Teacher Liu Feng: The Direction of Life

While the pandemic was still raging globally, I came across this book—"Life in Flow: Stories of Love and Companionship." Encountering these life stories made me reflect on one of the most important questions we need to consider: the meaning and purpose of human life.

My connection with Shifangyuan began the year my mother was hospitalized with a serious illness. That year, I spent about six months in Beijing taking care of my critically ill mother at the hospital every day. Apart from giving lectures on "General Science and Wisdom of Life" on some occasions, I basically stopped all other courses. It was in this course that I met Shugong Fang (方树功).

At that time, Shugong said, "Teacher Liu, can your theory help the elderly who are nearing the end of their lives? Can it play a role in end-of-life care?"

I said, "Of course it can."

Shugong is a very proactive person. A few days later, he took me to a hospice in Beijing. In this hospital, I met the first terminally ill person I would accompany.

This is a 74-year-old woman, a bureau-level cadre. Shugong introduced her to me: her IQ is 147, much higher than average, and she was a powerful and influential woman in her career, having served as a secretary to a high-ranking national leader. At the time, she was unable to move her entire body and was in pain, but she could see, speak, hear, and was quite lucid.

After we entered the room, Shugong said, "Auntie, we've come to see you."

She replied to us with one sentence: "I'm a dying person, what are you doing here to see me?"

Shugong said, "Teacher Liu can explain life and death using science."

She said, "Oh, I love listening to this!"

She continued, "But I have to ask you a question first."

She reacted very quickly; before we could even catch up with her, she started asking questions.

I said, "What questions do you have? Please ask."

She said, "Why do I feel like I've gone to another room while I'm lying in bed? I think I walked around outside and came back. The medical staff and caregivers all say I'm talking nonsense. What's going on?"

I told her, “Our consciousness is far richer than the three-dimensional space we inhabit. However, most of our consciousness is confined to this three-dimensional space, while your consciousness has a freedom that surpasses the general state of three-dimensional cognition. We believe that these obstacles in three-dimensional space are not obstacles for you at this moment.”

Actually, I hadn't said more than a few words when she exclaimed excitedly, "Finally, someone understands what I'm saying!"

Then she continued, "Let me ask you another question. I went to Shanghai a few days ago, went into a store, bought some things, and met some people. When I told them about it, they told me that the store was demolished 10 years ago!"

I said, "Wow, that makes you even more amazing. Your consciousness can not only travel through space, but also through time. That just shows that your consciousness has a very high degree of freedom."

Then she asked another question: "So where do you think I should go?"

Because she has discovered that her consciousness can go to places that ordinary people cannot, she is very free, but she doesn't know where to go.

At that moment, I realized she was a Party member and a materialist, so I couldn't talk about religious topics, otherwise she might immediately shut me off. Therefore, I continued our conversation using scientific themes.

I said, "No matter what state you are in, follow the brightest light and head towards it. Light is the critical state between three-dimensional space and higher-dimensional space, so it will definitely take you to a freer and more beautiful spatial state."

She reacted quickly, immediately replying, "Thank you for giving me direction in life at this moment!"

When I heard that, I suddenly felt enlightened and understood exactly what "If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening" meant.

In reality, when people are lost in the three-dimensional world, they are confused about the meaning of life and its destination. But when a person truly knows where life should go, and when the eternity of life completely transcends our limited three-dimensional cognition, their state of mind when facing life and death is completely different.

At that moment, I was thinking: This woman was once so powerful and influential, and in reality, she once lived a life of great value and dignity. But now, lying in a hospital bed unable to care for herself, we can feel her despair for life, and the value and dignity of her life are being challenged.

I said to her, "Auntie, the meaning of your life is not just this."

She said, "What's the point of my life?"

I said, “Most people I’ve met can only recognize the lower-dimensional world, not the higher-dimensional world. You are one of the few people I’ve met who live in a higher dimension. You see, my theory, combined with your practice, can help many people overcome their fear of death.”

We could feel that the auntie relaxed completely at that moment.

Later, she said to me, "When will you come again?"

Because I was quite busy during that time, I never saw her again. Shugong told me that she reconciled with her daughter after that, but before that, she was constantly arguing with her daughter and the nurses. She was in great pain and suffering, but after that, she found peace and passed away peacefully.

That was my first encounter with end-of-life care. I had previously faced several people who were dying or had just passed away. In those experiences, I witnessed many people's fear of death.

But this experience of accompanying the dying with Shugong gave me a very important insight: the clarity of one's direction and meaning in life at the very last moment is extremely important. So from then on, I began to participate in some of Shifangyuan's work in this area.

Having journeyed alongside Shifangyuan, I've witnessed its development at different stages. In this process, we've truly seen some of the most beautiful things in this world and in life. It's not just about being moved by life, but also about a person's self-realization and self-awakening.

Therefore, behind our cherishing life for the sake of life lies the construction of our own life, and our own understanding and awareness of life, death, and the cycle of life. When our own life transforms, the objects of our external care will also change.

Therefore, for the volunteers who participate in Shifangyuan, each person will have different levels of life insights when facing the individual life stories they accompany, from their own different perspectives.

This is also the wonder of reading the life stories in this book today. By getting closer to these life stories, everyone who encounters them will have their own insights and understanding of life.

As Shifangyuan has developed to this point, it faces even more severe challenges. In particular, the outbreak of a large-scale epidemic has elevated Shifangyuan from "life accompanying life, life protecting life" to a social advocacy of a complete awakening to life and death.

Because we will face more questions about life and death, society needs more people who discuss these topics to spread a deeper understanding of the wisdom of life and to transcend the fear of death. If the energy of fear of life and death permeates our lives, it will bring many social instability problems. It's like a toxin, harming and affecting everyone.

Therefore, it is hoped that this book, in this era and at this point in time, can inspire people to think more deeply about the meaning of life, the direction of life, and the inner pursuit of eternal life, and can achieve an overall improvement in the consciousness of "real people and future humans".

This is also the inevitable direction for the future development of Shifangyuan's cause, enabling everyone involved in this cause to truly transcend life and death, face various life challenges, and truly understand that in the real world, all disasters and challenges are an improvement for life.

This transcendence allows us to face the pandemic, this life's tragedy, and the challenges we will face in the future more positively, rather than simply with fear and passive avoidance. Such life experiences will have significant meaning in the present and the future.

—Liu Feng, August 2020

"Flowing Life: Stories of Love and Companionship" is a documentary work on "Love and Companionship" by the Beijing Shifangyuan Charity Foundation. This book was created by over forty authors, all volunteers from Shifangyuan's "Elderly Spiritual Care and Companionship" program. Although they come from all over the country, without exception, they all use their real experiences of companionship to showcase the sentiments, techniques, and life insights gained through writing.

This book uses real and vivid stories to illustrate how to accompany patients and the elderly, how to face life and death, and how to convey love to family members through companionship in daily life. The core purpose of this book is to advocate the application of traditional Chinese filial piety culture, to influence lives with life, and to bring "love and companionship into every household."

The above text is from the foreword written by Professor Liu Feng for the book "Flowing Life".