(Clearwisdom.net) A fellow practitioner said that he knew some practitioners who seem to understand Master's Fa teachings but do not know how to cultivate. These practitioners do believe in Dafa and they study the Fa over and over again. However, since they do not look inside when tribulations come and do not follow the Fa to let go of their human notions and attachments, they are not able to remember Master's teachings as soon as they put down the books. Whenever they encounter challenging situations they still follow their human notions. If after studying the Fa, one can not align his thoughts and deeds and the situations one encounters each day to the Fa, then how can one cultivate? My understanding is that one is not cultivating because he does not really know how to cultivate. The fellow practitioner thought that the reason was that they did not understand how conduct themselves following the Fa. Here I wish to share my understanding.
Master said,
"The enlightenment that we actually refer to is a matter of whether in the course of cultivation practice one can enlighten to and accept the Fa taught by the master or the Tao taught by the Taoist master, whether one can treat oneself as a practitioner upon encountering tribulations, and whether one can adhere to the Fa while practicing cultivation." (Zhuan Falun)
“In this world a person merely goes about enjoying the course of life. I have said in the past that people are pitiable, for all that a person is doing in this world is merely enjoying the feelings and sensations that are brought to him by living the course of his life. My putting it this way is quite accurate. And why do I say so? Though people think that they are in charge of themselves, deciding what they want to do, the truth is, they are merely pursuing certain feelings as a result of postnatally formed habits and attachments that stem from their likings. And that’s all it is. Whereas what’s really at work, leading that person to want to do something, are factors behind the scenes, which are utilizing the person’s habits, attachments, notions, desires, and such things. Such is the true state of the human body, with the person merely enjoying those feelings and sensations that come about as a result of the life process: when you are given something sweet, you experience the sweetness; given something bitter, you feel the bitterness; given something spicy, you taste the spiciness; you feel awful when suffering befalls you; and you know joy when you are blessed with happiness.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference”)
After studying the Fa, the fellow practitioner looked inside, examined his thoughts and found his own attachments, “Lets take a break and wait for the rain to stop. It is a not bad idea to enjoy some peanuts at the same time.” He realized that all these were human habits, attachments, notions and desires that he had not let go of and had not tried to discard through cultivation. Generation after generation human beings are controlled by these things. If, as a practitioner, one keeps going along with these desires, notions and attachments, one's body will belong to them. What a shame! My understanding is that one is diligent only if one makes his best effort to follow the Fa when doing things.
Then how do we come to understand the Fa? My understanding is that the Fa is not merely some interesting theory or some obscure, mysterious knowledge. The fundamental question is whether, in any situation, one knows how to conduct himself according to the Fa and whether one remembers to adjust one's thoughts in order to follow the Fa. More specifically, if one wants to follow the Fa, he should first and foremost consider himself a Dafa practitioner every time he encounters situations and conflicts, and he should recall Master's teaching before doing anything. He should then examine himself to see whether he truly understands and accepts Master's teachings. If he understands and accepts Master's teachings, the Fa will give him the wisdom to know what to do. If he cannot understand and accept Master's teachings, he must look inside to find his attachment and discard it. My understanding is that, when one is not willing to look inside and not willing to discard the attachment, one is choosing not to cultivate. It is that simple. This way, one will always search inward whenever conflicts or tribulations occur and thus not be in the situation of not knowing what other practitioners are talking about when they mention looking inside. This way one will not find oneself in the situation of not knowing what to do or be confused; instead one will know exactly what to do and be able to identify one's attachments.
I hope my sharing at my current limited level of understanding can serve as a reminder and help fellow practitioners.
