(Minghui.org) In the process of cultivation, we often encounter our own human notions and forget to act according to the Fa.

For example, when I was imprisoned due to the persecution, I wished many a time that I had a relative who was a high-ranking official, believing that this person would be able to save me from the hardship I was enduring, or at least, help me suffer less.

But I do not have such relative. I had to face reality. My only hope was to remember the Fa, to think about how I should negate the persecution and the old forces' arrangements, and maintain righteous thoughts.

Although I understood that the persecution is not merely human beings persecuting other human beings, in my mind I still held the notion that a high-ranking relative could save me from being persecuted – or at least not so severely. Looking back, I realize that such thinking was caused by my human attachment and lack of understanding of the Fa. From another perspective, the desire to rely on social connections to avoid being persecuted was an attachment I needed to let go.

Another example of human notions is that I lacked confidence when clarifying the truth face-to-face. I believed that if I had a certain social status in society, I would be able to clarify the truth better. Therefore, for a long time, I wanted to achieve a higher status, but my social status just happens to be very low.

Even though I understand that the effectiveness of truth clarification depends on the strength of one's righteous thoughts and the purity of the words spoken, from time to time I still wished to gain more self confidence from wealth and status. The fact that I pay so much attention to wealth and status is a human attachment that needs to be gotten rid of. From another perspective, my lack of wealth and social status is making me walk my path without relying on external human things.

Recently, my son came back to town to visit. Instead of coming home first, he first stayed with his friend for a day. I felt a little dejected and thought to myself, “We parents are so good to him, but he doesn't even come home to see us first.” I lamented about how emotional bonds are so fragile. Then I suddenly realized that I need to let go of human sentiment. The worse I feel about his behavior, the more emotion I have. I saw my own attachment in my son's behavior. Perhaps that is why he behaved as he did.

Due to the persecution, I do not have money or social status. I feel timid when I go back to my hometown or school reunions. I try to leave a good impression on people who have status, even fantasizing that they might give me an opportunity to advance. I know now that these human notions have prevented me from walking my path in an open and dignified manner.

But the truth is, how blessed I am to be able to cultivate in Dafa... what honor it is! As a Dafa practitioner, why couldn't I keep my head high? If people think my life is wretched, that's because they don't know the truth. Why should I feel the same? Is it because I don't have the social status, money, or recognition from others? But these are all human notions.

In the old days, if someone in a family chose to cultivate, people would think that this family was virtuous and blessed. It is indeed so. As a cultivator, I should be grateful in knowing the meaning of life and understanding the truth. I should be facing every day with joy; but why don’t I feel this way? It is because I pay too much attention to things in the human world. These attachments lead to pressure and stress in my life and pollute my thoughts. As a result, I am not able to judge everything with the standard of the Fa.

When I wanted to get recognition from others, it was to maintain my vanity; when I wanted to have advantageous social relationships, it was to benefit from them; when I spoke to people in a faltering and hesitating manner, it was because I was afraid of offending them. Because of my attachments and human notions, my thought process is twisted and convoluted. This makes it difficult to assimilate to the Fa and use the Fa as my guide.

In fact, there are Dafa practitioners in every profession and every social class. It is not about one's wealth or social status. The important thing is one's character. Master has bestowed everything upon me. All I need to do is truly believe in Master and the Fa, do what I need to do with dignity, and not rely on or pursue any human thing.

My biggest issue, when facing a problem, is that I often approach it with human ways of thinking and methods. If it can be resolved with this approach, then I forget to use the Fa. Only after I've tried all sorts of human ways and have run out of ideas, do I remember to find solutions in the Fa and to follow the requirements of the Fa. I have wasted a lot of time and resources this way.

It is similar to a certain practitioner with symptoms of illness. He just couldn't let go of it. Only when the hospital diagnosed him with a terminal illness, did he finally let it go. But this “letting go” is not from a true understanding of the Fa, it was forced upon him by reality. Strictly speaking, it does not count as passing the test.

Such behavior is a reflection of not fully believing in the Fa after obtaining the Fa, and it can manifest in many areas. That person simply cannot get rid of the human way of thinking, always believing that his ideas and methods are reliable. He just cannot follow the requirements of the Fa from the get-go.

Master said, 

“If you do not change the human logic that you, as an ordinary human, have formed deep in your bones over thousands of years, you will be unable to break away from this superficial human shell and reach Consummation.” (“Cautionary Advice,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

Usually one's first thought upon encountering an issue determines one’s level and realm. Whether it is a human understanding or a righteous thought separates a human from a divine being. It is my wish in this new year that I will always maintain righteous thoughts and rise above human understandings and notions. 

These are my current understandings; please point out anything that may be incorrect.