(Clearwisdom.net) Recently while I was sending forth righteous thoughts, I came to a realization. I was somewhat upset because of a xinxing test I was going through. At first I thought maybe I should skip sending forth righteous thoughts because my mental state wasn't good enough, but then I remembered Master repeatedly emphasizing the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts.
As I was sitting there clearing away the negative things in my mind, I was feeling guilty about my bad state of mind and about my failing some xinxing tests that day. Amazingly, I felt something in my heart telling me to just clear it away unconditionally so that the power of the Fa could flow through me unobstructed.
I realized that my own personal human things, like worrying about my own feelings and about how badly I was doing, was really an attachment to being concerned about my own cultivation. As a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple, my own cultivation is linked to the Fa-rectification of the cosmos, and saving sentient beings is what comes first when sending forth righteous thoughts. As I began to let go and clear away those petty human feelings, my righteous thoughts became clearer and more focused. I understood why it is so important to cultivate ourselves well and have a good understanding of the Fa principles. However much we can understand, and the freer of impurities we are, the more the power of the Fa can manifest within our bodies, and the greater effect our righteous thoughts can have in assisting with the needs of the Fa-rectification. We should send forth righteous thoughts selflessly, not for our own selves.
Before, I used to have the thought that when I would sit for 5 minutes clearing away the thought karma and other things, that it wasn't right for me to just eliminate my karma so simply. But now I realize that I wasn't clearing away the karma and thought karma so that I can improve myself or feel better personally, but it was necessary for the sake of the Fa and savings sentient beings. It was important to clear myself so that the manifestation of the Fa can be utilized for Fa-rectification, which goes far beyond myself personally. The better we cultivate ourselves and let go of our own selfishness, the easier it is for our bodies to accept the Fa, allowing the power of the Fa to work unobstructed. The key lesson I learned is common to many other situations--the more we are able to let go of our sense of "self" and dedicate ourselves to saving sentient beings, the more successful our efforts as a part of Fa-rectification will be.
The above is my own personal limited understanding. Please correct any mistakes.