(Clearwisdom.net) To a cultivator, we all know very well what it means to "cultivate", however, it is sometimes hard to become enlightened to its true meanings.
Last year, I began pondering this problem. Why do things always turn out like this? Should cultivation be such filled with hardships? Where do the problems come from? Through studying the Fa and looking inside myself, I found a lot of loopholes in my cultivation that have been exploited by the evil demons and dark minions, thereby enlarging and strengthening a lot of my acquired notions to make things worse. Master teaches us in "The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be",
"which results in their gaps being exploited by interfering factors that the old forces left behind early on in the surface of the human dimension, wicked specters, or rotten demons--things that have magnified and strengthened those attachments and human notions--all of which has brought about this despondent state."
Only by clearly identifying it, eliminating it, and freeing ourselves from its bondage, can we truly follow the cultivation path that Master has given us, do the three things well, and truly walk well this cultivation path that Master has given us.
Every tribulation and test come about as a result of our incorrect, acquired notions which are against the laws of the new universe. As a result, it will stop you from improving. Only by eliminating it can we get rid of our attachments. Before, although I also looked inside whenever I met problems in cultivation, and was able to find a lump of problems in myself. It was not truly cultivation. Only now do I truly understand the importance of studying the Fa well. Whenever I am unable to pass a test now, I will look inside to see what is stopping me from getting rid of this attachment, where have I not done well, or what other attachments I have to get rid off. The entire process of cultivation is a process of getting rid of human notions, therefore, of course we'll be able to find a lot of them. Then, we can look even further to see what else there is that we cannot give up, things that we might even treasure more than our cultivation, and this will be the notion blocking us from passing the current test. Only by turning this incorrect notion around, assimilating to Dafa, improving our xinxing, and in other words, conform to the requirements of the new level in cultivation so that the universe's characteristics no longer restrict you, can you truly rise up and pass the test.
Master teaches us in "On Buddha Law",
"To open up this field, ordinary people have to fundamentally change their way of thinking."
In our cultivation, we have to break through these acquired selfish and stubborn notions. When Master tells us to go clarify the truth, save sentient beings and resist the persecution, human notions tell us that we would be arrested and persecuted if we go out to clarify the truth, especially with the heightened persecution in the region now, or become scared by the false images in human society after the Sujiatun incident was exposed - all these are wrong. How can we protect a cultivator in the Fa-rectification era from a human point of view? If we stand on the perspective of the Fa however, then we realize that only by clarifying the truth, resisting the persecution, and saving sentient beings, can we protect ourselves, since when we clarify the truth our godly sides are also clarifying the truth and eliminating the evil. It is the evil that is afraid of truth clarification, not us cultivators. When all the sentient beings in all dimensions and universes understand the truth, with more and more people awakened, more and more evil will be eliminated. Wouldn't all the evil disintegrate once all the sentient beings awaken? Wouldn't all these sentient beings be saved therefore? Aren't we saved once the evil has disintegrated? Doesn't this show the difference between a cultivator and a human point of view?
Moreover, wouldn't it be a great tragedy to all sentient beings if we made them lose the opportunity to be saved simply because we did not do well ourselves? Seeing all these sentient beings, where did our compassion go? Aren't we cultivating compassion? There are a lot of human notions to get rid off on the cultivation path, and there is a lot of evil to eliminate. As Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification era, the sentient beings are waiting for us to save them, we are consummating the beings in our universes. If I compare this to a chore in cultivation, we can only accelerate and do it quickly in oder to finish it. Moreover, it becomes easier and easier the more we do. If we always push it off until tomorrow, and until the day after etc., it will eventually pile up and become a huge mountain. Then, we would no longer be able to move it. Isn't it dangerous then? Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification era are like soldiers on the battlefield, but this battlefield is without form, yet it is the battlefield of all righteous and evil forces. Especially, at this last moment of Fa-rectification, it has come to the final moment of this battle. Before the evil is finally eliminated and destroyed, they will definitely struggle to live and hang on to our attachments, not wanting to let go. Slacking off at this moment would obviously be of utmost danger.
Cultivation is like climbing a mountain; it is a hard task by itself. By carrying heavy baggage with us on our trip, can we still make it? This baggage is exactly all the incorrect and stubborn acquired notions in us. Once we put down all this baggage, doesn't it make the climb much easier? The more we get rid off, the easier things become, just like what Master taught us in Zhuan Falun. These acquired notions are the source of our attachments. Only by clearly identifying it, eliminating it, and breaking through it, can Master's law bodies help us eliminate these substances. Only then can our body change fundamentally. The more we get rid off, the lighter load we have, the less restriction the universal characteristic places on us, and the higher we rise. With a lighter bodysubstance, our gong increases, becomes denser, and has more power to eliminate the evil in other dimensions.
When we feel sleepy while studying the Fa, we have to know clearly that it is not the true us. Instead, it is thought karma and our acquired notions interfering with us to prevent us from eliminating it while studying the Fa. Master tells us in Zhuan Falun,
"Everything in other dimensions is alive, so karma is, too. When someone wants to cultivate a true teaching he has to eliminate his karma. Eliminating karma means eradicating it and transforming it. Now of course the karma won't go for it, so people have tribulations and they have obstacles."
At this time, we should spend even more effort studying the Fa and not be fooled by superficial images. Who would be happiest when we do not wish the study the Fa? Definitely, it is the bad things that are to be eliminated, so that they have space to live, to breathe and create troubles for us like tons of garbage stored away:
"Having humanly fostered the evil demons" ("Expounding on the Fa", Essentials for Further Advancement I)
Master has asked us to study the Fa more and study the Fa well. Master has time and again stressed the importance of studying the Fa. Our process of studying the Fa is a process of strengthening our righteous thoughts, assimilating to the Fa, eliminating our incorrect acquired notions, and clearing up one's own space around our body. Master tells us in Zhuan Falun,
"Every single word in my books has my image and Law Wheel, and every sentence is my words"
The more we clear up, the lesser interference we'll have. At the same time, we also have to improve our xinxing and catch up with Master's Fa-rectification. If we do not study the Fa well, all kinds of acquired notions, thought karma, evil demons in other dimensions, dark minions, and evil party elements will pile up. Isn't this even more dangerous? All the evil demons in other dimensions are watching us closely, constantly prying into and exploiting the loopholes in our xinxing. Therefore, studying the Fa well is the basis of cultivation. The laws in human society are opposite of the universe's laws, we cannot want to live a comfortable life.
"The more hardship the junior monk goes through, the easier it is for him to become Unlocked." (Zhuan Falun)
Just a few understandings, please feel free to point out any inadequacies.
