(Minghui.org) I recently read some articles on Minghui about letting go of human self and becoming more diligent in our cultivation. To me, this means getting rid of human notions. Below is my understanding on this.
Many practitioners slacked off or stopped practicing after the persecution started in 1999. Some later returned to cultivation but some have not, using various excuses which ranged from resistance from family members, concerns over their children's future (many people's careers are threatened in China because their relatives are Falun Dafa practitioners), to misconceptions about getting involved in politics.
Cultivating ourselves is a process of assimilating ourselves to the Fa and consistently making progress. If a practitioner is confused as to why we ask people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is attached to time, or indulges in everyday life, it may be difficult for him or her to upgrade themselves in ordinary society.
We know the Fa has criteria for Dafa disciples. We also know that Master has sacrificed tremendously to extend time for us to do better and to save more people. We should assimilate to the Fa, instead of forcing our own understandings on it; otherwise, we may become trapped by our own notions and may not be able to return to our origins.
Practicing Falun Dafa means we should focus on improving ourselves, rather than judging other practitioners. Just like a family, when a husband and wife blame each other, the entire family is unhappy.
Similar things exist in cultivation. When we look within and think deeply, we are able to find and cherish opportunities, identify our own gaps, and make progress. Otherwise, we may only focus on others' shortcomings and our cultivation will stagnate.
Cultivating means constantly progressing. Just because we have been cultivating for many years does not means we should continue holding onto our attachments; rather, we should strive to improve.
There are two kinds of mentality to avoid. One is having low self-esteem. Some practitioners think that they are old, or have little education. These thoughts have prevented them from doing better. The reality is, if we do not have the intention to better ourselves, how could Master help us?
Master wrote in Zhuan Falun, “We have said that good or evil comes from a person’s spontaneous thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” When we really want to do better, the situation will change.
Another mindset is having a strong ego. Some practitioners are very sensitive to criticism and cannot handle negative opinions. They feel good about themselves and often look down on others. This mentality can negatively affect their cultivation and the projects they are working on.
In one sharing article a practitioner mentioned the human notions in our bodies may form a layer of a substance that interferes with our thoughts when our main consciousness is not strong. However, this is not our true self and we need to eliminate it.
Sometimes we are able to identify such notions. For example, some bad thoughts may occasionally surface and even an everyday person may not have thoughts that bad. When this happens, we should be on alert. When our main consciousness is strong, those thoughts will be cleaned out.
I'd like to share something that happened to me. Because I learned many technical skills while producing materials and often helped other practitioners, I felt good about myself: I can edit and print materials, write articles, maintain computers and printers, and know how to install satellite receivers—I thought, how capable am I, right? As soon as I had that thought, I realized it was not right and I immediately eliminated it.
Through Fa-study and sharing with other practitioners, I realized that if we are compassionate when communicating with others, we will truly connect. We should do our utmost to cooperate well and not hold negative opinions about each other.Master has mentioned looking inward many times. Examining ourselves helps to improve quickly so we can assist Master with Fa-rectification. To achieve this, we need to study the Fa more, and share with other practitioners.
Everything we do is to validate the Fa, not ourselves. As disciples, we need to achieve true selflessness and fulfill our missions of saving people.