(Minghui.org) Master has said,
“Those who are attached to affection for family will definitely be burned, entangled, and tormented by it. Pulled by the threads of affection and plagued by them throughout their lives, they will find it too late to regret at the end of their lives.” (“Cultivators’ Avoidances” from Essentials For Further Advancement)
As cultivators, we have reincarnated countless times over the past hundreds and thousands of years and have had many spouses, parents, and children. All of them were because of karma and predestined relationships.
We should treat everyone in our lives kindly, but if we become overly attached to affection for our present families, we may end up harming ourselves and others.
Some practitioners have not been cultivating their hearts for years due to their attachment of affection for family. The old forces took the lives of their relatives and now have full control over these practitioners. There have been more and more of such cases.
An elderly practitioner recently lost her son and often dwells on his death. She talked about how good he was, how well he treated her, and how it was such a tragedy that he died so young.
It is indeed very sad to see an elderly mother bury her son. However, this has affected this practitioner so much that she could not get back on track with her cultivation.
Another elderly practitioner's two children died within a month of each other in car accidents. Was it because this practitioner could not relinquish her attachment, that the old forces exploited her loophole and took the lives of her children?
How can we relinquish such attachments and catch up in our cultivation?
Stories in Buddhism
In Shravasti, an ancient city of India, lived a Brahman. He was wealthy but also stingy and greedy. He would close his door during meal time to prevent beggars from coming in. One day, he killed and cooked a chicken. During the meal, he and his wife sat on each side of their child and gave many bites of the chicken to the child.
A Buddha transformed into a monk and appeared in front of him. The Brahman was very upset. “You are shameless,” he said to the monk. “How did you get in here?”
“You are the foolish one,” the monk said to the Brahman. “You killed your father, married your mother, and spoiled your enemy. How dare you call a monk shameless?”
The Brahman was confused and asked the monk to explain.
“The chicken on your plate was your father in your previous life. Because he was stingy and greedy, he reincarnated into a chicken. Your child was a rakshasa (demon) and killed you in many previous lives. Because of unpaid karma, he reincarnated as your child in this life so that he could kill you again.
“Your wife was your mother in your previous life. Because of her deep affection for you, she became your wife in this life. Ordinary people cannot see through such predestined relationships. Only a cultivator can see it clearly.”
The Buddha then used his divine power and showed the Brahman his previous lives. The Brahman was shocked to learn the truth, and was willing to repent and become an ascetic cultivator. The Buddha imparted his Dharma to the Brahman and accepted him into Buddhism. He eventually achieved Sotapanna fruition, on the path to enlightenment.
There are more such stories in Buddhism. Duti's father reincarnated as a dog and stole food from Duti's plate. Zhantan's father reincarnated as a beggar, and, when he begged for food at Zhantan's door, the gatekeeper beat him and broke one of his arms.
Relinquishing Attachments and Catching Up in Cultivation
A practitioner shared in a Minghui article that deep down, some practitioners still long for a happy family, a loving husband, and caring children.
If we can rise above and beyond, we will see that our lives are like a movie and that our family members are only characters in the movie. If we buy into the plot, we will lose ourselves. If we just stand back and watch, however, we will not be affected.
Some practitioners have not cultivated solidly because of affection for their family. They and the sentient beings that they were supposed to save are now beyond redemption. The celestial bodies in the universe that they represent no longer exist. Yet, they ignore the consequences and continue to slack off.
Many practitioners had cultivated to very high levels before the persecution started, but because they were attached to comfort and human emotions, they fell back into the cesspool of the human world. Their xinxing levels have dropped, and they hold onto various filthy things of ordinary people. Their families in the heavens are heartbroken, because their human side is so lost.
Our compassionate Master has been waiting and waiting for these practitioners to wake up. However, the final test for consummation has started, and the Fa-rectification of the universe has a deadline. When Judgment Day comes, Master will take care of everything with the wave of a hand.
Master is worried about these practitioners, but what could he possibly do? It does not matter how much he wants to help. Master cannot display his divine power in front of you and directly tell you what to do. He will give you hints through the words of other practitioners or ordinary people, but you have to be able to enlighten to it and do better in cultivation. It's all up to you.
We have predestined relationships with many sentient beings in this lifetime and most definitely need to resolve them, so that we can return to our homes in the heavens. Let's not lose sight of why we are here or focus on the illusions of the human world. Only when we cultivate ourselves diligently in the limited time that is left, can we complete our mission and fulfill our vows.
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Category: Improving Oneself
