Don’t Let Attachments to Position Destroy Ourselves or Others

(Minghui.org) Human history with its 5,000 years of traditional culture was created by Master, with the assistance of Dafa disciples, to be used during Fa-rectification. The huge endeavor we are taking on today isn’t for personal cultivation, but to assist Master in Fa-rectification. Everything we are doing today will be used by future beings as a reference.

The honor of being a Dafa disciple during this time period, having such huge responsibilities, is very great. With boundless compassion and saving grace, Master treats every practitioner as His disciple. But whether we can assimilate to Dafa and become a particle of Dafa, in the end, depends on our choices at every step in our cultivation during Fa-rectification.

Overcome the Attachment to Positions in Society

Master taught us long ago,

“Do not bring the human concepts of caste or hierarchy into Dafa. Both veteran and new students must be mindful of this matter. Anyone who comes to study the Fa—no matter how learned he is, how big his business, how high his rank, what special skills he has, or what supernormal abilities he possesses—must actually practice cultivation. Cultivation practice is magnificent and solemn. Whether you can abandon your particular human notions is a major test that you will have difficulty passing, yet you must pass. After all, as a disciple truly practicing cultivation, you must abandon these attachments since you can never reach Consummation without abandoning these notions.” (“Abandon Human Attachments and Continue True Cultivation,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

Positions or rank in the human world don’t reflect one’s true realm in cultivation. The upper class, rich businessmen, certain experts, or those with special skills or social status may be successful at the human level. It’s easy for them to grow full of themselves, and others tend to admire them as well.

There was a story in Buddhism about a cousin of Sakyamuni, called Siddhidatta. He came from a rich family and was very good at giving speeches. As he became more and more popular and began to be worshiped by his followers, he developed zealotry and a strong attachment to showing off. He developed demonic interference from his own mind and set himself up as a leader to be followed.

There are many similar situations in the community of Dafa cultivators. Some practitioners developed attachments after they were given the title of “coordinator” or “manager” in organizations or projects set up for truth clarification.

No matter what we do or what titles we have, we must be clear that our primary role is a Dafa disciple and we can’t become attached to any title. If one becomes obsessed with being a leader or pursuing fame, one might try to establish a “circle of influence” among the community of Dafa cultivators, monopolize resources, dictate the direction of a project, expel those who raise objections, and promote those who follow them.

A few years ago, there was a practitioner who toured around China giving speeches about how he broke through the persecution with his strong will. Many practitioners admired him and treated him as a hero. I reminded him that, while it takes strong righteous thoughts to face the persecution, it requires an even stronger will to stay unmoved when being surrounded by praise or flattery. He refused to listen because he enjoyed being admired by other practitioners. Not long after, he was arrested again and tortured to death.

Another local coordinator wanted to be in charge of all practitioners in the province or even the entire country. Everywhere he went, there would be practitioners offering rides to him and flattering him. He often organized sharing conferences for hundreds of practitioners, all the while knowing that his and other practitioners’ cell phones were being monitored by the police. He said that he had strong righteous thoughts so it would be fine. One by one, practitioners around him were arrested and some died in the persecution. That practitioner was later arrested too, and was also persecuted to death.

In another serious example, a practitioner who was good at technical skills did everything he could to protect his position of “leadership”. He often verbally attacked those who tried to help him. In the end, he passed away from sickness karma.

There have been many other cases of practitioners who tried to defend their titles, validate themselves, and pursue fame and power among practitioners or in Dafa projects. Those who followed them often had the human notion of getting some benefits from them. But they forgot that there are no shortcuts in cultivation. When they tried to pursue personal benefits in Dafa cultivation, they weren’t being responsible for themselves.

In cultivation, it’s only one’s heart that is looked at, not any title. Only by constantly measuring ourselves against the Fa and improving our xinxing based on the Fa, can we truly elevate ourselves. Any external pursuit will only lead us astray.

Let’s review the following paragraph in the sharing article “Golden Buddha (With Master's Comments),” “Through studying the Fa I understood that there is another layer of meaning, that is, in reality, Fa-rectification cultivation is not about what we have given up for Dafa, what we are willing to do for Dafa, or how much we have done —it is about whether or not we can truly recognize the Fa-rectification’s enormous inner meanings, and whether or not we know to treasure and humbly accept the future that Master has established for us. Without Master, there is no true Fa-rectification. Without Master’s Fa-rectification, none of the old cosmos’ sentient beings would have a future, and Fa-rectification is boundlessly merciful while at the same time incomparably sacred and solemn. Fa-rectification cannot be used by any being or human attachment.”

No matter how much we have done or how much we have contributed to Dafa projects, everything is in fact given to us by Master as opportunities for us to temper ourselves and improve in cultivation.

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)