Western Practitioner: Consistency and Complacency

We all know that being consistent in our practice is very important. But, what does it mean to be "consistent"?

Does it mean doing the three things that Master Li has asked us to do and doing them well? Yes, of course. But could there be a deeper layer of meaning to this word "consistent"?

The way I see it, being consistent is by no means a casual thing. In fact, it demands the utmost from us -- all the time -- even in our dreams! That's why an ordinary person will never know the deeper meaning of being consistent. Why? Because he doesn't even know how to cultivate! Only a cultivator can be "consistent" -- because only a cultivator knows how to cultivate. That's how serious "being consistent" is.

Being consistent means being able to pinpoint and eradicate any and all unrighteous thoughts we have -- all day long -- second-to-second, minute-to-minute.

If we have an unrighteous thought and are unable to identify it as such, aren't we under the influence of that unrighteous thought at that very moment? If this is so, aren't we also unwittingly leaving ourselves open to the old forces' influence, thus their arrangements?
Therefore, being consistent, to me, means paying attention to every tiny microscopic human thought, impulse, desire, or emotion we have -- moment-to-moment. It means training ourselves to immediately notice whether or not a thought of ours is righteous or unrighteous.

If it's an unrighteous thought, it is an incorrect thought and it immediately needs to be supplanted with a Righteous Thought -- absolutely immediately! Isn't it true that many of the tribulations that we face in our lives are signposts or indicators as to where our thinking needs to be rectified, that is, where we need to change our unrighteous thoughts into Righteous Thoughts? Moreover, when we allow these unrighteous thoughts to exist in our being, don't they become the root cause of many of our self-imposed tribulations?

Many times our unrighteous thoughts (or the interferences we experience) are a direct reflection of an omission or attachment that we haven't let go of. Thus, the smaller number of omissions or attachments we have, the purer our minds will be and the easier it will be to identify the remaining unrighteous elements within ourselves. Therefore, the more aware we are of our unrighteous thoughts, the easier it will be to purify ourselves. Isn't purifying ourselves the same as letting go of the unrighteous thoughts we still carry within us? And when we let go of our unrighteous thoughts, what excuses do the old forces have to interfere with us?

Master Li puts it quite clearly: "Any time some kind of interference comes along in your practice, you have to look within for the cause and find what it is you still haven't let go of." (Zhuan Falun, 2003)

For example, if we manage to rid ourselves of the attachment to lust (meaning our minds has been purified to that degree), wouldn't it be easy to identify lustful thoughts and impulses, when and if they arose in our minds? On the other hand, if we don't make it a priority to manage ourselves well, that is, if we don't monitor and observe our thought processes moment-to-moment, our complacency may cause us to indulge in lustful thoughts, if and when they appear in our minds.

Thus, the less vigilant we are, the more we will be interfered with. Why is this so? Because whatever we think about expands; meaning, an unrighteous thought is a breeding ground for more unrighteous thoughts -- or to put it another way -- we become what we think about all day long. This truth is reflected throughout our being, that is, within our body, within our mind, and within our heart.

Therefore, if we're complacent in watching over our thoughts, we're sure to invite untold hardships into our lives. If we allow unrighteous thoughts to exist within us, we are allowing them to take root in our very being - on every dimensional level.

And, when they take root, don't we invite low-level beings and low-level material substances to coalesce and surround our bodies and minds? Haven't we caused ourselves unnecessary trials and tribulations as a result of our complacency? Master Li said in Zhuan Falun (2003): "A person attracts bad things precisely because his thoughts aren't proper."

Every thought, impulse, and desire that arises within us is a chance for us to move up or down in cultivation. If we entertain or indulge in unrighteous thoughts, impulses, or desires, don't we succumb to them? Haven't we knowingly or unknowingly lowered our level?

Master Li said in Zhuan Falun (2003): "With every trial and every tribulation, there's the question of whether you move up in cultivation or down. It's difficult enough as is, but then you go and impose on yourself this other tribulation. Now how are you going to get through it? And maybe you'll run into tribulations or hassles because of this."

So, in essence, "being consistent" is not some broad concept; rather, it is cultivating each and every moment we're alive. This means that inherent in the thought-field we carry around us, there is tremendous potential for massive spiritual growth, or little or no growth at all. So, how we manage our thoughts is a critical issue.

