(Minghui.org) I always feel an invisible pressure when I write experience-sharing articles. I believe that if I’m not writing with a pure heart on the Fa, then I will be driven by human notions and be disrespectful and irresponsible to the Fa.
Over the last year, I have experienced great changes in my thoughts. The changes replaced my old understandings of Master and the Fa, and they made me completely give up stubborn notions about cultivation that I had held for a long time.
Master said:
“The human way of thinking and human logic don't exist in the heavens.” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. III)
However, in every period of my cultivation, before and during the persecution, I used to be blocked by a kind of human logic that seemed to be correct. In other words, I had developed a narrow notion due to my limited understanding of the Fa. Driven by this notion, I thought that I cultivated diligently and that my understandings of the Fa were correct. Now, when I look back, I realize that they were all wrong.
Before I started to cultivate, I hoped to find a practice that would help me to understand all the principles of the universe and break out of the cycle of reincarnation. So, during the process of looking for such a practice, I developed a set of rigid thought structures based on human logic, and I purposely tried to strengthen them. I even developed a set of rigorous scientific thinking. It had a component of compassion and became the main approach that I used to understand the Fa.
In my twenty years of cultivation, I did not think there was anything wrong with this approach. It was hidden deeply in my life in a subtle way, hard to detect, and it greatly interfered with and blocked me from understanding the Fa righteously. The manifestation of the interference was that I only accepted the contents of the Fa that I understood. For the contents that I could not understand, I only passively followed Master's teachings, measuring the Fa with human notions and logic.
This rigid, logical thinking at the human level indeed helped me to understand the Fa, but it blocked me from seeing the more profound principles of the Fa. In a way, it even became the most severe barrier that kept me from cultivating away human notions. As a result, my fundamental attachments remained hidden. How can a cultivator measure the Fa using his limited logical thinking? How can a cultivator think of Master using the same thinking?
Master has said many times that “cultivation is serious.” (“An Explicit Reminder,” Essentials for Further Advancement) But I was confused by my own logical thinking that was developed at different levels of my cultivation.
Master said:
“But cultivation is a serious matter, and you can't be the least bit sloppy with it. If you bring with you any of a variety of impure thoughts when you study the Fa, the book, you will see nothing and gain nothing.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX)
Human logic is useful when seeking knowledge and doing research at the human level. But it is a dangerous obstacle that keeps a cultivator from truly understanding Dafa. When I look back today, all of sudden it feels like I have never really cultivated in the last 20 years. All my understandings of Master and Dafa were at the human level.
We all know that cultivators should not form human notions, and we should separate ourselves from the human logic and notions that have been developed for thousands of years in our previous lives. If it were not for cultivation and Master's compassion, I would not be able to realize that I had used human notions to understand Dafa. Very likely, I would be driven by the notions and logic in daily life and become more and more like an everyday philosopher or an everyday scholar with righteous logic. How horrible would that be?
Since the beginning of the persecution, to protect myself and minimize the damage, I have used all kinds of everyday people's tricks, which were often effective. But this kind of thinking would easily become an attachment and notion that is hard to detect.
At the beginning of the persecution, I was detained with twenty fellow practitioners. Facing the constant mental and physical torture, I analyzed the police officers' words. Using their logic and words, I made up a story that stopped the trial. I didn't sell out fellow practitioners. I made the police believe that I didn't have any useful information for them. But, compared to fellow practitioners, who scolded the police with righteous thoughts and righteous words, and who who kept silent during the trials, I had too many human notions. The logic reduced the persecution on me, but my behavior was driven by fear. If back then I truly understood the power of the Fa and truly based my actions on the Fa, I would be able to see this shortcoming and directly get rid of the fear.
After I got rid of human logic in cultivation, I have attained completely new understandings of Dafa. I genuinely sense that Master's boundless compassion cannot be described with language. I naturally develop the utmost respect to Master and Dafa that comes from the origin of my life. All the lives that are represented and can be saved by me are also left with the same respect for Master and Dafa; aside from this respect, nothing else is important. This respect solidifies my righteous belief in the face of the severe persecution, and it makes me cherish the precious time before the end of the Fa-rectification period. My understanding is that Master is extending the time for us and that this is a reflection of Master's magnificent compassion to sentient beings.
As long as we sincerely respect Master and the Fa, the Fa’s power will manifest in our daily cultivation and validation of the Fa. This sacred feeling gives me the courage and belief that I can overcome all difficulties in the human world.
Master said:
“When people show the appropriate respect and reverence toward Dafa as it manifests here in this world, they, their race, or their nation will enjoy blessings or honor.” (“On Dafa,” Zhuan Falun)
When I look back, I found that my respect toward Master and Dafa in the past was far from enough. I used to think that as long as I respect Master in my heart, the formalities at the surface are not important.
When the police harassed me for practicing Dafa, I took down Master's portrait on the wall and thought it was for security. Now I have put up Master's portrait in my living room and ask my family members who do not practice Dafa to respect it.
When my daughter had a fever a few times, my mother was worried and prepared to take her to the hospital. I told her to calm down and to show respect to Master's portrait. Each time, my daughter recovered. Other family members were amazed at the miracle.
I deeply understand that during the Fa-rectification, our attitude toward Master and the Fa is the most important.
Master said:
“Everything is just too trivial to even mention next to the Fa-rectification--nothing begins to compare. You can't compare things that occur in personal cultivation with the Fa-rectification. It doesn't matter how high an old-force being's level is, if it can't place itself properly in this balance of things it's in danger and will be weeded out during the cosmos's Fa-rectification; all the countless beings who've been knocked down because of this were from very high levels.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia U.S.A.,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
For everyday people, their attitude toward Dafa determines whether they can remain. For cultivators, I believe it is the same. No matter how high a being's level is, respecting Master and the Fa is the most important.
I see that many fellow practitioners share my old understanding of respecting Master and the Fa. They cannot see clearly the deviated notions hidden in their minds. Many fellow practitioners around me respect Master and the Fa superficially, but due to their insufficient understanding of the Fa, they in fact prioritize themselves.
Master said:
“But there's one problem, which is, if you don't respect Master, it's wrong according to the principles of the cosmos, and the old forces will take advantage of the gap and destroy you because of this. They'll have seized the biggest excuse to destroy you, since they've seen the entire process of my saving you.” (Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
If it wasn't for Master who endured so much karma for us and saved us from hell, all the sentient beings in our universes would have disintegrated a long time ago.
The above are my own understandings of cultivation. If I've said anything wrong, please correct me with compassion.
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Category: Improving Oneself
