(Clearwisdom.net) For quite a long period of time, I have noticed that some practitioners have been longing for the end of their cultivation. Because they think that the path of cultivation is long and lonely, they feel that it is a bit hard to continue. I would like to share my understanding on this issue.
I have never had the slightest feeling of suffering from loneliness over these long years. On the contrary, I have felt very happy. This is because Teacher has provided us with a basis for life. Although I am not rich, I do not have any worries regarding my daily necessities, so I have no economic pressures whatsoever and naturally feel very relaxed. Before I learned Falun Dafa, I read books and magazines as well as watched TV. Now I am a practitioner, and I use all my time to read more Falun Dafa books and practice the exercises more. Therefore, I do not need to "squeeze in" time to read the Fa and do the exercises. When people communicate with others, they talk a lot about everyday people's things. Since I am a practitioner, when I communicate with them, I do not talk about things like domestic trivia, rather, I clarify the truth to them. People that do not practice often go out for walks. I also go out for a walk, but I bring truth-clarification materials with me, so that I can distribute them as I walk.
Sometimes local officials come to my home to visit me. While some fellow practitioners thought that these visits were harassment or persecution, I do not think that way. I first of all disintegrate all the bad factors behind them and try to clarify the truth to them with compassion and in a way that they understand. I think when we communicate with sentient beings, we must not always use positive methods--we can also use negative methods and turn them into positive methods. However, if some people really want to persecute me, the Buddha Fa also has the solemn nature of Gods.
Actually, as long as practitioners have righteous thoughts of compassion, no one will think of persecuting you. These thoughts that someone may want to persecute you occur when you yourself have such problems.
In 2005, several government officials summoned me to their office and asked me if I still practiced Falun Gong. At the time I quietly begged Teacher for help to eliminate the evil factors behind them and had a righteous thought that no one could touch me, since I had Teacher's protection. My mind was filled with thoughts of how to protect myself from being persecuted, so I lost my train of thought in clarifying the truth. However, I had to answer the question, so I said, "Yes, I do!" Then I started to talk about why it is wrong to persecute Falun Gong and how some of the prison guards tortured practitioners.
Gradually, I became focused and forgot myself and the people in front me. I forgot that I had begged Teacher for protection, leaving only one thing in my mind, which was the wish to clarify the truth. At that time, I felt as if everything, including the air around me, was frozen. I saw several people sitting in front of me. They all lowered their heads and dared not speak, but sat there with a dull look.
I talked for a while, and when I stopped I felt as if I had awakened from a trance. It seemed as if everything had just been freed and the people in front of me seemed to have just awakened from a dream. They looked at each other and returned to their normal duties. I was a bit shocked about it myself. Just at that time, one of the officials said to me with a smile, "Good, that's good! You can go now. If you have questions, please let us know."
Afterward, I realized that the power of the Buddha Fa is only displayed when I empty out all other thoughts from my mind and only think about saving sentient beings. A great righteous God would not think about being persecuted, but only about his responsibility to sentient beings and the righteous factors. Since I am a practitioner, I will try to do the same so as to meet the requirements of Dafa.
Saying that the path of cultivation is lonely and hard to bear is actually if one is afraid of being persecuted. Practitioners arrive at this stage to cultivate, and no one had said he/she suffers from loneliness. When the persecution, which has lasted for a long time, started, then practitioners noticed that it was hard to endure. As a matter of fact, it was not the path of cultivation, but the mentality of fear that made one feel that the path was long and lonely and hard to bear.
It's been ten years since the persecution started. However, I have never had any thought of loneliness. I only felt lucky that I have had the opportunity to learn Dafa. I have had no disasters in my life, have enjoyed a never-degenerated Vajra body, and have had no worries about my daily necessities. Therefore, I feel happy about being on the path of cultivation.
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