What We Do Is Entirely Up to Us

(Minghui.org) In Lecture Three of Zhuan Falun, Master tells us,

“Here, we teach everyone to follow the righteous way, and at the same time explain the Fa to you thoroughly to let you become enlightened on your own. It is your own business whether you want to learn it. The master takes you through the entrance, and it is up to you to practice cultivation. Nobody will force you or make you practice cultivation. It is your own business whether you practice cultivation. In other words, no one will interfere with it in terms of which path you take, what you want, or what you try to get. We can only advise people to be good.”

After studying this passage of the Fa, I wanted to share with my fellow practitioners my thoughts on how to “choose” correctly in our cultivation practice. I have had problems in this regard, and would like to use my personal experience to caution those who may have similar problems.

Making the Right Choices in Our Cultivation Practice

In our day-to-day cultivation practice, we face various tests all the time. Can we conduct ourselves as true cultivators? Which path do we choose? What do we want in this time period, or at this very moment? Do we choose to assimilate to the Fa, or do we fill our bodies and minds with negative and demonic things of the ordinary world? As cultivators, we are constantly making choices.

Because we are in the lowest level of the universe and cultivate among everyday people, there are a lot of temptations around us. They serve as tests to see if we can make it in our cultivation. Are we genuine gold? Can we cultivate solidly until the very end?

Especially at this critical time of Fa-rectification, the old forces imposed a test as destructive as the persecution (though it happened, we must deny all of the old forces' arrangement). Their goal is to see how Dafa practitioners choose in the face of adversity.

We should do what Master has asked of us and cultivate solidly. We should take cultivation seriously not because of the persecution but because we are Dafa practitioners. We have to assimilate to the Fa unconditionally–our only correct choice in cultivation.

A Common Problem Among Practitioners

Yet oftentimes, we are interfered with and tempted by different things of the human world. As a result, we waste our time in pursuing these illusions.

When visiting a practitioner last night, I saw him engrossed in reading a newspaper from a media controlled by the Communist Party. Seeing this, I knew it was a reflection of my own shortcomings in cultivation. It was an indication for me to look within and cultivate myself. Why did I see this? How should I choose?

If a practitioner spends 30 minutes or more a day watching the Communist Party's news or reading its newspapers, isn't this a huge waste of our time? This is a serious matter, yet very common among practitioners.

The Communist Party's evil spirits are behind every character in these publications and every scene of the news. They are the lowest level spirits that directly persecute Dafa and practitioners. As practitioners, if we choose to read and watch them, aren't we accepting, acknowledging, choosing, and pursuing them? Aren't we looking to be controlled by these evil spirits?

As a result, we often develop health problems or have troubles in our lives that keep us from doing the three things well. We might also have tribulations that last for a long time, but we just don't realize that it has anything to do with these habits.

This is a matter of choice in our cultivation practice. What do you try to do? How do you go about it? These are our own choices, and nobody will interfere. A fellow practitioner might remind you once or twice, but in the end it is still your own choice.

It's all up to us to make the right choices and do the right things. Our actions may not be obvious to others, but all of the divine beings are watching every thought of ours, and the old forces are looking for our loopholes.

Lessons I Have Learned

There are many practitioners, including myself, who sometimes cannot resist the temptations all around us. I used to spend a lot of time online, reading all sorts of novels and visiting pornographic websites. I was drawn to violent content that was stimulating. However, countless demons and evil spirits are behind these things.

I was miserable and wondered why I always ran into difficulties. It had a lot to do with my wrong choices about how to spend my time online. That's why I made a choice to completely give up that bad habit.

I know that some practitioners like to read philosophical or inspirational articles. I used to read a lot of articles in this category, and I think they can be beneficial to ordinary people. However, modern writers' pursuit of fame and money is behind their words, and it is hard to detect this from the surface. It will probably do more harm than good to a practitioner.

As practitioners in the Fa-rectification period, why would we choose to read anything besides the Fa? Of course, I am not talking about books or resources that we need to read for work. But other than that, we should stay focused on our cultivation practice in order to remain steadfast.

The more things we read that are not the Fa, the more confused our minds become. We will then be more likely to choose the wrong path and go astray. I have learned my lesson the hard way and have paid the price.

Whatever we read, listen to, eat, and think will become part of us. If we fill our stomachs, our brains, and our space up with these filthy things, how are we going to get rid of them? The mountains of selfish thoughts and human notions we formed in our previous lives pose such great challenges to cultivators today. If we keep taking on bad things, how are we going to cultivate?

Cultivating with a Righteous Mind

Whether a veteran practitioner can completely relinquish an attachment as small as quitting smoking is going to determine whether or not he can achieve consummation. If a practitioner who has done well in all other areas cannot get rid of the habit of checking out pretty girls, then his cultivation will be in vain.

Reading Communist Party newspapers and trashy articles online is even more serious and does more harm than smoking and looking at pretty girls. However, when we do it out of habit, we don't realize it. Many practitioners like to chat via text messages on their cellphones; isn't that also a test? What we choose to do is entire up to us.

As I have mentioned, I have made terrible choices in the past. I wanted this article to serve as a warning to those who have similar problems. I hope they will learn from my mistakes and cultivate with a righteous mind.

The above are my personal understandings. I ask fellow practitioners to kindly point out anything that is inappropriate.