On Dissolving Suffering

Philosophy of Mind · Master Overview of the Method of Practice

A cold morning, a question that changed a life

On a cold morning thirty years ago, the author lay in bed, just awake. In a northern winter, the quilt has an irresistible magic — warm, soft, safe. The body sank into the cotton bedding, and every inch of skin said: don't move, just stay like this.

But there was a voice in his head: time to get up, time to go read at the library. The voice was clear, resolute, even tinged with anxiety — if you don't get up soon, someone will take the good seat at the library.

So "I" commanded myself: get up!

But the body did not move.

"I" commanded again: get up now!

The body still did not move.

He lay there, watching these two "I's" fight: one wanted to stay in bed, the other wanted to study. They quarreled endlessly, and he had become the "spectator" watching them argue.

In that moment, a thought struck him like lightning:

I truly want to get up; I have given myself the command — so why have I still not gotten up? If "I" am the one giving the command, why is the command not carried out? If "I" am the one who wants to stay in bed, why does "I" also want to study?

Am I not myself?

This question, like a seed, lay buried in his heart for thirty years. From that moment on, he became infinitely curious about "what a human being is." He read the Buddhist sutras, the Taoist canon, Western philosophy, psychology, the yoga classics, and works of spiritual practice. He discovered that all the wise of human history had been pursuing the same question, and that all the methods of practice pointed in the same direction.

Today, the answer lies presented in this book.

The question this book seeks to answer is one everyone faces yet no one knows how to solve

At three in the morning, you wake up again. The phone screen lights up, and out of habit you scroll through your feed. Someone posts a travel photo, someone posts food, someone posts a display of affection. You put down the phone, stare at the ceiling, and an indescribable feeling wells up — anxiety? emptiness? unwillingness to settle?

You already have a life you could not have imagined ten years ago: a home, a car, a steady income, entertainment available at any moment. Yet why, in the quiet of the night, does the heart still feel hollow?

On nights like this, you are not alone. More than 300 million people worldwide are suffering from depression, and several times that number live in the gray zone of anxiety, confusion, and emptiness. Material abundance has never been greater; spiritual abundance has never been poorer.

This is an era of paradox: we possess an unprecedented amount of "having," yet have lost the most basic "peace."

What is worse, there are too many methods and too tangled a set of paths. Buddhism says "no-self"; Taoism says "non-action"; Confucianism says "restrain the self"; Stoicism says "ataraxia"; Christianity says "humility"; psychology says "acceptance"; mindfulness says "awareness" — they are all saying the same thing, but in different languages. You read the Buddhist sutras and find them too profound; you study Taoism and find it too abstruse; you read Western philosophy, and the argument is brilliant, but after the "and then what," there is no "and then"; you try counseling, and it helps somewhat, but you feel it treats the symptoms, not the root; you practice mindfulness, and it does calm you — but why does it work? You don't know; you listen to chicken soup for the soul — "let it go," "look on the bright side" — who doesn't want to let go? The problem is that letting go is impossible!

The question this book seeks to answer is precisely this: where does suffering really come from? How can one truly be liberated?

The core weapon of this book: thinking is a mirror; consciousness is a wave

The core discovery of this book can be summed up in eight words: thinking is a mirror; consciousness is a wave.

Thinking is the capacity of living matter to reflect objective things. It is like a mirror that can illuminate all things — beauty and ugliness, good and evil, motion and stillness, high and low. Whatever comes before the mirror, the mirror reflects it faithfully. It does not select, refuse, or judge. Whatever a thing is, that is how it is reflected.

More importantly: when the mirror reflects a running person, the mirror itself is not running; when the mirror reflects an angry face, the mirror itself is not angry. Everything reflected is in motion, but the mirror itself remains unmoved.

Consciousness is the automatic response of a living system to the nature of things. It is like a ripple on water — a calm lake can reflect the trees on the shore and the clouds in the sky. Suddenly, a pebble is cast into the lake, ripples spread across the surface, circling outward. These ripples are consciousness. The ripples arise because of the pebble and will die away when the wind settles. They are not the lake itself, only a temporary disturbance upon the lake.

Consciousness has three kinds of waves:

The first wave: bodily-sensory consciousness — the pleasures and pains of the body. Hungry, in pain, tired, cold — the body sends signals. This is the most primordial alarm system of life.

The second wave: emotional consciousness — the good and evil of the spirit. When the body feels "pleasure," it is reflected at the spiritual level as "good" — liking, wanting, craving. When the body feels "pain," it is reflected at the spiritual level as "evil" — disliking, resisting, hating. When the body is "without sensation," it is reflected at the spiritual level as "privacy" — calm, free, undisturbed.

