(Minghui.org) There are usually two ways a Falun Dafa practitioner meets with tribulations. One relates to becoming paralyzed by fear of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecution. The other is from various conflicts and emotions inherent in ordinary society. Just like the “boiling frog” phenomenon, these two forms share the same purpose—to keep practitioners from making progress in cultivation.
Mr. Wong (an alias) started cultivating in 1995. He remained very diligent, even after the persecution started. But after his daughter was divorced, Mr. Wong could not let go of sentiment, and focused less on cultivation. He then moved to another city to work, and gave up cultivation practice for an extended time.
There will always be complicated emotions and attachments in day-to-day life, such as obsessing over gain and loss, fear, and the attachment to comfort. These insidious forces can slowly push practitioners to stop cultivating. Just like the slow “boiling frog,” he may not realize there's a problem until its too late! Many things in society can cause attachments, and prompt us to revert back toward our self-centered thinking.
There are many such “boiling frog” scenarios. For example, some practitioners gradually left cultivation because their spouses had affairs. They were devastated, and could not let go of it. Some lost their faith after giving a large loan to someone that was never returned. Some became too immersed in their jobs, and some became incapacitated from sickness karma.
These things happen because we place are own feelings about loss and gain in society above the cultivation goal of returning to selfless enlightenment.
Master said,
“There are so many people in the world, so why can’t the majority of them cultivate, and why haven’t more people cultivated to success? Because people can’t let go of humanness.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.”)
There are many emotional entanglements that can lead to tribulations, temptation, and resentment. Any human attachment that we cannot let go can cause damage to our cultivation. To become an enlightened being in the new epoch of time, we must let go of egotism and selfishness. I hope all fellow practitioners will be vigilant. Let's remind and encourage one another so we can walk well the final steps of our path.
Category: Improving Oneself
