(Clearwisdom.net) My daughter always does her homework after playing all day to the point of exhaustion. We have lectured her many times, but she never listens.
Recently, I read an article entitled, "Children Are the Mirror of Their Parents." I suddenly enlightened to the fact that my daughter's bad habits were exactly a reflection of my own shortcomings! I am always very slow to do things, such as often being late to send righteous thoughts, and never finishing my materials early-- they are only ready by the time people come to get them. I always leave the house exactly 30 minutes before I am supposed to be at work, never leaving a bit early. My household chores are always put off until the last minute. My sluggishness has become a habit but I had never thought about it. Although I feel very busy everyday, this is not a cultivator's state!
I saw my shortcomings through the mirror my daughter provided. What exactly are the roots of these shortcomings? Laziness, and the pursuit of leisure. I did not want to be too tense, so I took everything easy, not doing anything until the last minute. How can one keep up with the Fa-rectification process in this state? There are so many things I could have done, but they have slipped through the cracks of laziness. I recall many things I could have done but did not.
Since seeing clearly this bad habit, and separating it from my true self, I am determined to get rid of it. Master said in "Discarding Attachments" in Hong Yin II (provisional translation),
"...you have to discard the attachments
you hold deep inside
What’s given up is not oneself
But instead the folly of delusion"
I hope those who have a similar problem can learn from my lesson, get rid of this attachment quickly, and upgrade together.
