Some Personal Understandings of "Taking Hardship as Pleasure" and "Tests and Tribulations"

By a Dafa practitioner from Jilin City

Feb. 26, 2003

(Clearwisdom.net) In the past few years, in some articles we have often read about "taking hardship as pleasure." This can be true for someone who has not practiced Dafa for long. He may feel it is hard when he is drowsy while reading the Fa; he may feel it is tough when he is in pain during the sitting meditation in the double lotus position; he may feel agonized when his fame, self-interest, and feelings are infringed upon; he may feel frustrated when he has difficulties passing a test; and he even may say that he is "taking hardships as pleasure" when he does Dafa work for a prolonged period of time. It sounds like he has reached a high realm, but this is still the realm of a human being! Only human beings can have the feeling of hardship. But for those of us who have cultivated in Dafa for several years, is this still the case?

Master has said that practitioners who started to practice Dafa before July 20, 1999 had already been placed at their positions and Master also told us, "Already a god when obtaining the Fa." ("Saving All Sentient Beings" from Hong Yin, un-official translation) Will a divine being have the feeling of "taking hardship as pleasure?" When thinking this way, we are still not viewing ourselves as cultivating towards divine beings, but are viewing ourselves as ordinary human beings. How can one elevate himself into a god's realm while directing himself with everyday people's thinking? It is a question of where we place ourselves.

Master has already given us the principles of the Fa that direct us to cultivate at different levels. A Dafa disciple should do what Master has taught us. Master has repeatedly told us to study the Fa more, and we should indeed do so. Only by studying the Fa can we enlighten to the meanings of the Fa at different levels and keep raising our mind nature during cultivation at different levels. When one's mind nature is raised, the test one is going through will end, and he will no long feel the "hardship" and "bitterness" of the test.

Master told us clearly in "True Cultivation:" "Only when you are about to let go of your reputation, interests, and feelings will you feel pain." Just as Master mentioned, as long as we feel the hardship, we are still tied in many different ways to fame, self-interest, and emotion, and we are still placing ourselves on the level of human beings.

An everyday person continuously thinks of these things. He believes that his life is more worthwhile if he gets more out of this world, and he takes pride in that. We are cultivators of Dafa. We are letting go of the attachment of gains and losses in this human world. The more we let go, the more our Buddha-light can illuminate the people and places around us.

So we must get out of everyday people's thoughts and elevate ourselves in the Fa. Only by doing so can we completely reject the so-called tests and arrangements created by the old forces. If we cannot ground ourselves in the Fa to understand the Fa, then what we are thinking will already conform to the old force's arrangements. We could be interfered with and even persecuted. Actually quite often when we are interfered with, we do not recognize the interference due to shortcomings in studying the Fa. Then how do we distinguish it? Master has often told us, "No matter how busy you are you have to study the Fa." "The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Drive Out Interference") We then can manifest the benevolence, magnificence and supernormal abilities of Gods and Buddha's.

The above is my understanding at my current level. Please kindly correct any mistakes.
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2003/3/14/46289.html

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