Perfect Harmony 圓融 from Collection of Rain Blossoms

Yuanrong is a heart that stays balanced, flows with harmony, and feels light and free. Image: Shutterstock.

The word yuanrong (圓融) means perfect harmony, a harmony that is steady and whole. The first part, yuan (圓), means “round.” Think about something round. No matter which side it is seen from, it looks the same, with nothing missing, and it can turn freely without getting stuck. In life, being “round” is like that. It means being steady and fair, not leaning to one side, not playing favorites, but treating both self and others with the same care. As the saying goes, “A burning stick teaches us balance — if you favor one side, the other side burns you.” In the same way, when both sides are held in fairness, harmony naturally follows.

Round and Flow Together

The second part, rong (融), means “to flow” or “to connect.” When balance is found, harmony with others comes more easily, and life begins to move more smoothly. In such harmony, the heart opens: the walls between self and others fade, the chasing after wealth or status loses its grip, and the inner weight slowly lifts. Then the heart feels calm and clear, fresh and unclouded, until worries slip away. And when no burdens remain, it grows so light and free that it is said, “When the heart carries no burdens, it is free, like one beyond this world.”

Where Practice Begins

This shows where the path leads. But how do we start? For anyone learning the Buddha’s way, the very first step is to keep the heart clear and calm, because this is the true doorway to practice. Yet even in peaceful times, the heart still pulls in small troubles and makes them heavy. This often begins with just one passing thought. It drifts in quietly, and before long it’s clung to until it feels like a real problem. And so, without cause, the heart becomes heavy again. Isn’t that puzzling?

Digesting Worries

It is like eating: what matters most is not how much food is taken in but whether it can be digested. If the first meal isn’t digested and more food is piled on top, the body soon feels stuffed and uncomfortable. The heart works in the same way. Its worries, too, must be digested. When each one is faced and slowly worked through, the weight lifts, the heart grows clear, and restless thoughts fall away.

When life is smooth, it is easy to stay calm, but real practice is shown when life turns difficult. That is when the same calm outlook must be held firm. Don’t let one small setback stir up anger just because life has mostly been easy. To hold steady in all seasons, in joy and in struggle, is to know the heart of yuanrong — perfect harmony.

圓融

  雨花集

濟公活佛

圓融即圓通之義，圓就是整個物體無論從那一方面去看去度，其角度均為相等，不偏不缺，周圍可轉，叫做圓，其意思就是你輩做人要圓，不偏不缺，對人對己，不能有所大小，即俗語所謂『熱火棒要兩頭楂』之意思。融者通也，能夠圓，就到處偕通，由通而漸入化境，無人我之別，無利祿之分，坦然無物，心內澄清，無一塵之染，煩惱盡除，此時也，所謂心無宿物便成仙。

學佛之人，首求內心清淨，此乃第一法門，但有些人明明心境安泰，而偏要找事入心，自尋煩惱，實在難明。譬如食物，首求消化，如果消化未完，又去找尋其他入胃，焉有不滯之理！

所以希望各人首要將心內煩惱盡量消化，消化完了，自然心清意淨，萬念偕空。一個人處順境當然容易，處逆境也要一樣看法，不宜以一向處順，稍為拂逆，便發嗔念也。

A Personal Reflection

It’s always easier to be agreeable when I’m not overwhelmed or under stress. But the real test comes in harder moments: can I still be fair, kind, and respectful when things get tough? Too often, my reactions to others are shaped by old habits. The question is, can I let go of old grudges, past frustrations, and lingering judgments, and instead meet that same person as if in a new moment — with respect, firmness, and kindness, uncolored by the past, like turning to a fresh page in the book of our lives? That is the true challenge, and it is also the heart of living in yuanrong — perfect harmony, the way of living as one.

Old tendencies of the mind and habits can take over so quickly, like a repaired train set back on its tracks — it falls into motion almost instantly. What I have found most helpful is a steady rhythm of daily meditation. I usually sit for fifteen minutes in the morning, recite a silent mantra I was taught — a reminder to return to the heart — whenever I remember during the day, and in the evening I pray with kowtows, which have become another active way of meditating. All these moments of practice interrupt the mental tracks that are so ingrained in me.

I can’t yet fully explain at this stage of my practice why it keeps me calm, only that it does. It just happens naturally, the way your body feels full after a good meal. I simply notice that situations which once worked me up no longer agitate me. As Jon Kabat-Zinn once said, “You are not doing meditation; meditation is doing you.” This insight echoes an old Zen proverb: “Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself” (春來草自青, chūn lái cǎo zì qīng). Because I’ve seen these benefits, I naturally want to keep the practices going. So when intense moments arise — when life’s demands come rushing in all at once — I’ve been able to stay steady, without panicking or getting worked up just because life doesn’t go my way.

Meditation helps me keep calm, but forgiveness helps me stay open to others. This also connects back to chapter one on the four pure states of the mind. Forgiveness is essential. It keeps past experiences and present pressures from swaying the heart away from kindness, gentleness, and respect. When forgiveness is alive in the heart, balance returns, and harmony with others begins to flow naturally. Together, meditation and forgiveness help the heart return to balance and rest in yuanrong — true harmony in everyday life.

This translated text is a chapter from Collection of Rain Blossoms, a scripture written by JiGong Living Buddha in the 1900s through spirit writing. Here the link to the original Chinese source.

If you are interested in other chapters of this book, here is the link to the table of contents.