The third wave: rational consciousness — the right and wrong of thinking. Cognition, judgment, inference, reflection. It should be a tool, yet it often usurps the role of the host and turns into endless internal attrition.

The root of suffering is not these waves themselves, but "mistaking the waves for oneself" — you misbelieve these fluctuations to be "you," and are thus swept along by them.

Just as a moviegoer cannot truly be harmed by the joys and sorrows on the screen — because he knows "that is a movie." The suffering person, by contrast, has forgotten that "I am the spectator," and has taken himself for a character inside the movie.

The method of dissolving suffering this book proposes: the three-layer stripping and the eleven methods of breaking the self

The three-layer stripping is "how to strip" — from bodily sensation to emotion to reason, layer by layer, deeper and deeper.

First-layer stripping: going beyond the waves of the body's pleasure and pain. The body hurts; you simply know it hurts. The body itches; you simply know it itches. The body is comfortable; you simply know it is comfortable. No "like" or "dislike" labels are attached. No reaction, no avoidance, no pursuit. The pain is still pain, but the suffering is gone.

Second-layer stripping: dissolving the inner waves of good and evil. An emotion arises; you simply know an emotion has arisen, but you do not say "I am furious," "I am anxious." The emotion is the emotion; you are you. Notice the emotion, name the emotion, investigate the private-good root behind the emotion, allow the emotion to flow through, and distinguish fact from story. The emotion is still there, but you are no longer swept along.

Third-layer stripping: letting go of the waves of rational speculation. A thought arises; you simply know a thought has arisen, but you do not follow it onward. The moment a thought arises, it is noticed; the moment it is noticed, it dissolves. Cut the chain of reflection, question the reality of the thought, and let reason return to its place as a tool. The thought is still there, but it no longer kidnaps you.

The eleven methods of breaking the self are "what to strip" — those eleven private-good attributes that make you suffer.

The "I" that makes you suffer is not something ethereal, but eleven concrete attributes: preservation, care, enrichment, beauty, pleasure, compassion, reflection, confidence, strength, esteem, freedom. These eleven garments you put on one by one, and now you must take them off one by one.

This is not a denial of them, but liberation from attachment to them. It is not making you a fool without the ability of self-preservation — you can still protect yourself, but no longer be swept along by fear. It is not making you a lazy person without aspirations — you can still pursue growth, but no longer be tormented by the anxiety of failure. It is not making you a block of wood without emotion — you can still feel joy, but no longer cling to it without release.

Breaking the self is returning these eleven attributes from the position of "master" to the position of "tool." It is like having a knife: before, you took yourself to be the knife — when the knife dulled you felt bad, and if the knife were lost you would want to die. Now you know: the knife is only a tool; you are the one using the knife.

The most distinctive contribution of this book: all methods return to one source

The most distinctive contribution of this book is that, with the "three levels of consciousness" model, it retranslates all the mainstream methods of practice in human history. You will find that all methods return to one source, and they are all saying the same thing.

The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism: the truth of suffering is the state of being swept along by the waves of consciousness; the truth of origination is the eleven attributes of the "private-good self"; the truth of cessation is the privacy-state of thinking as a mirror; the truth of the path is the three-layer stripping plus the eleven methods of breaking the self.

The Eightfold Path of Buddhism: right view is knowing that "mistaking the waves for oneself" is suffering; right intention is turning the mind from private good toward public good; right speech, right action, and right livelihood are the practice of public good at the level of conduct; right effort is persistent application to the three-layer stripping; right mindfulness is the concrete practice of the three-layer stripping; right concentration is focusing so that the waves of consciousness subside.

Zen Buddhism: "not relying on words" is going beyond the concepts of rational consciousness; "directly pointing to the mind" is pointing straight to that thinking itself which is able to know and perceive; "seeing one's nature and becoming a Buddha" is recognizing the original face of thinking as a mirror; "sudden enlightenment" is switching in an instant from "mistaking the waves for oneself" to "thinking as a mirror."

Taoist non-action (wu-wei): the Way is the inherent law of the universe, which in the human being is manifested as thinking as a mirror; wu-wei is not being driven by the private-good self, so that conduct arises naturally; ziran (naturalness) is the original state of thinking as a mirror; xiaoyao (free wandering) is the coming and going of the waves of consciousness at will, while thinking remains as unmoved as a mirror.

