(Minghui.org) The Fa-rectification is in its last phase and is approaching the surface. The process of separating the enlightened parts of ourselves from the cultivated parts, which are still being purified for each practitioner, is continuing. It is time to remove all fundamental attachments, especially the attachment to pets.
After her divorce, a practitioner has lived by herself with a dog for a number of years, as her daughter had moved abroad.
There is something that has troubled me for some time now. When we study the Fa in a group, listen to Teacher's lectures, or are involved in some other Dafa activities, the dog was always sitting quietly on the side. When a fellow practitioner discussed the issue and said that it was not appropriate for a practitioner to have a dog, she said that she understood that, but she couldn't find a home for it. She added that she worried that the dog would be mistreated. It was clear to us that she had a strong attachment to the dog.
Another practitioner loved cats when she was a child. When her cat died, she cried for days. Last year her son gave her a cat and asked her to take care of it. At first she said no, because it would affect her in doing the three things. She tried to find another home for the cat, but was not successful. She had given the cat to a family, but they returned the cat within a day. It's been more than a year now and she still spends a significant amount of time feeding and cleaning up after the cat daily.
Master said, “It is easier to invite an immortal than to see one off.” (Zhuan Falun)
During experience sharing she admitted that the cat was interfering with her doing the three things, but she did not see it as an attachment.
Teacher said,
“However, there is a principle in our universe: Animals are not allowed to succeed in cultivation. Therefore, all of you can read in ancient books that once every several hundred years, animals are killed in a big calamity or a small disaster. After a period of time, animals will develop energy and must be killed or struck by lightening, etc. They are forbidden from practicing cultivation because they do not have the human inborn nature; they cannot practice cultivation like human beings as they do not possess human qualities. If they succeed in cultivation, they are bound to be demons. They are thus not allowed to succeed in cultivation. Otherwise, they will be killed by heaven. They know it as well.” (Zhuan Falun) (official translation)
Teacher also said,
"Very early on, in India there was a disciple of Brahmanism cultivating. He was quite diligent in cultivation and he cultivated in solitude in the mountains. One day a hunter tracked down a deer, wounding it with an [arrow] shot. This deer ran off [to where the cultivator was], and he hid the deer, protecting it. Alone in the mountains, he was very lonely, so he started to take care of the deer. Humans, if they don’t pay attention, can get attached, and indeed the human feeling of pity and attachment to emotion were both poured on this small deer. With time he became very attached to the deer, and eventually the deer became his closest companion. As a result, he put all his energy into the deer, and when he meditated his mind couldn’t become calm; he would be thinking about what to feed the deer. He slackened his resolve to stride forward.
"A few years later, the deer suddenly died one day, and he was greatly pained. He always thought about the deer, and even less could he make diligent progress. By this time he was advanced in his years, and if you aren’t a cultivator, your life can’t be prolonged. He could no longer cultivate and his life ended. When his life came to a close he didn’t think of the Buddha Law; he was still thinking of the deer, and because of this, after he died, he reincarnated as a deer. When a person is on his deathbed, he may reincarnate into whatever he is attached to and thinking about, so in an instant he reincarnated into a deer. How lamentable. A cultivator—one who cultivated quite well—was in the end ruined in that instant. For cultivators it’s best not to be attached to animals." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Houston")
I hope fellow practitioners who are keeping pets will consider seriously whether it is proper to keep them. Can you call yourself a disciple during the Fa-rectification period if you keep pets? Keeping pets is an attachment and it can affect your opportunity to advance during this Fa-rectification period.
You don't want to add an obstruction to your cultivation path, especially something that can potentially bring regrets and failure. Don't provide the old forces with another excuse to bring harm to you.
Our path of cultivation will serve as an example to future generations. Every step needs to align with the Fa. Ask yourself, "Can you face Teacher with what you are doing?"
Fellow practitioners! Let us focus on cultivating well, validating the Fa and accomplishing our historical mission.
Heshi!
