Be Aware of the Danger of Negative Thoughts

(Minghui.org) Master taught us:

“Pause for a moment of self-reflection,and increase your righteous thoughtsThoroughly analyze your shortcomings,and progress with renewed diligence.” (“Rational and Awake,” Hong Yin II)

After I searched within myself, I found many deep-seated negative thoughts. I've summarized them and would like to share them with fellow practitioners.

Share Information about the Persecution without Any Attachment

Whenever I noticed coworkers or acquaintances doing things improperly or saw their character flaws, I did not want to associate with them. I looked down on them, and eventually alienated them.

Why did I have such strong feelings? Why couldn't I understand other people and forgive them? Why couldn't I calmly exchange ideas and thoughts with those who think differently than I? Why did I want to either avoid them or argue with them? Is that how a cultivator should be?

Searching more deeply, I realized that those were postnatally formed notions influenced by the Communist Party culture. Add in my karma and the weight of the old forces, and my Buddha nature was almost completely buried. In heated moments it was my demon nature that revealed itself.

Master told us:

“...a person’s earliest life comes from the universe. The space of the universe is benevolent to begin with and embodies the characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren. At birth, one is assimilated to the characteristic of the universe.” (Zhuan Falun)

One's original nature is kind and assimilated to the characteristic of the universe, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. After birth, one gradually become selfish, unable to tolerate different opinions, and inclined to want to dominate. This is actually the nature of the old cosmos: arrogant, self-centered, and only wanting to change others, not ourselves.

The universe is colossal, and different realms have their own standards of living and joys. They follow the principles at their level—the law of mutual generation and mutual inhibition, karmic retribution, and the standard of good versus evil all play out according to their dimension. Others cannot intervene in the principles at different levels.

When a cultivator gets upset, gets emotional, he is already irrational. He is deviating from the law of the cosmos. Dafa is all-encompassing and makes the best arrangements for all beings. A cultivator should assimilate and accommodate to Dafa. One should be calm and kind, not overbearing or domineering.

From another standpoint, human beings are all lost in the maze. They are controlled by deviated, corrupt notions; burdened by their own karma; and manipulated by the old forces, rotten demons, and the communist evil specter.

But they did come down initially with the heart to obtain Dafa and be saved. Just based on that, we need to overcome all the difficulties to awaken them. So how can we resent them while they struggle in this sea of bitterness? How can we not forgive and understand them while they are unknowingly manipulated by their notions, karma, and old forces? We have no excuse for trying to avoid the tribulations and difficulties we encounter; we have to eliminate the interference with righteous thoughts. If we compassionately clarify the truth without any resentment, without any pursuit, and without any demands, the results can be amazing.

Be Aware of Negative Thoughts

Whenever I ran into something unforeseen, my first reaction was usually negative: I unwittingly expected the circumstances to be trying and the outcome to be poor. I have no idea why that was the case. Why was I often overshadowed by pessimism and helplessness?

We all know that practitioners' Buddha nature has already awakened, their lives are transforming toward divinity from the microscopic level, and their lives should be full of hope and vitality. These phenomena are very obvious when one starts to practice Dafa.

With the passing of time, one gradually slacks off and becomes less diligent. Cultivation becomes a formality, and our paths get rough and bumpy and even veer dangerously off course. When negative thoughts surface, those might be one's creditors demanding payback, trying to put you off course so that you cannot return to your true self.

How can we become lost and pessimistic and lose hope? If we cultivate diligently and actively assimilate to Dafa, we are protected by Dafa and Master, and our path is already arranged for us. It is up to us to believe, enlighten, and steadfastly forge ahead.

It is Master who rectifies the cosmos, so how can we be timid and pessimistic? Negativism is not our original, true nature, it is a postnatal notion and amounts to interference from the old forces. We should negate it.

Eliminate Resentment

We raise chickens on our farm, and sometimes they get out through holes in the fence. It's a big job to catch them. I get resentful at times and almost want to give up on them. Deer often get in and destroy our crops, so we spent a lot of time and money to build up the fence, but it still didn't keep them out. That also irritated me. Some of my co-workers are very ignorant, accepting the negative propaganda about Falun Dafa without giving it any thought and defending the evil deeds of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It was almost more than I could bear, and I wondered why was I so easily affected and influenced by those unpleasant occurrences and people?

When I look down on others and subconsciously want them to do things my way or I feel resentful, this is the embodiment of the self-righteous nature of the old universe. It can't accept diversity, and it can't handle the challenge of different opinions. It is a reflection of its fearfulness, low self-esteem, and jealousy. It manifests in the human dimension as CCP members' suspicion, arrogance, cowardly behavior, feelings of inferiority, and tyranny.

As cultivators, we understand that there is a law of mutual generation and mutual inhibition and that we all have our own destiny. We should not be affected or attached to anything. We should just move forward for the sake of others. How can I give up on them so easily just because their behavior is not “proper” or to my liking?

Nothing happens by chance in cultivation. It is meant to help us eliminate karma and reach consummation. Whenever we run into things that upset us or cause difficulties, they are all caused by our attachments and karma. We should look within first, find the things that are not befitting the Fa, and rectify them. Then there will be no loopholes for the old forces to exploit.

The people that upset me, even though on the surface they appeared loud and obnoxious, strong and stubborn, are really very vulnerable and despondent. Deep down, they sense that things are not right but do not know that there is a way out. At the same time, they are influenced by postnatal notions, karma and Party culture. I need to have a bigger heart to understand them and forgive them, and no longer miss any opportunities to save them.