Extricating Ourselves from Thoughts of Personal Gain and Loss

(Minghui.org) Rainwater provides for all living things and runs to the sea. The sun shines on the mountains and forests but requires nothing in return. This is because the rain and the sun are above the human influences of gain and loss.

If we humans seek any personal interest, our hearts are concerned with gain and loss. If we desire lust, we become entangled with emotion. For those of us who practice cultivation, if we hold onto human notions, we become carried away with the things of the human world.

As Falun Dafa practitioners, we are more than merely good people. Our goal is to cultivate to levels higher than the human world. We therefore must not base our thoughts on human-level principles.

We live in the human world without becoming part of it. It is akin to the wind passing through the woods but not becoming a tree, or flying over a lake but not becoming a drop of water.

I have noticed that some practitioners base their thoughts on human gains and losses instead of uplifting their realms in cultivation.

For example, some practitioners might think that if they cultivate diligently, their health should improve. If they do the three things better, they ought to be blessed and rewarded. If they persuade many people to quit the party, their businesses should make more money. Or, if they are steadfast in Dafa, their family life should be smoother and more harmonious.

All the above thoughts try to relate cultivation to gains and losses in the human world. But, in fact, they are not related. If a practitioner thinks this way, it is like doing business with divine beings by negotiating: I did this for you, so you give me that.

Of course, this is wrong, and you won't seal the deal.

There is an ancient Chinese story called “buying the box and returning the pearl.” In the story, a man who wants to buy a pearl becomes intrigued by the beautifully decorated box that the pearl came in. He paid for the jewel and kept the box while returning the most valuable part, the pearl, to the salesman.

Similarly, if a practitioner pursues human gain, he would lose what is most important: returning to a higher level, returning to his origin.

Cultivation practice is sacred and serious. We, as practitioners, must look at our thoughts and behavior closely to decipher what they are based upon. Only when we let go of personal interest are we on the righteous path.

The above sharing is my personal understanding. Please kindly correct me if it does not conform to the Fa.