Recently, viewers have been hoping I would interview Dr. Yang Ding-I, so I read most of his books. The one I read most carefully was Miracle, because I was most interested in his personal story. How did he himself awaken? The word "miracle" appears countless times in this book. In fact, there are several stories that he considers the "greatest miracle"—his birth, growth, encounters, and awakening. Step by step, he experienced countless miracles. And he didn't even mention the most "mystical" things, for fear that some people couldn't accept them. He said he wrote this book hoping to inspire everyone to reflect on their own lives and how many times they have encountered incredible phenomena. He believes that "miracles" are actually experienced by everyone, but we filter them out with our rationality. I tried hard to recall my own ordinary life, but I really couldn't think of any miracles. The miracles he experienced are certainly not universal. To be honest, reading this book made me quite frustrated.
So, I sent an email to the "The Totality of Life" series channel. I said I very much hoped to interview Dr. Yang and just wanted to ask one question: In all these years, among your readers and students, have there been any ordinary people, those without any special abilities or magical experiences, who suddenly, one day, truly awakened?
I explained that the reason I asked this question was that I already had some suspicions in my heart. Dr. Yang, you say that surrender and self-inquiry are great paths that only the most mature people can take. Well, these most mature people certainly did not become mature in this lifetime. Like you, they have already gone through "awakenings of many lifetimes" and are putting a final period on it in this life. You are actually waiting for those who, like you, showed abnormalities from a young age, people who experienced various miracles. Only they will awaken in this lifetime. Of course, your compassion benefits everyone. Whether we awaken or not, we can at least live more freely and at ease.
I have great respect for enlightened beings like Dr. Yang, and asking this question was absolutely not a challenge to him, but a genuine desire for an answer. This is because after interviewing these guests, I had a feeling that so-called mystical experiences or psychic abilities might all be signals of an impending awakening. It suggests that after lifetimes of karma (retribution), their time has come. As for those who haven't experienced anything yet, perhaps their time has not yet come in this life. Unexpectedly, just one day later, I received a reply and got the answer to this question, but in a way I could never have anticipated.
Don't be impatient. Let's first look at the Doctor's own awakening process in this book, and then I will tell you what kind of answer and reply I received.
Dr. Yang's father, Yang Zhengmin, why did he give his son this name? It turns out "Ding-I" comes from Mencius, Seeing King Xiang of Liang. Mencius said: "Stability comes from being one," meaning "the world can be stable when it is unified." Think about it, how well this name fits with "Oneness": not only is the world unified, but isn't the entire universe, even countless universes, unified in "One"? Dr. Yang was born in Taiwan. His birth was different from others; he was 4-6 weeks past his due date. A post-term pregnancy is quite dangerous. I wonder if he was hesitating, unsure whether to take another trip to this human world. Dr. Yang's parents were very simple, kind, and loving people. He believes that in their entire lives, his parents "never did a single bad thing." Yet, they later encountered extreme misfortune, which I will talk about later. Old Mr. Yang wrote several collections of essays, one of which is titled A Dozen PhDs in My Home. This is because his four children are all "double PhDs," and when you add their spouses, the number of doctoral degrees in the large family adds up to about "a dozen." From this, everyone can understand what kind of soul family this is.
From a young age, Dr. Yang had what are commonly called "special abilities." For example, when he slept at night, he could hear music that others couldn't, as if it were "celestial music" from another world. Moreover, his consciousness could follow the music, leave his body, and wander into another world. He could see his own body. This is like the "near-death experience" many people have, but for him, it was a commonplace "night-wandering experience." Sometimes he could feel a sun shining in his heart, constantly expanding, even expanding outside the house. He could also see various people and things, all carrying their own spectrum of light. Happy people and angry people, friendly people and unfriendly people, all had different lights. When he was 7, his whole family immigrated to Brazil (to make it easier to contact relatives on the mainland). One time, he and his younger brother were competing to see who could jump higher. As soon as he jumped, he surprisingly kept rising all the way to the ceiling, scaring both himself and his brother. When he went to see a movie with his brother, he would somehow realize that time and space are fabricated, that everything around him was an illusion (like a movie). Sometimes, he was like an eagle, able to look down on the world from above, with all details clearly visible. Even when he participated in judo or soccer matches, he could see the entire game and his opponents from "every angle," allowing him to calmly take down opponents or score goals.
