(Clearwisdom.net) After I read Master's article, "Sifting of the Sand," the first thought that came to me were Master's words in "Zhuan Falun": "The great waves shift the sand, and that is what cultivation practice is all about. What is left in the end will be genuine gold." (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun) Those words whirled around in my mind repeatedly. Yes, now it is almost the end of Fa-rectification. Of course now is the time to separate the genuine gold from the sand and the impure gold. The pure gold will soon shine forth. This is really something very serious.
Then I thought about the disagreements and conflicts between fellow practitioners. We have tried so many times to resolve them, but failed. In this split second that will be over in a twinkling, some practitioners cannot do the exercises correctly and some are reluctant to get up early to practice. Once, when we just finished the morning exercises, a practitioner asked, "What should I do if I can't get up early?" Another practitioner said, "If at the very moment when all of us achieve Consummation while doing the exercises, you were asleep, how do you think Master would treat you?" The practitioner was startled by these words, and then could make himself get up on time.
We were really worried about some practitioners who couldn't do the exercises correctly. Other practitioners pointed out their problems several times and they refused to accept it. They always swayed while doing the exercises and would become angry if we reminded them too many times. Master told us that our main consciousness needs to be strong. If your consciousness is strong enough, it is impossible for you to sway during the exercises. In tranquil meditation, some practitioners fall asleep. We really need to pay attention to these things. You are not living up to Master's standard if you sway, sleep, or to not do the movements correctly. I think we should watch the video that demonstrates how to do the exercises again, or read The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa once every while.
The other problem that was also mentioned several times in articles published on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website is that of pronouncing the words incorrectly while we study the Fa together. Some practitioners read the Fa incorrectly, and when others tell them, they are unwilling to correct themselves. Actually sometimes they would make the correction, but if it was a practitioner who had a conflict with him that pointed out his mistake, he would just refuse to correct himself. I think that attachment should also be gotten rid of. What we study and read is the Fa. If you are pronouncing the words incorrectly, you should be willing to correct yourself, even if your mistake is being pointed out by the practitioner who is having a conflict with you. If you are able to do this, you can also get rid of your human attachment. Isn't this quite a good thing?
Besides, while collectivity reading the Fa, while one person reads the Fa, the others who listen should read or recite silently along and try not to do unrelated things. Isn't your respect to Master and Dafa revealed by this? Our Fa study is not just a formality and we should treat it seriously with a pure heart and in a good manner. In ancient times, before they went to a temple to burn incense and pay respects to Buddha, people needed to take baths, change into clean clothes, and very sincerely pay respect to Buddha. To our universal Dafa that has created all things in this universe, shouldn't we treasure Him the most, and be our most respectful?
I had always thought that I only had an attachment to money but after going through some tribulations on this matter, I felt this attachment had become much less than before. I no longer thought a lot about fame, benefits, and sentimentality (qing). I didn't realize that I was still paying attention to those things until one day I felt extremely pained when something happened to touch on these attachments. I was unwilling to speak about it, as I was worried about losing face. Doesn't this mean that I still have some strong attachments that I don't want to let go of? I thought, "Since I don't go to work, I have no place to struggle for fame and benefits." But I was wrong. My child's school grades became the platform for me to fight for fame and personal benefits. I would be happy when he achieved good grades in school, but I would feel unhappy when he did not.
At first I didn't realize or admit what was going on. But then the situation turned worse and worse due to my not letting go of this bad element. My child used to be excellent in school, but in the end the teacher asked me to come to school to have a talk with him. I felt bad, and started to search inside. Did this happen because my child didn't cultivate diligently, or was it because I have too strong of an attachment? Of course a child is still just a child. But perhaps if he had studied the Fa better, he would be a better student. I kept on studying the Fa, and suddenly one word stood out: fame. Fame and benefit. Yes, this attachment was hidden too deeply and I didn't even realize it until it became painful. Letting go of qing is only one aspect; we also should demolish all attachments to fame and personal benefit.
Master worries about us a great deal. He writes articles to instruct us how to cultivate, improve ourselves, and save more sentient beings. As Master's disciples, we must strive hard to achieve a better understanding. We must get rid of the attachment to competitiveness, and many other attachments. We should work to make our surroundings even more compassionate and not argue about which practitioner is right or wrong.
We must also cultivate ourselves in family conflicts. It is so difficult for fellow practitioners to come together in person. Then why are we always paying so much attention to other practitioners' attachments? While you are busy focusing on their attachments, perhaps it is your own attachments that are using you. If you always want to change others to be more in agreement with you, couldn't this be another attachment whose origin is qing? All the practitioners who point out others' mistakes and whose mistakes have been pointed out should stop and reflect on this. We should strive together to sift the sand so that together we can become genuine gold.
These are only my own experiences. Please compassionately correct me if I have any misunderstandings.
