(Clearwisdom.net) Master said, "Always cultivating as if you were just starting will surely result in achieving your ultimate rank." ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference")
As far as I understand, we must be strict with ourselves in cultivation practice.
In my humble opinion, we must look within when a tribulation or conflict arises, find the attachment, and remove it before we can ascend. After many xinxing improvements, I've realized we must first maintain a sober and calm mind and not get stuck in the matter itself but look within. Secondly, we should do this as soon as possible, defying the evil elements in other dimensions so that they do not have any opportunity to take advantage of our loopholes; and third, we should base our thoughts and deeds on the Fa, to remove attachments and notions and ascend as soon as possible.
I remember when I visited Practitioner A, she criticized Practitioner B behind her back. I did not like what she said about B. She told me, "You are the same, and you won't let others criticize you, either." I argued with her. She became emotional. I calmed down and told myself, "I should stop arguing now." After I got home I recollected what had happened but could not find my problem. Then I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate all the evil elements that had taken advantage of my loopholes and kept me from finding my attachments. While looking at the incident from a third person's point of view I found my strong human thoughts of protecting my ego, such as "my understanding," "my opinion," "my behavior," "my compassion," "I cannot be wronged," "I cannot be unjustly accused," "I cannot be criticized," etc.
Such a seeming coincidence has revealed my fundamental attachment I harbored for many years. I was greatly relieved. I went to Practitioner A's home the next day to sincerely thank her for waking me up.
I had another tribulation that had entangled with me throughout my cultivation practice - this one at home. My husband often picked on me after his drinking.
One day he scolded me again after drinking, seemingly for no reason. I could not stand it anymore, even though I tried, and I started to argue with him. My thought karma became rampant the next day, and many negative ideas and bad language popped in my head. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate them, knowing that I could not let thought karma control me. I knew that the worse it manifested itself, the closer it was to being completely eliminated. I shared my story with a practitioner to expose the thought karma and watched Master's lecture given to Australian practitioners. I listened carefully to every word and gradually calmed down.
I looked unconditionally within and found many attachments, such as presumption, not caring for others, selfishness, being afraid of trouble, and not letting others criticize me. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate these attachments before talking with my husband. I asked him to point out my shortcomings every time he saw them and [told him] I would change. I felt a little odd as I did this, but I knew it was because my attachment to pride was not completely removed. My husband was touched. He said it was the first time he had ever heard me admit my shortcomings so sincerely, and he said that he would correct his problem, too. In a little while my feeling of being wronged disappeared. I calmed down completely. I knew the bad substances had been eliminated. From then on my husband has never picked on me, and I have also removed the attachment of not letting others criticize me. At that moment I understood the inner meaning of Master's Fa, "Pacify the External by Cultivating the Internal" (Essentials for Further Advancement) I have had many such experiences. In my understanding, as soon as we feel something wrong at work or in life, if we look within, we will for sure find an attachment and should eliminate it with righteous thoughts.
Master has given us the magic weapon of looking within; the key is to make the most of it, and over time, an automatic mechanism of looking within will form, which can restrain the evil at a great distance. Let's remove our notions and attachments as soon as possible and constantly improve ourselves while doing the three things and not let our esteemed Master down.
These are my humble understandings. Please point out anything improper.
Category: Improving Oneself