What's more strange is that since he was a child, he could see some "friendly beings" who came to teach him. He called them "Great Sages." Because his mother was a devout Catholic, he was baptized at a young age and was familiar with many scriptures. He loved going to church to listen to sermons, confess, and pray, and even considered becoming a priest. When he was five or six, during a prayer, he saw the Jesus on the cross move, open his arms, walk towards him, look at him, and gently place a hand full of light on his head. Instantly, a warm current poured down from the top of his head and flowed through his whole body. For the first time, he experienced an indescribable joy. Later, he experienced this many, many times, even as an adult with a family (being filled with light). He said this is the state of "union with God" that many people have experienced. Not only Jesus, but various angels also often appeared to protect him at any time. And he discovered that some unfriendly people had unfriendly beings following them. It wasn't until he was almost an adult that he realized it was actually the good and evil within his own mind. His connection with Catholicism was not only because of his childhood immersion and closeness to Jesus. Once, under a friend's hypnosis, he clearly saw his past life—a Jesuit missionary who had preached in Brazil. Later, after he came into contact with Buddhism, the Four Great Bodhisattvas all became his teachers. Manjushri, symbolizing wisdom, seemed to be teaching him at all times, giving him deeper insights and constantly reminding him that everything is an illusion. Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), symbolizing loving-kindness, constantly demonstrated non-discriminatory compassion to him, letting him know that he had never been separate from anything. Moreover, Guanyin also represents the great path of sound, making him understand that sound strikes the heart more directly than words. Samantabhadra, representing the mind of equality, let him know that every moment is equal; "thought" and "no-thought," "being" and "not-being," "everything" and "emptiness" are all equal. And Ksitigarbha constantly reminded him that this world is created by karma, and that even all diseases are related to karma. Most miraculously, the entire structural integration system was taught to him by Ksitigarbha during one of his runs. However, in the end, Dr. Yang says not to think of these four Bodhisattvas as four separate individuals. In fact, the qualities they represent—wisdom, compassion, equality, and the transformation of karma—are our inherent essence. As long as we find our true selves, we are complete in ourselves.
By the age of 7, he had already finished reading all the physics and mathematics books on his father's bookshelf. Ordinary people read books one by one, or a few books in rotation. But he read books like this: he would place 6-10 books on a table and walk around the table reading them as if at a buffet, glancing at this one, looking at that one. He had a nearly photographic memory. Every time he went to the library, he would borrow dozens of books and finish them in a few days. In a few years, he had read almost all the books in the school library. Ordinary people read with their eyes, but he (sometimes) could just place his hand on a book and grasp its content. Sometimes, he would put a book under his pillow, and when he woke up, it was as if he had read the book. Many years later, he had a collection of tens of thousands of books but rarely read them anymore. It seemed that all knowledge was absorbed by him from the infinite, just like his "The Totality of Life" series, which was downloaded directly from the universe. This child prodigy entered medical school at 13, received his medical doctorate at 19, and another doctorate in biochemistry at 21. At 27, he was leading a large laboratory at Rockefeller University. The professors on the floors above and below him had either won the Nobel Prize or had come close to winning it. But he said that during this time, what left the deepest impression on him was that he would often enter a state of no-thought. For him, this state was both a great rest and a burst of inspiration. Sometimes he could even foresee the future. He believes that everyone can be like this, born with some innate psychic qualities.
