(Clearwisdom.net)
Lately many people have talked about the fact that dark minions and rotten demons take advantage of practitioners' attachments in an ordinary people's environment to interfere with them. I have had similar experiences and have strong feelings about them as well. But I came to a realization after reading the following:
"The dark minions have been a part of all the disruptions to things big and small that have happened to all Dafa disciples since the start of their cultivation and all the different situations [that have arisen] in Dafa disciples' personal cultivation; they have seized every opportunity. "("Eliminate the Dark Minions With Righteous Thoughts")
Here I am writing down my thoughts so that I can share them with fellow practitioners, hoping that this will help awaken those practitioners who have similar problems.
I was released from detention last fall. Afterwards, when I elevated myself through Fa-study and totally devoted myself to the three things, (1) dark minions and rotten demons came to me right away and interfered with me for half a year. The most important reason for this interference was my attachment to sentimentality.
At first, my nephew wanted me to help him in his store. I did not sense that this was interference from dark minions. I recognized that over the past few years, while I was being persecuted, I had caused my relatives and friends a great deal of pain and stress. Also they took care of me and helped when I was forced to leave home. I felt that I owed them and did not know how to pay them back. I felt that this was my opportunity. So I left my fellow practitioners and went to help my nephew. I studied the Fa only when I could find the time and did the exercises only occasionally. Although I met many people every day, and opportunities did exist for me to tell them the facts about Falun Dafa, I did not do it because of my fear and attachments. I wasted over a month, passing many people who could have been saved. Now I feel truly regretful. My attachment to sentimentality caused this.
It was almost the Spring Festival when I returned home. Both my wife and I had been jailed for the past few years, and my son and daughter had been forced to stay away for this period of time. It was hard for them, especially during festivals. I thought that, now that I was back, I should bring some consolation to my kids by spending time together with them for the Spring Festival. I ended up spending most of my time over those few weeks painting my house, severely affecting my work on the "three things." This was due to my sentimentality.
During the Spring Festival, I went with my children to visit relatives and friends. I spent all my time having meals and socializing with them. I thought about how, in these past few years due to the persecution, our whole family had been broken up and affected. I could not financially repay my relatives and friends, but at least I needed to express my gratitude and show my appreciation. During the entire Spring Festival I was immersed in affection and was not able to come out of it. Although I was still doing the three things everyday, results were not good because my mindset was not correct. My mind could not calm down and my heart was not as elevated.
Over the last year the situation persisted, and the dark minions repeatedly utilized my attachments to interfere without me being aware of it. I was awakened to this interference when I read the article "Eliminate the Dark Minions With Righteous Thoughts." I had a clearer understanding of how the dark minions utilized my attachments to interfere with me. Their purpose was to keep me from doing the three things and from fulfilling my duties as a practitioner. My historical mission as a practitioner in the Fa-rectification period would then not be accomplished. The manifestation of the interference was usually something ordinary. They used whatever attachment I had. They would magnify the attachment and get me bogged down in it. Because the situations looked quite ordinary, I could not distinguish them as interference. I even thought that I was doing my best to comply with the state of ordinary people and that I was being a nice person. I even thought that I was validating and fulfilling Dafa. What big excuses! As a matter of fact, Teacher told us long ago in his article "Cultivators' Avoidances" in Essentials for Further Advancement:
"Those who are attached to affection for family will definitely be burned, entangled, and tormented by it. Pulled by the threads of affection and plagued by them throughout their lives, they will find it too late to regret at the end of their lives."
Because I did not study the Fa well, I could not wake myself up. The dark minions also interfered due to my desire for a comfortable life. This is indeed a very serious and important issue.
The interference once again truly shocked me and woke me up. It led me to realize that I had to change. I found the reasons why dark minions repeatedly interfered with me. The first reason was that, for a long time, I did not study the Fa well and did not truly understand the Fa. I could not let go of my ordinary peoples' mindset and attachments. Not only did I fail to resist the interference, but also I followed the old forces' arrangements and let them find the loophole in me without my knowing it. I even used Dafa to excuse what I had done. The second reason was that, when problems arose, I did not look inward hard enough. My ordinary thoughts allowed this interference to exist. Even now I still have not completely given up my attachments to fame, profits, and sentimentality. The third reason was that I did not recognize the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts. Lack of righteous thoughts caused an unsteady mind. So it was not effective when I sent forth righteous thoughts, and I could not achieve the effect of breaking up and eliminating evil factors.
Quite often I ignored sending forth righteous thoughts. I often realized this after I was interfered with. Sometimes I even doubted whether my righteous thoughts had an effect. To solve these problems there are also three things one should do. One, grasp the time to study the Fa and assimilate with the Fa, because,
"The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Drive Out Interference" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
As long as one studies the Fa well and understands the Fa, all these problems will be solved. Two, one needs to look inward to eliminate fundamental attachments. One needs to make up one's mind resolutely, rid oneself of these attachments, and eliminate the conditions that dark minions survive in and utilize. Otherwise the problem cannot be totally solved, because the root cause has not been removed. Remember what Teacher has said: " Stop letting the evil exploit gaps, and stop being interfered with by human attachments." ("Eliminate the Dark Minions with Righteous Thoughts")
Three, understand the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts. My own understanding is that righteous thoughts are an immortal's thoughts, understandings, and power that practitioners have after they succeed in their cultivation. Righteous thoughts manifest themselves in one's understanding of and attitude toward Buddha law and in the way that one looks at everything in the world. When Teacher asked us to send forth righteous thoughts, he empowered us with Buddha's power. No matter if one can see or sense it or not, it exists. Teacher tells us to do three things well, with sending forth righteous thoughts being one of them. It is just as important as the other two. One should not neglect any one of them.
To stop the persecution and eliminate the evil is the greatest compassion. It is Teacher's great benevolence for the sentient beings and practitioners. One must therefore recognize the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts and send forth one's purest, cleanest, and most powerful righteous thoughts.
(1) Study the Fa (Law and principles), send forth righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to the world's people.
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