Taoist "sitting in forgetfulness" (zuowang): "letting the limbs fall away" is stripping bodily-sensory consciousness; "dismissing perception and understanding" is stripping emotional consciousness; "separating from the form and abandoning knowledge" is stripping rational consciousness; "merging with the Great Thoroughfare" is becoming one with the Way — thinking as a mirror, one body with heaven and earth.

The Confucian "restraining the self and restoring the rites": "restraining the self" is curbing the private-good self — the eleven methods of breaking the self; "restoring the rites" is returning to the heavenly principle, with public good flowing naturally into conduct; ren (humaneness) is the natural outpouring of public good after the private good has dissolved; "following the heart's desire without overstepping the bounds" is the complete dissolution of private good, so that every desire conforms to public good.

The eight limbs of yoga: yama and niyama are the practice of public good plus the initial breaking of private good; asana, pranayama, and pratyahara are the first-layer stripping; dharana and dhyana are the second- and third-layer stripping; samadhi is the privacy-state of thinking as a mirror — the private-good self completely dissolved.

The Stoic ataraxia: things within our control are the choices, judgments, and attitudes at the level of thinking; things beyond our control are the bodily sensations, emotions, and others' opinions at the level of the waves of consciousness; ataraxia is thinking as a mirror, not swept along by the waves of consciousness.

Epicurean hedonism: kinetic pleasure is the fluctuation of the pleasure-consciousness in pursuit; static pleasure is the privacy-state after the pleasure-consciousness subsides; ataraxia is the privacy-state of thinking as a mirror.

The Skeptics' suspension of judgment: phenomena are the direct presentation of the waves of consciousness; judgment is the second-order processing of phenomena by rational consciousness; suspending judgment is stopping the second-order fluctuation of rational consciousness — breaking reflection.

Christian original sin and redemption: original sin is the private-good self with which one is born; the law is the mirror that lets people see the private-good self; repentance is turning from "mistaking the waves for oneself" to "thinking as a mirror"; faith is accepting that the inherently pure awareness has always been present; loving one's neighbor as oneself is the natural outpouring of public good.

The Sufi whirling: fana is the dissolution of the private-good self — the completion of the eleven methods of breaking the self; baqa is the constant manifestation of the privacy of thinking; sama (the whirling) uses bodily-sensory focus to strip away emotional and rational consciousness.

The phenomenological epochē: the natural attitude is the everyday state of being swept along by the private-good self; the epochē is pausing the second-order judgment of rational consciousness — breaking reflection; "returning to the things themselves" is letting thinking return to a state of cognition, attaching no labels.

Existentialist authentic existence: "existence precedes essence" means the private-good self is constructed, not innate; "thrownness" is suddenly realizing that one lives in a world without pre-given meaning; authenticity is seeing the falsity of the private-good self and choosing oneself for oneself; "creating meaning" is the natural outpouring of public good, which is meaning itself.

Cognitive behavioral therapy: automatic thoughts are the "second-order fluctuation" of rational consciousness — judgments made without examination; cognitive distortions are thinking patterns twisted by private good; cognitive restructuring is breaking reflection — questioning and letting go of unreasonable judgments.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction: mindfulness is thinking as a mirror, observing the waves of consciousness as they are; autopilot is being swept along by the waves of consciousness without knowing it; non-judging is not identifying with the waves of consciousness and not adding second-order judgments; acceptance is allowing the waves of consciousness to arise without resistance.

Morita therapy: emotions being uncontrollable means the waves of consciousness are not under the direct command of thinking; "let it be" (shizen) is allowing the waves of consciousness to arise, stay, and pass away; "do what should be done" is not being swept along by the waves of consciousness and acting in the direction of public good; "facts alone are true" is not being misled by the judgments of the rational wave, returning to the facts.

Somatic therapy: body memory is traumatic information stored in bodily-sensory consciousness; the muscular armor is the long-term rigidification of bodily-sensory consciousness; the unfinished response is the suppressed somatic wave; releasing energy is the natural discharge of the somatic wave; healing trauma is letting the frozen somatic waves complete their fluctuation and return to natural flow.

Psychoanalysis: the unconscious is the part of the private-good self not accepted by consciousness; the id is the primordial private-good instinct; the superego is internalized social demands; the ego is the "executive officer" at the level of thinking that coordinates private good and reality; defense mechanisms are the ways the private-good self protects itself; transference is projecting private-good expectations toward significant others of the past onto the present.

Transpersonal psychology: self-transcendence is the completion of the eleven methods of breaking the self, going beyond the private-good self; peak experience is the brief manifestation of the privacy of thinking after the three-layer stripping; cosmic consciousness is the awareness of the unity of the privacy of thinking with the origin of the universe; "oneness with all things" is the sense of connection with all things after the private-good self dissolves.

