The true meaning of spiritual practice is to realize the truth. This truth is the truth of one's nature, the truth of the great way, or the truth.

All living beings have desires, and if they indulge in them, they will sink into the vast sea of desire. Only by moderation, rationality, analysis of the true self, and understanding of the nature can we escape the shackles of the mundane world and realize our true nature.

What is an immortal? It is a person who lives in the mountains. Why do people live in the mountains? No other reason, pure and moderate. It is not that a cultivator has no desires, but that he must know how to separate the desires in his heart from the instincts of his body: I control my desires, rather than letting desires control me.

Those who control desires with man and are wise are called cultivators; those who control man with desires are beasts, demons, and no longer human.