Understandings on Enduring Hardships

By a Dafa practitioner from Henan Province

(Clearwisdom.net)

"Reaching Consummation, obtaining Buddha's Fruit, eating bitterness treated as joy." ("Tempering One's Heart and Will," Hong Yin, Version B)

These words of Teacher's have continuously encouraged me. Whenever I go through tribulations and endure hardships, I repeatedly recite these words. They have really given me unlimited courage and helped me face up to tests and improve my endurance and pass one test after another. But my understanding of these words has also been changing.

Before, I thought that being human meant suffering hardships, and cultivators had to bear the pain of hardship. Because we cultivated among ordinary people and modern society was flooded with extreme evils, it was very natural for us to run into xinxing tests. With a selfish heart, I thought that only bearing hardships could increase gong even more, and thus enduring hardship should be treated as joy. At least, I should first restrain myself and require myself to not dispute with others on the surface, and then gradually calm down my own heart.

As I improved myself in cultivation, my troubled thoughts gradually became less. I did not go through tests so unsteadily and often kept a calm heart. When things came up, I handled many problems well, and after that, I did not take them to heart at all. I felt that my heart was peaceful and compassionate and I was at ease, in comparison with striving for worldly fame and gain as I had before. I thought that what ordinary people considered bitterness really counted little as suffering. I also believed that many things people did were pointless, so I consciously or unconsciously became disgusted with and estranged from everyday people, and gradually slacked off and lingered for quite a long time at this level.

Later, by reading fellow practitioners' experiences on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, I found that my cultivation level was so low in comparison with fellow practitioners. Although our whole bodies were filled with karma and attachments before we started cultivation, Teacher did not detest us. So what right do we have to look down on others? Other people have also come from high levels; it is merely that they have gotten lost in the midst of ordinary people. We should be compassionate to others like Teacher is, and accomplish our great mission of assisting Teacher in Fa-rectification.

Through more Fa study, I realized that, assisting Teacher in Fa-rectification and doing well with the three things completely according to Teacher's requirements was our pre-historic great promise. Doing this allows us to truly return to our original, true selves and not disappoint the sentient beings that have placed their hopes in us. Thus, I began to do well with the three things completely according to Teacher's instructions and kept my mind on the Fa as much as possible. I assisted Teacher in saving sentient beings while improving myself. Accordingly, I did not feel so carefree and at ease as before. Because I spent much time doing the three things and the pressure from my family life and job was continuously great for me, I again felt the bitterness of suffering. Every day I always felt that there was not enough time to do all the things I needed to do.

Little by little, I have come to understand the dignity and compassion of enlightened beings. I also feel the expectation of the sentient beings. I am both moved by my fellow practitioners' cultivated dignity and compassion, and joyful for the sentient beings learning the truth. At the same time, I am also improving myself in cultivation. I really experience "eating bitterness treated as joy." And I also believe that cultivation has no limits; however much a cultivator sacrifices, that much he will gain, as long as he cultivates according to the Fa. Even if he has cultivated to a high level, a cultivator still has to continue improving.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/11/29/115419.html

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