The Importance of Not Going Along With Bad Thoughts

(Minghui.org) When we met to read the Falun Dafa teachings recently, we shared our understandings about how to distinguish bad thoughts and eliminate them.

People’s thoughts determine what they say and do. Nowadays, human society is deteriorating, and people’s morals are continuing to slide down. The bad thoughts in their minds manipulate them to unknowingly do bad things.

It is just as Master said,

“When someone is doing a wrong deed, he will not believe it if you point out to him that he is doing a wrong deed. That person indeed will not believe that he is doing something wrong. Some people evaluate themselves with the lowered moral standard. Because the standard of judgment has changed, they consider themselves better than others.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

We practice Falun Dafa, but we cultivate among everyday people. If we cannot quickly distinguish between good and bad thoughts, we may follow the bad thoughts and carry out those things. These bad thoughts may also be reinforced by beings in other dimensions, making our cultivation more difficult.

Master said,

“As soon as your thinking aligns with a particular type of being, it will be able to instantly exert an effect on you. Yet you won’t be aware of where your thoughts are originating from, and will still think that it is your own will. But in fact, it was precisely your attachments that resulted in those things having an effect on you, and that led to their strengthening your attachments.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)

It is difficult for practitioners to stay unmoved when encountering interference, amidst trials and tribulations, or under pressure. For example, suppose a practitioner does not pay attention to the attachment of lust. In that case, negative entities in other dimensions may take advantage of this loophole and strengthen this dirty attachment, and thoughts about desire or lust will manipulate this practitioner. The tribulation will thus be harder and he will need a longer time to eliminate this attachment.

Suppose a practitioner developed qing (sentimentality). Thoughts of sentimentality will control him or her. This practitioner may then be driven by them, and think and do wrong things without realizing it. It will be hard for them to let go of the attachment to sentimentality.

What should we do? Master told us,

“Gods are keeping every aspect of human society under tight control. However, there is one thing. There’s a principle in this universe that says: When it comes to what a human being wants to do, what he wants to do as an individual entity, you still have to look at the person’s thoughts. If he wants to cultivate, great, I’ll help him cultivate; if he doesn’t want to be good, I’ll let him be, and he may become a very bad individual.” (Teachings at the Conference in the Eastern U.S.)

If we can maintain a strong main consciousness and measure everything from the perspective of the Fa, then we can tell that the bad thoughts did not come from our true selves. We can reject them, and remove them. We will improve in cultivation if we can do this. Practitioners who have relaxed in their cultivation for a long time should pay special attention to this.

In an article “How I Miraculously Survived Two Serious Accidents” published on the Minghui website, the practitioner heard a voice whisper in his ear, “You should be buried in front of your mother’s grave.” The practitioner did not pay it any mind. The voice said again, “Buried in front of your mother’s grave.” The practitioner’s mother had died less than a year prior. The practitioner said in his heart, “I will not die. I have my Master.” Wasn’t the voice from a being trying to manipulate the practitioner? When the practitioner knew clearly the voice was not his own thought and rejected it, the being could not control him. The tribulation disappeared with his righteous thoughts.

Very strong bad thoughts may seriously affect our ability to do the three things well, in which case we should send righteous thoughts more frequently to eliminate the bad thoughts. When we have strong will, Master will help us to eliminate these bad thoughts.

Sometimes the beings in other dimensions will use other people’s bad thoughts to mislead us. They may create false thoughts that make us feel that the bad thoughts are correct and make us be unaware of our bad thoughts. It is even harder for us to break through the tribulation in this situation.

Master said,

“The entire process of xinxing cultivation is about eliminating your bad thoughts and various desires. If you have eliminated all of them in the course of your cultivation and no more bad thoughts exist, then haven’t you reached the end of your cultivation? Have you already succeeded in cultivation and reached Consummation? So, they’ll continue to appear during the cultivation process. Sometimes bad thoughts will appear and that’s normal, but you should pay attention to them and be sure to reject them.” (“Teaching the Fa and Answering Questions in Jinan,” Zhuan Falun Fajie, The Law of Zhuan Falun Explained)

Bad thoughts are alive. We maintain righteous to recognize them, reject them, and eliminate them.

We are so fortunate to be Dafa disciples with Master’s guidance to distinguish our true selves’ thoughts from bad thoughts. We should measure every thought with Master’s Fa and cultivate our true selves.

Editor's note: Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions, for which the author is solely responsible. Readers should evaluate the article's merits on their own.