(Minghui.org) As a veteran practitioner, I hadn't given in to lust or desire. By recognizing that the time for cultivating may be nearing the end, and that the requirements for me are high, I knew I must eliminate all manifestations of lust and desire from my thoughts.
I was thinking that if I truly had no problems with lust, I should not have such interference. There must be something I was unaware of. Perhaps I wasn't paying attention because it was something that I considered to be trivial.
Master told us:
“Some of our practitioners are struggling with passing the tests of sickness karma. Don’t think that it’s necessarily something major [that causes that]. You might think that you haven’t done anything majorly wrong, and that you are very firm in your faith in the Fa. However, you shouldn’t treat the little issues you have like they are nothing. The evil will seize upon any gaps. Many practitioners have even passed away on account of little things; it really was due to something very minor. That’s because cultivation is something serious, and requires having no gaps. If for a long time you haven’t dealt with those things through cultivation, small as they may be, if you haven’t taken them seriously for a prolonged period of time, then it is a big issue. Many people have passed away on account of such things.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference”)
I recalled the kinds of trivial things regarding lust and desire that I had ignored. One thought flashed in my mind: “You always watch news about famous celebrities.” That was true!
I normally wouldn’t log onto everyday people’s websites, except when required for my work. But I used to log onto the website Dafa disciples presented for mainstream society as a way to relax. We cultivators all know that the website was produced to help clarify the truth, and those entertaining contents were added to interest everyday people.
My interest in that kind of news was a manifestation of satisfying my lustful desires.
I told myself that such news was not a bad thing because it was on a Dafa disciples’ website. Sometimes I thought that I shouldn't be interested in these things, but I also thought that this was a trivial matter and didn't pay attention to it for a long time.
Upon realizing that the bad thoughts appearing in my mind could have originated from these things, I started resisting them; but I also continued to watch celebrity news, and so they continued to enter my mind. No wonder I couldn’t remove these thoughts completely!
I realized through long-term cultivation that I shouldn't seek anything related to lust or desire, and it would not be hard for me to restrain myself. But I still had some interest in this area. Therefore, the old forces made me think that it was no big deal to read about those things. I enjoyed learning about the handsome men and pretty women’s colorful lives; my lustful notions grew bigger during that time.
I found the attachment of seeking comfort existed simultaneously because watching entertainment news to relax was manifesting comfort. By soaking in this entertaining stuff for prolonged periods, one’s cultivation willpower would wear out. It was very dangerous!
There is indeed no trivial thing in cultivation. I have to strictly cultivate and control myself from now on and never let lust or desire dictate my daily habits. I stopped reading such news on the day I realized I had a problem.
I understood better what Master said about how to deny the old forces’ interference. One has to realize one’s attachments and look within to find one’s problems. If I did not think that I had lust problems because I did quite good on the surface, then it was impossible for me to identify those things hidden within me.
One’s main consciousness should dominate once problems are identified and should realize that interest in that stuff is not from our true selves. We have to decide to correct our behavior, oppose those thoughts, ask for help from Master, and send righteous thoughts to eliminate them.
Master said:
“When you can really do that, not just saying it but putting it into action, Master will definitely stand up for you.” (“Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”)
Master reminded us to mind the trivial things of cultivation. Actually those trivial things are very serious problems from a deeper perspective. We practitioners all know that the time has been extended by Master to cultivate and save people. Isn’t it committing a crime if we just relax and entertain ourselves and allow our attachments to lust and comfort grow?
Master warned us:
“Dafa disciples absolutely cannot fall short of the standard. When you are about to pass a test, when you’ve almost gotten through it, but there’s one attachment that you haven’t removed, then it will prevent you from meeting the standard and passing the test. If you cultivate well, you will be able to pass it, right? But you simply cannot pass it and so you remain there. That thing may not be something big, though—that attachment is not big, it’s quite small. But because you just cannot perceive it, you are unable to pass the test and you keep staying at the same spot. This is not to say that you have cultivated poorly. You just haven’t thought the matter over seriously and haven’t come to realize that that thing is not in line with cultivation!” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference”)
I shall remember Master’s words and try to strictly regulate myself by not allowing demon nature to control me. I value my time and want to walk well on the path to consummation!
Master is waiting for us at the end of the road and hoping we bring back more sentient beings with us!