(Minghui.org) When we practice cultivation in this secular world, our cultivated sides are separated as soon as they reach the standard of the Fa. What still remains are our attachments, desires, and other human notions, which we need to cultivate away. If we can't maintain strong righteous thoughts all the time, we might be interfered with by our own attachments and slack off in our cultivation.
When our attachments are strong and our main consciousness is weak, we are no different from a non-cultivator. Sometimes, despite knowing that what interferes with us is an attachment, we still can't control ourselves well, and do things we shouldn't do as a cultivator.
For example, we know we shouldn't be addicted to smart phones or the Internet, but we may still be dependent on them. If we have the attachment for comfort, we might skip Fa study or sending righteous thoughts, but have a nap instead. Because of fear, we might miss our chances for truth-clarification.
I used to think such behavior was because of self-deception – our attachments are deceiving ourselves, and thus those mistakes are “no big deal.”
But now, I know that this is a wrong understanding. When we can't control ourselves well, it's interference from our thought karma, or the evil in other dimensions manipulates our brain and body when our main consciousness relaxes.
Developing True Righteous Thoughts
On the other hand, when we face serious persecution or sickness karma, we will be alert and begin to look inward. At those critical moments, our main consciousness senses the seriousness and takes control of our brain and body again. We will then study the Fa diligently and send strong righteous thoughts.
But our righteous thoughts were forced out under such circumstance. We didn't really understand the seriousness of cultivation, which is no small matter.
Some practitioners don't pay attention to cultivate every thought they have in their daily life. Some wrongly take doing things as cultivation. And yet others think the goal of their cultivation is not to be persecuted. If that's the case, we could easily slack off and lose the motivation for advancement in our cultivation once we feel our goals are accomplished.
I find that the same problems, even small ones, have affected me repeatedly over the years in my own cultivation. Under stress and tribulations, my main consciousness was alert. But after the tribulation had passed, I would become relaxed again. This phenomenon repeated over and over again.
I now realize that this kind of cultivation is for the sake of seeking a comfortable life, not for real improvement. It's just like the responses of that mental health patient Master talked about in Zhuan Falun, who became alert when the psychiatrist was about to shock him with the electric baton.
I think this kind of false cultivation is a form of self-deception. It is because we have a weak main consciousness and are thus controlled by the evil or our attachments at critical moments.
Master never taught us that we can relax after we make progress in cultivation and our cultivated sides are separated. If we do not have a clear goal for our cultivation or use high standards to measure ourselves, we will find excuses for ourselves and our attachments can still be exploited by the evil.
From a deeper perspective, another important factor is that our fundamental attachments are not removed. We might come to cultivation in the beginning with all kinds of pursuits such as eliminating tribulations, curing diseases, and living a good life. Those attachments might still be hidden despite years of cultivation. These fundamental attachments would hinder us from making real advancement.
Master said,
“Our practice has a well-defined focus. It really makes your attachments evident and sees to it that they are removed. This accelerates yourspiritual development.” (The Fifth Talk, Zhuan Falun 2018)
With Master's arrangement, our attachments and human notions will be exposed. This would be the best time for us to remove them, and avoid being exploited by the evil. Even if we fall, we should quickly get up and continue to work on our minds.
We must study the Fa diligently and be assimilated to the Fa. This is a premise for having a strong mind. With a strong mind, we can then strictly demand ourselves to follow high standards.
Master also said,
“The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa canshatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Many practitioners suggested in their articles that memorizing the Fa would be a good way to become diligent. This is an invaluable approach for those practitioners who are in tribulations. It will be true diligence only when we melt ourselves into the Fa.
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Category: Improving Oneself
