(Clearwisdom.net) There are no shortcuts in cultivation practice. If we insist that there must be some shortcuts, then I realize that the following points are crucial. If you really fully accomplish them, you will advance by leaps and bounds in your cultivation.
1. Study the Fa and Obtain the Fa
If there was a shortcut for further advancement with full vigor, it would be "study the Fa every day." Saying that one is too busy and doesn't have time to study the Fa is most likely an indicator of a poor state of cultivation and an excuse. Because our environment is arranged by the Teacher, if you intend to study the Fa, time will be given to you. If you want to study more, time will be provided to you, such as an unrequested job transfer. On the other hand, if one has no intention of studying the Fa, even with extra time, one will spend it watching TV, sleeping, learning how to cook, taking a sideline job to earn more money, or chatting about things of interest with ordinary people but not reading the Fa.
2. Share in Learning and Share in Cultivating
Sometimes reading Clearwisdom.net (minghui.ca) articles written by fellow practitioners can be inspiring. Certain things that were not clearly pointed out by Teacher may be identified frankly by fellow practitioners. When one sees how well others are advancing, one's own shortcomings can become evident.
3. Follow the Fa in Everything
Since the very first day of our cultivation practice, we focus only on things related to self-cultivation, validation of Dafa, and salvation of sentient beings. Then why do we separate a big part of what happens around us and deal with it via a human heart or notions? Why not take it as something to elevate our xinxing? Our behavior might have caused many delays and hindered our progress in cultivation practice.
4. Compliance is Cultivation
During our cultivation practice, Teacher gives us hints about our attachments. Some
attachments we may not be able to see, some we can see but don't take ownership of, and some we surly know are ours but we even find excuses from the Fa so as to not to eliminate them. Through Teacher's hints, time and time again, I fell and was hit on the head and bleeding but without any results. Then, one day I suddenly realized that there was a bad attachment or even the worst one. And all at once, it was gone! It was really given up without any misgivings in my heart. I said to myself, "Teacher, this disappointing disciple has finally done it!"
In validating Dafa or saving sentient beings, before it was clearly pointed out by Teacher, many practitioners knew what they should do next but were still hazy about why. After Teacher's instructions, we had a better understanding about the real reasons some things happened. Then, some practitioners may still ask why. In this case, we must eliminate all obstacles in our thinking and any exterior interference. Break through them and just do what you should do! Do it unconditionally and without any reason at all! After you have done it, all is clear. At that moment, you will realize why the thing had to be done, even if it was not clear earlier.
5. Have Righteous Thoughts and Actions
Who am I? What's my identity? Righteously dealing with oneself is critical. If you consider yourself to be a cultivator, you will see the requirements for being a practitioner.
Do you always consider yourself to be a cultivator? Don't you advance to a higher level? After elevating, you should see your new identity. And you can see responsibilities and capabilities with the new you. If you advance, all of these will change. If nothing changes, then you won't advance.
Teacher has left with us this big book on Dafa. Originally, we thought that a lot of what he talked about didn't have anything to do with us. Then as we advanced in our cultivation, we may have seen that everything he said is totally related to us and it is all useful.
6. Buddha Fa is Boundless
Higher-level beings see the people below them as stupid and wrong, while lower-level beings see the principles above them as not true and unbelievable. Practitioners at different levels will look at and deal with the same issue in many different ways. Those who are enlightened or those who believe will understand. At whatever level of Fa you do things, this is your level. However, to do things as one body, we should harmonize the way we do everything related to Dafa. No one should insist on only his/her way because of zealotry or to show-off. If possible, give some hints or try to help others. Without any attachment to the results, all will follow Dafa's arrangements. There is something you may not have thought about--there is nothing that's beyond Dafa.
