(Clearwisdom.net) For those practitioners who are experiencing tribulations, I do not know how much it would help lift your spirits to read sharing from fellow practitioners. We have different cultivation paths, but we are the same in that we all encounter tribulations, and have blazed through these tests numerous times with our righteous thoughts.
We really should calm down and think about why the tribulations exist. We are all Dafa cultivators, and everything has happened to us because we are cultivating ourselves; that is, everything has come for our cultivation. We want to go beyond the cycle of reincarnation, and we, being Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, have shouldered the mission of assisting Master in Fa-rectification.
Master said:
"Whatever you experience during your cultivation--whether good or bad--is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating." ("To the Chicago Fa Conference," June 25, 2006)
Do we really believe in Master? Have we really taken our tribulations as good things? Have we really viewed the tribulations with active and optimistic mindsets and powerful righteous thoughts? We know that all issues can be resolved if we look inward. But have we grasped the meaning of looking inward? Why do we often say that we have searched within ourselves but failed to find any gaps? Some practitioners exhibited this cultivation state up until the point they passed away amid the persecution.
I have come to understand a deeper meaning of looking inward, which is summarized as follows: Looking inward is not one's searching within oneself only after one encounters tribulations. It is neither one's embracing Buddha's feet and praying for help in time of crisis, nor one's being passively forced to look inward when faced with a tribulation. Looking inward should originate from one's innermost heart of wanting to cultivate solidly. It is searching within oneself when dealing with each and every matter, thought, or manifestation in one's life. It is actively assimilating oneself into the Fa, and it is improving via genuine cultivation in everyday life. Even when one is facing a great tribulation, which is often the result of failing to solidly cultivate, one still has time to do well if one really wants to look inward. This is because when one wants to cultivate, Master will certainly take care of him or her. However, the prerequisite is that one does not hold the mentality of solving the issues in order to live well in ordinary society; one does not passively look inward while holding onto one's human notions. Rather, it is looking inward with a heart for cultivation. Only in this way can Master help us.
When we, during Fa study, feel sleepy, cannot continue on, and even fall asleep, our main consciousness is very weak. By looking inward, we can find that we have acknowledged "being sleepy" and we ourselves have chosen "going to sleep."
After hearing the alarm go off for morning exercises, we may still lie in the bed and not get up. By looking inward then, we can find that our main consciousness is not strong; we have chosen comfort and ease and falling asleep again.
When we have conflicts with our family and feel wronged, by looking inward, we can find that we have taken ourselves as ordinary people; we argue needlessly. We have not treated ourselves as Dafa cultivators. We pursue both ordinary people's things and a cultivator's enlightenment. After venting our anger without considering the consequences, we feel deep regret.
When we face sentient beings who have come to us in different ways to learn the facts about the persecution, we, owing to our wanting to save face or being afraid of the evil's pressure, fail to clearly express ourselves. By looking inward, we can see that we are still attached to fame and self-interest and disregard the importance of offering salvation to others. We need to ask ourselves if we are worthy of the title of "Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples," the greatest honor in the cosmos.
If we, as described above, make one mistake after another just for the sake of our own self interests, we would have missed one after another chance to break through our humanness and cultivate ourselves. So when big tribulations come or when we face huge tests, how could we pass them? When examining ourselves, who can we blame for our own mistakes?
There are some practitioner who do the three things in a hurry, but overlook cultivating their own xinxing. In other words, they have not elevated their xinxing solidly; they have not met the requirements of the realms in their current level of cultivation.
For those practitioners who are still passively enduring tribulations, please stop complaining and do not be puzzled or bewildered anymore. We should look inward to see if our xinxing has reached the standard of our present level. Cultivation is not about our doing things more or less. Our cultivation should be based on our offering sentient beings salvation in an unselfish and altruistic way, our validating the Fa, and our assisting Master in rectifying the Fa. There are many ordinary people who can also do things and have also mastered many skills; however, they are not Dafa cultivators. So doing things cannot replace cultivating the mind. If we have truly cultivated our minds well, how come we are still so passive, depressed, and full of complaints? If we truly believe that Master can save us and help us reach consummation, why do we still feel pain when faced with tribulations?
If practitioners facing tribulations at this time still cannot find their own attachments via looking inward, they should study the Fa first with a calm mind. They should firm their wills for cultivation. After that, they can look ahead. From now on, they should quietly examine themselves, and examine each and every thought, look, or act to see if their attachments and human notions are mixed inside. If we find any attachments or human notions, we should eliminate them through cultivation and allow more of our attachments to be assimilated into the Fa. We should pay no attention to what the outcome will be. By genuinely cultivating ourselves, we will not feel regret in the future.
I know that my understanding, as described above, is one-sided and limited, as the causes of some tribulations are very complicated. However, no matter what it is, Dafa cultivation directly targets the mind, and we should take xinxing cultivation as the most essential thing, which is the best way for us to eliminate tribulations and persecution. I hope to share these views with fellow practitioners and that they can be of some help to those facing tribulations.
