(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share some of my understandings when I read Lecture Three of Zhuan Falun yesterday. Master said:
“Gong depends upon cultivating one’s own xinxing. If you are not truly practicing cultivation, gong does not grow; this is because there is a xinxing standard. While your gong grows, one at high levels can see that when your attachment, a substance, is removed, a yardstick grows above your head. In addition, this yardstick exists in the form of gong column. The yardstick is as high as your gong column. It represents the gong that you have cultivated. It also represents the height of your xinxing level.”
Among the practitioners I know, there is a notion that those who do many things cultivate better. I had the same notion because I was very attached to fear and was only doing a few things at that time. Later on, since some local practitioners who were in charge of technology were persecuted, I took over some of their projects. After I had more contact with the practitioners in the Falun Gong materials production site and with those who have done many things, I found they had many attachments they did not realize at all.
Practitioner A had conflicts with several practitioners she had been working with for a long time. I found that some of her attachments were relatively significant. I pointed them out to her but she denied them. I thought maybe I had my own notions while talking to her. Later on, Practitioner A complained to practitioner B and others about me. I mentioned to B about A's complaint. B told me that others also saw A's attachments and had mentioned them to her many times, but she denied them. For example, she would like to ask who bought the printing materials. I personally think it is fine to ask where to buy the printing materials but not to ask who bought them. Some issues involve other practitioners' safety.
I talked to practitioner A about her attachments again and said that I had talked with B. A had a strong response and complained that we criticized her behind her back and she said she would not cultivate anymore. I explained to her that it was not gossip among ordinary people, because we practitioners are one body. I felt sad and guilty. I did not cultivate well, which caused her to have such a strong response. I also saw my attachment of criticizing others behind their backs.
Practitioner A was enthusiastic in doing things, so she undertook many projects. It could be seen that she did not have enough time to study the Fa, which also reflected our problem as a group.
When the practitioners in charge of technology and the practitioners at the materials production site were persecuted, did we realize that it was our attachments to fear, avoiding trouble, dependence, seeking ease, etc., that increased other practitioners' workload and took away their time for studying the Fa?
Practitioner A would read what Master said many times regarding not letting others criticize if she studied the Fa. She had many attachments and other practitioners did not like to cooperate with her, which even increased her workload.
I had a similar bad experience. One time, I needed to move to another city due to a change in my job. I was busying in transferring technology and other things I had to do. I barely practiced the exercises for more than ten days. I squeezed in some time to study the Fa but the quality of study was poor and I had a lot of interference. It was hard to keep my mind calm. When I went to the new place, it was hard to even finish 45 minutes of meditation. It took me about two weeks to make a breakthrough and return to my normal state.
I realized that many attachments are exposed while doing things, including degenerated notions, toxic factors imposed by evil spirits, and human desires. We should differentiate and deal with them according to the Fa's standards. Practitioners have different understandings and are in different cultivation states. No matter what level we are at, it is most important to study the Fa.
We cannot judge practitioners' levels based on how many things they have done and we should not flatter those who are involved in many things, which can only aggravate their attachments to showing off and being attached to self. Master said in Zhuan Falun:
“To tell you the truth, the entire cultivation process for a practitioner is one of constantly giving up human attachments.”
We should get rid of our attachments while doing things. It requires cooperation and improvement as a whole group.
