(Minghui.org) The children of practitioners have predestined relationships with Dafa. As their parents, we should remember our responsibilities and guide them on the path of cultivation.
My son is 13 years old. When he was young, I ignored his cultivation. One day, I asked him why he wanted to practice. He said, “I want to return to my true home with Master Li.” I was surprised when I heard his response. I realized I should spend more time helping him with his cultivation.
Since then, I have lengthened the time to study the Fa with my son. We watched videos about Falun Dafa. Whenever something happened, we discussed it based on the principles of Dafa.
He has made rapid progress in cultivation. He's now able to cultivate himself and always looks inward.
Helping him to improve has also helped me improve in my cultivation. He pointed out a lot of my fundamental attachments and always reminded me to be diligent. He once said, “Mom, we are fellow practitioners. We should remind each other when we see each other slack off in cultivation. Let’s return to our true home together.”
I've recently begun to feel that my current job has no future, so I wanted to get a new one. I began browsing the recruitment website every day to look for new jobs. One day my son said that he was only interested in playing instruments and practicing Dafa. I suddenly felt that his life would be too boring if he lived that way. I told him not to go to extremes, and he still should live an ordinary life. He said, “I don’t think it is wrong to focus on cultivation in our lives. Who would say I am wrong if I follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance?”
My son is now in the eighth grade, and one day he took a mandatory sex education class. That night, my husband reminded him not to be influenced by the harmful phenomena in society. I also told him that Master Li (the founder of Falun Dafa) is very strict in this respect. He said, “Mom, don’t worry. I don’t want to live as an ordinary person. I want to be able to join Shen Yun Performing Arts. If I can, I hope to stay with Shen Yun until I complete my cultivation and return home with Master.” I had mixed feelings when I heard this.
I remembered Master’s teaching about how ordinary people enjoy their lives.
Master said,
“What I was just saying was meant to tell you that the origins of one’s thoughts are in fact extremely complex. In this world a person merely goes about enjoying the course of life. I have said in the past that people are pitiable, for all that a person is doing in this world is merely enjoying the feelings and sensations that are brought to him by living the course of his life. My putting it this way is quite accurate. And why do I say so? Though people think that they are in charge of themselves, deciding what they want to do, the truth is, they are merely pursuing certain feelings as a result of postnatally formed habits and attachments that stem from their likings. And that’s all it is. Whereas what’s really at work, leading that person to want to do something, are factors behind the scenes, which are utilizing the person’s habits, attachments, notions, desires, and such things. Such is the true state of the human body, with the person merely enjoying those feelings and sensations that come about as a result of the life process: when you are given something sweet, you experience the sweetness; given something bitter, you feel the bitterness; given something spicy, you taste the spiciness; you feel awful when suffering befalls you; and you know joy when you are blessed with happiness.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
I realized that I had an attachment to enjoying a comfortable life.
When we participated in the group exercises the next day, I couldn’t finish the last ten minutes of the meditation. When I opened my eyes I saw my son was truly meditating.
His sincerity touched me, and I suddenly remembered what Master said,
“It has been said, “When I come to this ordinary human society, it’s just like checking into a hotel for a few days. Then I leave in a hurry.” Some people are just obsessed with this place and have forgotten their own homes.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I realized I had a fundamental attachment. I reminded myself why I practiced cultivation and asked myself why I still longed for an ordinary person’s life.
Master said,
“If you do not change the human logic that you, as an ordinary human, have formed deep in your bones over thousands of years, you will be unable to break away from this superficial human shell and reach Consummation.” (“Cautionary Advice,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
After we did the exercises, my son said that when he did the exercises, he felt a stream of heat coming down from his head. He asked if Master was in charge of him. I said that Master was always by his side. He was very happy. He told me he wanted to maintain good xinxing, otherwise his efforts of doing the exercises would be in vain.
I suddenly had a deeper understanding of returning to our true home. We should find our original true self that has not been polluted by ordinary society. Children are like a piece of pure jade covered with dust. After removing the thin layer of dust, they can easily find their true selves. However, adults are buried in soil, we have to cultivate ourselves to reveal our true nature.
Master said,
“Cultivation practice is not child’s play. It is more serious than anything of everyday people—it isn’t something to take for granted. Once you miss the opportunity, when will you be able to get a human body again in the sixfold path of reincarnation? Opportunity knocks but once. Once the illusion that you cannot let go of disappears, you will realize what you have lost.” (“Practicing Cultivation After Retirement,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Sometimes my son could not maintain his xinxing. We are strict with him in his school work and usually give him some extra assignments. He occasionally complained and asked why Master arranged for him to be born into such a harsh family environment.
One night he slacked off until midnight. He thought he could escape his assignments because it was so late. We told him to finish them even if he had to stay up. He looked at us with resentment. After 1 a.m., I felt a huge black image of my son, full of resentment pressed against me. I could hardly breathe, and I woke up. I told my son what I saw in my dream. He was scared. We sent forth righteous thoughts together.
After we sent forth righteous thoughts, he knelt beside my bed and sincerely apologized. He said he knew he was wrong. He also admitted that he did not do the assignments because he wasted time playing on his cell phone.
We shared our understanding of what Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“You will be made to abandon all those attachments that you cannot give up among everyday people. As long as you have them, all of those attachments must be removed in different environments. You will be made to stumble, whereby you will become enlightened to the Tao. This is how you go through cultivation.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I told him when he removed a bad thought, the black matter in his dimension was also removed, and his xinxing improved. The process of eliminating attachments is cultivation. He did stay up and finished all the assignments before he went to bed. The next day I studied the Fa with him. He said that he understood that a practitioner must remove bad thoughts. He said that he let his resentment go completely.
I had a deeper understanding of the principle of matter and mind is one and the same. We should cultivate every thought and not have negative thoughts about others. When we have bad thoughts, it will produce a negative substance. It will hurt others, and create karma for ourselves.
Master said in Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Switzerland,
“In cultivation, why do you have to meet a realm’s criteria in order to go over there? Because there is Fa for that particular level. In that realm there is a required standard for those beings, as well as a standard for the environment of those beings. A karma-laden body that doesn’t conform to that dimension’s environment is unacceptable. A filthy body absolutely cannot enter a dimension that high. So you have to conform to the bodily state of that higher realm—namely, a karma-free state. Not only do you need to be free of karma, but your body’s substances need to be microscopic and fine in that way. That’s something people who don’t truly cultivate cannot attain, even if they wanted to and pursued it—it can only be cultivated. It’s attained by enduring hardship and going through grueling cultivation.”
My son always says, “Mom, we are so fortunate to practice Dafa.” We appreciate Master’s compassion.
As parents, we have a great responsibility to guide our children on the path of cultivation. I realized we must be diligent and cultivate ourselves well. Only by doing so can we improve together with our children.
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Category: Improving Oneself
