The Attachment of Complacency

(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, I have been battling the problem of complacency and self-satisfaction. I would like to share my understandings about this issue with fellow practitioners in the hope that we can overcome this together.

When I started cultivating in Dafa, I was very enthusiastic in taking part in Fa-rectification activities. However, my two fellow practitioners had to eventually leave town, leaving me as the only practitioner, and my mind drifted further and further from the Fa.

Of course, I still tried to do my best to do the three things well. However, because I stayed with everyday people, the standards I had set for myself gradually got lower and lower. Also, because of lack of money, I couldn't afford a car and could not go to other cities to see other practitioners often. As I kept going like this, I gradually started making many mistakes. Even though I knew what I was doing was wrong, I still gave myself flimsy excuses: (1) I lived with everyday people, and it was very hard for me to keep up my righteous thoughts (2) I had done a lot for Dafa, and was still doing my best in a bad environment, so Teacher would save me for sure. (3) No matter how badly I did, I was still much better than the people I stayed with.

How deviated and selfish I have been! Practitioners in China have come through the greatest tribulation in history with unshakable righteous thoughts, and I couldn't stand up and shape up my righteous thoughts in a less rigorous environment! And more than that, I made up excuses to deceive myself, even though I was making filthy mistakes.

I think that this fact of situation arises from the attachment to complacency. After analyzing this attachment, I think it arises from the following factors:

1. Thinking that we have given a lot for the Fa-rectification, and that we "deserve a break."

2. Interpreting Teacher's lectures with a deviated attachment to comfort, enlightening wrongly that Teacher would save us no matter what mistakes we make.

3. Feeling a sense of unfairness, that everyday people are enjoying their lives and leading very comfortable lives, while Dafa disciples are not able to.

4. Feeling that we are superior to everyday people in a lot of ways, and it doesn't matter if we make a few small mistakes, or behave a little badly

5. Inability to let go of our deepest "beautiful human dreams and wishes", such as wanting stability, making more money, having a big business, etc., and putting that as more important than Fa-rectification

6. Fear of enduring more hardship than what we think we have already faced

7. Pessimism at believing that the Fa-rectification will go on for a long time

Actually, Teacher has already warned us very strongly about this attachment to complacency:

"One is that in the past the old forces felt that a type of mentality arose among Dafa disciples, which is, once you cultivate in Dafa you think it's like having insurance, and there's nothing to be afraid of, there's no sickness or death, this or that won't happen, and everybody just has good fortune. But, once that mentality arises there's going to be trouble." "What's their goal? To have you see that studying Dafa isn't like having some kind of insurance and that you still need to do well, and that not doing well is a problem."

("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")

If we continue to possess the attachment of complacency, and routinely fail to do well despite Teacher's benevolence, then the old forces might have found their greatest excuse to persecute us and make us fall.

These are just a few thoughts that I had regarding the attachment of complacency. I hope fellow practitioners can share their understandings of this issue.