(Minghui.org) I left China to study at a university overseas in 2005. Looking back on my cultivation path of more than ten years, I realize that I have not done well.
Moving to Western Society
In China, I lived in a small, remote town where I was the only Falun Dafa practitioner. When I attended school in Beijing, I did not meet any other practitioners.
There was an issue of fake scriptures being spread around in those years. When it came to Master's article “The Knowing Heart,”some claimed that it was fake, while others disagreed. I did not own a computer, so it was not until the end of 2002 that I learned that “The Knowing Heart” was truly Master's article and gained an understanding of clarifying the truth about Dafa.
Ever since I arrived overseas and escaped the persecutory environment in China, I have participated in all kinds of Dafa activities and attended every experience sharing conference. I also organized a few truth-clarification events on campus. However, my understanding of Western society was at a low point, and I was at a loss as to what to do.
Activities Related to Shen Yun
I was fortunate to participate in promoting Shen Yun starting in 2006. Initially, I only helped distribute materials. After graduation, I spent almost a year on promotional activities.
In the early years, due to limited manpower, the local Shen Yun coordinator tried to find ways to improve the process by taking full advantage of the existing manpower. I could feel that Master was pushing us forward. I would not feel any fatigue when I was doing Shen Yun related work, such as promotional activities, media interviews, and backstage work.
Once the show was over, I would need to rest for a long time. Therefore, I came to understand that Master had given me all I needed to perform my tasks.
Slacking Off
After some time, I thought promoting Shen Yun had taken too much of my time and energy. Therefore, I slacked off and put a lot of my attention on improving my life and personal finances. I went back and forth between making more money in society and participating in Fa-rectification activities.
Most recently, I spent a lot of time on improving my English and reading about personal finances and investing. I also read a novel.
I felt more and more tired, in contrast to the energetic state I had when doing Shen Yun work. My fatigue was most obvious the day after I read the novel. Later, my back hurt badly after eating some sauce I bought from a Chinese grocery store. The soreness persisted.
My health seemed to take a turn for the worse. It felt as though my body in another dimension had become stiff, and its manifestation in this world was that I had a hard time just raising my arms. Yet, I attributed it to my sitting in front of a computer for long periods of time on a daily basis.
I was reluctant to get up in the morning to send righteous thoughts. This morning, I felt there was a ferocious dinosaur-like creature in another dimension staring at me and hoping for me not to get up. I then sat up to send righteous thoughts. My righteous thoughts grew stronger by the minute. My body suddenly felt light and pleasant, and I no longer had a sore back. I was so delighted and twisted my back to test it. There was no pain or discomfort.
One Thought Makes the Difference
That was when I realized that my recent cultivation state was a result of my putting ordinary people's affairs ahead of Dafa and the mission of saving sentient beings. Actually, I thought that I had to make enough money and live a decent life before I could fully participate in truth-clarification activities.
When my ordinary thoughts prevailed, I had returned to the level of everyday people. Only when my righteous thoughts are strong can I fulfill my mission as a Dafa disciple and gradually ascend toward the level of the divine. One thought truly determines the difference between an ordinary person and a God.
Putting Things in Perspective
Master said,
“To form, stabilize, degenerate, and disintegrate—this is the lawThe great calamity has already arrived—who will take it on?” (“Re-creation”)
When the new cosmos begins, we would be an ordinary person if we have on our minds how to live an ordinary person's life well. Master has saved us. Now, we must feel the urgency and are aware of the peril. We should have matured after weathering so much along the way.
The time has arrived when we have to save sentient beings, display the benevolence of practitioners, and fulfill our oath. If we cannot let go of our attachment to living ordinary people's lives, all of our efforts through the countless ages would be in vain. A majority of sentient beings have not been saved yet, and we are still a long way from the standard needed for Consummation.
In one's limited lifetime, many sentient beings have died without learning about Dafa. We must change that for them quickly. We cannot leave these tasks to Master while we enjoy ordinary people's lives. It is our responsibility to put our hearts and minds to saving sentient beings. It would be a crime on our part if we cannot save them. We must fulfill our oaths to achieve Consummation.
Once I enlighten that I must put Dafa first, nothing can cause interference. I know I am about to pass this test. In the future, I know things will go smoothly as long as I put things in perspective and base it on the mission of saving more people.
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Category: Improving Oneself