This book's ultimate answer: know it is a dream, and still live it brilliantly

This book finally answers an ultimate question: what is the meaning of life?

The human being was originally a mass of silent matter, which through the convergence of causes and conditions formed an organic living body. In this dream of life, nearly a hundred years long, we can actually strive according to our own will, choose to do what we love, and taste life's sweetness and bitterness.

Yes, life is a dream. But this "dream" is not nihilism. The dream is illusory, but the dreamer is real; the content of the dream will pass, but the capacity to dream has always been there.

When you feel life is meaningless, consider the matter without consciousness. A stone has existed for hundreds of millions of years, yet it has never "perceived" its own existence. A tree has life, but no consciousness. And we? We can perceive — the warmth of sunlight, the coolness of a breeze, the embrace of a lover, the smile of a child. We can choose — what to eat today, what to wear, what to do, whom to be with. We can create — write a poem, paint a picture, cook a meal, speak a word of comfort. We can love — love a person, love a pursuit, love this world.

Compared with that silent matter, how free we are. Even if life is a dream, the very ability to dream is itself a miracle.

Know it is a dream, and still live it brilliantly.

"Know it is a dream" is wisdom — understanding that all the waves of consciousness are dreamlike and illusory, and no longer being bound by them. You know that pleasure and pain will pass, good and evil will pass, right and wrong will pass, success and failure will pass. You do not cling, grasp, or fear.

"Still live it brilliantly" is compassion — precisely because it is a dream, you can the more let go and live. You need not wait for perfection to begin, need not wait for the absence of risk to act, need not wait for a certain outcome to give. You can create within the dream, love within the dream, and leave traces within the dream.

These are not contradictory but unified. Precisely because you know it is a dream, you will not sink into it; precisely because you know it is a dream, you will not be passive.

Just as you know the movie is not real and yet can watch it with full absorption; know the trip will end and yet enjoy yourself to the fullest; know that life will end and yet live it with intensity.

Emptiness and form are not two; dream and awakening are one and the same.

This book's place in the system of thought

*The Dissolution of Suffering* is the core work of the subfield "specific disciplinary theories · the dissolving of suffering and life and death" in Guoping Hua's system of thought, and the key work leading from the eight-factor theory of human nature to the liberation of the mind and the meaning of life.

It belongs to the level of philosophy of mind, and the core questions it answers are: where does suffering come from, how does one become liberated from suffering, and what is the meaning of life.

Its relations with other works in the system are as follows:

*The Vanguard Concept* establishes the origin point of the eight-factor model — what a human being is.

*The Theory of Thinking* answers "what thinking is," laying the theoretical foundation of the "thinking-consciousness" dual model.

*The Evolution of Consciousness* answers "where consciousness comes from and where it is going," opening up the whole evolutionary process of "matter-human-cosmos."

*The Dissolution of Suffering* answers "how to become liberated from suffering," providing methods that ordinary people can put into practice.

*On Human Nature* unfolds the philosophical foundation of the eight factors — the underlying logic of good and evil, energy, and civilization.

*The Essence of Morality* systematically applies the eight-factor model to the domain of morality, answering "what is the essence of morality."

*The Logic of Law* systematically applies the eight-factor model to the domain of law, answering "what is the essence of law."

*The Civilization of Public Good* applies the eight-factor model to the comparison of institutions, answering "what kind of institution better fulfills people."

*The Ultimate Way of Governance* applies the eight-factor model to the philosophy of governance, answering "after the rule of law, where does human governance go."

If *The Vanguard Concept* is the "root" of the system and *Civilization Cannot Burn Itself* is its "trunk," then *The Dissolution of Suffering* is one of the system's most important "branches" — it turns the theory of human nature into practical methods of mental liberation, letting the eight-factor model move from philosophical speculation to the practice of life.

The ultimate power of this book

On that cold morning thirty years ago, the author lay in bed and asked himself for the first time: "Am I not myself?"

That question led him onto this path of exploration. Today, he has written this book from thirty years of thinking and practice.

But a book is only a map; the real journey is in your hands.

Now, he hands this map to you. You may choose to place it on the shelf and leaf through it occasionally; or you may choose to carry it with you and begin your own journey of awakening.

Whichever you choose, he blesses you.

If you choose to begin, remember these words:

Know it is a dream, and still live it brilliantly.

May you, in this dream, live with clarity, love with depth, and create with courage.