(Clearwisdom.net) One question has been interesting and unresolved for a long time for me. Many times I have asked myself, "What is diligence? If I know more about diligence itself, I will be able to become more diligent." Not long ago I found the answer:
"Question: The deepest understanding that veteran students have of the Fa is to be steadfast in the Fa and believe in Master. I'd like to ask this: where do steadfastness and faith originate from? This issue has troubled my husband for a long time. How can we cultivate and form this type of incomparable steadfastness in the Fa?
"Teacher: Whether to believe in something or not is a human's rational thought. It's not from me giving you something, and it's not a state that you can achieve through some kind of a method. Dafa disciples all have steadfast faith in Dafa; that's a description in words for Dafa disciples. Their firm belief in Dafa evolves from a rational understanding, and it's not the result of some factors having an effect on people. At his outermost surface a human being has three souls and seven spirits. One of the seven spirits is called 'belief.' A person can believe what he hears when someone else says something--that's the role it plays. But this type of belief can't be compared with righteous faith in cultivation, because that's the outer, outermost surface of a human being, and it only plays the role of providing a kind of intelligence. But the righteous faith of a Dafa disciple is a Godly state. It results from a rational understanding of the truth, it's the Godly state of the side that's been successfully cultivated, and it's definitely not something that external elements can have an effect on. It's not about having firm belief for the sake of having firm belief, or being steadfast for the sake of being steadfast--you can't achieve it that way. From my perspective, as your Master, I don't seek anything from Dafa disciples. Everything that they're doing today--be it validating the Fa, saving sentient beings, or studying the Fa and cultivating themselves--I can tell you that not one of these things is done for me. In the future, Dafa disciples will see that everything Dafa disciples did was for their own sake. What are saved are their own sentient beings, what they're consummating are their own paradises and sentient beings, and they're establishing mighty virtue for themselves--all these things are done for Dafa disciples' own sake. Not a single thing you've done is for Master, and not a single thing you've done is for anybody else. (Applause)
"So there's no need to force them to do anything. All the students rise by understanding the Fa's principles, and that's the only way they can become more diligent, and that's the only way they can become so steadfast in the Fa. That's not due to any external factor, and it can't be achieved by coming up with some methods. Master doesn't seek anything, and he won't take anything from them. I only give things to them and bear things for them. That's definitely the case! (Applause) That's why I tell them to study the Fa more--they're certainly not studying for Master." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")
While I was reading this it became clear to me what diligence itself is and I experienced the changes in my mind reflected from this new understanding of the word "diligence." I felt that my level of comprehension of the Fa became somehow one whole entity with my understanding of diligence.
Of course, you are welcome to point out anything inappropriate.
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Category: Journeys of Cultivation
