(Minghui.org) I had a bad thought this morning when I was doing the exercises. I then saw a green toad-like creature appear in front of me. I quickly corrected my thoughts, then the creature disappeared. After a while the bad thought reemerged, and I saw the creature again.
In my daily life, I am often unable to control my bad thoughts. I sometimes even imagine playing pranks on others and then laugh about it in my heart. I know that thinking about things like that is wrong, but I had never taken it that seriously.
Seeing the green toad during the exercises woke me up. Fostering bad thoughts will induce this kind of low-level creature. More importantly, as cultivators don't we need to cultivate our hearts? Merely having good behavior and following the rules in everyday society are something even a good everyday person is able to do. The standard for us is much higher. What we need to do is purify our thoughts and our hearts. That is different than simply following the rules in everyday society.
We must immediately eliminate bad thoughts when they emerge in our minds. This is something a cultivator should do.
Master said in the article “Determination” that:
“It is your own responsibility to cultivate your heart and mind, let go of your desires, attain wisdom, and eliminate confusion.” (Essentials for Further Advancement).
Other people cannot see our thoughts, but we can. It is our responsibility to decide how we treat our bad thoughts. Whether we keep them or eliminate them is all up to us.
Category: Improving Oneself
