By a Falun Gong practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher frequently tells us not to have the intention of gaining when studying the Fa. Teacher said in Hongyin, "Doing, but without pursuit--So constant, abiding in the Dao." According to Teacher's requirement, I realized I've had an attachment to gaining things, which is very serious. The attachment to gaining things is like the emotion that permeates the human world. There is a saying among everyday people, "Never give up without success," which reflects this common attachment. For practitioners, this attachment could be mixed in with their righteous thoughts or hidden in their subconscious, so it is difficult to identify. A strong attachment to gaining things could lead a practitioner to a dead end. The story below may help my fellow practitioners.

Zou Ziyin was a pious Buddhist who lived in Jiangxi during the Ming Dynasty. He'd been doing all kinds of good deeds; he never hesitated to give a hand to those who had difficulties, despite the winter cold or summer heat. Everyone considered him a "good Samaritan." It is said that upon the eve of his death, Zou Ziyin was taken to the gates of the underworld. He asked the Judge of Hell to show him the records of good and evil. Next to his name two words were written: "fame" and "profit."

At first, Zou Ziyin was not convinced, so he kept looking through the record book. He found that each of the good deeds he had done in his life was recorded as being done either in the name of fame or profit; only then did he begin to see the truth and feel ashamed.

When he returned he said, "Please help me to remind those who do good deeds to do them with a compassionate heart, and never with the attachment to fame and profit!"

Zou Ziyin died five days later. His good friend Tang Shi said of him, "I knew Zou Ziyin very well. Perhaps he was unable to refrain from seeking fame, but he generously aided needy people, so how could he ruin himself by seeking profit? Perhaps while he raised money to do good deeds, he took some of it and persuaded himself that he would 'just borrow it for a while.' As time passed, he might have found he was unable to return the money. What a pity it is that he did so many good deeds, yet his life was summed up by the words fame and profit."

Gods know everything, so it is fruitless to hide and conceal the attachment of selfishness. People should save sentient beings with pure hearts out of genuine compassion, without the intention of gaining something. Doing good deeds to avoid falling down to hell is an attachment, and putting money raised for good deeds into one's own pocket or seeking fame and profit is futile.

Some practitioners study the Fa seeking enlightenment, work very hard to avoid having others find fault with them, do housework to be accepted by their family, and send forth righteous thoughts seeking an immediate outcome. However, the more they keep seeking, the worse the results. How does one get rid of the attachment to gaining things? It is important to realize that gaining things is an attachment that practitioners must remove; we must change our way of thinking and understand Teacher's Fa. If we do well what we're supposed to do, we will be able to achieve the desired results.

I used to pursue speed when I did Dafa work, but now I try to emphasize quality and a good outcome. I used to shop for cheaper prices, but now I just buy the things I need, which is so much simpler! I used to study the Fa hurriedly but now I calm myself and read each word, taking each one to heart. Every word is profound, and it seems I didn't really understand before. I used to do favors for people in the hope that they would understand Dafa, but now I offer help from my heart, and it seems it's easier for them to accept Dafa, and my heart in turn becomes more pure. Doing well what we are supposed to do as required by Teacher, I feel so relaxed, comfortable and at peace. Getting rid of the attachment to gaining things has showed me the power of genuine compassion. Teacher said, "Without 'nothing,' it is a human feeling. If it is a human feeling, then it's not bei (compassion)." (Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference). Accordingly, seeking things isn't compassion.

Teacher said, "Some people don't get it. Their teachers tell them, 'Don't go seek it, don't go seek it,' but they just don't believe it, and they keep on seeking after it so stubbornly, and they get the exact opposite of what they wanted." (Zhuan Falun, 2003 English Translation). I recommend that practitioners with this attachment read this paragraph from the section, "About the Third Eye" in Zhuan Falun, and get rid of the attachment to gaining things.

September 3, 2006

Posting date: 9/30/2006
Original article date: 9/30/2006
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Translated on 9/10/2006
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/9/6/137028.html

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