The path Master Li has chosen for us is a righteous path. That is, we need to have righteous thoughts to be on this righteous path, and to remain on this righteous path. That means, having unrighteous thoughts is actually stepping off of this path. And, as everyone knows, if we're not on the path that Master Li has arranged for us, we must be on the old force's path. Furthermore, if our #1 priority is to walk the path that Master Li has arranged for us (and walk it well), then it must also follow that being unable to identify our unrighteous thoughts puts us at a definite disadvantage.

Wherever we have an unrighteous thought, we also have an omission or a loophole. Therefore, isn't it we, ourselves, that give the old forces the very excuse they need to persecute us? Doesn't this put our future in jeopardy? As Master Li pointed out in Zhuan Falun: "...a good or bad outcome comes from one thought." (2003)

Consistency, must, therefore mean remaining true to our commitment to walk our path well, that is, to have righteous thoughts non-stop. The more persistent we are in maintaining righteous thoughts, the easier it will be to identify the remaining unrighteous thoughts we still carry around in us. Persistence, therefore, plays a crucial role in being able to walk our paths well.

So, consistency in its truest sense is being self-aware, all day long, or at least making very sincere attempts at being self-aware. Once we get good at noticing which thoughts are ours and which thoughts aren't ours, or which thoughts of ours are righteous thoughts and which ones aren't, we'll notice how simple life gets. Moreover, we'll start to enjoy everything that we do, including the things we used to complain about doing in the past.

If we're having righteous thoughts, we're in the Fa and acting according to the Fa. Thus, it would be impossible to be living under the old forces arrangements at all. In fact, acting according to the Fa is, in and of itself, totally denying the very emergence -- the very existence -- of the old forces in our lives. The Fa strengthens righteous thoughts and consistent righteous thoughts keeps us consistently in the Fa. So how can it be that the old forces hold sway over our lives anymore? Isn't this truly denying their very existence?

When we do well the three things Master Li has asked us to do, we are, in fact, thinking and acting in the most righteous way a being can act. The more righteous we become, the easier it is to identify the remaining unrighteous elements within ourselves. Thus, we are apt to become more diligent in doing well the three things Master Li has asked us to do. The whole process comes full circle.

Thus, having back-to-back righteous thoughts, all day long, is, in my opinion, crucial to walking our path well. And if we can really do that, we're sure to have the utmost confidence in ourselves and in our daily dealings. But the confidence I am referring to here is not the confidence of an ordinary person - it's the confidence of a Fa Rectification Disciple. An ordinary person derives his confidence from his accomplishments, his title, fame, status, wealth, and his ability to strive forward and achieve ordinary people-type goals. A cultivator derives his confidence from having righteous thoughts, all day long, meaning, his confidence comes from acting according to the Fa -- being in the Fa.

Some may argue, "Since we're still in the human world, we're sure to have human thoughts right till the end, so we're not always going to have Righteous Thoughts."

I would agree with this statement, however, isn't, cultivation precisely the stepping out of our humanness, out of our unrighteousness? Isn't that the aim of cultivation? Furthermore, the unrighteous thoughts that will remain with us till the end of our cultivation path don't in any way prevent us from having an unbending will to eradicate every last unrighteous thought. Anything short of our best is a form of complacency.

In conclusion: When we are consistent in our practice, doing the three things Master Li has asked us to do, our lives will become testaments to the Fa. For example, I used to think to myself, "Oh, now I have to read two chapters of Zhuan Falun this evening," or, "Oh, now I have to stop what I am doing and send forth righteous thoughts." In fact, I was looking at the three things we need to do well (including the exercises) with human thoughts, with unrighteous thoughts. Therefore, I was literally just going through the motions of being Master Li's disciple. It was like the cultivation process itself had become a job to me, a job where Master Li (my boss) assigned me three tasks (doing the three things) and I, as a loyal employee, dutifully performed them.

In fact, I wasn't cultivating myself by the Fa, from within the Fa, at all. Rather, I was simply cultivating myself out of a sense of selfish obligation. For example, it was always, "Oh well... I guess I HAVE to do my exercise now!" instead of, "This is great! I have the auspicious fortune to know how to do the 5 exercises and the incredible privilege of being able to do them today!"

Now things are different. I go to bed looking forward to waking up and starting my day with sending righteous thoughts, exercising, reading Zhuan Falun, and clarifying the truth. Each day truly becomes more promising than the day before - and I don't see an end in sight! If I were asked to put down in one short sentence how I feel about the path Master Li has arranged for me, I would say this: "I'm having the time of my life!"

Please point out any flawed understandings I may have written, here. Thank you Master Li! Thank you everyone!