His awakening happened in New York, marked by several "greatest miracles." When he was around 20, he walked into a bookstore one day and suddenly saw an aged face on a book cover. He froze, stood still, and tears began to stream down his face. His whole body felt waves of electricity passing through it. The cover of that book was Ramana Maharshi, the Indian sage. He placed his hand on the book and it was as if he understood what he was saying. The "non-duality" that Ramana Maharshi taught his whole life was precisely the "self-inquiry" that Dr. Yang would later share. But he didn't read his book. He only knew that in his past life, he had studied with this master. That encounter in the bookstore was their "most intimate reunion." "It was as if he brought me back into my life, and naturally, it allowed him and me to unite on a deeper level of my heart. The subsequent understanding of him was not at all through grasping or interpreting his words. At most, I can only thank him for coming back again to be my teacher. In that bookstore, an inexpressible transmission was completed. This most intimate reunion of my life, I believe, is one of the greatest gifts I have received. This in itself is also one of the greatest miracles." Later, he had the opportunity to visit this sage's place of practice, "Arunachala" (Holy Beacon Mountain). Ramana Maharshi awakened at 16 and spent the rest of his life practicing at Arunachala, initially in a cave and later at the Ramana Ashram at the foot of the mountain. Pilgrims from all over the world would gather to pay homage at the place of Ramana's passing, the "Samadhi" hall of the ashram. Dr. Yang, however, climbed Arunachala barefoot and entered a cave to "enter samadhi." The gatekeeper seemed to see his unusual connection with Ramana and made an exception, allowing him to spend the night there alone, for several consecutive nights. He said "Arunachala" is a great spiral energy field connecting to the heavens. There, he not only united with Ramana Maharshi but also with the countless sages who had practiced there. He paid homage to all the great masters. In fact, Dr. Yang's system of thought, like Ramana Maharshi's, transcends the boundaries of religion.
It was in that same bookstore that he casually picked up a copy of the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch. This was the first Buddhist scripture he read. A few weeks later, he finally opened the book. Just like when he saw Ramana Maharshi's face, from the very first sentence, his tears began to flow uncontrollably. And he found himself slowly rising to the ceiling, looking down at himself reading the book. It seemed he already knew the contents of the book. He continued to rise and expand, looking down on the houses, roads, forests, the moon, the stars... until the entire universe, omnipresent, or nowhere at all. And it was as if the entire history of the universe, the countless civilizations on Earth, flowed before his eyes. It was all a grand illusion. Everything was a grand illusion. "It was actually I who created everything, it was I who thought up everything. There is not a single drop that was not created by me. I am the sun, I am the moon, I am the Earth, I am every stone on Earth, every tree, every sentient being. I am every baby, I am the babies not yet born. I am the deceased, I am those after death. I am everything. There is not a single thing that is not me." This experience was "world-destroying" for him, destroying the entire world he had built in the past. And he discovered that besides the "me" who was reading the sutra, there was an unmoving part (of consciousness). This part enjoyed unrestrained freedom and experienced boundless joy. His entire being was renewed. From his body to his personality, everything changed. His way of seeing the world was different. Everything was inverted. What he used to care about and pursue was all superfluous, all ignorance.
He wanted to become a monk. He spent a long time in silent meditation, even in seclusion, and often fasted. In a very short time, various English versions of Buddhist scriptures were brought to him. But apart from the Heart Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and a part of the Shurangama Sutra, he did not read other Buddhist scriptures. These classics seemed to generate a huge "field of tranquility." He only needed to sit next to them to feel it, without needing to read the words. And all his experiences could be verified in the classics.
One day, he received a book. On the cover was an old gentleman with flowing white hair, Master Xuyun. His tears flowed out again. He couldn't help but sit down cross-legged. As a result, many images appeared before his eyes, like a "flashback." He returned to his childhood, before birth, his past life, the life before that, and the life before that. Suddenly, every word of the Heart Sutra came alive, one by one. Corresponding to his realizations, they went in reverse from the last word, all the way to the first word. Suddenly, his body exploded. Not an outward explosion, but an implosion. "It wasn't just like I was split open from the top of my head, but this splitting was cracking from all directions, even shattering. It suddenly opened up even from under my feet, cracking like an earthquake. It was like a bottomless pit below, and the remaining fragments just fell down from here. Nothing was left, not even nothingness. Cleanly gone." When he opened his eyes, a whole night had passed. The sun was rising. He said he saw the image of Shakyamuni Buddha 2,600 years ago, opening his eyes and looking at the universe. The sun he felt as a child appeared again, as bright as ten million suns, expanding to the size of an entire galaxy, but it also "imploded" without leaving a single speck. He saw his countless lives, from one space to another, not just in the human realm, but also in the celestial and hell realms. In the end, everything "exploded"... During that time, it was as if his third eye was opened. He could see other people's illnesses, auras, spirits, and predict the future. But finally, one day, all states were gone. All supernatural powers were gone. Those were all products of the mind. In the end, there were no thoughts at all. Just peace and happiness.
