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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. Posting date: 12/24/2005
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