(Clearwisdom.net)
Truly experiencing the seriousness of cultivation practice
Teacher says in Zhuan Falun,
"And I'd like to add, when someone wants to cultivate, it's no walk in the park. I've said that it's a serious thing, and on top of that, it's higher than ordinary people, and it's tougher to do than anything ordinary people do. Isn't it a higher thing? So it demands more of you than anything of ordinary people".
However I noticed that many fellow practitioners haven't truly understood the deep meaning behind these words. Below are some examples.
- Some practitioners keep talking that they don't have time to study the Fa and finish the exercises every day;
- Some unconsciously badmouth while talking, and smash things to the floor when out of temper;
- Some cannot let go of their strong attachments to reputation, self-interest, and feelings among everyday people;
- Some don't mind their manners in daily life;
- Some have been interfered by the demon of lust for a long time and live a very imprudent life concerning sexual relationships
We should be very strict with ourselves in cultivation practice, following the principles of Dafa. Every thought, every idea, every word and every behavior of ours should meet the standards of Dafa practitioners.
Attaching importance to studying the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts
Teacher says in Lecture at the Conference in New Zealand,
"This Fa and principles not only eliminates all misconceptions and fallacies and rectifies all human minds, but also corrects all abnormal states. So, as long as you study the Fa's principles, as long as you keep reading, you're in the process of improving. For this reason it's extremely important to read the book, to study the Fa."
In fact, when we encounter conflicts in our cultivation practice, it is the best opportunity for us to study the Fa more diligently and to look within ourselves. This will help us to get rid of our bad thoughts, and human attachments. If we can truly understand the Fa from the perspective of the Fa, and regard the Fa as Teacher, we can upgrade ourselves and do well in our cultivation practice as Teacher said in Lecture on the Fa at the U.S. Midwest Conference,
"Keeping their hearts unaffected with these interests before them, smiling in the face of anger and hatred, and checking for one's own faults in the middle of conflicts..."
I would like to call attention to the following points while we are studying the Fa.
- Respect Teacher and the Fa. In order to keep the Falun Dafa book clean, I suggest we wash our hands before reading.
- Set our mind and study the Fa without any intention
- Study the Fa with righteous belief and understand the Fa with righteous thoughts.
It is extremely important to send forth righteous thoughts in our cultivation practice. Here is an example. There are two districts in one city. Practitioners in District A attach importance to sending forth righteous thoughts together at regularly appointed hours. In daily life, they frequently recite the Fa-rectification formulas to eliminate evils. Due to the joint efforts of all practitioners in this district, there is less interference in their cultivation practice. In contrast, most practitioners in District B didn't pay attention to sending forth righteous thoughts. Consequently, some practitioners were arrested in this district. We should learn from these lessons and do well the three things Teacher asks us to do in order not to be taken advantage of by the evils and in order to be truly responsible to ourselves, our fellow practitioners and all sentient beings.
Resolving Conflicts Between Practitioners
It is inevitable for conflicts to occur among practitioners. How can we adjust ourselves and cultivate diligently together? Personally, I think that the most important thing is to treat fellow practitioners with compassion.
I heard a practitioner blaming another practitioner by saying, "There is no use for him (her) to cultivate any more. He (she) is like a demon arranged to damage Dafa." I felt very sad upon hearing these words. Teacher once said in Lecturing on and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,
"Yet what I want to accomplish today, by conferring the cultivation method to Dafa disciples, is to establish in the Cosmos an unprecedented, even higher wisdom. The goal is to allow beings that drop down in the future to be able to return from here. Or at the very least, they'll have a chance. This is part of the Cosmos being able to harmonize itself."
I realize that Teacher gives chances to those who drop down from the higher levels after violating the rules of heaven. How can we become attached to fellow practitioners' mistakes? Why do we always compare other people's shortcomings with what we do well? Doesn't it prove that we haven't cultivated enough compassion? When a fellow practitioner has a hard time in passing tests and tribulations, we should try to understand him by placing ourselves in his position, trust him and help him to achieve a better understanding of the Fa. Only through compassion and forgiveness can we improve as a whole body. I also noticed that some practitioners do not take responsibility for what they have said or easily break their promises. They talk quite a bit, but rarely act. As a result, the evil has taken the advantage of their loopholes and made a great loss to Dafa. If our fellow practitioners are not able to be responsible to each other, how can they be responsible to the society and all sentient beings? Among everyday people, only when we act nobly and righteously in every aspect can we gain the understanding and support from people around the world. Only through our example can we show others that Falun Dafa is good and Falun Dafa practitioners are good people. Sometimes when I see a person, I feel that I have been waiting for him for ages. Among all sentient beings, it is truly precious for us to have the chance to meet each other. Therefore, we should cherish this chance and offer salvation to all beings that have predestined relationships with us.
