(Minghui.org) I recently read a fellow practitioner’s article, “Stand On the Side of Master and Dafa,” and found that I really agree with it. In fact, the whole process of cultivation is also a process of believing in Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, and the Fa. We all say that we believe in Master and the Fa, but when we really start working on things or are at critical moments, we will likely do some disservice to this belief. During a recent interaction with two fellow practitioners, both displayed different levels of their hope for the persecution to end as soon as possible. They had some thoughts of not being able to persist. Although we shared our cultivation thoughts from a positive perspective, I would still like to share my own limited understandings from a few other perspectives.
First Perspective: How Well Have We Cultivated Ourselves?
If you ask the practitioners around you how their cultivation has been going, most of them will answer, “Poor, I am still far from it!” I really have never heard any practitioner personally tell me that he or she has cultivated quite well and has no problems, etc. Yes, everyone is a cultivator but no matter how long one has cultivated, we are still clear about how well we have really cultivated ourselves. Take me for example, I have strong mundane attachments, human thoughts, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture. My attachments, such as to fame, showing off, jealousy, complaining and ego, are not fully removed.
If Fa-rectification were to end tomorrow and I have yet to attain the standard, what should I do? What should I do if I cannot fulfill my vows? What should my mindset be in facing tomorrow? If the Fa-rectification really would end tomorrow, I would hope that Master would give me a chance, and I should cherish the time and catch up in cultivation. In fact, if we put ourselves in Master’s shoes and try to think from Master’s perspective, it is a wonderful thing that Fa-rectification hasn’t ended now. Aren’t the time and opportunities that Master gives us, out of his benevolence, for us and sentient beings, to allow us to cultivate ourselves well and save sentient beings at the same time? If practitioners can think from the perspective of Master and the Fa about everything, I think they are diligent cultivators.
Second Perspective: The Hardship That You Are Going Through Is the Remaining Karma Left After What Master Has Borne For You
Many practitioners who could not overcome “illness tribulations” could have missed an important element. What you are suffering is just the remaining portion of your karma after Master has borne your karma for you. The remaining portion needs to be faced by you.
Master taught us,
“While saving you, your Teacher is also bearing sins and karma for you, and is trying everything to offset them.” (“Stay Out of Danger”)
Not only has Master borne the karma for us, he is trying different ways and means to help us balance and offset our remaining karma. However, we are always using mundane thoughts to address cultivation and thank Master. What we owe Master is unimaginable.
When the fake “illness tribulation” appears, one may still be steadfast initially. However, after tolerating it for a few days, one notes that the tribulation isn’t easing up and even becomes worse. His confidence will start to waver. “Why is it so hard to bear?” “Has Master stopped caring about me?” We may start having such non-righteous thoughts. During these times, the thought karma will take this opportunity to keep sending thoughts into your mind: Quickly go to the hospital; It is faster to have it treated in the hospital; It is so painful, the pain will go away after taking injections, and so on. If we follow these thoughts to deal with the problem, we may really take this path.
I once had a similar experience. I suddenly felt immense pain and it went on for four days. During those few days, I lost nearly 15 pounds and felt that I really could not survive the pain. My family members found a car to send me to the hospital. On the way, the friend who was driving suddenly reminded me to recite the Fa. I had known this friend for more than 20 years and had clarified the truth to him and helped him quit the CCP and its youth organizations. I felt that Master was enlightening me through his words. Therefore, I started to recite the Fa, from Master’s On Dafa, to the paragraphs that I had memorized in Zhuan Falun, to Essentials for Further Advancement to Hong Yin. I basically just recited whatever I could think of. Halfway through, the friend stopped the car to go to the restroom. I thought I needded some fresh air, so I got out of the car. When the friend turned back and saw me standing behind him, he was shocked. I had needed him to support me when I got into the car the first time, so he asked me in shock, “Why did you get out of the car?! Aren’t you still in pain?” I said that I was no longer in pain. Reciting the Fa brought back my confidence and I overcame this tribulation.
Among the practitioners that I hang out with, there is a practitioner who got into an accident and her back was fractured and she could not move. She could only lie in bed. Her son said that he wanted to buy some medicine for her to apply to the injury, and she said that even if he really brought it back, he would be unable to apply it to her. When her son brought the medicine back, he really forgot to apply it for her. Her daughter-in-law was worried that she may be paralyzed, so she tried to persuade her to go to the hospital. The practitioner just blurted out that she would be well in twelve days. In the end, she was really able to get out of bed and walk twelve days later.
The former type of belief is a partial belief. It is a process where the belief is aided by Master’s enlightenment. The latter is another form of belief, a belief that persisted for the whole process. The former type is taking a detour before coming back (what would it be like if one could not return from the detour?) while the latter type is non-wavering righteous thoughts, the steadfast belief in Dafa with no doubt at all. The difference in level of belief in Master and the Fa is so obvious.
Master mentioned in Zhuan Falun,
“But there is a law in this universe, that anything comes at a cost, and so we couldn’t remove everything for you; you definitely have to bear something.” (The Second Talk, Zhuan Falun)
If my first thought was that this was just the remaining bit of tribulation that I must face after all that Master has borne for me, I would definitely be able to overcome it. If I had been able to think this way, how could I not overcome it? But even so, when the mundane attachments take effect, I still think of getting enlightenment from Master. None of us knows how much karma Master has borne for us. What is left for us to bear may not even be one percent of the enormous karmic debt that we have accumulated over our past lifetimes. Actually, Master is clearest about this. The little bit of tribulation left is definitely what we can bear. I believe that most practitioners share this understanding too.
Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
Category: Improving Oneself
