(Minghui.org) It's been almost a year since the evil started its frenzied attempt to damage Dafa in Hong Kong. In the past, when I read such reports, I would feel really angry. However, some recent articles on the Minghui website led me to reflect about my own cultivation state.
When I read the editorial, “Put an End to Plagiarizing and Undermining the Fa” again, I started to think about how I understood the issue of plagiarizing the Fa. By measuring myself against the requirements set by Master and the Fa, I could see that deep in my heart I failed to have a righteous understanding about my relationship with Dafa and failed to treat myself as a serious and respectful practitioner.
In the past, I always thought that I was doing pretty well in firmly believing and respecting Master and Dafa. I never swayed amidst tribulations and studied the Fa conscientiously. I thought I was taking things very seriously and believed that I tried hard to do the three things required of us by Master. I was strict with myself and only browsed Minghui and a few main websites run by practitioners. I never spread anything that was not from the Minghui website.
Occasionally, I saw pieces of the serialized, fictional story, written by the author mentioned in the editorial, but I thought the author's understanding was limited. I did not follow the story, so I never thought I had any problem pertaining to this issue.
When I first read the Minghui Editorial “Put an End to Plagiarizing and Undermining the Fa,” I agreed with it and came to the conclusion that it did not refer to me. I never thought more of it afterward. However, I did not believe the author of the fictional story was plagiarizing the Fa and did not think seriously why I failed to recognize this.
Now I see very clearly that, in the past, even though I made it clear each time I quoted the Fa that it was Master's words, I felt it was troublesome; therefore, I was not showing proper respect as a Dafa disciple. No matter how well we do on the surface, our attitude towards the Fa is the most fundamental issue.
My attitude showed clearly that I did not have a righteous heart. When we hold an attachment to “self” we become irrational and cannot see things clearly. The Gods and the bad beings in the old cosmos can see this as well. I'm a veteran practitioner who has been cultivating for over ten years, and yet I never thought seriously about the true nature of my cultivation state.
In addition, as time went on I gained more incorrect understandings and became conceited. When studying the Fa, I tended to think of myself as possessing a righteous cultivation state, but spoke to others in a conceited manner, “We Dafa disciples should...and as Dafa disciples we should...” Of course, any Dafa disciple with a righteous heart would speak this way with pride. But in my case, I talked this way because I felt I had experienced a lot, learned a lot and felt conceited. So, naturally I considered myself an outstanding Dafa disciple.
Now I understand there is nothing wrong with wanting to be a Dafa disciple, but we must continuously measure ourselves according to the Fa's standards at higher levels.
I have made it through many tribulations with a firm belief in Master and Dafa and I felt a proud sense of accomplishment. When these trials came up in conversation, I would recount them with joy, “I was like this or that...” instead of thinking of Master and Dafa. In addition, when I came across a situation when Dafa was treated unfairly, more often than not, I would argue angrily like an everyday person.
In fact, I was aware of some of my incorrect states, but thought it was only a matter of a certain cultivation realm; therefore, I was failing to make any fundamental breakthroughs. Now I realize I failed to maintain a righteous heart.
Master has explained these issues very clearly in his teachings. If I had cherished Master and Dafa and genuinely cultivated myself and taken seriously the issues raised in the Minghui editorial by reading through the whole article, it would not have taken me so long to correct my xinxing.
I feel that whether it was the author of the fictional story, or the evil's frenzied assault in Hong Kong, or the the evil websites, or false scriptures that damage Dafa, nothing happens in isolation! Therefore it is not enough just to talk about how to resolve a particular issue. I feel the root of such things lies in the fact that practitioners cannot treat their relationship with Master and Dafa properly:
“When a person can’t get rid of human attachments such as starting up something new just to be different, validating himself, seeking novelty, being elated, and showing off—and this persists for a long time—the bad beings in the cosmos will seize upon this and interfere, stir up trouble, and disrupt Master’s rectifying of the Fa and saving people. When a person cannot regard things correctly, often he is destroying more than just himself.” (“Put an End to Plagiarizing and Undermining the Fa,” Minghui Editorial, August 11, 2012)
I feel deeply that as Dafa cultivators, we must respectfully hold Master's teachings in our hearts and check our xinxing with the standards of the Fa at all times. We should also refer to the issues raised in the editorial and truly rectify any incorrect cultivation states. This is the best way to completely eliminate various forms of evil that undermine Dafa.
The above is my limited understanding. I realize now that Dafa has a greater profundity and am deeply aware of the limitations of my cultivation state. I will strive to cultivate a righteous heart and do well with the three things.
Category: Improving Oneself