He now entered a state where, when brushing his teeth and looking in the mirror, he didn't know who was inside. When working in the laboratory, he didn't know who was working. At lunch, he didn't know who was eating. Whether it was experimenting, teaching, giving lectures, writing, or eating, it seemed everything was done naturally by the body. He could sit in a corner, and a whole night would pass. Sometimes a whole weekend would pass. No thoughts at all. He was aware of the sounds around him, but it seemed everything had nothing to do with him. It turned out this was the state of complete union with "Oneness," that effortless "knowing" and "awareness." What "imploded" was the "little self," the identity that was one with the little self. This way, he could easily stay on two levels. "I suddenly realized that in the past, I had completely mistaken my own identity, thinking that I was this body looking at everything. If I shift my attention to a motionless background, for example, the mirror in front of me, I would suddenly find that everything in front of the mirror, including this world, has disappeared. Or a more correct expression is: this mirror no longer needs to reflect a person or a world, and thus its function is saved. In this way, I naturally unlocked what I would call, decades later, omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. It's because we can place our consciousness on the infinitely large background at any time. We don't need to perceive or know anything, but can easily stay in the 'awareness' or 'knowing' that is in front. There is no need to perceive or know anything. And just like that, we easily jump out of the framework set by humans. Through this limited life, we live out the infinitely large totality. The contradiction this brings also disappears."
In the following decades, he wanted to share with people, to communicate with various teachers, but found it impossible. Because the other party had not experienced what he had experienced, they couldn't understand what he was saying. This is like us un-enlightened people reading his books. We recognize every word, we seem to understand everything, and we may even completely agree with what he says in theory, but we are still separated by this mirror and cannot experience it from that angle.
He likes to go into nature, and no matter where he sits, many animals will come and approach him. This is because a person with "no thoughts" will generate a field of tranquility that animals are involuntarily drawn to. So one day, he suddenly understood what "love" is. "I suddenly understood from my heart what love is. Not the love of the past in the human world with parents, siblings, and others. This love has no object, and there is no one loving anyone. At most, I can only say it is loving myself. But this 'self' is actually the whole, it is 'Oneness.' It is 'Oneness' loving 'Oneness.' Plus, besides 'Oneness,' besides the whole, everything else is a product of my brain. No separation exists. Not only is there no one who can love anyone, there is no 'me' who can love 'you' or others." That is to say, loving parents, loving children, loving a spouse, loving friends, etc., are not true love because they have specific objects. Only love without an object is true love. True love is not produced from the mind, but originates from "Oneness" and returns to "Oneness," like "self-love."
One time, he was sitting on a large rock and suddenly had another earth-shattering discovery: this rock has life and breath, it's just that its breath is so slow that humans cannot perceive it. Similarly, everything has life. They are all particles created by consciousness. That is why we are all interconnected as one. "I also suddenly discovered that there is no such thing as spiritual practice or enlightenment. Because everything, enlightenment or being enlightened, even the Earth under my feet, is originally our essence. At most, it is just consciousness, the consciousness that each of us originally has. Sitting on the rock, I further realized that there is actually no such thing as love, happiness, and tranquility. These are, at most, just more illusions created by the mind. I now understand. What I wanted to pursue, I already had, I already was. Even spiritual practice is inverted. The enlightenment that spiritual practice seeks is also inverted. Enlightenment is what I originally have, yet I seem to be trying to find what I already have through practice. When I realized this at that moment, I had a big laugh." He believes that various spiritual practices, such as yoga, meditation, chanting mantras, visualization, prayer, and so on, can purify the body and mind, allowing one to reach a state of quiet and concentration, but they cannot bring one back to "Oneness." Because they and Oneness are on two different levels, the two sides simply cannot connect. In other words, if we want to jump out of the mind through various methods projected by the mind, it is impossible. In the end, "the mind itself is the biggest obstacle to enlightenment."
