When you start reaching the higher stages of cultivation, everything you do in the regular world is a GUA or hexagram that can symbolize your stage of cultivation or progress ahead.

For the last several days I’ve been cleaning the stove prior to Thanksgiving, scrubbing every dirty and encrusted surface with cleaner, soap and then a brillo pad many times. Today I turned it on after this complete scrubbing and overhaul and found some of the tiny holes for the gas jets blocked, so I even cleaned every tiny gas jet opening with a toothpick. Every tiny nozzle that had become clogged with a bit of soap from the cleaning is now clean and clear all the way through.

Now everything is clean and open. They all run perfectly clear and smooth.

Ordinary life is a gua (hexagram) that mimics your cultivation. That’s why you must be careful doing every tiny thing in the world carefully, just like my Teacher. If you saw him on a daily basis you’d have to say he was perfect; everything he does carefully. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t make mistakes, or that he cannot change his mind, or alter his opinion, or have wrong judgements. It doesn’t mean you’ll even like him or get along with him. It doesn’t mean he doesn’t make errors.
It’s just that everything he chooses to do he does with exactness and perfection. His mind is clear and he attends to all the details. It’s pretty amazing if you saw it. Regular people look at him and can tell something is different than with ordinary people but cannot tell what it is, so I’m rending the veil

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