(Minghui.org) When I returned from a week of travel, my girlfriend expressed how much she had missed me by being very affectionate. The weather was very hot, and I do not have air conditioning where I live. I was having trouble resting because of the heat, and an idea flashed in my mind to rent an air conditioned hotel room.
When the idea first came to me, deep down I felt that it was wrong, but I did not heed my internal warning. We checked into a nearby hotel, and we nearly had sexual relations, which I feel would have been an enormous sin.
I was ashamed of myself when I awoke the next day. Minghui has published innumerable articles by practitioners about how harmful lust is. I had read so many articles that had examples of the importance of eliminating lust and desire during cultivation. Yet, I failed to push out my dangerous idea and almost committed a sin.
Furthermore, when we were going to the hotel, I thought that what were doing was fine, as long as we did not have sex. Actually, it was not fine.
Master told us:
A person is like a container, and he is whatever he contains. All of what a person sees with the eyes and hears with the ears are: violence, lust, power struggles in literary works, struggles for profit in the practical world, money worship, other manifestations of demon-nature, and so on. With his head filled with these, this kind of person is truly a bad person, no matter what he appears to be...” (“Melt Into the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Since one’s behavior is dictated by one’s thoughts, you can image what was really in my mind by looking back at my behavior. Our cultivation focuses on our hearts. So, if I had the unrighteous thought of going to the hotel, wasn’t I already falling from the standards of a cultivator?
Another practitioner mentioned in his article that lust was like dancing on the edge of a cliff. We should stay away from the cliff’s edge, instead of feeling lucky for not having fallen off while we were dancing.
Master also told us:
“Let’s say there’s somebody who has all the emotions and desires ordinary people do, and he’s suddenly allowed to go up and be a Buddha. Think about it, could that happen? Chances are, he’d see how beautiful those Great Bodhisattvas are and start having indecent thoughts.” (Zhuan Falun)
Dafa disciples will become Buddha, Daos and Gods. How can a person with evil thoughts become an enlightened being?
One practitioner wrote that because he had committed a lustful act, beings in the realm he was from were killed by evil spirits; buildings were damaged, and his body in another dimension had become rotten.
As Dafa disciples, our mission is to save sentient beings. How can we allow the countless beings from our worlds to suffer so much? How can we let the old forces find excuses to persecute us?
I now regularly warn myself not to slack off in regards to lust and to eliminate thoughts that I should not have. Also, one should not be conceited about one’s ability to handle this issue well. The old forces will trick you into lowering your defenses until you make unforgivable mistakes.
I felt like layers of shackles were taken off my body as soon as I finished writing this article. I think I can now treat my relationship with my girlfriend more wisely and not be affected by lust.
I am grateful for Master’s help; without it , I may have fallen completely to my doom. What I experienced felt like walking a tightrope over a cliff. I am scared just thinking about it. I swear that I will no longer be lax in my cultivation. I shall maintain purity in my body as well as my heart, cultivate to consummation, and return to heaven with Master.
Above is my recent personal experience. Please correct anything improper.
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Category: Improving Oneself
