(Minghui.org) I have found many practitioners, including myself, having the same problem: We can easily let go of the attachment to wealth, but we still seek small gains. Every time I bought vegetables or meat, when the vendors gave me a bargain, I said, “Oh, there is no need,” but I always felt happy. I wondered why I couldn’t let go of this mentality? The more I was attached to small advantages, the more often these types of situations happened.
After one instance, I felt uneasy, but a thought appeared in my mind: “If you can truly be happy when others gain something from you, instead of when you gain something from others, then you will be able to get rid of this attachment.”
I then understood all at once that why I couldn’t get rid of the attachment to small gains. It was because I was clinging to an ordinary, reversed principle that was based on selfishness. Only when I fundamentally changed my attachment to selfishness could I easily let go of the attachment. I have been able to stay calm about small gains ever since.
Surprised By My Own Words
I recently shared with a practitioner who was taking care of some ordinary matters with a government agency. I said, “You can take this as an opportunity to clarify the truth to them.” She said she couldn’t do so because her xinxing level was not high enough. I replied, “You can do it. First, you have to believe you can do it. You will then be able to find the attachments that are blocking you and let go of them.”
I was amazed by the words that I had just said. Those were not spoken by me. I realized that Master had spoken through my mouth. Master aimed to let both her and me understand that our fundamental problem was that we couldn't understand the situation based on the righteous Fa-principles. The righteous thought should be like, “I am a Dafa disciple, if I can behave with righteous thoughts, I can make it!”
Letting Go of the Attachments of Jealousy, Resentment, and Revenge
It seemed to me that many practitioners have had these problems. I am one of them. Sometimes when I was meditating, I thought, “Why do those practitioners have such big problems? Those practitioners will have troubles soon!” Sometimes I even thought, “It is better to let them have troubles! Let’s see if they will change themselves or not...”
I knew these were not righteous thoughts, and I tried to overcome those types of thoughts, but they kept arising. After a long while of indulging in those thoughts, I would suddenly realize that I was wrong and be full of regret. But soon I would think that way again. I was very worried about it, but I couldn’t seem to let it go.
Then, when noticing a fellow practitioner’s problem, I did not develop a critical mindset. Instead, I thought of how honored we both were to be Falun Dafa cultivators. I then developed a kind intention to help him.
I mentally said to him, with sincerity and kindness, “You have a loophole here, please hurry and let go of it. I will help you send forth righteous thoughts and support you!” I then felt that my body was immersed in a peaceful and warm field. I realized that I was thinking based on the standpoint of the righteous Fa-principles.
From then on, whenever that type of messy thoughts came up, I always compared them with the righteous thoughts, “What should my righteous thoughts be?” Upon comparison, I found how filthy those bad thoughts were. In that way, I easily got rid of the mentalities of jealousy, resentment and revenge.
Writing Sharing Articles
Before, I was eager to see my sharing articles published on the Minghui website, thinking that I would gain mighty virtue and improve greatly. If my articles were not published, I was very disappointed. If this happened a few times, I would lose interest in writing articles.
Now my purpose is to unconditionally share with fellow practitioners about the Fa-principles that I have enlightened to during tribulations. Even if my articles are not published, I do not get disappointed and continue to write, because doing so can give the Minghui editors more choices. Now I am content with any choice that the Minghui editors make, as they must choose articles that can best help the body of practitioners improve.
Master said,
“Dafa disciples, in your cultivation in the ordinary human world you all have understood something clearly that's based on the Fa's principles, namely, not to be attached to the 'gain and loss' of ordinary people. So when things related to validating the Fa are involved, there too you shouldn't insist on voicing 'my ideas' or on having things done 'my way'. It's not like only then can you establish mighty virtue in the cosmos. If you've got a good idea, well, you came up with it, you're being responsible to the Fa, and it's not important whether your idea is adopted or whether your approach is used. If another person's idea can achieve the same effect and you aren't attached to your own idea and instead you go along with his, then whether you've shared your approach or not, Gods will all see this and think, 'Look, he isn't attached, and he's able to be so tolerant and broadminded.' What do Gods look at? Isn't this what they look at?” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A. Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
“It's not like Gods see that your idea worked and then they raise your level. Instead, they only raise your level when they see that your understanding of it has improved. This is a truth in the Righteous Fa. If you're thinking, 'I'll have XYZ happen to me if I've gained such and such amount of merit,' well, yes, that's how it works for an ordinary person, and it might be what's looked at as far as certain facets of the cosmos's Fa-truths go or in a particular situation. But true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
I now understand that only when we let go of the ego can we see the manifestation of the Fa. It is not that we have mighty virtue, but instead, it is that the Fa manifesting within us has mighty virtue.
Clarifying the Truth
Before, I went out every day to clarify the truth because Master asked us to do so. And the motivation for me to pass tests was the salvation of the sentient beings in my own cosmic system. I used to believe my standpoint was not selfish because my efforts were not for my personal consummation, but now I know it was still selfish – selfishness on a wider scope. I didn’t keep in mind that my truth-clarification was also for the salvation of the sentient beings in the cosmic system of the person who was listening to me. That is why I felt tired and pressured all along.
Because I corrected my mentality, the wish to clarify the truth is now coming from the bottom of my heart. Now I am trying my best to help people understand the truth, and they are happier to listen to me because they can feel my true concern for them.
Master said,
“In high-level cosmic bodies, Great Enlightened Beings’ paradises and lives are born of righteous Fa-principles or are consummated through cultivating with righteous Fa-principles. Everything of theirs conforms to the righteous Fa-principles.” (“Dafa Is All-Encompassing”, Essentials for Further Advancement II)
“Their secrets won’t be revealed to those whose thinking or perspectives are steeped in a secular worldview.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun, 2018 English Version)
Now when faced with tests, I evaluate my thoughts with righteous Fa-principles, and I can easily find my bad mentalities and let go of them. I feel cultivation practice is easier than before, I am understanding Master's teachings more deeply.
