(Minghui.org) I had been very relaxed in cultivation since I started to practice Falun Dafa in 2003. However, I was awakened after I attended the experience sharing conference in New York in 2016. Master's lecture gave me a “stick warning,” and I realized that I should take cultivation seriously and try to catch up with the Fa-rectification.
Treasuring the Cultivation Environment with Other Practitioners
I realized that the Fa-rectification was progressing rapidly after I came back from the New York conference. I had wasted a lot of time over the prior ten years.
Master said:
“...you have to regard yourself as a cultivator! Be proactive about Fa study! How could you do what we’re doing without studying the Fa? You might say that you can. But if you’re relying on cunning, human thinking, and quick wits, I guarantee that you won’t be able to.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2016 New York Fa Conference,” Team Yellow Translation)
I committed to studying the Fa on an online platform with other practitioners and also attended the sharing with the local Fa study group.
At the start, I was not used to this group reading environment. Other practitioners pointed out the mistakes I made while reading. I often read out wrong words and read too slowly. I was used to studying the Fa by myself, and my mind was not focused.
So, I read the Fa out loud with other practitioners in the study group. I felt the compassionate energy and experienced what Master said: “Group Fa study is a format that I’ve given you, and so is group practice.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2016 New York Fa Conference,” Team Yellow Translation)
Cultivating in My Work Environment
I worked for my family's business after I graduated from university. I demanded that people cooperate with me and showed my likes and dislikes openly in the workplace. I didn't display “tolerance” as a Dafa practitioner should have. My colleagues felt a lot of pressure from me and quit their jobs. This was a heavy blow to me.
Then, I realized that this was an environment Master arranged for me so that I could cultivate away my show-off mentality and pursuit of personal interest and become a considerate person.
Master said:
“Things will work out well if you are always compassionate and good to others, thoughtful towards people, and handle whatever situations you get into with people by first pausing to consider how well your actions will go over with the other party and whether anyone will be hurt by them. You should hold yourself to high standards and raise the bar still further as you practice.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I felt bad that I hadn't done well and was actually damaging the reputation of Falun Dafa.
My ability and wisdom were given by Master. I shouldn't look down on others. I didn't regard them as sentient beings who had predestined relationship with me. I should behave like a Dafa practitioner, work hard, and be kind to everyone. I should use my environment to help people learn the facts about Falun Dafa.
I studied the Fa more and changed a lot of my notions and mentality. I became open-minded.
Master said:
“So the task for you, as someone doing spiritual practice, is this: to work on yourself spiritually; to painstakingly perfect yourself, while still part of this world; and to constantly work to weed out any attachments or wants that you have.” (The First Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I realized that this environment was for me to cultivate and improve. So I had to consider others first, respect them, and cooperate with them. I should let go of my notion of hierarchy and jump out of the ordinary people's mentality.
From then on, I took cultivation seriously and followed the Dafa principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. My colleagues learned about Dafa and helped me promote Shen Yun Performing Arts. My parents became supportive when I was involved in more Dafa projects. I had a deeper understanding of what Master said:
“The work and family environments that you spend time in are both settings in which you are to cultivate yourselves, are part of the path you must walk, are what you must handle, and handle correctly at that. None of these should be glossed over.” (“Teaching the Fa in Canada, 2006,” Collected Fa Teachings Vol. VII)
Nothing Happens by Mistake
Practitioners from Taipei and Tainan were going to make a documentary. The practitioners from Tainan were in charge of finding actors and actresses, props and venues. There was a lot of interference from the beginning. When we found the actresses, we were not able to find a venue. And the props didn't arrive on time. The filming time had been changed several times.
I realized that what had happened was not accidental and that there must be factors for me to cultivate. Master arranged this opportunity for me to let go of my selfishness, the heart of easily getting irritated and seeking comfort. After we completed the documentary, the practitioners from Taipei told us that we had to re-shoot it because someone had made a mistake. It was apparent that the old forces had taken advantage of our loopholes. It reflected my cultivation state and that of practitioners as a whole.
Master said:
“And so cultivation should be first and foremost for you—for every Dafa practitioner involved in the media. That’s because how well you cultivate yourselves determines your power to save people as well as the effectiveness of your work. This is for sure.” (“2018 NTD and Epoch Times Fa Conference,” Team Yellow Translation)
While we do Dafa projects, Master will not just let us do the work and not let us elevate ourselves, so there must be cultivation elements and tests involved so that our attachments can be exposed. We should regard ourselves as practitioners, who look within to find our attachments and get rid of them.
Every practitioner involved knew they were hints from Master. Everyone calmed down and looked within. I found many of my attachments. For example, I did everything by myself and didn't let other practitioners get involved. This way I could finish tasks quickly without messing around. This exposed my show-off mentality, selfishness, and not believing in other practitioners. It also showed that my heart was not pure when I participated in the project. After all the practitioners found their attachments and rectified them, we finished the re-shoot quickly.
When we do Dafa projects, we should pay attention to the process, not the result. During the process, what is important is how we cooperate, how we take responsibility, and how we become considerate and form one body. If any part of the process is not up to par, we have to go through the process again. There are no shortcuts. We need to redo it with purer hearts and take it more seriously because we are saving people and doing the most sacred and greatest thing in the universe.
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