(Minghui.org) Because I've practiced Falun Dafa for many years, I'm considered a veteran practitioner. However, I often forget that Master is always with us. With other practitioners' help I gained a better understanding of my slow progress. Because I've been caught up in my attachments, it directly affected my improvement in cultivation and the effectiveness of my truth clarification.
Master has told us,
“If you can all manage to do the three things well, divine beings will look after you even if you are off in a remote corner of the world, and so will Master’s law bodies.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference”)
When I remember that Master is with me I feel at peace and know that I'm on the right path. I feel as optimistic as I did when I just started to cultivate. I no longer feel lonely, lost or worried.
I have a sense of urgency and can better carry out our mission to save people. I treasure the short time we have to use every opportunity to cultivate ourselves.
I feel that our enlightenment quality is lacking when we don't believe that Master is with us just because we can't see him. When a tribulation comes, if you can remember that Master is standing right in front of you, how would you act? Instead of responding as an ordinary person would, you will behave according to the Fa, your thoughts and decisions will be righteous. Your thoughts will automatically replace human notions, and you will be a genuine cultivator as Master described,
“A cultivator's goal is to go beyond the human world and achieve the Consummation of his being.” (Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference from Teaching the Fa at the Conference V)
Remembering that Master is always taking care of us helps me look inward. I realize the people and things I encounter in my everyday life are related to my cultivation, and I adjust my behavior. I know from the Fa that a cultivator's life has been rearranged. Everything we encounter happens for a reason. Everything is arranged by Master for our improvement.
If I can remember to truly examine myself first when I experience challenges, then would jealousy, complaints, arguments, lust, attachments to fame still exist? I understand looking inward unconditionally is a way of treasuring Master's painstaking arrangements to expose our hidden attachments. When we separate our attachments from our true selves, they will melt away.
Realizing Master is with us also stops interference from any stray thoughts and we are filled with righteous thoughts. As disciples, our thoughts should always be righteous. Those practitioners who do well in their cultivation have righteous thoughts even in their dreams. We should respect the Fa and focus when we read, embracing the meaning of every word. Then when we send forth righteous thoughts we will be able to concentrate, our thoughts will be powerful and we will feel the wonder of our being wrapped in its energy.
If we can remember that Master is protecting us we will have great courage and wisdom to deny the old forces and our truth clarification will be stronger. The old forces sometimes use people to put us in danger. We should stay calm and refuse to go along with this arrangement because we know Master is in control and the evil cannot succeed. We wouldn't have complaints about the ordinary people who may be causing us trouble.
Strong belief in Master's presence can truly help us make solid improvements in our cultivation, eliminate interference, offer salvation to sentient beings and fulfill our mission.