(Clearwisdom.net) Since the time I began cultivation, I have always kept in mind what Teacher said in Zhuan Falun: “... you must study the high-level Fa thoroughly and know how to practice cultivation.” Regardless of whether it was before or after July 20, 1999, I have always set strict standards for myself, have used all possible time to read and memorize the Fa, and have never stopped.
Teacher also said,
“A person is like a container, and he is whatever he contains.” (“Melt Into the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement).
My understanding is that if one contains more and more Fa, and the Fa occupies a greater and greater proportion of his being, then at the time of encountering issues, how could he not be on the Fa? Otherwise, the human notions would prevail. The human body is a small universe with a countless number of sentient beings. If he contains more Fa and has cultivated well, then more of the sentient beings in his universe will be saved. On the other hand, if he contains more of human stuff and has not cultivated well, then there will be more sentient beings in that universe who will be eliminated. Studying the Fa well is not only an issue of personal cultivation, but also relates to the formation, stasis, and degeneration of the small universe of the practitioner. Therefore, Teacher tells us to study the Fa more and study the Fa well, in almost every Fa lecture. If we study the Fa well, we will have fewer human notions, will be able to do the three things better, and save more sentient beings.
I also try not to have any ordinary human stuff in my mind and to think less about ordinary human things, so that every single thought in my mind is on the Fa. I often recite the section in Zhuan Falun entitled “Your Main Consciousness Should Predominate,” think about how I should clarify the truth, and look for shortcomings in my cultivation and measure them with the Fa to correct myself in a timely manner. This way I am able to leave less space in my mind for ordinary human things.
I still have many shortcomings in studying the Fa. Sometimes my mind wanders when I read the Fa. My will of memorizing the Fa is not strong enough, and I still cannot memorize it entirely without opening the book. I also cannot sit in the full lotus position entirely when I study the Fa, and I need to cherish Teacher's Fa more. I ask Teacher not to worry; I will do better.
Letting Go of Self and Putting the Fa First
I realized that on the cultivation path, everything a practitioner encounters, regardless of how major or minor, is related to cultivation. Teacher would not arrange it for us if it is not the path that we need to take or if there is nothing that we need to cultivate. Especially when cultivation matters conflict with ordinary matters and one needs to choose, as a practitioner, the first thought is very important. Whether the practitioner put the Fa first and followed Teacher's arrangement will be related to whether his cultivation path will be walked correctly or not. I have had several experiences regarding this.
My daughter works in another city. She got a boyfriend and wanted me to come and see him in October 2007. After I met him, I felt that there was nothing I liked about him, from his personal situation to his family. So, in the beginning I was opposed to their relationship. I knew the Fa principles, but in my mind I just could not let it go. My attachments to reputation, personal gain, and emotional attachments were all exposed.
I repeatedly recited “Success at Consummation” in Hong Yin,
“Fame, gain, emotion—cultivate each away,
And ascend to the Firmament at Consummation,
See the human world with eyes of compassion,
Then are you freed from the spell of delusion.”
Soon I was able to shed many of my attachments. I had a sincere conversation with him and told him that I am a Falun Gong practitioner and otherwise I wouldn't have agreed with him dating my daughter. The young man had a positive attitude toward Dafa and quit the Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. Teacher arranged it this way: Not only was the person saved, but I also eliminated some attachments.
It was mid-November when I got back home. It was already cold, and I had not bought the winter-reserve vegetables yet. I thought that I should first study the Fa and catch up on reading the Minghui Weekly, and then go shopping. Teacher saw what I was thinking and helped me. On the third day, several of my neighbors brought me big cabbages that were good and cheap. One of my old co-workers also helped me clean them up and carried them all the way up to my apartment. I said in my mind, “Thank you, Teacher!” and tears blurred my eyes. I quietly thought that I would always listen to Teacher's words, let Teacher arrange everything for me, put the Fa first, and walk straight on the cultivation path that Teacher arranged for me.
In the beginning of last July, my daughter called me and wanted me come and stay with her for some time. My mind was moved by maternal feelings. Compassionate Teacher always gives me hints with the Fa whenever I get lost.
Teacher said:
“You are unable to interfere with the lives of others, and neither can you control others’ fates, including those of your wife, sons, daughters, parents, or brothers. Can you decide those things?” (Zhuan Falun)
“If you are free from this sentimentality, nobody can affect you. An everyday person’s mind will be unable to sway you. What takes over in its place is benevolence, which is something more noble.” (Zhuan Falun)
Teacher's Fa awakened me. I am a Dafa practitioner with a historic mission. There are Dafa projects that I must do, so how can I just leave? My cultivation path is arranged by Teacher. It is not chosen by me or controlled by ordinary people, and it is not something that the evil factors can interfere with. Under these circumstances, if one's mind is not clear on the Fa, the evil could take advantage of him. Once I realized this, I was able to let go of emotion and self and put the Fa first. I must do the three things well in the limited time that Teacher has given me.
