The Relief of Letting Go of Attachments to Personal Gain

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Taiwan

(Clearwisdom.net)

My colleagues at the office have been chatting about the news that many people have received promotions. They asked me to check it on our internal news website. But, frankly, I am not even curious about it. In the past, I would have been very anxious to learn whether I was among those who would receive a promotion. I remember when I first obtained the Fa, I asked the practitioner who introduced the Fa to me, "After I begin cultivation, I can no longer pursue power and self-interest, can I?" The practitioner replied, "It's not an issue of whether you hold a high office or make a huge fortune. It is an issue of whether you can let go of your attachments." At the time, I felt that my success was assured since I had ambition and drive.

After several years of cultivation, I have gradually let go of the attachments to fame, personal interest, and qing. Now when I see my colleagues receiving promotions, my heart is very calm and pure. I feel a sense of blessing rather than admiration or loss. In the past, when it was time for the annual bonuses, I would be extremely happy because the balance in my savings account would increase. But the pursuit of material things could not bring me true satisfaction no matter how much I obtained. Now the annual bonus has a different meaning for me. It was something to advance my personal interest in the past, but now it is something I can use for others, for the salvation of sentient beings. I have less money in my pocket, but my heart feels more satisfaction, because I have done the things that I should do.

"Ordinary people know me not, I sit amidst Mystery;
Where there is profit and desire,
there I am not,
After others pass away,
only I remain."

When I read this poem, "The Awakened" in "Hongyin," I feel that it is talking about those who can let go of attachments to fame, personal interest, and qing. In the past, I thought it referred to Master himself. Now my understanding is: Isn't a person who has let go of fame, personal interest, and qing an enlightened person among everyday people? An enlightened person is someone who has become enlightened through cultivation.

The above reflects my personal understanding at my current level. Please kindly point out any errors.

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