. Does fellowshipping in this way sound good? (Yes.)

4. What Innate Conditions Are

We have fellowshipped twice before on the three issues of innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions. Although we did not specifically explain which of these three issues people’s manifestations and revelations belong to in a targeted way, we did provide some examples when fellowshipping on each issue. In previous fellowships, when touching upon these three issues, we also fellowshipped on the essence of these issues or the paths and principles of practice involved. Now, regarding the three issues I just mentioned, I want everyone to first discuss what innate conditions refer to. You all can roughly fellowship on this to get a basic concept first. (God, do innate conditions refer to a person’s caliber, abilities, innate personality, and instincts?) We have fellowshipped on this content before, so you should all be familiar with it. Are there more? Are strengths and appearance considered innate conditions? (Yes.) What about one’s family background? (Yes, this too.) And lifestyle routines and habits, right? Anything else? (Also interests and hobbies.) There is a bit of a difference between interests and hobbies and strengths. Adding interests and hobbies introduces more specifics. Let’s list them in order: First is family background. Second is appearance. Third is personality. Fourth is instincts. Fifth is caliber. Sixth is strengths. Seventh is interests and hobbies. Eighth is abilities. And then lifestyle habits and lifestyle routines. These last two are similar but have some specific differences. These add up to a total of ten. Go ahead and read them out. (One: family background. Two: appearance. Three: personality. Four: instincts. Five: caliber. Six: strengths. Seven: interests and hobbies. Eight: abilities. Nine: lifestyle habits. Ten: lifestyle routines.) These are all innate conditions of people. Shouldn’t we also specifically fellowship about innate conditions? Without fellowshipping, can you make the proper differentiations on your own? (No.) In what situations can’t you make the differentiations? (Sometimes when we see certain manifestations in someone, we can’t tell if they are reflecting that person’s personality or instincts, or if they are revelations of corrupt dispositions.) (Also, lifestyle habits and lifestyle routines—I used to think these were formed based on acquired living conditions and background; I didn’t realize they could be innate conditions.) You see, when we break down some detailed and specific content within one major theme, on the surface, it seems like you know these specifics, but in real life, you get them a bit mixed up; you still aren’t very clear on how to distinguish them, right? (Right.) We still need to do some specific fellowshipping on this issue.

5. The Difference and Relationship Between Innate Conditions, Humanity, and Corrupt Dispositions

Regarding the three aspects we just mentioned—innate conditions, humanity, and corrupt dispositions—let’s list some specific contents for innate conditions and fellowship on them in detail one by one. For humanity and corrupt dispositions, we won’t list them out. While fellowshipping on the specific contents and manifestations of innate conditions, we will also touch upon some manifestations of humanity and the revelations of corrupt dispositions. When we fellowship on these, you can distinguish and differentiate whether they belong to innate conditions, which do not need to be changed, or if they belong to problems with people’s character or their corrupt dispositions, which need to be resolved through seeking the truth. By engaging in specific fellowship using specific examples and issues, the distinctions will become clearer, right? (Yes.)

