(Clearwisdom.net) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. Before I began, I had a strong attachment to various kinds of qing. I was very attached to my family, my husband, and my children. Other people praised me and called me "a wonderful wife and a great mother." I found it very difficult to get rid of this attachment after I became a practitioner. I have managed to come this far, so I'd like to share a story showing how the attachment of sentimentality can interfere with Dafa practitioners.
My grandson was born in 2002. I helped to take care of him from the day he was born until he was three and a half. Because I taught him the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, he became a smart and lovely child. However, my excessive love for him meant that I spent so much time with him that I had less time to study the Fa, practice the exercises, and clarify the truth, which made it even more difficult for me to step forward.
Fellow practitioners said to me several times that it was time to send him to daycare. All the other practitioners were busy clarifying the truth and validating the Fa. As a veteran practitioner, I knew what I should do. However, I was so attached to my grandson that I decided to baby-sit him for another winter. Just when I couldn't let go of my attachment, my grandson got sick, cried a lot, and was very cranky. I was very upset.
Then I suddenly felt so dizzy that I couldn't even get out of bed. My daughter-in-law had to send my grandson to daycare. Surprisingly, he liked it, and he has been going to daycare for more than two months. I calmed down and remembered what Teacher said,
"Cultivation is something you do right in the thick of tribulations. They'll test whether you can sever your emotions and desires, and they'll see if you can take them lightly. If you're attached to those things you won't be able to finish your cultivation." (Zhuan Falun)
Wasn't it a tribulation of qing? The old forces' dark minions and rotten demons took advantage of my omission to persecute my grandson and me. They made me lose my righteous thoughts and not be diligent. Fortunately, Teacher has always been compassionately protecting me, and Teacher helped me get rid of my attachment to sentimentality. Otherwise, who knows how far away I could have gone?
After my grandson went to daycare, I was able to calmly study the Fa, step forward to clarify the truth, and do well the three things that Teacher has asked us to do. Everything is great now. We are at the final stage of our cultivation and everything is being rectified. Teacher wrote the article, "The Closer to the End, the More Diligent you Should Be." It is extremely important that we do a good job on those three matters. I told myself that everyday people's notions and sentimentality should not entrap me. I need to strive forward more diligently and not have any regrets.
