(Clearwisdom.net) I am a college instructor without any research obligations, and at this time I just teach. I therefore have more spare time, which provides the opportunity to enjoy comfort. If something isn't urgent, I think nothing of putting it off. I tend to take it easy and enjoy the feeling of being comfortable, but I regret it afterward. It has stopped me from making any breakthroughs in my cultivation for a long time.
Feeling Sleepy and Losing Opportunities to Save People
I just couldn't let go of my attachment to comfort, and I procrastinated when I had to do something. To put it bluntly, if I didn't get up early to do the Falun Gong exercises, I'd just do them later in the day. If I didn't study the Fa in the morning, I would study it in the afternoon. When it came to sending forth righteous thoughts, I wasn't diligent in joining practitioners at the appointed times. When studying the Fa, I couldn't focus, which stopped me from telling people about Falun Gong regularly.
The evil in other dimensions took advantage of my gaps and interfered with me. A few weeks ago, I felt pain all over my body, my neck hurt, and my head felt heavy. I should have endured the hardship, studied the Fa diligently, practiced the exercises more regularly, and sent forth righteous thoughts at the global times. I stayed in bed after a few moments of sending forth righteous thoughts, because I wanted to feel comfortable. I ended up being interfered with. My mother had a nightmare about me being arrested. My colleagues talked about young people having strokes, and thoughts about lymph node tumors entered my mind. These messages were trying to destroy my faith in Teacher and Falun Dafa.
During that time, I was certain that Teacher was protecting me and giving me hints. A few days ago, during a group Fa study, some practitioners talked about how to have stronger righteous thoughts, and how that eliminated their pain within one day. Another practitioner suggested that I tell the evil, "You don't let me study the Fa, but I'll do it regardless, and you can't stop me from doing things for Falun Dafa!" Master also arranged to have me print out articles for my fellow practitioners, which happened to be about enduring hardship, so that I could read them and benefit from the authors' insights. There were many suggestions to help me eliminate my attachment to comfort.
I enlightened that whenever I felt fatigued and sleepy, the attachment to comfort had the upper hand. In fact, whenever I sat down, I wanted to lean on something or felt like resting. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity for the attachment of desiring comfort to take advantage of my gap?
Desiring comfort is also a manifestation of human selfishness. One focuses on comfort and doesn't want to endure hardship. Doesn't a cultivator want to let go of humanness? In fact, accepting suffering is a main requirement for a cultivator. A cultivator must be able to endure hardship in order to transform karma. Only in this way can one be diligent and shoulder the sacred mission of saving sentient beings.
I now realize the urgency of saving people. The attachment to comfort is an obstruction to a cultivator. Many truth-clarification projects were delayed, and I feel worried and anxious. To conquer this mental and physical laziness and fatigue, I have to have a strong main consciousness. I have to study the Fa diligently and attain a clear understanding of Teacher's Fa. Teacher said in Hong Yin,
Tempering the Will
To consummate yourself, reaping Buddhahood,
Let joy be found in hardship.
Physical pains count little as suffering,
Indeed, cultivating mind is hardest.
Each and every barrier must be broken through,
And everywhere does evil lurk.
Abundant troubles rain down together,
All to see: Can you pull through?
The world’s miseries endured,
One departs the earth a Buddha.December 17, 1976
All practitioners must become selfless. One must always think of others and keep the thought of the sacred mission -- saving sentient beings -- in one's mind at all times.
