(Minghui.org) After reading the two recent new articles “Stay Far Away From Peril” and “Cultivation in Dafa Is Serious” published by Master in two days, I realize that the problems among some practitioners have already become very serious. It is Master’s compassion to give them another chance, and this is a wake-up call to all other practitioners as well.
I have heard things about the person who is stirring up trouble and find it distressing to know such things are happening. They certainly don’t happen by chance and are a reflection of our loopholes in cultivation and a test for us.
A number of practitioners have given such people an audience. They not only watched the videos themselves but also shared them with others, adding fuel to the flame. They create unnecessary tribulations in their cultivation and are potentially ruining themselves. This is really serious.
Practitioners Must Always Remain Humble
Our wisdom and abilities are limited by our realms. No matter how capable we are, we will never know the truth about life and the universe beyond our realm. Heaven has many levels, and we are insignificant in the eyes of the beings higher than our realm. No matter what we’ve achieved or how great we or others think we are, we are just a speck of dust in the universe.
Participating in a Dafa Project Is an Opportunity to Cultivate, Not Something to Brag About
Practitioners participate in all kinds of Dafa projects. Some who have done well and become well-known in that project have gotten carried away and let their egos take over. No matter what project we are involved in, we must realize that it is a precious opportunity for us to cultivate. How would we consummate our new universe if we do not solidly improve our xinxing? How else will our sentient beings have a final destination in the new universe?
Master grants us our skills and abilities, even though it may seem on the surface that it was a result of our own hard work. The reality is that Master arranges and blesses everything. It’s our responsibility to do things well. And if we don’t do well with the abilities we’ve been given, we will fail to fulfill our roles.
Our Achievements Are the Result of Master’s Painstaking Efforts and Fellow Practitioners’ Cooperation and Support
Master told us:
“Without my Law Bodies doing these things, even protecting the people in charge could hardly be ensured, let alone spreading the Fa widely. So don’t always think of yourselves too highly. There is no fame, self-interest, or official titles in Dafa, but only cultivation practice.” (“A Heavy Blow,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Fame, profit, and sentimentality are all things we must cultivate away. We shouldn’t be overjoyed, flattered, or full of ourselves just because other people compliment and praise us.
Master also told us:
“For a cultivator, all the frustrations he comes across among everyday people are trials, and all the compliments he receives are tests.” (“A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
What is the difference between practitioners who get carried away and those Master mentioned in the Fa?
“We also have such cases where those who practice a little better than others, have better celestial eye visions, or whose exercise movements look better also like to show off.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
No matter how significant a person in this world is—the president of a nation, a tycoon, or a genius—what he or she can achieve is still very limited. But what we are given as cultivators is much more than success, fame, or social status among ordinary people.
As practitioners, we should not treat certain fellow practitioners as celebrities and flatter them; we may make them fall when they get carried away by their egos, which will ruin them, and we may generate great karma or even ruin ourselves as a result.
Maintaining a Grateful Heart at All Times
I once read something about an emotional “scale” that described different emotions within people that mirror their external surroundings. At the top of the list is “being grateful.”
Non-practitioners may be grateful when someone is gracious to them or they are promoted at work. But for cultivators whose goal is to transcend this world, we learn to be grateful when our bosses, coworkers, or subordinates make things difficult for us or we encounter people who treat us badly.
Master told us in the Fa that when someone treats the other person badly, that person can gain in four ways, and one should be grateful to the one who mistreats him. Isn’t this the mentality a cultivator should have while enduring tribulations? Even non-cultivators can recognize the importance of being grateful, so we practitioners should keep that in mind even more.
In fact, we can never thank Master enough for saving us from Hell, cleansing us, giving us a new life, and taking us from the old universe to the new.
Master told us:
“If you were to have no karma, everyone would smile at you as you walked down the street, and people you don’t even know would go out of their way to help you. You would be utterly carefree!” (Lecture Given at the Conference in Sydney)
Master has no karma, and yet Master has suffered so much in order to save us. Why does he have to suffer like this on earth to bear those gigantic karmic debts we and all beings have generated over countless lifetimes? How can we still resent Master when, even as he is evilly attacked on our behalf, he still eliminates our karma? How bad are those thoughts?
Master’s Fa-rectification determines whether the lives of the entire universe can be saved, and this is the biggest thing in the universe. It is the most incredible kindness if we can assist Master and harmonize what Master wants. But if someone does things against Master and Fa-rectification, then he is committing the worst evil deeds.
Those who not only don’t thank Master for saving them but also complain about, resent, and attack him are turning themselves into the worst beings in the universe. What a terrible, awful thing to do! But despite their actions, Master is still giving them opportunities by writing these new articles. I hope those people can truly cherish it, realize their mistake, and come back to Dafa. At the same time, every one of us should also look within and cherish even more what Master has done for us.
