(Clearwisdom.net) What are fundamental attachments? Master said,

"What's a fundamental attachment, then? Human beings acquire many notions in this world and are, as a consequence, driven by these notions to pursue what they yearn for." ("Towards Consummation" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)

I began my cultivation in the middle of my college years, so my life before attaining the Fa consisted mainly of elementary school, middle school and high school, as well as the early period of my college time. During my school years, I showed special natural talents in the fields of mathematics and literature. I wrote a long novel when I was sixteen. I won awards in mathematics many times. Amidst people's praise, I felt very complacent about my accomplishments, and my attachments, including jealousy, fighting, competing, and showing off swelled up rapidly. Consequently, ever since I was a child, I had formed a deep-rooted notion and attachment of "thinking of myself as the best of all" and I pursued what I yearned for according to the principles of the human world.

On the other hand, I have had an introverted and undetermined character ever since I was a child. In high school, I started to experience difficulties in speaking. The situation became so bad that while speaking, I was nervous and spoke very fast and even developed a severe stutter. I could not properly handle even a minor daily matter. As a result, I developed an extreme sense of self-contempt, and was afraid of speaking. This problem became even worse when I was about to graduate and find work. So all of a sudden, I fell down from the pinnacle of enjoying fame and reputation, and felt it very difficult to make myself adapt to society. I could not see a good future for myself and thus became very depressed, decadent, and full of self-contempt.

It was under such circumstances that I found Dafa. That is, with the mentality of feeling lost in my pursuit of ordinary people's fame and money, I walked into Dafa to find a mental resting place! During my personal cultivation, my fundamental attachment was reflected as my always deeming myself as better than others, considering myself to be able to cultivate to a realm higher than the others, hardly accepting others' criticisms, regarding myself as infallible, and during Fa-spreading or other Dafa activities, frequently taking the excuse of my speaking problem to shirk my responsibilities or justify my passive involvement or participation in these activities. How similar this mentality is to what the old cosmic forces have manifested! Namely, it is the mentality of just wanting to get benefits from Dafa, while at the same time tightly holding onto my fundamental attachments and having no intention of changing my cultivation status

During the Fa-rectification period, when my selfish mentality and fundamental attachments were rattled and when I could not pass certain tribulations, I fell down, again, into the abyss of lust and could not get out. So as I still held onto my fundamental attachments to fame, money, and qing, my path of validating the Fa was full of difficulties and setbacks. On the surface, I was validating Dafa and clarifying the truth, but in reality, I was validating myself, with a strong attachment to consummation and to the timing of the Fa-rectification. Although I had re-examined myself after some bitter lessons, I had fundamentally not given up the attachment to fame, money and qing. Amidst the evil persecution, I could not be firm in my righteous thoughts. I confused myself with the ordinary people, fell into a despondent and degenerate state, and even went on the path of evil enlightenment. I have caused a negative impact and harm to society and people. The lessons I learned were bitter and profound.

Looking back at the path of my own cultivation, I found that I had carried and not let go of my fundamental attachments. I encountered various setbacks during my cultivation. Master told us,

"Do you know that one of the biggest excuses the old evil forces use at present to persecute Dafa is that your fundamental attachments remain concealed? So in order to identify those people, the tribulations have been made more severe." ("Towards Consummation" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)

So it is because of my failing to let go of my fundamental attachments that the evil started to persecute me and aggravated the persecution. This type of situation is also a cause that has made Dafa disciples' Fa-validation environment in society so complicated.

Now the evil elements are facing complete destruction. But the remains of the old cosmic forces in the Three Realms still exert their effects. While negating the evil's final madness, Dafa cultivators need to ask themselves again: Am I a genuine cultivator? Have I let go of all my fundamental attachments? Can I fundamentally understand the Fa from the Fa? Can I, in a dignified and aboveboard way, place Dafa in a right position? Have I, as a Dafa disciple during the Fa-rectification time, understood my sacred mission? Have I realized the urgency of Fa-rectification and of saving the sentient beings?

Only by truly recognizing one's fundamental attachments, eliminating them, and getting rid of the manifestations of the various attachments that are intertwined with the fundamental attachments, can we leave no excuses for the evil to take advantage and persecute us. We must truly understand, from the depth of our heart, Dafa disciples' sacred mission. Only then, during this final historic moment, can we cultivate ourselves well and make the best use of the time to save the sentient beings!

October 28, 2005