(Clearwisdom.net) The article "Dafa Practitioners Should Not Be Attached to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games" published on the Clearwisdom website (http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2006/12/7/80631.html) greatly helped me. Not too long ago, I was very stressed both physically and mentally. I wasn't at all in a natural and peaceful state of mind while clarifying the truth and in my work and daily life. The result of my truth clarification was not good, and I was controlled by stressful emotions. I recognized that this was because I was afraid that the evil might take advantage of me at any time and that I had to keep my righteous thoughts up at every moment. At the time, my work kept me busy and I needed to focus more at work. But I was also afraid that if I focused more at work, my thoughts wouldn't be on the Fa, and the evil would take advantage of me; I was very confused and nervous. Later I enlightened and realized that as long as I do what a Dafa practitioner should do and study the Fa well, there should not be any gap for the evil to exploit, and I should not be afraid. Rather, I should be calm, confident, and peaceful in both my personal life and my cultivation, and I should do all three things well. This is a way of living that follows the law of the cosmos and it is natural and beautiful. When I felt this, I truly saw how low and negligible the evil is, "Purging evil as if but whisking dust away." ("A Will That Ebbs Not") At that time the results of my sending forth righteous thoughts were very good.
I also understood that all of what we are doing is cultivation. Though the cultivation environment changed after July 20, 1999, cultivation itself never changed, and everything we do involves eliminating attachments and human notions, raising our levels, and reaching Consummation. Prior to July 20, 1999, we cultivated in a normal living and working environment. Now we cultivate by clarifying the truth in an environment that constantly faces the possibility of persecution, but our life and work continue. Even though we have temporarily lost our regular living and working environment, sooner or later it will be restored. This is because practitioners have to cultivate in ordinary society, as this is part of the Fa, and no one can change it. As a result, maintaining our normal living and working conditions is needed for cultivation in the Fa-rectification period, and it is Dafa practitioners’ responsibility. The persecution arranged by the evil old forces should not happen at all. It has disrupted many practitioners’ normal lives and work, and deprived some practitioners’ of their very lives. Eliminating and denying this persecution is one of our responsibilities. Since the persecution has also deceived many people, another of our responsibilities is to clarify the truth and save people. Denying the persecution and saving people are two sides of the same coin; they go hand in hand and are both denying the old force’s arrangements.
Then what state should practitioners be in while they fulfill all these responsibilities? We must maintain our normal living and working conditions in human society. This has never changed, either prior to or after July 20, 1999. The only difference now is that we need to deny the old force’s arrangements when we do things. This is a critical test on our cultivation path, and a process by which practitioners build up their Mighty Virtue.
"Whoever manages to remain steady while following this ordinary-society cultivation format, that person is truly doing what's best in this format of cultivation." ("Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital")
Once I understood the correct cultivation format, I understood that the stress I had in my work and life was not correct.
"If with this format someone exhibits behavior that is out of line with this format and at odds with it, then perhaps that person hasn't done well enough. Since Dafa disciples' cultivation is conducted with a format like this, this format is able to forge Dafa disciples, and it can create incredibly high future Attainment Statuses. Departing from this format or not conforming to it will obstruct your cultivation; those things are actually the product of attachments." ("Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital")
Looking inwards, did I have similar thoughts? The answer is yes, though they were very hard to identify. The old forces arranged such thoughts to interfere with my righteous thoughts and my cultivation format. They were so well hidden that I could not recognize the problem and correct it. I should eliminate any format that is not in line with Master’s Fa-rectification requirement as easily as whisking dust away; the evil forces are low and incapable compared to the Fa. Such an attachment also caused me stress. The old forces enlarged my attachments; I was worried and thought I was just hurrying to clarify the truth. As soon as I hurry, the content of my cultivation changes, which may cause problems. As Master told us:
"Don't go to extremes with anything; do things rationally and with a clear head. That is the mighty virtue of a Dafa disciple." ("Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital")
"In the final time, the evil's factors will dwindle, circumstances will ease up, and the world's state of affairs will change, but never will the path that you are to walk straight change." ("Walk Straight Your Path")