(Clearwisdom.net) I used to read the Fa silently, but now, I read it aloud. This change was due to some unforgettable experiences.
I have a very old lamp at home. If I turned it on for more than half an hour, the base of the lamp would start to make a sharp noise. The longer it was on, the louder the noise became. If I padded it or pressed something against it to stop the noise, that didn't work. It wasn't worth fixing any more, but I was reluctant to throw it away even though it had become a headache.
I wasn't quite clear about the meaning of the phrase "to step out of humanness." I knew that it is to step away from the human notions, but I felt that "human notions" is too broad a concept and couldn't find a breakthrough in how to understand it. There seemed to be a barrier in front of me. One day when I read Hong Yin II, I noticed a sentence, "When Disciples Have Sufficient Righteous Thoughts, Master Has the Almighty Power to Turn the Cosmos Around." In the past, I just read it and didn't think much about it. But this time, I felt that Master was saying that himself. The words penetrated into my mind. Looking at the words, I became lost in my thinking. Soon the lamp started to make noises again. All of a sudden, the barrier in my mind disappeared. I understood to a certain extent the meaning of "stepping out of humanness." In the past, when someone mentioned "sentient beings," I automatically thought about humans. I might also consider birds and other animals. After studying the Fa, I counted plants in as well. I never took anything else as sentient beings. They were merely "things." In "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Washington DC Fa Conference" Master says, "Every blade of grass, every tree, every speck of soil, every stone, from people to things--all the beings have come for this Fa."
Looking at the lamp, I no longer had any complaint toward it. I thought about the interference of the old forces to the Fa-rectification and their arrangements for all beings in the persecution. Then I said to the lamp as if talking to a person, "See how many lights we have at home? In the different rooms, there are seven altogether. I only study the Fa with you. How lucky you are. This is the Great Law that saves all sentient beings. Here is a chance for you. If you could stop making noises in ten minutes, I will read aloud so that you can hear it." Then I continued reading. After a while, I noticed that the noise was reduced. I looked at the lamp in surprise. It looked like a naughty kid with his head down upon realizing that he was wrong.
I touched it and said, "You are good. You will be saved. I know you are not a bad being." At the same time, I asked for Master's help to strengthen it. After a while, the noise got even softer. In the end, it seemed that there was only a tiny bead jumping in the lamp base. I pressed my finger to that point and sent out a thought: Go back to your place.
All of a sudden, the room became quiet. I looked at the clock, nine minutes had passed. I couldn't get used to the quietness. My mind was blank. I was thrilled inside and out. It was hard to describe my feelings. I didn't have to ask someone to fix it. With one thought the problem was solved. I walked around the room in excitement. I came to a further understanding of what Master says in Zhuan Falun, "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." and "It is good enough if you have this wish. It is the master who actually does this, as you are simply unable to do it."
Through this incident, I realized that we usually see certain phenomena with preconceived ideas. Since we grew up with certain views of things, we usually think that other things are like that too. We don't realize that these are actually illusions created by the old forces to damage Dafa and destroy Dafa disciples so that all their cultivation will be in vain. We are always preparing for the tests, but when tribulations do come, we sometimes forget that we are in a maze and a world of illusion.
My understanding of "stepping out of humanness" is to give up the behavior and thinking that ordinary people are used to--that is, living for sentimentality and thinking about one's self first. In the end, we will return to our original true self. Whether a practitioner has a righteous mind at critical moments, or whether he or she measures things by Dafa or by human interest, fame, and sentimentality, is largely decided by whether he or she truly studies the Fa. When one does not study the Fa much, human notions will pop up. Human notions are so deeply rooted. How can one, as a cultivator, break away from human notions? The answer is in the Fa. When we have more and more of Dafa in our minds, there will be less and less human notions. Hence, when studying the Fa more, immersing ourselves in the Fa, and having every thought come from the Fa's perspective rather than from human notions, the Fa will help us break through the maze and let us see the truth when we encounter a problem. Then we can do things well. If we don't study the Fa much and don't have a strong righteous mind, the human thoughts will take over. When we hesitate on how to deal with things, we tend to look at how others deal with them and follow suit. Therefore, we have stumbled again and again. Master told us disciples how to step out of humanness and how to strengthen the righteous thoughts a long time ago. In Zhuan Falun, Master says, "Your Main Consciousness Should Predominate" and "Your Mind Must be Right."
Master doesn't want us to follow the everyday people's ritual of bowing to a master. Master only wants us to have righteous thoughts and actions, and always measure things with Dafa. As long as we are firm with this thought, we will experience how immense the Buddha Law is and how great the Buddha's benevolence is.
Though this incident took place a long time ago, whenever I think about it, I feel that it has just happened. Now when I study the Fa, I first send out a thought: "Don't interfere with my Fa-study. Listen, now I am going to read aloud." Then I start reading. Deep in my heart, I feel it's like studying the Fa with other practitioners as we did before the persecution started.
August 3, 2005
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