So what to do? It's simple, move the mind aside, let it go, and everything is tranquility. We naturally return home. One day, he opened the curtains. The sun was just rising. He suddenly realized: the sun is God. Everything before his eyes is God. Everyone is God. There is no other God besides oneself. "It turns out I am actually this perfect embodiment. I myself am the answer I have been searching for my whole life. I am eternal. I am infinitely large. I am everything. Everything is me."
As mentioned earlier, his parents were kind and simple people. However, unfortunately, in 1989, when he was 31, his parents went to a hospital for a physical check-up while traveling in Taiwan. Because his mother was experiencing dizziness, a blood sugar test was added at the last minute. She was supposed to drink a glass of glucose water but was mistakenly given an anesthetic. From then on, she fell into a coma and passed away nearly 30 years later. This was clearly a major medical accident, but Dr. Yang did not mention the detailed cause and effect in his book. It was in this book that I saw the full story (the process mentioned earlier). He had premonitions at two moments: when his mother had the accident and when she was about to pass away. He said, "Even though I knew in my heart that all the karma in this human world cannot be stopped, the best way is at most just to accept. Accept everything. Through acceptance, through surrender, can it be allowed to correct itself. But I remember at that time, my heart was still praying very earnestly, hoping to influence the outcome." Obviously, his prayers did not affect the outcome. When his mother was about to leave the world, he sensed it. After he and his three siblings all rushed back (to Taiwan), his mother took her last breath.
Dr. Yang says that consciousness has two tracks. One is controlled by karma, following cause and effect. Everything is already predetermined. But the other track is not affected by karma. It has neither birth nor death and has never undergone any change. Therefore, whether a person becomes a monk, whether they have spiritual roots, whether they have merit, whether they have a profession, or whatever their profession is, these have no relation to their enlightenment. These are different tracks of consciousness. The two tracks are not mutually exclusive but overlapping. Therefore, anyone can realize the truth of life. Of course, an enlightened person, as long as they still have this body, this body will still follow the workings of karma, still experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. He also repeatedly emphasized that the Earth is rapidly raising its frequency, thereby bringing about unprecedented, enormous momentum for transformation. Therefore, in the past, a practitioner might practice for a lifetime to achieve some accomplishment. But this time, no matter what field, no matter what profession, no matter what social class, anyone can transform this time.
Now, let me talk about the answer I received. The day after I wrote the email to Dr. Yang, I chatted with an American viewer, "Sister Rose," for four hours. And she is an ordinary person with no "special abilities" and no magical experiences. But she is one of Dr. Yang's already awakened students. Because she did not want to show her face or be heard, I asked her to write this short written testimony. Next, let's enjoy the rose garden in her backyard while we listen to her testimony.
