(Minghui.org) One day while I was studying the Fa, I suddenly felt that everything Master told us is very real. The worlds of gods and Buddhas and the deeper connotations of everything around us are revealed in the process of studying the teachings. My third eye is not open, but the Fa is indeed real.
I could feel that the dimension of gods and Buddhas was only one door away, and by opening that door, I could see everything with my physical eyes. The process of walking through the long corridor to that door is the process of cultivation. Everything is real, including the entire cultivation process.
When I reflected on my cultivation I realized that I often was not serious. After I finished reading one lecture of Zhuan Falun, I usually could not recall what I'd just read—I was in the state of “learning the Fa but not getting the Fa,” as some fellow practitioners said. I couldn’t get up early in the morning to practice the exercises. I was asleep when it came time to send righteous thoughts at midnight. I rarely distributed truth-clarification materials, and I hardly ever clarified the facts to people face to face. How could I be considered a qualified Dafa disciple?
I knew I needed to take Fa study seriously. Master said, “There is a principle in this universe called “no loss, no gain.” To gain, one has to lose.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) I read this several times over the years and thought I understood it. There are deeper principles behind every word Master taught; do I really understand what Master said and can I remember it?
Applying The Principles
When I reflected on the principle of “no loss, no gain,” I thought about how I check apps on my phone that promote “Free Gift With Purchase,” “Claim Your Prize,” etc. I can’t help clicking on them. I know those are petty things, but I can’t help myself—I click on them. Now I know that every time I gain these things, I’m losing what a cultivator should have—virtue, cultivation energy, level, realm, time for Fa study and truth clarification, etc. Only by not wanting these human things can I improve my character, realm, and reach a pure cultivation state.
I knew I needed to make breakthroughs in practicing the exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts, and clarifying the truth. To make a real breakthrough, I needed to study the Fa more.
The Fa is real. In my understanding, which may not necessarily be appropriate—Master’s teaching the law of the universe is like describing a building—the structure, building materials and its formation; what kind of lives live on each floor and their characteristics. How they are connected, and how they think and act; what the final outcome will be... and much more.
Master has told us many short stories and gave many examples in the Fa. In each story there is so much we need to understand and understand from different angles and different levels, all of which can guide us in our practice.
For each of the examples, there is the person's external environment, what the person thought and how he acted, what other people thought and how they acted, etc. Master used a series of events to explain how the problems we may encounter in our cultivation can manifest, the reasons for them, and how to improve our character.
I found that I can see myself in almost every part of those stories, every character and every thought. For example, comparing myself with the child who scored 100 on a test, haven't I been happy with the results of something I did, and wanted to share it with others perhaps? Perhaps part of this was zealotry, showing off, or even the attachment to my reputation. Then there's the jealous person in that story who said, “What’s so great about getting a hundred? Show off! Who hasn’t scored a hundred?” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun) When I reflect on myself, although I wouldn't say that, haven't I felt uncomfortable when others do well, instead of feeling happy for them?
Another example is the senior monk and the junior monk described in “Jealousy”. I thought that if the junior monk didn't reveal his supernatural powers, the other monks wouldn't have always asked him questions. This affected his own cultivation and stirred up other monks' curiosity and admiration. All of this attention fueled the senior monk's jealousy—all kinds of attachments were exposed and the conflict intensified. In the end the junior monk was expelled. Everything was dictated by attachments.
When the other monks saw the junior monk's supernatural powers they should have reminded him to pay attention to cultivating himself instead of admiring him. The story might have ended differently.
If the senior monk had no jealousy and remembered his responsibility as an abbot was to lead disciples to practice, he would have stopped the junior monk from showing off. He should have pointed out that the other monks' behavior affected their cultivation.
Although driving away the junior monk ended the matter, the end result was not cultivation. Another conclusion is that if a practitioner only wants to solve problems superficially rather than by cultivating the mind, the result may be even worse.
On the surface it seemed like Master just told us some short stories and gave us some examples, but contained in them are Master's painstaking efforts to save us.
What I understand is still a very small part of the Fa. When we ascend in cultivation, there will be more and more manifestations of the Fa.
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Category: Improving Oneself