Cherishing Minghui
Minghui.org is the most essential website for Dafa practitioners. It’s the platform Master uses to publish new lectures and articles, and on which Dafa practitioners share with each other. It plays a pivotal role in upholding Dafa and resisting the persecution, and it is an irreplaceable platform where we can improve together.
Most of the practitioners are in mainland China. Just imagine what they face every day. They are being brutally persecuted and under tremendous pressure. With the propaganda and misinformation being spread by the communist regime on the Internet, they need a website that they can trust, one that can help them maintain righteous thoughts and inspire them to do better. The existence of the Minghui website affects the cultivation of millions of practitioners in the mainland, the progress of Fa-rectification, and the effectiveness of saving sentient beings.
When some people speak negatively of, complain about, or even seek to discredit Minghui, they claim that they are speaking the truth. But they are only venting their frustration and covering up their attachments. If they have objections, they can submit feedback to Minghui or take a more positive approach instead of talking about it on social media and in society at large.
The negative impact they have had is worse than that caused CCP spies. The harm they’ve caused practitioners, Fa-rectification, and Master is beyond what we can imagine.
Unconditionally Assimilate to the Fa
When some people encounter things that don’t go their way or don’t conform with their ideas or notions, they are all too eager to shift the blame and become discontented.
As cultivators, we should know that the troubles we encounter come from our own karma and that the real solution lies in ourselves.
Master taught us:
“Cultivation must take place through tribulations so as to test whether you can part with and care less about different kinds of human qing and desires. If you are attached to these things, you will not succeed in cultivation.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
Anything, good or bad, can be turned into something good in cultivation. Enduring problems, difficulties, and tribulations are good opportunities for us to look inward and improve. They shouldn’t make us upset or resentful.
When we have conflicts with others, when our opinions are not accepted or are even criticized or ridiculed, we should take a step back, let go of ourselves, and accept the response with an open mind. If we feel unfairly treated, sad, or angry, we should ask ourselves why and if it is in accordance with the Fa.
As we cultivate, no matter what we encounter, we need to act according to the requirements of the Fa and unconditionally look within. The self-claimed “injustice,” “harm,” or “compromised personal dignity” shouldn’t be excuses for anyone to act irrationally.
It is especially harmful for cultivators to be resentful. Resentment of others is primarily due to selfishness, jealousy, and an unbalanced mind because one didn’t get what one wanted.
Just like the example in Zhuan Falun:
“Some people do not understand and begin to complain to the Buddha if their praying does not work, “Why don’t you help me? I burn incense and kowtow to you every day.” Some people will throw the Buddha statue to the ground because of this and start to condemn Buddha thereafter. As a result of this condemnation, his xinxing drops, and his gong disappears.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
Cultivating with the Heart We Once Had
Master has repeatedly reminded us to study the Fa more. In fact, Master has told us in the Fa about the various problems and interference we will encounter in our cultivation and that if we don’t do well, it’s really because we didn’t study the Fa well and we didn’t put the Fa into our hearts and minds.
Whatever problems we have in cultivation, as long as we study the Fa with a tranquil mind, we should be able to find the problem ourselves. For those who have been stuck in tribulations or problems for a long time and are still unable to wake up, they have truly fallen behind in cultivation.
Master taught us:
“And some people—in spite of Master’s having told everyone at the Fa conferences convened by our Dafa disciples not to listen to, believe in, or look at those evil websites—haven’t taken my words to heart and behave as though they’re completely under the spell of those sites.” (“What Does It Mean to “Help Master Rectify the Fa”?,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress III)
For those who are going to the opposite side and still won’t listen to other people’s suggestions, it will be difficult for them to turn back. If that’s the case, then we shouldn’t give them an audience or judge things about them with our human hearts, thoughts, and emotions.
Master pointed it out in the recent article,
“At this critical juncture, those who follow along are precisely the ones who will be picked out, and the purpose is to eliminate them. This is the real reason behind the old forces using the people who are currently causing trouble.” (“Cultivation in Dafa Is Serious”)
Cultivation is really very serious. A wrong thought may ruin all our previous efforts.
When I first began to cultivate, I studied the Fa whenever I had time. While I was walking or biking, I would memorize the Fa. Later, when I was involved in many projects, I could only study one lecture a day, and even that I could not guarantee. I am ashamed of myself.
Master’s two recent articles once again sounded the alarm for us. We must study the Fa more, truly cultivate with earnestness, be as diligent as before, cherish the opportunities Master has given us, and live up to Master’s expectations.
This is my understanding at my current level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
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 in studying, compare in cultivating.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
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