Example 1: Growing Up Poor and Growing Up Rich

Some people come from poor families and are economically disadvantaged. They live in narrow circumstances; they’re always hard up and have to calculate and plan every expense. Their approach when it comes to spending money is to stretch every penny as far as it can go. They were born into such families and under such conditions. Which of the three aspects we fellowshipped on does this fall under? Is it an innate condition, humanity, or a corrupt disposition? This is an aspect of their family background, which is an innate condition, right? (Yes.) Is this family background good or bad? (From a human perspective, it’s bad.) They struggle to get by, their families are impoverished, their economic conditions are not affluent or well-off—these are issues related to their family background. Although this type of person was born into a poor family, has never dined on caviar, never worn brand-name clothing, never got to experience various luxuries, and never been in contact with anything high-end or any wealthy individuals or famous people, they possess conscience and reason. When interacting with others, they never take advantage. When they see someone enjoying good things or they see someone wealthy, although they feel envy, they never think of stealing or seizing others’ possessions. Which aspect does this type of person’s revelation pertain to? (Their character, their humanity.) It pertains to their humanity. Is the manifestation of their humanity in this aspect good or bad? (Their humanity is good and upright.) This cannot yet be deemed upright; it just means they don’t take advantage of small benefits and do not flatter the rich. They are able to treat such matters correctly. How is the humanity of this type of person? (Their humanity is relatively good.) This is an objective statement; their humanity is relatively good, meaning in terms of their character, they relatively have integrity and dignity. Although their family background is poor and not noble, they do not despise the poor and favor the rich, nor do they take advantage of others. There is another type of person: They were born into a wealthy family, or as nonbelievers would say, “born with a silver spoon in their mouth.” They have never had to worry about food or clothing, and everything is readily available for them; whatever food they want to eat is at hand. Their family conditions are particularly good, and their parents treat them very well. Which aspect does this pertain to? (This also pertains to their family background.) One’s family background is an innate condition. Although this type of person has a particularly good family background, with good economic conditions and no worries about food or clothing, and has seen good things and experienced what the world has to offer, when interacting with others, if they see someone who is better and more capable than themselves, or who notably excels in some area, or who has prestige among people, they feel jealous and rack their brains for ways to belittle them. Which aspect do these manifestations pertain to? (I think they pertain to both corrupt dispositions and humanity.) That’s right. These manifestations pertain to both their humanity and their corrupt dispositions. When this type of person sees someone better than themselves, they feel jealous, hateful, and want to suppress, torment, and exclude them; they want to surpass them. If they only have these thoughts but do not act on them, they are a person with bad humanity—is their humanity evil? (Yes.) If, based on this evil humanity, they feel defiant when they see someone better than themselves, pass judgment on them behind their back, and even engage in shady maneuvers to suppress them, these are specific manifestations of a corrupt disposition. What is the essence of this corrupt disposition? It is viciousness. These manifestations pertain to both humanity and a corrupt disposition. Even though this type of person’s family conditions are good and they dine and dress well, and you might expect them to be possessed of insight and tolerant of others, when interacting with people, they always want to take advantage of them and are always overly calculative. When they go out somewhere with others, they nitpick over who spent more money and who paid for the travel expenses, being unwilling to spend even an extra penny. When working with others, they always calculate who did more and who did less, and they are always thinking of ways to slack off. Which aspect does this pertain to? (It pertains to their humanity.) Which aspect of humanity? (Selfishness and baseness.) Selfishness and baseness, loving to take advantage of others, lacking integrity and dignity—this pertains to their character. When interacting with people, they are calculative and love to take advantage of others, even if the advantage to be gained is only a penny, and they look for every opportunity to gain an advantage. Regardless of whether it is from a public or private source, or whether from young or old people, they take advantage of everyone. No matter who it is, they don’t hold back, and they take advantage whenever the opportunity arises. They are especially exacting and calculative in their interactions with others. For example, last time you asked them for a favor, and now they feel you owe them. They will go out of their way to make you return the favor, and it has to be an even bigger favor than the one they did for you; only then do they feel it is a fair deal. Isn’t this being overly calculative? (Yes.) This is being overly calculative, particularly exacting with others, and very scheming. Even though they lack nothing in terms of food and clothing, and enjoy a better life in all aspects compared to others, whenever they see someone with something they haven’t seen before, they want to use it for a bit and try it out. They feel the need to have whatever others have. If they don’t have it, they feel uncomfortable and unbalanced in their heart, to the point of losing their appetite and being unable to sleep; only when they possess it themselves do they feel satisfied. What kind of issue is this? (This is still an issue of humanity.) These specific manifestations are issues of their humanity, not their innate conditions. Innate conditions only refer to their family background and the family circumstances they can enjoy, whereas their ways of conducting themselves and dealing with things pertain to their humanity. Their revelations and manifestations, such as their attitudes, methods, and motivations for the way they conduct themselves and deal with things, pertain to the issue of their character; it does not yet rise to the level of corrupt dispositions. They are selfish, exacting, overly calculative, scheming, and love to take advantage of others—are these manifestations of good or bad humanity? (These are manifestations of bad humanity.) All of these are manifestations of low character and bad humanity. Are these manifestations of bad humanity visible and perceptible to others? (Yes.)

