|
Cultivating to Be a Good Spirited Being
By a Dafa practitioner from Hebei Province
(Clearwisdom.net) When I began to practice Falun Gong, I always felt like
I was the happiest person in the world because I was immersed in the compassion
of Master. After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, because I could not let
go of my attachments, I stumbled again and again. Until recently, I always felt
that I could not be happy and was depressed. I wanted to be happy when I met
people. However, I felt my muscles strain when I tried to smile, and I was
unhappy from the bottom of my heart. At first, I did not think anything was wrong. I also did the three
things that Master has asked of us. But it seemed that I did them to
accomplish the task. I was not doing them with the responsibility and compassion
of a practitioner. I realized that I should look inside. I could not let go of
having conflict with my husband. When my husband pointed this out, I was
affected. I would be worried when my child got a bad grade. When the procurator
agent called me, I began to think about how to deal with it. I recalled all the
tests that I had not passed well. I know I still have so many attachments and
they are weighing me down. Master said in the Lecture Nine of Zhuan Falun: "You know, when a person reaches the Arhat level he's not fazed by
anything he comes across. He's not the least bit concerned about any human
things and he's always upbeat. It doesn't matter how much he loses out, he's
upbeat and doesn't mind. When you can really do that, then you've achieved the
initial Arhat Fruition." My actions were contrary to what Master has told us. How could I be happy? I
was aware of the attachments I could not let go of, including being afraid and
worried. My attachment to reputation, profits and sentimentality were to satisfy
personal needs. If my heart was preoccupied by these dirty things, I definitely
could not have true compassion. I could not actively clarify the truth and did
not think of others first. I could not meet the requirements of the Fa and did
not have the power of the Fa. Now I understand why if a person does not
cultivate well they cannot accomplish Dafa work well. Master has often told us to let go of our attachments: "...the whole process of cultivation is a process of constantly
getting rid of human attachments"(Zhuan Falun) "Can you bring to heaven the things deep down inside that you cannot
let go of?" ("True Cultivation" from Essentials for Further
Advancement) "With attachments left behind, the lightened boats sail
swiftly..." ("The Knowing Heart" from Essentials for Further
Advancement II) Why did I have so many attachments that I could not leave behind? First, I
did not cultivate my every thought. I also indulged in my attachments. There are
no big deals or small deals. Everything is related to cultivation and to letting
go of attachments. Secondly, I concealed my attachments by doing Dafa related
things. The way I looked at this in the past was that doing these things was
considered cultivation. The third and most important was that my faith in Master
and the Fa was not strong enough. This was especially true when I had a
tribulation in the process of cultivation. When I could believe, "With Master here, with the Fa here, what do I
have to worry about?" I suddenly felt at ease when I understood this. Now
whenever I am unhappy, I will think, "What attachments have I not let
go?" I will find them and eliminate them. I want to be a good spirited
being.
|