My Understanding of Seeking Help from Teacher

By a Falun Dafa Practitioner from China

(Clearwisdom.net) I always assume that as a practitioner, in the face of my inability to manage my own affairs, I should not ask Teacher for help or reinforcement; I should instead become more competent and handle things myself. Later I find out that I had my own ideas when I thought this way, and actually to some extent I validated myself or held on to myself, or I was even presumptuous. It depends on the individual's understanding and circumstances. I discovered that this thought focused too much on personal cultivation, but not on the needs of Fa-rectification.

As cultivators, we must take the initiative to get rid of these exposed human notions. We cannot always seek Teacher for help. Otherwise one's main consciousness is not clear or forgets that he, himself, is cultivating.

During Fa-rectification, we should be more clear that Teacher is rectifying the Fa and saving the whole cosmos, and all lives must be completely cleansed by Teacher prior to entering the future cosmos. If a person thinks that he can cultivate and meet the requirements of Teacher, but is reluctant to or forgets to seek Teacher for help when necessary, isn't it like a baby trying to shower himself? Can a baby wash himself thoroughly?

We are originally lives from old cosmos. We cannot clearly see through and negate the old force arrangements, and cannot make ourselves clean only by showering ourselves with dirty water. Teacher spreads Dafa, and as a result we can see clearly the gaps between perfection and ourselves. We have the opportunity to thoroughly purify ourselves. During the process of purification, if we seek Teacher for help when the situation is beyond our abilities, we express our determination to get rid of the "old self" and become "new" by assimilating to Dafa. This determination is most precious.

I also understand that if we feel reluctant to seek help from Teacher, do we not have human notions? There is a saying that "I don't like to seek help from others." Isn't this fundamentally self protection? I also see the notion that, "I won't ask fellow practitioners for help, so they will not bother me either." In fact if I become selfless, then I truly become part of the whole body. Fellow practitioners and I are all part of the whole body. As a whole body, help from each other is actually coordination and harmonization of Dafa disciples as a whole body. There is no problem in seeking help from others in a whole body.

Therefore I believe that seeking help from Teacher or fellow practitioners is not like seeking help from ordinary people, because this is related to our cultivation and helping Teacher to rectify the Fa. If the basis of seeking help is to assimilate to whole body, then it is pure. Otherwise it's an unclear main consciousness, laziness or pursuing external help.

Therefore as Dafa disciples during Fa-rectification, we should create our own paths, however, if we need help, please remember that Teacher and fellow practitioners surround us.

For a long period of time I always asked myself when I needed help, "Why don't I like to seek help from Teacher?" I find that the answer is because I did not believe in Teacher enough. I found again that if one doesn't understand the Fa principles clearly, one will lack righteous belief.

Please point out anything improper.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/9/19/162979.html

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