Reflecting on My Fundamental Attachment

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher talks about a cultivator's fundamental attachment in "Towards Consummation." What is my fundamental attachment?

Reading this article in the past, I carefully thought about this, and about what thoughts caused me to come to practice Dafa. Indeed I found it was human notions that made me begin the practice: I felt I could have a healthier body (I learned Falun Dafa while at university, and wanted to relieve the fatigue I experienced from studying). Falun Dafa is also free to learn. I had always been interested in qigong, and have learned others, but they were so expensive I could not afford them. There was another fundamental attachment: I wanted to find people or an organization that would treat me well, ones that would treat me as well as I treat them.

I recognized only a third of these attachments when I first began the practice. It was a bit hidden, but it has controlled (or influenced) me from when I first began the practice around two years ago. All along I was looking for a pure land where I could feel comfortable. Before Dafa practitioners complete cultivation, we all have impure things, but we strive to get rid of these impurities, and improve ourselves. This is different from others in society who go with the flow, adding fuel to the fire.

When I was reading "Minghui Weekly" several days ago, I was reminded of the understanding that the fundamental attachment of an ordinary life is "selfishness." Selfishness is the fundamental attachment of lives in the old cosmos. It is because of selfishness that the old cosmos would deteriorated. The new cosmos is perfectly harmonized and imperishable, because the new cosmos is unselfish. Dafa practitioners are all born out of the old cosmos, therefore we all have this fundamental attachment. Only by taking the initiative to assimilate to Dafa by acting according to Dafa's requirements and relinquishing "selfishness" layer by layer through cultivation, are we able to enter the selfless new universe, and walk the path to consummation.

All the notions we had when we began the practice buzz around like bees in our heads during Fa study. They lead to occasional actions not in accordance with the Fa, improper thoughts about fellow practitioners, indulgence of one's actions and thoughts, attachments of various fears in the Fa-rectification cultivation process, looking for excuses for oneself, not being diligent in doing the three things, and certain interference by the old forces. Selfishness causes all this chaos.

Only by ridding ourselves of selfishness through practice are we practitioners able to better save sentient beings. Solidly doing well in saving sentient beings requires us to abandon selfishness so that our lives will advance toward consummation.

If we do not do well, not only are we unable to save more sentient beings, but the heavenly body that we represent may also be deformed and incomplete. This would be forever irreparable. We must do the three things as well as we can. When we abandon selfishness based on the Fa and get rid of our fundamental attachments, we can display the mercy of enlightened beings.

Teacher published "Towards Consummation" seven years ago, and has mentioned the three things countless times. It is pity that I only enlightened to it now.

The above are some of my understandings of the Fa. If there are any mistakes, please point them out with compassion.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/9/15/162685.html

 Yearly Archive   Printer Version