(Clearwisdom.net) As cultivators, we should take lightly fame, material interests and emotion. However, when facing the enticements of these attachments, can we truly let them go and not even think about them?
Regarding fame, though most practitioners can let go of fame in society, they often have strong attachments to fame when doing work for Dafa. Some try to validate themselves rather than validate Dafa when doing work for Dafa, some feel good about themselves as soon as they achieve a little progress, some view themselves as higher than fellow practitioners after publishing several articles, some only accept praise, but not well-intended criticism from fellow practitioners, some feel depressed when their fame and prestige among practitioners is threatened or damaged, some take fellow practitioners' compliments as reasons to be arrogant rather than as encouragements, some always revere and follow well-known fellow practitioners. The attachment to fame can take different forms: some practitioners feel great about their own abilities, completely forgetting that their capabilities all come from the power of Dafa and Master.
As to material interest, some practitioners bargain and ask for compensation, even when doing Dafa work, and some have such unrighteous thoughts deep in their minds, even if they do not ask directly. Some consider their personal interests first when doing Dafa work. When Dafa work conflicts with their everyday work, they give higher priority to everyday work. Some feel uneasy when other practitioners donate to truth-clarifying material production sites while they do not. Some practitioners running truth-clarifying material production sites donate items that are irrelevant to truth-clarification. At critical times, some practitioners consider themselves first, instead of validating Dafa. Facing enticement from material interests, some find all kinds of excuses to seek personal profit first, not even realizing that such an attachment is being utilized by the evil.
As to emotion, some cannot deal with emotion with righteous thoughts: they let attachments control them while dealing with non-practitioners, treating themselves like ordinary people. The relationships among fellow practitioners should be as pure as water, but some practitioners have a strong affection for others, and some are controlled by lust. During tribulations, some confuse ordinary people's affection with compassion. Facing the enticements from emotion and affection, some people become deeply involved in them and forget to cultivate themselves diligently.
In the eyes of a true cultivator, fame, material interests and emotion should be treated very lightly. We should not compete and fight for them, or be concerned with and worried about them. A true cultivator who lets go of the attachments to fame, material interest and emotion would never be moved at any time.
Similar to demons, the attachments to fame, material interests and emotion will not volunteer to be eliminated, and they will take advantage of our omissions to protect themselves. We need to keep our minds clear and pure at all times, look inward when facing any issues, and eliminate these attachments with righteous thoughts. Master told us at Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference,
"When your righteous thoughts are firm and when you can repel those things, I remove them for you bit by bit; however much you can do, that's how much I remove for you and diminish for you."
We should have firm faith in Dafa and Master, and eliminate all kinds of attachments to fame, material interests and emotion. It would be a pity if we let our attachments to fame, material interest and emotion destroy a life that was fortunate enough to obtain Dafa. It would be a great tragedy for our corresponding cosmos and the countless beings in them that would be destroyed as a result. More importantly, it would be a great regret for our Master who is devoted to saving us and who places great hope on us.
Finally let us encourage each other with Master's poem in Hong Yin II, "Cultivating in the Dao":
"The Great Dao is spreading in the world,
Saving sentient beings in illusion,
Remove fame, material interests, and emotion,
No tribulation can stop the sacred beings."(unofficial translation)
The above is my personal understanding, please kindly point out any mistakes. Thank you.
July 21, 2004
