Chapter 9-4 Enlightenment Through Hardship

"Without physical hardship, one's blessings are not deep; without mental suffering, one's wisdom does not unfold."

— Master Hongyi

In one of his lectures, Prof. Zeng Shiqiang said: "No one is perfect. Heaven deliberately gives you flaws at birth; shortcomings sometimes are strengths, and strengths sometimes are shortcomings." The way of heaven is such that if we were truly perfect, we wouldn't have descended into the mortal world. Coming into this world with flaws clearly indicates that the lesson of this life is to overcome those flaws and return to completeness. In this sense, your weaknesses become the strengths of your life, yet how many people have met their downfall at the very place they believed to be their greatest advantage?

As Rousseau said: "To live a life that is entirely comfortable and joyful is impossible." If a person were born without worries or challenges, they might never learn to cherish what they have and would endlessly consume their life's blessings, missing out on the true meaning of being human. "Suffering is not as irreversible as death" (The Godfather), so heaven often uses hardship and adversity to awaken you to your better self. Some people become worse after enduring difficulties, absorbing negative energy, magnifying their pain and effort, and ultimately wasting their lives. It's important to understand that heaven has a virtue of nurturing life; in most cases, the hardships you face are tests designed for you, and they are within your capacity to bear. There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome, and after enduring such trials, your heart will become incredibly strong and capable of anything.

A person typically changes only after they have tasted loneliness and become thoroughly disillusioned with human nature. It is in suffering, not in happiness, that one can elevate their character, because in moments of joy, no one reflects on life's ultimate questions. In the movie Hot and Heavy, the protagonist becomes utterly disillusioned with the world, but this despair also leads to awakening. Confronted with the harsh truth, she experiences an excruciating, unforgettable pain. The things she once believed in deeply, the love she thought would last forever—each one shatters in the face of reality. Misfortunes never come alone; not only do you lose your dearest loved ones, but you also endure physical suffering, see your values ruthlessly trampled upon, have all your efforts dismissed, and find all your sacrifices unappreciated. Surrounded by emptiness, with nothing left, you suffer mental torment, live in poverty and anxiety, and move forward in confusion and helplessness...

I recall an experience that my senior sister had a few years ago. Due to behavior that others couldn't understand, she was sent to a mental hospital by her son. In that earthly hell, she endured 16 days of a life worse than death, sharing a room with many other patients who, whether they were mad or not, were driven mad by the constant injections and medication. During that time, whenever she had a moment, she would look at a painting on the wall. The painting depicted a "little rabbit pulling a carrot" (Figure 9.3). The rabbit was struggling so hard, not knowing that what awaited it was a gigantic carrot. Beside the painting were the words: "Sometimes, when you feel the most pain, it's because heaven is preparing a pleasant surprise for you."

Figure 9.3: Little rabbit pulling a carrot

All the hardships that temper your heart are the very opportunities that produce wisdom! You can never predict where life will suddenly throw an obstacle in your path, nor can you foresee at what stage it will offer you a gift of love. If heaven has made you endure hardships, it must have its reasons. Where you experience loss, there will surely be gain elsewhere. When it's time for you to grow, heaven will give you a strong medicine to completely overturn your limited understanding, allowing you to break the old self and rebuild a new one with your own hands.

Life is long, so why rush? After you awaken, you will realize that those who contributed most to your growth, those who gave you the most to learn, were precisely the ones you once feared the most, disliked the most, those who hurt you the deepest, and those whom you thought were the worst. Heaven won't push you to the brink without a way out. As long as there is life, there is hope for a rebirth from the ashes. What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. These people play the role of dark angels in your life. Without their presence as your sparring partners, you would never learn how to conquer your inner demons or level up in life. When you have passed through this period, you will be reborn, like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

It seems that every soul's awakening is not a casual matter but is awakened through immense spiritual pain. At this moment, this book may not have the power to awaken you, but perhaps it has the opportunity to convey this truth: hardships are actually rare blessings that will make you better and stronger. Every hardship in life is not meant to hurt you, but to awaken you, to help you understand life and achieve true growth. Maybe it's not that your hardships are too many, but that your mission is too great. The essence of hardship is not to bring you suffering, but to prompt you to reflect and gain insight. If love cannot awaken you, then pain will; if pain cannot awaken you, then hardship will; if hardship cannot awaken you, then catastrophe will; and if even catastrophe cannot awaken you, then life itself will be used to awaken you. The hardships that heaven assigns to you are always proportional to your mission; there are no baseless trials, nor are there undeserved blessings. A low point does not equate to failure — giving up does. The situation is uncertain, and there is bound to be a turning point.

"Without the death of the heart, the Tao cannot be born." When you face adversity head-on, you can use inner calm to navigate the turmoil of life. Small sufferings bring small gains, great sufferings bring great accomplishments; no path in life is walked in vain. When Shakyamuni emerged from 6 years of ascetic practice in the forest, he was emaciated and realized that extreme asceticism was not the right path. Later, he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. Were those 6 years wasted? No! They were experiences he had to go through. Those who walk the path from the edge of a knife, once their soul awakens, experience a profound enlightenment. You find yourself drifting away from your previous circles and lifestyle, and you realize that your perspective on the world has changed—you are no longer the person you once were.

In this world of both reality and illusion, the end of human life is the beginning of the divine! Those who have endured hardships often find that afterward, life flows smoothly and their wishes come true.

You have come to understand that: apart from life and death, everything else is just a scratch; you respect karma and understand that whatever you seek to control will eventually control you. What you possess may not always be a blessing, and what you lose may not always be a curse. You no longer cling to money or emotions, and you see birth, aging, sickness, and death, joy and sorrow, love and hatred, with a detached eye.

That sudden moment of enlightenment and joy in the Dharma, coming like a spring breeze overnight, and thousands of pear trees blossom. You can only feel deep gratitude, with tears streaming down your face...