What Do We Think As Disciples When Facing Tribulations?

(Clearwisdom.net) During their journey to the west to obtain Buddhist scriptures, Tripitaka and his three disciples went through all kinds of tribulations and finally achieved their goal. During their journey, although the three disciples performed differently, they all wanted to shoulder the burdens for their Master. When facing a tribulation, they shared one thought, "Hurry up and protect Master." That is truly admirable. They all understood very clearly that they could not obtain the Buddhist scriptures without their Master.

What do we think today when we face tribulations in our cultivation? "Hurry up and ask Master to help me." I am not saying it is wrong for a cultivator to think this way. It is a righteous thought built upon the cultivator's trust in Master and the Fa. But today, when Fa rectification has come to the final stage and we have already obtained the ability to protect ourselves, shouldn't we think about how to take some burden off of Master's shoulders?

Master told us that the nature of beings in the past was based on egotism and selfishness, therefore they considered things from their own perspectives. Then, when we ask for Master's help, how much of this thought is based on true selflessness? How much of it is for sentient beings? Master said,

"Actually, you don't yet know that this selfishness reaches all the way up to very high levels. As a matter of fact, for cultivators in the past to say, 'I'm doing such and such,' 'I want to do such and such,' 'I want to obtain such and such,' 'I'm cultivating,' 'I want to become a Buddha,' or 'I wish to attain such and such,' none of that was outside of selfishness. But what I want you to do is to truly, purely, and unselfishly Consummate with the real righteous Fa and righteous Enlightenment - only then can you achieve eternal non-extinction." ("Falun Buddha Fa - Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Switzerland")

I think the key is to study the Fa more and do the three things well as Master requires.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2007/2/11/148690.html

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