(Minghui.org) When I visited my parents' home during the Chinese New Year I relaxed in my cultivation. When I returned home I had trouble studying the Fa. I examined myself but could not find what caused this. A few days later I read Master Li's teaching,
“Lives are supposed to be annihilated upon descending to this plane of existence. Yet higher beings decided, out of mercy, to give man one last chance by placing him in the most trying of settings. And that was how this dimension came to be.” (from “The Third Talk”, (Zhuan Falun)
Although I had been practicing for years I suddenly realized that I had been practicing with an ordinary person's mindset of getting benefits. As soon as my health improved I subconsciously felt I could relax and live a comfortable life.
Looking back over my cultivation I noticed that whenever I had a tribulation or symptoms of illness, I became very diligent and could look at everything from the standpoint of the Fa. As soon as I felt a little better, I stopped being diligent and even relaxed in practicing the exercises. I had not realized that one of my fundamental attachments was pursuing benefits in terms of having my illnesses resolved.
When I identified this attachment I knew I must eliminate it completely. I decided to eliminate each attachment as soon as it surfaced, no matter how uncomfortable it was.
The first time I read Zhuan FalunI was attracted to the possibility of having my illnesses resolved and not aging. Now I realized that I hadn't let go of this thought.
When we are determined to genuinely cultivate ourselves eliminating attachments is not difficult. In the past, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get up early each morning and do the exercises. I'm no longer concerned, I just want to be diligent. After I let go of pursuit I truly felt relaxed.