(Clearwisdom.net)
Once a person enters the door of cultivation, that person is considered semi-divine. But why do I still not feel that I am a divine being after so many years practice? Especially when there is evil interference on the road of Fa rectification I feel this way. Some fellow practitioners feel they have no other choices. In fact, the main reason is that they do not have a clear understanding of the relationship between Fa rectification and the old forces from the perspective of the Fa.
For instance, imagine while walking along a major road you see a big rock. After walking a short distance further, you see another big rock. I think that those who walked by would not be afraid if they saw a big rock. Being a good person, and for the convenience of other people, he or she may move the rock off of the road. Similarly, a practitioner's road is arranged by Teacher. Teacher does not arrange the old forces to interfere with Fa rectification and persecute Dafa practitioners. The appearance of the old forces was arranged by themselves, and Teacher does not acknowledge it. In fact, the old forces and the evils controlled by them are like the rocks on the road. They can create some interference on the cultivation road because of Dafa practitioners' attachments. If everyone can find the attachments that do not conform to the Fa, and can follow Teacher's requirement, the evils will be eliminated by themselves.
"... as long as you can always keep up your character, 'one good can overcome a hundred evils'..." (Zhuan Falun)
Preceding "One good can overcome a hundred evils" is "as long as you can always keep up your character." This indicates that it has a close relationship with our daily Fa study and genuine practice. A practitioner needs to eliminate all attachments and all desires. Therefore, is "being afraid" an attachment?
When "being afraid" shows up, one can overcome it from the Fa's point of view. One should do the three things one by one. This is a divine thought. But when "being afraid" shows up, we stop doing anything. Moreover, we try to find some excuses to cover it. That is a human mindset. If we can evaluate everything with the Fa, then we will be divine beings. If we encounter things and evaluate a matter using the principles of human beings, then we are crawling within a human being's mindset.
If you only want to be a good person among ordinary people, then there is no requirement for you. However, if you have the heart to become a divine being, you cannot if you keep doing whatever you want to in ordinary daily life. One can reach the standard of a divine being only when one truly cultivates oneself in hardships, tests, and attachments, such as to family sentiments, fame, self-interest, etc. Do not view doing things as cultivation. As a practitioner, you are a good person among ordinary people. From a higher level, however, you are a divine being. When all beings are in danger of being poisoned by lies and are facing the danger of losing their lives, you should try to save them. This is your duty. In the meantime, doing this will also to set up your mighty virtue. But it will not replace your cultivation. If we cannot follow what the Teacher said in Zhuan Falun, we is deceiving ourselves. If we are not being responsible to ourselves, how can we talk about being responsible to fellow practitioners, all sentient beings, and to Dafa?
If we want to use the Fa to evaluate a matter whenever we encounter something, we need to study the Fa well. Teacher said,
"If you're going to study, you need to set aside everything else that's on your mind, keep your mind steady, quiet your mind, and truly study. Even if you just study a few paragraphs [this way], it's better than reading the entire book with a restless mind. When you study the Fa, you have to absorb it."("Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students," April 12, 2004.)
If we have the Fa in our hearts, we can break through all attachments and evils, and can step forward from being humans to a becoming divine beings.
July 5, 2007