(Clearwisdom.net) Yesterday, after experiencing long periods of conflicting thoughts, I finally recognized many root attachments that are still impeding my progress in cultivation. In essence, they are sentiments towards family members, craving for fame and wealth, and longing for comfort.

Those human desires were magnified many times and dictated my thoughts. I thank Master for constantly watching over me, and at critical moments exposing my weaknesses so I could see the demons lurking and waiting for me to make a mistake. It was a scary feeling to see how close I was to falling.

Not long ago, I had a dream. In the dream, I saw the old forces write down four major weaknesses of Cao Dong that led to his arrest, and the four weaknesses were the reason the old forces put Cao Dong, as a Falun Dafa practitioner, to the test. (See article about Cao Dong: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2006/6/7/74223.html)When I woke up, I hesitated for a moment. Yes, Cao Dong did have weaknesses, otherwise, he would not have gotten into such problems. I found the key issue: Which Dafa practitioner does not have attachments? I was led to look at the whole issue from the perspective of a demon. Whether or not a practitioner has weaknesses, he is being looked after by Master. Every cultivator's path is arranged by Master, who would definitely not send him or her into a prison or forced labor camp to do his cultivation. In Cao Dong's case, I have tried to help with righteous thoughts, but how could I be sure I had not for one moment acknowledged the demon's arrangement? If that was so, I was helping to push this practitioner down as well. The thought was disturbing.

I remember a few years ago at a fellow practitioner's home, I discovered that Cao Dong was still using

an old-fashioned straight razor to shave. At the time, when electric shavers were popular, a straight razor was outdated and was more of an antique. Cao was working as a tour guide then, earning barely 600 yuan a month, but he never complained. I was much better off then, knowing that if I were in his position, I would feel sorry for losing a high-paying job and ending up with a small income and a simple life. Now, whenever life is not treating me well, Cao Dong's hard life and his devotion to Dafa work and saving sentient beings comes to mind. The thought of him always encourages me to do better what a Dafa practitioner should do. Unfortunately, I have not been doing well, especially now. Many practitioners are still being persecuted. I feel that my slacking of has also brought pressure to our fellow practitioners who are being persecuted.

The aim of my article is to remind practitioners who may have similar attachments. When we see our fellow practitioners being arrested, are our thoughts still maintaining the standard of a practitioner during the Fa-rectification period? Even for a brief moment, reject the old forces arrangements. Never accept what they call "tests" for Dafa practitioners. I have come to realize that the persecution of a practitioner can be strongly influenced by the thoughts of all other practitioners who have known him. These are related to our own cultivation and whether or not a certain practitioner can safely escape persecution or if the demons will be disintegrated in the Fa-rectification period.

Posting date: 1/6/2007
Original article date: 1/6/2007
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2006/12/7/144072.html

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