I also searched within and found that I had not yet eliminated emotional attachments completely. Behind emotion is selfishness. I also realized that because I was not firm enough in the Fa, the evil factors took advantage to interfere with my cultivation and tried to drag me down. I thank Teacher for his hints.
My daughter again invited me to come to her place and go on vacation with her just about a month ago. My son-in-law also called my husband to convince me. I gently refused all of them. I know who I am and what I am doing. Saving sentient beings is so urgent, how can I go after personal comfort? Ordinary things may appear small on the surface, but if one is not clear, he could be easily tricked by the evil. Factors that were arranged by the old forces can also interfere; they use human emotion to try to drag us down. As a result, those ordinary matters could take all of our time that was supposed to be used for saving people; then we would no longer have time to do the three things, and our will to cultivate would diminish. Eventually we could be dragged back to the ordinary people's level and completely fall down. It is indeed very dangerous.
Letting Go of Self and Cooperating with the One Body
At the end of 2009, another practitioner and I began to study how to install computer operating systems due to the needs of the one body. I am old, don't have any higher education, know nothing about computers, and only know a few English letters. I had never even dared to think about learning to install operating systems. I felt like I was asked to fly when I didn't even know how to walk yet. It felt really difficult.
Since I began memorizing the Fa in 2004, I have enlightened on a Fa principle: Whether one can let go of self and walk on the path arranged by Teacher, and whether he will do things that Teacher asks us to do, will determine whether he can walk straight on his cultivation path. It is also an issue of believing in Teacher and the Fa, and respecting Teacher and the Fa. Isn't the need of the one body Teacher's arrangement? If we don't listen to Teacher's words, then we are unworthy to be Teacher's disciples. Therefore, I decided that I'll walk on this path no matter how difficult it is. I will do what Teacher said and cooperate with the whole.
The other practitioner had the same difficulties as me, but I really admired her for her will to remain on the Fa; it was very pure and firm. Just like this, we formed a small but very firm one body. Through studying the Fa and sharing with each other, we realized that the coordinator’s decision was indeed following Teacher's requirements. It was aiming at the goal of having material production sites everywhere in our local area, of having access to the Minghui website everywhere, and of helping the elderly fellow practitioners to get on Minghui. Per Teacher's arrangement, it's the path that we had to take and we needed to cultivate ourselves in the process. We were determined to take this path and do it well. Thus, with this pure mindset, we began studying how to install computer operating systems.
The fellow practitioner who was teaching us was very responsible and never complained, even though we were learning very slowly. He first taught us how to install single systems. Because I had no computer background, my mind was totally blank when I first sat in front of the computer. Although I was taking notes while the fellow practitioner was teaching us, I wasn't really getting anything he said. When we practiced how to do specific tasks, even a small problem would take us a long time to figure out. The fellow practitioner worked during the daytime, so we didn't want to trouble him too much.
I later went to another town to buy computers. Fellow practitioners there heard that I was learning to install systems and took the initiative to help me. Our local practitioners with technical backgrounds were also very helpful; we often went to them when we encountered difficulties, and they always helped us. Through these practitioners' selflessness, I saw their strong sense of the one body.
When it came to learning about computers, I was just doing things and not really cultivating in the process at that time; I was only studying using ordinary human ways. Therefore, I felt that it was very difficult. Just when I felt that I had reached a dead end, Teacher's Fa pointed a clear path for me.
Teacher said:
“Therefore, it would be quicker if they practiced from what is higher to what is lower. This was a phenomenon created at that time.” (Zhuan Falun)
When I read this Fa one day, I suddenly realized that this task involved not just learning some computer techniques, but practicing “from what is higher to what is lower.” From an ordinary person's perspective, how could an almost illiterate woman of over 60 years old ever learn to install systems? It is only possible because we are Dafa practitioners, but we still have to cultivate ourselves during this process and then Teacher would open up our wisdom.
Teacher said:
“... cultivation depends on one’s own efforts while the transformation of gong is done by the master.” (Zhuan Falun)
From then on, the other practitioner and I strengthened our Fa-study, searched within when encountering issues, worked hard on improving our xinxing, and frequently sent forth righteous thoughts to clear away the interference. Very soon the situation changed. Sometimes we were able to figure out something ourselves but afterward didn't know how we had done it. We felt like kids who were unable to walk, and Teacher was guiding us to move forward.
Sometimes we also had conflicts, but we both were able to search within, and thus we cooperated very well with each other. She had a desktop computer at home and that was where we practiced. She always made me sit and practice; she would stand aside and watch, and then practice by herself at night. Sometimes she would work for an entire night on something she couldn't figure out. She often encouraged me with Teacher's Fa: “Through hardships the body of gold is tempered.” (“The Difficult Path to Godhood”)
Just like this, we not only learned how to install a single system but also double systems. This helped speed up the overall goal of helping people get on the Minghui website everywhere in our town. Many fellow practitioners bought computers and were able to read Minghui Weekly online, submit the names of people who quit the Communist Party and its affiliated associations to the Epoch Times website, and so on. I am very thankful to those practitioners who have helped me.
