I recently read a book entitled, "A Being From Another Universe". The name of the protagonist in the book is Yang Tze - a young girl born in China. She claimed that she was a being from outer space, in a cosmic system beyond human imagination. Now ten years old, this little girl can see through material objects, and has been able to predict the future since she was small. She can even systematically analyze astronomical laws and cosmic phenomena, which stunned many Chinese astronomers! The author of this book is the father of Yang Tze - a famous journalist in the field of health and medicine in China.
In one chapter called, "Nourishment for the Soul", a passage reads:
[One day, Yang Tze told her father delightfully that she had broken through a 'major barrier' in her practice. Her father found it difficult to believe that a seven year old child could possibly understand things like 'practice' or 'major barrier'. He retorted, "You are playing for fun all day long, and I have never seen you cross your legs to meditate, or practice anything. How could you have attained great advancement in practice?"
Yang Tze replied, "Father! Let me explain to you! Each person has their individual method of practice, and my method is 'playing for fun', through which I derive advancement in practice. Do you know why you have not progressed in your practice?"
"I have no idea! What do you think?"
"The problem is that you don't know how to play! Your thoughts are very unhappy now, but happiness is exactly the nourishment required for practicing to become an immortal! Do you understand? Most probably you think you can drink more, eat more, and then turn the food into nourishment. You are very wrong! The nutrition transformed from material food can only sustain your physical body, not your spirit. What your spirit really needs is happiness, bliss!"
Yang Tze was speaking emotionally and definitively, as if she were an omniscient and superlative being talking to an ordinary human. With a calm reflection, I found her words full of wisdom and philosophic truth. From the viewpoint of practicing Chi Kung, people must first pacify their mind, and maintain happiness and peace. If the mind is not tranquil, any practice is a waste of time. The major subject in practicing Chi Kung is to cultivate the Original Spirit of the practitioner. So, what nourishment can sustain this Original Spirit - the human soul? I had never given it a thought.
Yang Tze continued to say, "Have you heard about Quan Yin Bodhisattva? On the last few days when She was about to attain the Ultimate Truth, She was extremely happy at heart! Happiness was the essence that made Her cultivation progress so fast. However, your mind is fully occupied with article writing, doing this, doing that, and you are even in wrath sometimes. Let me tell you: Whenever you are angry, your practicing efforts are futile. Only happiness can turn you into an immortal! Remember my words. You must always be happy! Happy!"
During Yang Tze's speech, she was tapping the wall with a chopstick, just like a teacher standing in front of the blackboard giving a lesson to some pupils. Having finished her talk, she just opened the door and dashed out to play for fun again.]
Since childhood, every person is dogmatically confined by society: Don't laugh! Don't play with this! Be good! Be serious! Be dignified! Therefore, our innocent and lovely inborn nature to laugh and play is strangled early in our childhood, and disappears when we grow up. Perhaps, with luck, a tiny bit of this nature is left within us, but we still try our best to suppress it, and dare not let it sprout.
I remember when I first followed Master to practice, She once said to me half jokingly, "Each time I see your solemn face, I can hardly laugh, and I really want to hide myself from you in a retreat."
Truly, when we cannot laugh, we also affect others around us. Observing other people having fun or laughing, we might even think: "What is so funny about this?", "Why on earth are they laughing so loudly?", "They really disgraced the proper deportment of spiritual practitioners by showing all their teeth!", "They shouldn't laugh when eating.", "They should speak with dignity, instead of jokingly!", and many other criticisms. We will use the same trick that suffocated our own 'play and laugh' nature, and repeat it on those who have fortunately escaped the slaughter. Only when everyone else has lost their nature to laugh cheerfully and play joyfully, then we are satisfied.
By paying some attention, you will find that almost all people love to play with babies. The babies can utter their baby-talk of "Ee-ee, ah-ah, oo-oo!" that nobody understands. They laugh, they stumble, they cry, they make all kinds of gestures with hands and feet, they create many troubles for you, yet we love to play with them. Why? In fact, we have always been missing that innocent, unpretentious, and pure inborn nature, which is so full of joyful laughter and happiness.
You see, babies simply cry aloud when they are hungry or uncomfortable, sleep sweetly when they are tired, and laugh when they feel like laughing without having to find any excuse. From babies, we can rediscover this feeling again, which comforts our souls a little.
Therefore, Master always says, "As they advance on the spiritual path, spiritual practitioners should become pure and happy like children."
This excerpt from the book made me realize the inherent relationship between our spiritual progress and 'happiness and laughter'. No wonder, for all these years, Master has been painstakingly reminding us to always laugh, and to refrain from becoming a 'frustrated Buddha' or 'solemn Buddha', and for this She has always played with us.
Master said, "When you play, play with all your heart. When you laugh, laugh with all your might. Be solemn when it is a solemn occasion, and work seriously when it is time to work. Do the right thing at the right time, with total devotion and concentration. If you have developed this habit in your daily life, naturally you can concentrate better in meditation."
Master's advice may sound commonplace, but it is the secret to spiritual advancement!
While On The Path