(Minghui.org) After reading Master’s recent article “Wake Up”, I sensed the urgency—that the time we have left to cultivate is running short. I would like to tell you about three dreams I had. By sharing them I hope we can become more diligent in doing the three things and not leave any regrets.
The teacher handed me a stack of graded test papers and asked me to distribute them. I put mine on the very bottom of the stack because I felt I did not do well. While handing them out, I noticed that almost everyone scored in the 80s or 90s and their handwriting was neat and tidy. Some had even attached an extra sheet of paper because there wasn’t enough space to answer the questions.
When I got to my test paper I hesitated to look at the grades. When I mustered up courage I saw that I only scored 37 points. I felt discouraged.
I wanted to know why I scored so low so I took a second look at my test. I realized that I did not write as much as my classmates and my answers seemed quite perfunctory. When I turned the paper over, I realized there was a mathematics section! My test was incomplete and I was very careless! The teacher wrote in red ink, “Show me the process.” She wrote down each solution for me, step by step until the question was solved.
I was enlightened to the fact that Master Li (Falun Dafa’s founder) was showing me not to overlook any questions and to solve each one wholeheartedly. Those who did well on the test answered each question carefully and seriously. The dream enlightened me to identify gaps between myself and more diligent practitioners.
A couple of months later, I dreamed that I was about to take the International Language Testing System (IELTS). I felt unprepared as I hurried to the test site. I was not allowed to enter because I was wearing slippers. I became very anxious because the test had already started. I started to ask around for someone to lend me a pair of shoes. One of my old teachers came over and said, “Let me help you.” She then left.
I encountered a man when I entered the building. He expressed his fondness for me and wanted me to be his girlfriend. When I rejected him, he stated that he had the answers to the listening section on the test. He took out a book and said it had all the answers in it. I moved closer to him but on second thought, backed away and told him that I’d manage to answer the questions myself.
At this point I realized that my slippers disappeared. They changed into a pair of sneakers that belonged to a practitioner I knew. I was then allowed to enter the test room.
By the time I walked in, the listening section of the test was over. The proctor was a female teacher. She looked at me kindly and said, “Please show me your identification.” I took my identification out and nervously showed it to her. She gestured for me to enter the room while handing me the test. Each seat was labeled with a name but I was unable to find mine.
When I found my name, I realized the seat was situated differently from all the others. It was placed in a corner and the chair was stacked up high, almost to the height of my head. I thought, “This can’t be my seat, can it?” I have to climb up and the desk is very small. I thought, “How can I climb up there?” As I stood there wondering what to do a manager from my previous workplace showed up. At this point, I woke up from my dream.
As I recalled that dream I was enlightened to many things.
Since I was late and unprepared for the test I was enlightened to the fact that time is of the essence in cultivation. Upon entering the building, I overcame two tribulations: lust and gain. I knew that there are no shortcuts in cultivation and no one can provide me with the answers. Countless divine beings are watching over Dafa disciples and we need to genuinely cultivate.
Master was compassionate enough to make space for me at the test site by adding one more spot. But why was my seat situated higher than everyone else’s? I felt it was because my level of attainment was still not up to par and I needed to work harder and improve by “climbing up.”
I shared my dream with another practitioner and her understanding was that the two ordinary people, both of whom were my acquaintances, signify that I still need to clarify the truth to save more sentient beings. I was asking for ordinary people for help in my dream, whereas in reality, it is practitioners who should be helping ordinary people.
Several months later, around the second day of the Chinese New Year this year, I had a dream where I was about to take another test. The testing papers were as thick as a book. The teacher announced that there was only one hour remaining. Towards the end, I flipped through my test and realized that I had only completed a third of the test but did not complete the beginning of it. The remaining questions were all multiple choice. Although I knew all the answers, I would not have enough time to finish it.
At that point, the proctor chased me out of the room and refused to let me finish the test. While looking for another place to complete my test, I woke up from my dream.
I enlightened that time is running short and perhaps there is indeed a deadline to cultivation.
Master said in “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong” (Hong Yin III) that,
“...There’s no way to skip ordeals, big or small...”
I had already answered most of the longer questions but still had some remaining shorter ones. Points would be taken off my test if I did not answer all the questions. I was enlightened that I needed to pay attention to every thought and notion. Am I abiding by Master’s requirements? Am I adhering to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? Do I read the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts wholeheartedly?
Everything we encounter in cultivation is like answering those questions on the test. If one’s mind is not focused enough, one will miss a question on the test and be unable to pass the tribulation. It is not right to relax and handle things casually.
Why was I driven out by the teacher in my dream? I knew that it was the result of my attachment to comfort. I had been reprimanded by my project coordinator so I wanted to steer away from troubles by giving up on the project. My attachments of fearing trouble, not being able to suffer hardships, and not looking inward were the cause of driving myself out of cultivation.
We cannot let Master down. Master wishes for us to improve. I saw my shortcomings and I know that nothing is trivial when it comes to cultivation. Time is running short and if we do not do well, it will be hard for us to reach to the standards of Dafa. I will no longer steer away from problems and slack off. I will treat tribulations and hardships in cultivation seriously. I hope practitioners will make use of the time that is left and hand in their completed test papers to make Master proud.
I would like the end my sharing with a poem I’ve written:
We have all descend for the Fa;Slacking off and being relaxed are hindrances.Each step in cultivation should be accomplished diligently;Only then can we fulfill our vows and return home with Master.