(Minghui.org) I was shocked when I read Master’s newest teachings. I felt that one of the most fundamental problems was that some practitioners have lost solid faith in Master.
I understand that every life in the world is created by the great Dafa (Great Law) of the universe, so it’s not a minor problem if you are disrespectful and do not believe in Master and Dafa.
Maybe due to my experiences in previous lifetimes, Western religious beliefs seem familiar. In old movies from the West, monks and nuns were devoted and simple, their humility, their belief in God, and their dedicating themselves to being God’s servants were sincere and touching. We are Falun Dafa practitioners. How can we not have faith in Master and be humble before him?
However, we are still cultivating and are human. Master told us that the side we have cultivated well has been separated, so we still have to deal with our human notions and our un-cultivated side every day. I feel that when I read the Fa, I sometimes still have bad thought karma or some messy thoughts that cause me to not believe the Fa. As soon as I am aware of these thoughts, I am serious about eliminating them.
Some practitioners I know are frustrated and have begun to complain. They’ve practiced for so many years—how can they still have these bad notions? My understanding is that we may have bad thoughts until the last step. It’s a good thing, because it gives us a chance to eliminate them so that we can improve, become purer, and have greater power to save people. When we have these bad thoughts, we shouldn’t feel that we are bad practitioners; instead, we must look at the problem positively. Only cultivators can see their shortcomings and eliminate them.
When I first began practicing, when these thoughts of not believing in Master and the Fa surfaced, I was very frustrated. But, isn’t being frustrated an attachment? Aren’t blaming myself and failing to strive forward also attachments? I tried to put down these attachments and eliminate the bad thoughts. In this process, my mind became more and more pure, and I had less interference when I read the Fa.
A practitioner once said that attachments and thought karma are like dirty things in a bottle. If we find dirty things in our cup, we will pour them out. I understand that when we find shortcomings, we must remove them right away. When Master sees we are determined to improve, he will bless us and help us remove the negative substances. But as we cultivate, we can only improve layer by layer, and we may find something bad tomorrow. So we need to continue eliminating them and continue to do so every day. Eventually, these bad thoughts, thought karma, notions, and external interferences will become weaker and weaker.
I also understand that if I can’t understand Master’s teaching for the time being, as a practitioner, I should believe and accept it wholeheartedly. I am a low-level being, and I can never fully realize the truth of the universe. But every word in the Fa and everything that Master taught us is the Buddha Fa, and I should believe without any reservation.
Sometimes when I have some doubts while studying the Fa, I repeatedly read that part of the teachings until I wholeheartedly accept Master’s teachings. This is also a process of continuously strengthening one’s faith in the Fa and a process of reaching the standards of the new universe.
Master told us:
“As a matter of fact, the two characters, mi xin, themselves should not be used this way, nor should the imposed connotation exist. What the two characters mi and xin imply is not something negative. Without mi xin in discipline, soldiers would not have combative abilities; without mi xin in their schools and teachers, students would not acquire knowledge; without mi xin in their parents, children would not be brought up well-mannered; without mi xin in their careers, people would not do a good job in their work. Without beliefs, human beings would have no moral standards; the human mind would not have good thoughts and it would be overcome by wicked thoughts. The moral values of the human society at that time would decline rapidly. Possessed by wicked thoughts, everyone would become enemies of one another and would stop at nothing to satisfy their selfish desires.” (“What is Mi Xin,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Sometimes when I encounter interference or tests, I firmly say: “I just believe in Master.” Solid faith in Master is the foundation for us to be able to overcome these great difficulties in these years. In the final period, we must follow Master to enter the period of the Fa’s rectification of the human world with a purer heart.
Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
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