(Minghui.org) A few days ago, a practitioner told me that she couldn't stay in good spirits. When she was studying the Fa, she couldn't see the inner meanings nor let go of wanting to gain things. She felt that she was determined, but that didn't help her snap out of being passive in cultivation.
I felt that I had just managed to make this change, and I'd like to share what I learned.
Studying the Fa with a Pure Heart
Practitioners don't always spend a lot of time in Fa-study nor cultivate themselves solidly, so whenever we run into some interference or tribulations, we can't calm our minds while studying or truly change ourselves by eliminating those bad attachments. Instead, we just focus on the tribulations themselves and try to muddle through.
At the end of one's cultivation, however, one has to let go of every single human attachment to the point of completely letting go of oneself. For example, what one wants to do, whether one is too concerned about gaining good things in life, and how much effort one makes to overcome tribulations.
It is easier said than done. While we are cultivating, as Master Li Hongzhi (the founder) has covered in his teachings, as long as we maintain our xinxing and believe in what Master has said, we can eliminate our underlying attachments.
We should question ourselves: Can we let go of selfishness? Are we willing to conduct ourselves as Master has told us to? And if not, why not? Master has said: “Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.” (The Ninth Talk in Zhuan Falun) Then do we want “possible,” or “bearable?”
Master Li mentioned a story:
“In the past, there was a cultivator of the Dao walking on the street while drinking. He suddenly saw someone, a person he had been looking for—someone who could cultivate the Dao. So he wanted to save this person and take him as his disciple.
“Saying that, he put his palm-sized wine gourd on the ground, opened the lid, and jumped into the gourd. The person saw that his master had jumped in, so he imitated his master and likewise jumped into the gourd. The bystanders all leaned over and looked inside the gourd. 'Wow!' they exclaimed. There was a vast world inside the gourd, really vast.” (Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference)
Master's lectures are just printed words on the surface. Deep down, however, they contain different meanings and manifestations of the universal Fa, which has mighty power. How could it not transform us?
But transformation also requires us to take initiative when required. Master is saving us and all sentient beings. Whatever level we can cultivate to, we will see the corresponding inner meanings of Dafa.
Master said:
“It tells of a monk whose soul left his body while he was meditating and went to the fabled Paradise of Ultimate Bliss and beheld what was there. His soul spent a day there, only to find, upon returning to the human world, that six years had passed. And yet it wasn’t a dream, if you’re wondering. He did see what he saw. But he didn’t see the Paradise as it truly is, because his realm of spiritual attainment didn’t qualify him to. So what he beheld was only a divine expression of the Paradise as befitting his level of attainment. A Paradise like that is an embodiment of the Way, and so he was not allowed to see it as it truly is.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Then what kind of mindset should we have when studying the Fa? Do we have enough reverence toward our cultivation practice? If one can't elevate in their understanding of the Fa, then they may be using a human mindset rather than doing solid cultivation. Isn't this a fairly major issue among our practitioners?
Do we really want to spend the rest of our lives being muddle-headed? In the human realm, does one need to become an emperor or a queen? As a Chinese saying goes: For one to hear the Dao in the morning, one dares to die at night! Time is running out. If one still can't let go of one's attachments, nor follow Master, one will ultimately have nowhere to go.
We often talk about willpower. As practitioners, do we have enough of it? If we don't, then we should strengthen our resolve to cultivate toward reaching enlightenment and return home with Master. We should not waver, but rather work diligently and cultivate till the end! If one still has trouble in that respect, then one should think about what one is pursuing instead. What does one truly want?
Letting Go of One's Attachments to Assimilate to Dafa
Then how does one become a qualified practitioner? We should believe in Master, unconditionally look inward, and eliminate any thoughts that don't comply with the Fa. We should not be attached to any outcome, nor worry about what one may obtain in the end.
If we were to hold a cunning mentality like: As long as I improve my xinxing, I won't lose what I want to keep, or will gain good fortune, or pass the tribulation that I am experiencing now. This coincides with some practitioners having prolonged tribulations or periods of sickness karma.
As practitioners, we should challenge ourselves by asking if we truly believe in Master and are on the path of leaving behind all pursuits. In this everyday environment of delusion, we have to make conscious choices, even though we really cannot see what we will achieve in the end.
In fact, when one embodies kindness, one is willing to take on hardship, make contributions, and walk the path of cultivation. When sparkling treasures are visible, everyone would try to obtain them. But that doesn't count as true cultivation!
I began to memorize and recite the Fa after I enlightened to this aspect of cultivation.
After reading fellow practitioners' sharing articles, I also read Master's Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI and have gained new understandings.
I then began to feel regret, because I feel I have been cultivating poorly for more than 20 years and have wasted too much time. We should let go of all attachments and return to our true homes with a pure heart!
