By a practitioner in the U.S.A.

(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher chose us, saved us from hell, and arranged a cultivation path for us. But do we choose the path that Teacher has arranged for us? Do we want to walk this path well? Do we want to complete the journey? How shall we walk this path?

How do we know if the path we walk is the one that Teacher arranged for us? How do we know that our choice is the right one? When we are not sure of what to do, we just need to calm down and study the Fa intently, then we would be able to "see" the path that Teacher arranged for us. Looking back at the problems and choices that I have made since I began cultivation, not a single thing has escaped Zhuan Falun. The problem was that my cultivation level was too low and did not recognize this fact.

People say that life is a series of choices. On the path that Teacher arranged for us, we need to choose whether we want to walk every step well, or to stumble from time to time. If a practitioner does not have a strong will and powerful righteous thoughts, he will not be able to steadfastly make the right choices. When facing tribulations or conflicts, the result may differ depending on choices made with one’s thought. This thought at the moment of making the choice often is the most critical.

This steadfast righteous thought is based on our frequent and good Fa-study so that one can know the path that Teacher wants us to follow.

Whether an "illness" is actually an illness or not is chosen by one’s thought of thinking it as an "illness" or not. I realize that although "illness" is related to one's karma accumulated in the past, "a cultivator does not have illnesses." Even if a practitioner had karma, it would not affect his business of validating Dafa. So "illness" is also used by the old forces to interfere with a practitioner's righteous thoughts and belief. By the same token, one thought can determine whether one will be diligent or relax and take it easy. A person’s thought can determine whether one will passively accept the persecution or will refuse to recognize the arrangement of the old forces. The choice made with this one thought is a choice that will determine whether one can walk the path arranged for us well, and whether we want to assimilate ourselves with Dafa.

I realized that whether a cultivator is divine or human can be determined by a single thought. The old forces have chosen to interfere with the Fa-rectification and therefore they will be destroyed. During my telling the facts to people, a Chinese person's thought of whether he chooses to quit the CCP and/or its associated organizations directly affects whether he will die with the evil party in the future. The thoughts that we send forth for the person to whom we clarify the facts also affect the person. Would it not also directly affect his future? Don't the good thoughts of a practitioner help Teacher save more sentient beings?

Therefore now my thoughts are always to think of others all the time and to be responsible for the sentient beings and not just selfishly think of my own cultivation. I realized that if one only thinks of one's own cultivation, this is not meeting Teacher’s requirement for disciples in the Fa-rectification period. Only caring about one's own cultivation while forgetting about the responsibility and mission of a "Dafa disciple of a Fa-rectification period" is also one form of selfishness. Teacher wants a disciple to do three things well and they are required by the Fa-rectification. I feel that only caring about one’s individual cultivation is equivalent to only caring about oneself. Lives became impure and degraded because of their being selfish. How can we fall into selfishness again and not want to cultivate, and then go back to our home in heaven? I realized that I cannot only be concerned about my own elevation and not think of myself as a particle in Dafa. I need to complete my mission that Dafa has given me.

The above is my own understanding, please point out my deficiencies if you see them.

Posting date: 10/20/2006
Original article date: 10/20/2006
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2006/9/18/138028.html

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