(Clearwisdom.net) As I was reading a fellow practitioner's experience sharing article today, I came across a few words, “common sense in cultivation,” and wanted to jot down my thoughts.
1. Studying the Fa
When studying the Fa, we should be calm and respectful, and assimilate ourselves into the Fa. Fa study is for purifying ourselves, replacing human notions and attachments with the Fa principles, rebuilding our ways of thinking, and regrouping our thoughts and our understanding of ourselves and the external world. We should not treat the Fa as human knowledge nor study it with a critical mind. We should not accept the parts we believe and refuse the parts we don't believe. Believing in Teacher and believing in the Fa are the foundation of our cultivation. Without the Fa cultivation is impossible.
2. How Should We View Teacher?
One of the ancient Chinese sayings is, “He, who being your teacher for one day, shall be treated as your father for life.” We practitioners treat our Teacher at an even higher level. Everything we have is from Teacher. “The cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master.” (“The First Talk” from Zhuan Falun) Teacher has given up everything of his for us. His suffering for us and for all sentient beings will forever be beyond our imagination and experience. Our Teacher is the king of all kings and the savior at the end of the world. Teacher's greatness and sacredness will forever be beyond our understanding. Therefore, we must believe whatever Teacher says and implement whatever Teacher says.
Let us think about it. Milarepa's teacher told him to build a house, and he did. When his teacher told him to demolish the house, he did that too. Meanwhile, his teacher didn't treat him nicely and kept cursing and beating him. However, Milarepa didn't hold a single thread of thought that was disrespectful toward his teacher. At his most difficult and most depressed times, he still just blamed himself for bearing too heavy an amount of karma, without doubting and defying the wishes of his teacher a bit. As I look back on what I have thought and done in the past, I realize I have committed a great sin against Teacher. Yet with the greatest benevolence, Teacher has forgiven his disciples and keeps guiding and saving them along their cultivation paths.
3. How Should We Treat the Problems We Encounter?
As practitioners, we should treat everything in our lives from the perspective of cultivation. Master said,
“Why do you run into these problems? It’s all caused by your own karmic debts. We’ve already decreased it by countless portions for you, and there’s only a little bit left, which is distributed across different levels so that you can improve your character. The tribulations are set up to temper your mind and get rid of your different attachments. They’re your own tribulations, and we use them to improve your character.” (“The Fourth Talk” from Zhuan Falun)
This is the Fa-rectification period, thus there are factors of the old forces' interference and persecution present.
Therefore, let's consider the following. It is not true that once one starts practicing Falun Gong, one will not have any troubles. It is not true that once one starts practicing Falun Gong, one will not suffer from any “disease.” It is not true that once one starts practicing Falun Gong, everything in life, work, and health will be perfect. When we encounter tribulations, it is time for us to improve our cultivation and advance diligently. While this is easier said than done, we have to first be completely clear on common sense matters in order to achieve the state of “true gold fears no fire.”
The above are common sense issues, however for me, they have not been so clear. Today I write about them to remind myself that I must no longer be ignorant of them. If there is anything incorrect in my sharing, fellow practitioners, please kindly point it out.