(Minghui.org) Some local practitioners recently encountered problems in their cultivation. Instead of paying attention to Fa-study and looking inward, they sought answers from practitioners who were supposed to have cultivated well. The outcomes were mostly not good.
I’d like to share my understanding of this based on my experiences over the years.
Studying the Fa Without Taking It into Your Heart
Some practitioners regard Fa-study as a formality. They seldom compare what Master says in the teachings to their own cultivation to find and eliminate their attachments in a timely manner and to remain diligent.
When it comes to prominent xinxing problems, they often avoid thinking about them. What’s more, some practitioners focus on quantity as their goal in studying the Fa. Some finish reading Zhuan Falun in a day or a night, and others admire them for doing that. I remember what Master said about this when he answered a student’s question:
“Student: Someone said that according to you, it’s too slow to finish Zhuan Falun in a day and a half?
Master: I’ve never said that! I’d say that’s too fast. (Applause) I told you to make the best use of your time to read the book, but that person immediately went to the other extreme. He reads, reads, reads, reads, reading with all his might, not even knowing what words he’s reading. Then what are you reading? Aren’t you supposed to be studying the Fa? What happened to the “studying” part of “studying the Fa”? If you don’t even know what you’re reading, how can you cultivate? You have to know what’s before your eyes! You should know the surface meaning of the words you’re reading. If you don’t, how could it count as studying the Fa? What would be the use of reading the book then? You might as well take the book, flip through it, and tell yourself you’re done. Right? Do you see what I’m saying?” (Teachings at the Conference in Singapore)
If you say you are Master’s disciple, why don’t you do as you are told? Or do you intentionally read the book a few more times with the attachment of having Master’s law body remove some bad things for you? If this is the case, then you should read the Fa seriously and cultivate solidly.
Master said:
“Dafa is about cultivation only--Dafa has nothing but cultivation.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VI)
Doing Spectacular Things Isn’t the Same Thing as Being a Dafa Disciple
Some practitioners have done great things over the years, but oftentimes they didn’t pay attention to or seem to care about their personal cultivation. Some saw producing or distributing many Dafa truth-clarification materials as doing well in cultivation. They often thought that they were better than others.
Some immediately devoted themselves to doing things as soon as they were released from a forced labor camp or brainwashing session. And such practitioners, with basically this same understanding, often formed their own circle of practitioners. They took doing things as cultivation. They were often paralyzed by their own conceit, neglecting the importance of solid practice and diminishing the treasure of looking inward when problems occurred. When such a practitioner encountered something that touched a certain attachment, he typically got upset and avoided talking about it.
Master has repeatedly asked us to cultivate ourselves and look inward in all circumstances in order to do the sacred task of assisting Master in Fa-rectification. Therefore, we must first cultivate ourselves well before we can fulfill our prehistoric vow.
Only Through Solid Cultivation Can We Find the Answers
When some practitioners have problems, they first think of asking other practitioners to help them find a solution as soon as possible. When fellow practitioners kindly point out their attachments, they often find excuses to avoid addressing them. In fact, they don’t want to suffer the pain of eliminating attachments. They only want to find a shortcut to solve the problem.
In cultivation, nothing can take the place of cultivating oneself. Even Master will not directly tell you the answer to the problem. Only through solid cultivation and removing those attachments bit by bit can we find the reason for the problem. Meanwhile, we should put more effort into improving xinxing and take everything we encounter seriously, no matter how big or small.
Master said:
“Actually, to handle a question, just look at your xinxing for the answer, and any question can be answered.” (“Explaining the Fa for Falun Dafa Assistants in Changchun,” Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa)
We Should Be Respectful of Master’s Hints
When there is a problem or discomfort in one’s cultivation, Master often protects the disciple in every way by giving hints. The hints can occur before or after the issue occurs and in any form. Yet some practitioners don’t pay attention to daily cultivation; they are used to looking at the surface of the problem, or they simply look for solutions. Even if they know it’s a hint from Master, they will think about it briefly and then forget about it. They don’t associate it with their own cultivation to find their cultivation issues, correct them, and improve. In fact, this is being disrespectful of Master. Master treats us with more care than we treat ourselves. Why don’t we treat Master’s hints as encouragement and as another means of finding and correcting our problematic mindsets?
Master’s hints are not only hints; they also contain the grace of the Master and disciple relationship and reflect the meaning of diligence. How can we ignore Master’s compassion and encouragement and let it slip away? Be diligent. And only when you are diligent can you have a deeper understanding. Otherwise, it will only remain on the surface of the human side as gratitude to Master. This is far below what is required for a practitioner.
I wrote this sharing article to tell those around me and other practitioners that we should always take the Fa as teacher, look inward when encountering problems, and seriously study the Fa and cultivate. About whether we are genuine Dafa disciples or not, what we say doesn’t count. If we say we are true disciples of Master, then we should follow what Master says and cultivate during the Fa-rectification without any exception or compromise.
Finally, let’s all remember what Master said:
“Get rid of any attachment you have, and don’t think about anything. Just do everything a Dafa disciple should do, and everything will be covered.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference,” Guiding the Voyage)
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Category: Improving Oneself
