Eliminating the Attachment to Reputation

(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa two years ago. When I look at photos of myself before and after I started practicing, I notice that I looked sad and dull before. However, after I learned Dafa my complexion became fair and I looked happy. As we get closer to Falun Dafa Day 2023, I wanted to share my recent experiences.

A few days ago I participated in an event about story-telling for parents, and the emcee shared her story-telling skills. She was amiable, humorous and sincere. I wished that I could tell a story as well as her. That night, I meditated before going to bed. However, my mind kept thinking about how I wished I could tell stories to children like the emcee, and I could not calm down. Although my main consciousness tried to suppress the thought, I only calmed down for a few seconds. What was I so attached to? After I finished meditating, I thought: As long as I assimilate to Falun Dafa, all my incorrect states will change.

After sending righteous thoughts, I fell asleep. I dreamed that I was busy with matters related to story-telling, so I did not sleep very soundly.

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. to practice the first four sets of exercises as usual. Soon after the music started, I realized what I attached to: fame. I had thought that if I could tell a story well, people would praise me. On the other hand, if people said that I was not good at story-telling, I would feel uncomfortable and anxious. I realized that this wasn’t just about story-telling; it was the same with other issues, too. As long as a matter involves reputation or how others think of me, I get agitated. I place great importance on what people think of me.

A practitioner needs to require himself or herself to abide by higher principles by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. There is no need to be anxious about reputation. Being attached to and pursuing fame is far from Dafa’s requirements. It is a notion and an attachment. I want to be a true Falun Dafa cultivator. I want to do well in the things that I do (such as telling stories well) while abiding by higher standards to ask myself to be a good person. I want to assimilate to Dafa. 

Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, said, 

“Fame, gain, emotion—cultivate each away, and ascend to the Firmament at Consummation, see the human world with eyes of compassion, then are you freed from the spell of delusion.” (“Success at Consummation”, Hong Yin)

I’m a mother in this lifetime, and I’m called by this name, but what was I in a previous life? Fame is fleeting and disappears soon after one dies. Why do I care so much about it?

When I thought of this, I felt happy and relaxed in my heart. I decided to do my best when I narrated stories and let the children enjoy the process of listening to them. I want to do it well, but I no longer need to worry about others’ opinions of me. This is the mindset that a Falun Dafa practitioner should have.

When others criticize me, do I need to explain myself or feel bad? Am I able to explain my point of view in a calm and compassionate way? When I no longer feel that my reputation is offended by others, I can remain calm instead of exploding like a firecracker.

When I saw how great my attachment and pursuit of fame and reputation was, my other attachments, such as contending with others and jealousy, weakened. It felt as though these bad attachments branched out from this attachment to fame. When the roots wither, the leaves are not so exuberant anymore.

I know that my level of cultivation is still limited and I still have a long way to go. Although I really long for it, there is no way to imagine how it feels to be in a higher realm. I am just happy to be able to cultivate myself in such a solid manner, bit by bit. I am really happy to practice Falun Dafa.

Thank you, Master, for your benevolence and your salvation! Thank you, fellow practitioners for your encouragement!