7. Everyone Cultivates Himself/Herself
Many people complain about such things as, "Why is he so disappointing," "She is so reluctant to advance," "He is so full of attachments," "She is hopeless," "I'll make him understand and fix it," "She must be wrong in this thing and I'll show my displeasure to let her know it," "Ordinary people are vicious," "People are degenerate," "He dares to treat me like this," etc. We see through others but are blind when looking at ourselves. We should utilize every occasion that moves our hearts so as to search inward and advance in our self-cultivation in areas where we have not done enough.
"My dad has worked for the CCP for too long" or "My mom is not very sophisticated" are some of the excuses you use for your family not understanding the Fa. The attitude others around you have toward Dafa and you depends strongly on your cultivation level, practice state, and how you present yourself. The more righteous behavior you have, the better the situation will be. This is also true for people in the smaller environment around you at work. When you do things right, the small environment should be okay even if the larger environment is terrible. When you do it wrong, your immediate environment will be poor even when the outside one is okay.
8. Cultivate In an Upright and Dignified Manner
Why try to hide that you practice Falun Gong? If you take what you do inside your home as being wrong and against the law, or you regard yourself as a criminal, how can you achieve success in cultivation practice? In the ordinary world, police are looking for people who act "suspiciously" and take them to be criminals. If you can step outside yourself and take a look at yourself, you will despise the image created by your timid heart.
9. Elevate Your Enlightenment Quality
We have found that the "jokes" Teacher tells are really not ordinary jokes. All stories mentioned are real things. Also some words used by Teacher appear to be ordinary "adjectives," but turn out to be really meaningful phrases. Sometimes we feel lucky that we were not criticized by Teacher, but then we may find that we were the same as those who were.
Lately we have sensed more and more that Teacher utilized great wisdom when he lectured to us to help us steadily advance without being scared away. This is the way Teacher has given his disciples. Thus, in saving people, how can we be excited, treat people abruptly, or talk incoherently without thinking that such behavior could scare ordinary people away? It takes wisdom to know how to communicate with ordinary people by using the right words, introducing concepts gradually, and not talking at too high a level so as to accord with their degree of understanding, their backgrounds, and their ability to comprehend.
If conditions permit, we may consider taking gradual steps and continue talking to people on several occasions.
In saving sentient beings or validating Dafa, when you encounter difficulties, crying or burning with impatience will do no good at all because you cannot touch people's hearts this way. Fa rectification is the biggest event in the universe and is extremely huge and beyond any human capability.
10. Save All Sentient Beings
On June 12, 2005 Teacher said in "To the European Fa Conference in Stockholm," "Gather up and rescue the beings that you are to save!" I understood this as a clear instruction from the Teacher for us to utilize our Fa power to grasp the chance and do what we should be doing.
11. Have No Enemies
When I read Teacher's "Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago" (June 26, 2005), the following paragraph was most enlightening to me:
"Here is a thought on the subject. I told you a long time ago that a Dafa disciple, or a cultivator, has no enemies. The only thing you have a role in is saving people, and you have nothing to do with using human means and human principles to punish or pronounce judgment on people. This is a fundamental issue!"
Suddenly it dawned on me and I found a mistake in my understanding. While reading the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I hated the evil party and felt sick when reading each word, and I remembered every act of the CCP branch secretary general of my work unit. Every day, the first thing I did was check the internet to see the total number of people that had withdrawn from the party and to look for signs of the CCP's collapse. Most of my focus was on the evil party. This behavior showed a flaw in my understanding. We practitioners have no enemies because they are not worthy of our attention.
Practitioners must not feel "anger" or have any "enemies." The evil party is nothing but a chess piece in the Fa rectification. At best, it is a negative factor that enables people in the world to differentiate good from evil.
Our focus should be on saving people, and utilizing more immense Fa power to gather up and rescue the sentient beings that we are to save.
In reality, there are no short-cuts in cultivation practice. Trying to take a shortcut shows a strong heart of an ordinary person. It is a degenerate to think we can reap without sowing, or succeed without any effort or suffering. Genuine disciples must study the Fa well and fulfill each and every requirement of being a practitioner. This way will permit us to advance at flying speed.
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