Example 2: Good Looks and High Academic Qualifications

Some people have well-defined facial features and were born with large, bright, and intelligent eyes that look animated and expressive. Since childhood, they have been quite likable. Which aspect does this fall under? (This pertains to their appearance.) Appearance belongs to innate conditions, right? (Yes.) Having large eyes and well-defined facial features, innately possessing the advantage of good looks—is this an aspect of corrupt dispositions? (No.) Does it pertain to issues of humanity? (No, it doesn’t.) It doesn’t pertain to humanity or corrupt dispositions, so nothing needs to be changed. Innate conditions are inborn; they were born with this appearance, and didn’t undergo any artificial enhancement or alteration. This is just how they are. Although they are naturally good-looking, they are always muddled when dealing with complex issues in daily life and don’t know how to handle them. They also lack discernment regarding people, events, and things. They are unclear about whom they can associate with and whom they should avoid. They don’t know who is evil and which associations might bring trouble. At twenty-some-odd years old, they don’t know these things, and even by thirty or forty, despite having some life experience, they still don’t know. Although they have big, expressive eyes, their mind is quite muddled. What kind of problem is this? (Is this a problem with their innate caliber?) Their innate caliber is not very good. They can never find the principles when interacting with others and dealing with things, and they cannot see through various types of people. They are often cheated, swindled, and toyed with by others. How is the caliber of this type of person? (Their caliber is relatively poor.) Their caliber is not good. Having expressive eyes doesn’t necessarily mean having a wise mind. Although in terms of their innate condition, they have good looks, their caliber is not great. However, there is one thing: During their school years, they excelled at acquiring textbook knowledge; they could memorize literature quickly and when learning math, physics, and chemistry, or a new language, they grasped the subject quickly. They smoothly got into university, pursued a master’s degree, and obtained a Ph.D. What should this fall under? Can it fall under their good caliber? (No.) So, what does it fall under? (It falls under their strengths, which are their innate condition.) That’s accurate. This type of person excels at studying, picking up knowledge, and academic subjects. They quickly grasp textbook knowledge and things that are theoretical and based on regulations, such as aspects related to professional skills and technology or formulas and regulations for math, physics, and chemistry, and remember them very well. This type of person excels at learning these things and has a particular knack for them. They can understand them at a glance, and they especially excel at exams and answering questions; when it comes to answering questions, they do so with ease—this is where they can best bring their strong points into play. You could say that this type of person is at ease in the sea of knowledge. Do these manifestations represent their caliber? (No.) They only represent that they have a particular strength. This type of person shows particularly excellent performance in the field of knowledge, letting people see that their strength in this area stands out. Because they have this strength, and because they have achieved certain accomplishments—earning a master’s and a doctorate degree, and obtaining a high level of education—among other people, they see themselves as knowledgeable individuals, scholars, and high-level intellectuals. The more books they read, the more they feel that they are a renowned individual, a superior person, and that everyone else is ordinary, without knowledge, unable to understand their mind or see through it, and not on the same level as them. As a result, they often feel superior to others and consider themselves exceptional and extraordinary. What manifestation is this? (A corrupt disposition.) Which aspect of corrupt dispositions? (Arrogance.) Their arrogant corrupt disposition leads them to look down on the masses and people from all walks of life even more after gaining a high level of education. Because of their high degree and diploma, after believing in God, they always want to have the final say in the church and aspire to be a leader. Every time there is an election, they hope to be elected. If they are not elected, they become negative and give themselves up as hopeless. Whatever the leaders and workers say, they do not want to listen to it and want to resist it. No matter what duty is assigned to them, they feel repulsed by this assignment and make judgments behind the scenes. In their heart, they think, “You don’t have much knowledge. Your words lack logic. In my heart of hearts I look down on you as a church leader. I refuse to capitulate to you! Don’t think you are better than me. Let’s compare—let’s see who’s got what it takes. Let’s see who can recite more of God’s words and who can share a greater understanding. If