For some practitioners with financial difficulties, the coordinator would buy used computers for them, install operating systems, and deliver the computers to them. Because these practitioners were mostly elderly with no computer background, they experienced some level of difficulty learning to use computers. We patiently taught them how to get online, download and use the downloaded software, and so on. Sometimes they still did not get it after we had taught them several times, and then my human notions came out, such as impatience, differentiating between practitioners, caring about who learns quickly and who learns slowly or who is taking the task seriously and who is not, and so on. But I was able to search within in a timely manner and correct myself based on the Fa.
Sometimes right after sending forth righteous thoughts, fellow practitioners came to my home with their computers, and I would patiently solve the issues for them and try to teach them. Sometimes when it took a long time, I encouraged them: “Don't lose your confidence. This is our cultivation process. It is very precious that you are able to take this step forward, and Teacher must be happily looking at us. I'll help you with whatever issues you have, and that's not a problem at all.”
There was one time it snowed very heavily, and the road was extremely slippery. It was already 6 p.m. and dark outside. A fellow practitioner called me and asked me to come over. I thought there must be some major issue, but when I got there, I learned that it was just some minor issue with the download software. I felt a little unhappy at the time and thought, “You should have called me tomorrow for such little things,” and I became a little impatient. I searched within after I returned home and found that I had fear of hardships and troubles. It is a selfish mentality. Teacher wants us to “attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature,” Essentials for Further Advancement).
I'm so far away from Teacher's requirements. After I found my shortcomings, I felt that the attitude of the fellow practitioners who had helped me to learn computers was so precious. Their minds were on the Fa, and they did not show their human notions. Compared with them, I felt far behind.
Some practitioners said that the person who installed the systems should be responsible for teaching practitioners and for fixing the systems. We thought that the coordinator was too busy to teach everyone. We realized that we are one body and should let go of our egos and cooperate with each other. Thus, we quietly took over this responsibility. Now the local elderly practitioners can go online, download materials, and so on. The material production site was established later and is also functioning well.
During this process, many miraculous things also happened. Here I will only mention one example.
I once went to a practitioner's home in the rural area. When I was installing systems, I could not open the CD-ROM. I tried many ways, but nothing worked. Then I realized that we always say “believing in Teacher and the Fa,” so we should truly believe at critical times. I said: “Let us send forth righteous thoughts and ask Teacher for help. Teacher said that Dafa disciples' righteous thoughts are powerful, so let our righteous thoughts be effective and eliminate all the evil factors that are interfering.” Several of us sent forth strong righteous thoughts together. Then, I pushed the CD-ROM button, and it immediately opened. That day I encountered some other issues that I never had before, but they were all solved easily. We all thanked Teacher. A fellow practitioner said: “However much you believe in Teacher, Teacher will give you that much. However much you believe in the Fa, that's how much power the Fa will have for you.” This also showed the power of righteous thoughts.
Through the process of learning to install operating systems, I experienced the deep meaning of “cultivation depends on one’s own efforts while the transformation of gong is done by the master.” (Zhuan Falun) When encountering difficulties, we need to be clear-minded and not be fooled by the superficial illusion. If we believe in Teacher and the Fa, there will be no tribulation that we cannot get through. I also felt the importance of letting go of self and cooperating with the whole body. What we let go of is the human selfishness, what we break off is this ordinary human shell, and what we eliminate is the evil factors of the old forces. This way we are completely breaking off from the selfish characteristic of the old forces' universe, and each of us can be assimilated in the Fa and play his or her role.
I still have many human notions and attachments. Sometimes I tend to validate myself and demand others accept the things that I have realized in my cultivation; these are actually factors from the Communist Party's culture reflected in my body. My mind is often focused on the shortcomings of others instead of comparing myself with the standard of the Fa. Sometimes when others point out my shortcomings, I feel uncomfortable, as if I was being wronged, instead of realizing that these are opportunities Teacher gives me to improve. When I clarify the truth, I tend to choose the people I talk to, with the attachment of fear, notions of different classes among people, and the selfishness of protecting myself. I need to study the Fa more, study the Fa well, search within when I encounter issues, solidly cultivate myself, truly let go of self, put the Fa first, cooperate with the one body, do what Teacher says, and have Teacher worry less for me.
Teacher is waiting for Dafa practitioners to become more mature and for more sentient beings to be saved. In this precious time, let us do the three things well, fulfill our historic missions, and achieve the Fa requirements to reach consummation. This is also what Teacher wants us to accomplish.
I thank Teacher for His compassionate salvation!
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
