(Clearwisdom.net) A large earthquake hit Sichuan. Looking at reports on the Internet of the daily rising death toll and listening to increasingly urgent rescue appeals, my tears kept running down my face. Since I started practicing Falun Dafa, no matter how much suffering I have endured and no matter how many tribulations I have overcome, I know that it was all because I did not cultivate well enough. With Master and the Fa here, I did not feel the pain and hardship and seldom cried. But today, viewing the tragic scenes after the huge earthquake struck Sichuan Province, I cannot help shedding tears.
"Save people! Save more people!" I could not help shouting my appeal from the bottom of my heart. If we can save just one more person before the catastrophe, we will shed fewer tears after the catastrophe. For our Dafa disciples, what prevents us from wholeheartedly offering salvation to people is nothing but our attachment to self.
Two days ago our Fa-study group argued over some cultivation issues. Each practitioner persisted in his/her own understanding, and some practitioners were quite attached to their own understanding. Regarding this kind of argument, Master said,
"But I'd say it's meaningless. And why is that? Because what they were talking about was really just the understanding of a truth in the process of cultivating. And as for that truth, some people will grasp it instantly, while others will come to enlighten to it, or grasp it, a bit slowly. So then what's the difference? It's better to grasp it instantly, but it's fine to gradually enlighten to it, too--in both cases he enlightens to it, right? Both ways of enlightening work, so either way is good." (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun, 2003 Translation Version)
Our cultivation involves step-by-step improvement. Because we are at different levels, it is normal for us that the principles we come to realize are at different levels; as long as they are based on the Fa, they are not wrong. When we argue over this, we lose valuable time. Right now, it is urgent to save people; how much time can we afford to waste?
The recent article about life at materials production sites made many practitioners ponder. Reading the article made them confront their own cultivation deficiencies and realize the importance of letting go of self and understanding the other practitioners to form a whole entity. But thinking it over from another angle--is how other practitioners understand us so important? Every one of us has cultivation deficiencies, and no one is able to see all sides of an issue, in addition to the old forces making use of our faults to sow discord among us. When we seek fellow practitioners' recognition, when we patiently explain and discuss how to arrive at a mutual understanding, the old forces are there, laughing at us. The big snowstorm; the hand-foot-mouth epidemic; the strong earthquake in Sichuan Province; and many more disasters to come--how many lives that were supposed to be saved but have been lost forever because of our failure to be diligent?
No two practitioners are alike. How can we compare one practitioner to another? As long as practitioners do something to save people, we should selflessly cooperate and offer support.
But we usually make comments about certain practitioners and regard their deficiencies as the reason why they suffer persecution; actually, it is something we should harmonize. On the other hand, if certain practitioners do not agree with some of our ways of handling things, we should not take it too seriously. As long as we are trying our best to offer people salvation and walking on the path of saving people, Master recognizes this. From whom else do we still seek recognition?
When the Fa-rectification is close to conclusion, for now, offering people salvation is the highest priority. Let us thoroughly abandon our attachment to self, let go all of our notions and attachments, and save all the people who are savable.
May 18, 2008
