Cultivating Myself in Minor Things

(Minghui.org) Master said: “But it’s cultivation—whatever happened to being “free of gaps” (wu-lou)? There are no little things.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference”) 

I have realized that no matter how minor something that disturbs me may seem, there is an attachment behind it. I worry that I may not notice that the attachment is there and miss my opportunity to remove it. So if I have discovered it, why not just quickly remove it!

In the daily rigorous process of cultivating my mind, I have found that the moment an attachment is reflected, I will pass the test if I don’t delay or avoid removing it. Having eliminated karma because of cultivating my mind, I believe in Dafa even more. It’s also because I have removed human attachments that everything is changing for the better. I am able to experience the beauty of cultivation, which has strengthened my confidence.

Identifying and Removing Attachments at Work 

A colleague at my job asked me to draft a business operations manual. After completion of the manual, I asked her to approve it, but she was not satisfied and said we would meet for further discussion. Later, we met to study how to make changes to make the manual even better. Japanese people are very careful and serious in their jobs. My colleague noted that there were no mistakes in what I had written, but it was not written as clearly as it could be.

She hoped that I could make some sections of the manual in the form of a table. I had never made tables before and I had no idea how to do it. When she brought it up, my human attachment immediately came out: “It’s so troublesome and I don’t know how to do it. This manual will have to do as written, if you choose to use it. Why do you ask me to do it again in the form of a table?” As soon as the attachment appeared, I immediately caught it.

I had recently been more strict with myself in regards to identifying my attachments. No matter how small an attachment may appear to be, I must thoroughly cultivate myself. I will not overlook anything that disturbs my heart. I felt it would take so much unnecessary work on my part to make the requested changes in the manual. My thought was that since the manual could still be used as is, I was not willing to make any changes. Did I harbor the notion that I don’t want to improve myself? I immediately told myself: “This is a test for me. The other party is an actor who helps me overcome this tribulation. I have to take it seriously.” With this understanding, the annoying thought disappeared immediately. I realized that this was a human attachment that refused to change. My colleague then told me the changes she wanted and I carefully wrote them down.

After the meeting I told myself that I could finish this project without any negative thoughts. After that, I was full of wisdom on how to draw a table and which keywords should be used; they were all presented in my mind. I knew that as long as I had righteous thoughts, Master Li would be helping me. In less than ten minutes, I was able to draw the necessary sketches! 

Finally, I revised the entire business operations manual according to all requirements and sent it to my colleague. To my amazement, she expressed that what I submitted was exactly what she wanted. This was something I couldn’t imagine before. In the past, my own human notions not only blocked the improvement of my cultivation but also affected my ordinary people’s job.

If I hadn’t changed my thinking, I would not have done such a good work in the end, but only something meeting minimal standards. When I first started Falun Dafa cultivation, I didn’t realize that there would be such unexpected gains from practicing Dafa. Now I am truly moved by the omnipotence of Dafa. Even every seemingly small thing I encounter daily has resulted in miraculous changes in my cultivation.

Removing My Attachment to Noise 

One evening, while memorizing the Fa in my room, my brother entered the adjoining room and turned on his phone video. I could clearly hear the sound from the video. While memorizing the Fa, I wanted to remain peaceful but I couldn’t calm down at all. I then started to get unhappy, feeling that the noise from the video was so loud. If this had happened previously, I would have immediately criticized my brother and asked him to turn the video off. At this moment, my thinking changed. I asked myself why I was disturbed by this noise. Master said in the Fa: 

“Since the Three Realms is reversed, so too are humans’ principles reversed understandings when compared to the righteous Fa-principles of the cosmos.” (“Dafa Is All-Encompassing” in Essentials for Further Advancement II)

I thought that only an ordinary person would perceive this sound as noise and feel annoyed. I then corrected my thinking and told myself that this noise was not at all disturbing.

I gradually really no longer felt perturbed by the noise. Twenty minutes later my brother walked by my room. I controlled my speech without blaming him. On the contrary, I silently thanked him for helping me pass another test.

I know that my cultivation environment abroad is really very relaxed. Falun Dafa practitioners in China are imprisoned and persecuted and face the test of life and death at all times. However, I think the standard of cultivation will not change because of the difference in cultivation environments. This being the case, then I have to be strict with myself at all times.

With every improvement in my cultivation level, I deeply feel Master’s compassionate care and prompts. I can feel the changes that take place in me after I have truly cultivated myself. This has made my belief in Master and Dafa stronger and stronger.