(Minghui.org) When the 19th World Falun Dafa Day Call for papers was nearly over, a practitioner sent me several articles written by other practitioners and asked me to type them up and submit them to the Minghui website.
I could not help but complain: “Why didn't you send them to me earlier? Why aren't they in an electronic version? Do you really think I have time to type and edit them all in just a few days!” Although I was upset and felt something was trying to stop me, I managed to overcome it.
When I started to edit the articles I found that, although the writing was not very eloquent, every paper was good and practitioners’ sincere gratitude to Master [Li Hongzhi] and Dafa came through in every word. I saw my own shortcomings.
While I worked on the articles, I examined my own cultivation. I'm busy every day with Dafa projects. I get along with other practitioners and can maintain my xinxing. However, I've lost that feeling of continuously gaining new understandings of the teaching's principles. I no longer have that feeling of upgrading after looking inward and removing the attachment.
Finding My Attachments
Master said,
“...the two reasons why people might not get results with their practice: one is that they can’t make spiritual progress if they don’t have the higher guidance of the Way; and the other is that they won’t get higher energy if they don’t work on themselves or strive to perfect their character. These two reasons sum it up.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Recently, I haven't been able to do what Master talked about. I couldn't see the principles when I studied the Fa. I looked inward when I encountered conflicts, but only superficially. I felt this superficial kind of “looking inward” was actually covering up my hidden attachments. In fact, wasn't it a more subtle way of “looking outward?” How could I improve? Was I truly cultivating? I felt ashamed.
I'm very busy every day doing Dafa projects and validating the Fa. As long as I was busy, I thought I was doing the three things. I sometimes felt my cultivation state wasn't right. I thought that, although I wasn't clarifying the truth face to face, I was saving people indirectly. When I looked inward, I found I had an attachment to doing things and a show-off mentality.
My attachment to showing-off is deeply hidden. On the surface I appear humble, and other practitioners think I cultivate very well and praise me. Although I'm pleased, I humbly say, “I haven't cultivated well.” This further strengthens their impression that I've “cultivated very well.” This is not genuine cultivation. Instead, I'm being deceptive and sly.
I continued to look inward to see what caused my attachment to doing things and showing off. I was very surprised to find that something in me did not want to change and be assimilated to the Fa. This factor was trying to take advantage of the attachment of doing things and showing off to prevent me from cultivating diligently. If I truly cultivated, this element would be either be changed or destroyed.
When I looked inward even more deeply, I found that this thing was my ego and that it came from the old universe, which is selfish. Arrangements have been made to stop us from cultivating diligently so that these things can escape being eliminated.
When I came to this realization, I noticed that other practitioners were not proactively evaluating themselves when conflicts arose. I've observed how practitioners just grit their teeth and restrain themselves whenever they encounter problems or develop negative thoughts. When the conflict re-surfaces, they push it aside rather than evaluate themselves and look for the root cause. This is not Dafa cultivation practice.
Master said,
“Our practice has a focus and truly points out those attachments. By abandoning them, one will make very rapid progress in cultivation.” (Lecture Five, Zhuan Falun)
Dafa cultivation directly targets one's mind. Our attachments are pointed out in the Fa so that we can get rid of them and improve.
Some practitioners don’t look inward when they encounter problems. This is not genuine cultivation. Although others clarify the truth every day, they argue with ordinary people and look at things with their human mindset rather than from the Fa's principles.
Although some practitioners study the Fa and do the exercises every day, they do them as a routine. They hurry through them and then sit down to watch NTDTV (New Tang Dynasty Television) programs. NTDTV is meant for non-practitioners, and the programs clarify the truth.
Any attachments we add cause us more hardship and suffering. Cultivation is already very profound and difficult. How can we add obstacles?
This kind of surface cultivation is arranged by the old forces. They don’t want to change, so they try everything they can come up with to interference with Master’s Fa-rectification and our cultivation. When we encounter problems, we must be vigilant. We really have to examine ourselves and see if our cultivation is real or fake.
Category: Improving Oneself
