(Minghui.org) It is of utmost importance for a Falun Dafa cultivator to have complete faith and trust in Master and Dafa. That is the foundation of all righteous thoughts. Many practitioners talk about believing in Master and the Fa, and to truly cultivate in Dafa.
To truly cultivate, one must believe in Master and the Fa, and this “belief” or “faith” is most important. However, there is also an issue of the level of belief and trust. When I ask myself how having complete faith in Master and the Fa manifests itself, I think we should be able to do several things.
First, a practitioner with complete faith in Master and the Fa believes that Master is watching over him every minute, no matter where he is. Therefore, he does not have any fear. He clarifies the facts of Falun Dafa to people without hesitation. The attachment to fear is the biggest obstacle for a cultivator. Without fear, a practitioner's righteous thoughts are naturally very strong, and his power to save people is great. That is the mission of Dafa practitioners.
Second, when a practitioner has complete faith in Master and the Fa, he follows the Dafa principles on his cultivation path. He is not easily interfered with by human notions. He believes in the existence of divine beings and believes that good will be rewarded with good and that evil will receive due retribution. Thus, he does not do bad deeds. He thinks of others first in all matters, continuously gets rid of bad thoughts, continuously improves, and assimilates to the characteristics of the universe. He is diligent in personal cultivation.
Third, when a practitioner has complete faith in Master and the Fa, he knows that fame and fortune come from virtue (de) that is accumulated over many lifetimes.
Master said,
“No virtue, no gain; the loss of virtue means the loss of everything.” (“Wealth with Virtue,” Essential For Further Advancement)
If an everyday person does not have any virtue, he does not have anything. For a cultivator, virtue is used to transform gong and to achieve fruit status when one reaches Consummation. Virtue is not used to obtain material wealth and fame in ordinary society. Thus, he is not interested in fame and riches. A practitioner is not jealous or envious of everyday people. He intends to preserve his virtue because it is priceless. How can someone like that have any attachments to personal gain or be jealous? Would this practitioner have a competitive mentality?
On the other hand, if one does not have complete faith in Master and the Fa, he is easily affected by human notions and motivated by material gain and various desires. He is like an everyday person. It is difficult for him to improve in cultivation, and the old forces could easily take advantage of his loopholes and persecute him.
Fourth, a practitioner with complete faith in Master and the Fa can let go of sentimentality and treat family members with compassion. He knows the meaning of his life and his responsibilities in life. He gives the highest priority to doing the three things. He does not waste time on everyday people’s matters. He makes the best use of his time to save people, so he will complete his mission. The most important thing for him is to fulfill his vows and return to his true home.
A practitioner with complete faith in Master and the Fa can let go of self and all other human notions and desires. He is not tempted by the so-called happiness and comfort of everyday people. He is diligent in his cultivation.
On the contrary, those who only claim that they believe in Master and the Fa, how much do they really believe? Complete faith in Master and the Fa is not something one pays lip service to. We cannot fool others or Gods, or we'd only be fooling ourselves. I think every practitioner should ask himself: “Do I truly believe in Master and the Fa one hundred percent? Or how much do I really believe? Anything less than one hundred percent is not sufficient.”
The door to Dafa cultivation is wide open to all, yet some still wander outside. That is because they don't believe in Master and the Fa, maybe not even one percent. Some people have started cultivating but do not mature and remain at the same level. They rarely study the Fa or do the three things. They probably believe in Dafa less than 50 percent.
Then, there are those who appear to study the Fa and do the three things, but they improve very slowly. They treat everything with human thoughts and harbor many attachments. They often hold a strong fear in their heart, especially when it comes to clarifying the truth to people. They are always afraid of being persecuted. The root of their problem is that they still do not believe in Master and the Fa.
Of course, it takes time to strengthen one’s righteous thoughts. There are only a few practitioners who have held strong righteous thoughts since Dafa was first taught to the public and are able to let go of all attachments. Faith in Master and the Fa builds up little by little. But we should not use it as an excuse because belief comes first. We must believe first.