your fellowship isn’t as good as mine, I refuse to capitulate to you! Even though you were elected as a leader, I don’t need to listen to, implement, or obey everything you ask of me!” What manifestation is this? (A corrupt disposition.) This is a specific revelation of a corrupt disposition. Does this pertain to humanity? Because this type of person has a natural strength and, based on this foundation, studies extensively, acquires much knowledge, and gains social status, they feel superior to others, unique, and want to speak from a position above everyone else and act domineeringly; among people they always want to be the one who leads, to have others listen to them—does this type of person have a problem with their conscience and reason? (Yes, they do.) What kind of problem is this? Their strength made it very easy for them to attain a high level of education through studying. Is this strength itself a problem? Is the strength itself an aspect of corrupt dispositions? Is it a manifestation of bad humanity? (No.) However, because they have this strength, they acquired a lot of knowledge and attained a high level of education, aligning with society’s assessment and definition for status. This led them to believe that they should have the final say in the church, be an elite among any group of people, and be above everyone else. Does such humanity have any reason? Is such humanity good? (Their humanity is not good.) In what ways is their humanity not good? (They lack reason and conscience; they always want to be above others.) Always wanting to be above others is partly due to a corrupt disposition. In another sense, from the perspective of humanity, isn’t this somewhat shameless? (Yes.) God’s house is not society. Does God’s house compare academic qualifications when electing leaders? (No.) What does God’s house base the election of leaders on? It’s based on the truth principles, isn’t it? (Yes.) In God’s house, the election of leaders is based on the truth principles, not on who has higher academic qualifications. Do they know the principles for electing leaders? They do, but they treat these principles as mere bureaucratic statements and as mere theories, and don’t know how to practice or apply them in daily life. They constantly spread the idea that only those with high academic qualifications have good caliber, can understand the truth, and can lead others. Because they have high academic qualifications, some knowledge, and social status, thinking that God’s house operates the same way as society, they use their knowledge and high academic qualifications as capital to try to have the final say in God’s house. They want to replace the principles for electing leaders in God’s house with their own ways of viewing people and dealing with things and their own approaches, perspectives, and viewpoints on social standing and status. Isn’t this lacking in reason? (Yes.) What is another way to describe lacking reason? (Being shameless.) In plain terms, it’s shamelessness; another way to say it is that this type of person has very poor rationality. You see, although they have received so-called higher education and have read many books, none of those books or any teacher or educator has ever taught them how to act so as to have reason. After learning many things from books, they instead feel that they have gained capital and are superior to ordinary people. Although their strength is not a negative thing and is an innate condition, this strength can easily lead to a certain consequence—it causes them to become arrogant and conceited, lose their reason, and become audaciously brazen and shameless. Despite having read many books and picked up a lot of knowledge, they don’t understand the meaning of the word “shame.” Therefore, after gaining some academic qualifications, they use this as capital to show off everywhere, and they want to use it to gain status in God’s house and have the final say. They think, “I have high academic qualifications and I learn things quickly, which means I have good caliber. What’s more, I am deeply knowledgeable, I have seen much of the world, and I’m quick-witted, so I am qualified to lead others.” The implication is that their knowledge and strengths are the truth. All of these are manifestations of a lack of reason. Does this kind of person, who lacks reason, have integrity? Do they have dignity? (No.) Lacking integrity and dignity—is this a manifestation of good humanity or of despicable, base humanity? (It is a manifestation of despicable humanity.) Such people do not have good humanity. What they cherish the most are their academic qualifications, social status, personal worth, and standing. With these as their capital, they are extremely arrogant and conceited, and want to have the final say. This is a manifestation of despicable humanity. This issue involves two aspects: One pertains to their humanity and the other to their corrupt disposition. Their perspective on issues and their attitude and viewpoints in handling issues relate to their humanity. This kind of humanity leads to them developing specific actions, manifestations, and revelations, which are expressions of a corrupt disposition.