"For many years, my search and pursuit of faith was without the right method and I couldn't find the entrance. I often asked myself, what is my purpose in this life? What are the lessons I need to learn? In the fall of 2019, I heard Dr. Yang Ding-I's name for the first time. That day, I accidentally saw a video. Out of curiosity for the six words 'unreasonable happiness,' I clicked it open. From then on, my spiritual world was completely changed. The resonance from that video made me eager to learn more. I started by listening to the book clubs, especially the first episode, 'Loss is the Greatest Grace.' I listened to it repeatedly, crying my eyes out many times. It was both a release of inexplicable grievances and a joy of being deeply understood. The shock it brought to my body and mind made me develop a deep trust in Dr. Yang. I listened eagerly, and gradually felt that besides the warmth and stability brought by his voice and words, he seemed to be trying to convey some message, but I couldn't grasp it for a while. Dr. Yang said he is just a Messenger, a postman, a messenger of information, 'paving the red carpet' for the arrival of the future Buddha Maitreya and the future Christ. So what is he conveying? I had to figure it out. I repeatedly listened to the audio, read the 'The Totality of Life' series of books, persisted in doing the practices of 'surrender' and 'self-inquiry,' and always immersed myself in unconditional gratitude. About half a year later, one day, it was like a switch was flipped from left to right, with a 'click.' It felt like falling into an abyss, but I knew I would be safely held. Suddenly, I experienced what the Doctor called 'Being,' 'Awareness.' I couldn't help but smile to myself. So this is what the Doctor was trying to convey to all of us time and time again! Isn't it the most natural, most relaxed state that each of us has? It's just that without someone pointing it out, one wouldn't even know that such a state exists. Usually, limited by the five senses and thoughts, we take the world before our eyes as the entirety, living as the entirety. In fact, just by making a slight shift in attention, one can immediately experience the existence of a larger, unmoving background. It turns out it's that simple. To say it is 'empty,' it can be boundlessly empty. To say it is 'full,' it can be so full that not even a needle can be inserted. It is abundant, free, and joyful. It is 'here, now.' Ah, I've received the message! Next, I immediately understood the classic words in the Heart Sutra, Diamond Sutra, Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch, and Tao Te Ching. After a glimpse of the beauty of 'Being' and 'Awareness,' I once thought, 'Okay, I know it now,' and was ready to put it aside. It seemed as if the Doctor saw through my thoughts. At the book club, the sentence 'Why not treat yourself as a guinea pig and do an experiment?' once again deeply penetrated my heart. I had no choice but to obediently continue with 'Being' and 'Awareness.' After several years of practice, the deeper my experience of 'Being' and 'Awareness' became, the more I felt it was a treasure. Always keeping myself in a state of awareness, I became much calmer towards people and things. Of course, I am very clear where this 'calm' comes from. Although I have never met Dr. Yang Ding-I, I regard the Doctor as the most important master in my spiritual pursuit. Even though the Doctor often says that no one is anyone's teacher, the power within is the greatest teacher, I still want to thank the Doctor very much for using his life field to bless and stabilize our body, mind, and spirit practice. The Doctor is like the 'hand pointing to the moon,' the 'boat crossing the river.' Following his guidance, I saw the Buddha-nature and divine nature that everyone possesses, which is also our free and natural essence. Even though I have not yet taken refuge in any religion, I can live out the totality of life, live out light, live out love, and contribute a little bit of strength to the evolution of Earth's consciousness!"
My goodness. Was this sent by the universe, or was it sent by Dr. Yang? I don't know. On the same day, I also received a very polite email from Dr. Yang's secretary, tactfully declining the exclusive interview. But I had already received the answer, hadn't I? Last December, a viewer from Toronto also chatted with me privately for four hours. It was she who introduced me to Teacher Xiong Pang. It can be said that Teacher Xiong Pang gave me, someone who originally wanted to "lie flat" and just be an "observer," a glimmer of hope. And that month, I also had a "dream": in a large underground arcade, there were many, many levels and all kinds of game machines. You could play by inserting a coin. But I wasn't interested in anything, didn't want to play anything. I just felt hopeless in my heart. Later, I asked Teacher Xiong Pang what this meant. He said: "Your despair with the illusion (the games may represent samsara) shows that a great turning point for your soul is about to arrive. The path to liberation is full of hope."
"You and I were originally awake, we just didn't know it, or maybe we forgot. However, as long as you know or remember, you and I are already living out the awakening we originally have." By the way, if you are also a person who is already awakened (or is awakening), no matter which path you are on, if you are willing to share, please send an email to Sister Jianghu, okay? My email address is in my channel description. You don't have to show your face or be heard, just like this "Sister Rose." Your story will surely inspire thousands of people walking on the path of awakening.
Finally, I really can't help but want to cry. How lucky is Sister Jianghu? Because of this channel, I have gotten to know so many guests and viewers. We are all fellow travelers!
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