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Enlightenment from the Fa to "Pacify the External by Cultivating the Internal"
(Clearwisdom.net) A while ago I was puzzled by an exterior disturbance.
When one of my parents was hospitalized for surgery, my wife was suddenly taken
away by the authorities. With the attachment of sentiment, I could not study the
Fa or practice the exercises with a peaceful mind, and I couldn't
maintain the proper hand position when sending forth righteous thoughts. I was
really badly bothered at that time. One day, when I was studying Teacher's article "Pacify the External by
Cultivating the Internal" in Essentials for Further Advancement),
I suddenly found the root cause of what was disturbing me; that is, I did
not cultivate myself well. At that time, I enlightened to another level of
meaning of cultivation--pacifying the external by cultivating the internal. If
we cultivate internally, the external environment will be calm. Otherwise, we
cannot form a merciful, auspicious, pure, and righteous field. Then how can we
affect and restrict external factors? "Broadly shines a Buddha's light, ("One With the Fa" in Hong Yin) So only by cultivating the internal can we pacify the external. Without a
pure interior state of mind, how can the exterior environment be peaceful? If I
am disturbed or perplexed, is that not caused by my own mind? Meanwhile, I realized the principle that all of what Teacher has said is
"Fa" and is for directing our cultivation and is closely associated
with us. When I studied that article before, I always comprehended it with a
human mind and took it as a strategy for administering a country and ways for
officials and common people to behave, yet I never related it to my cultivation.
Also, when I studied the Fa before, I frequently chose to read whatever I liked
to study. I would memorize by heart the paragraphs that were related to me.
Actually, that is a kind of attachment. "Study the Fa and gain the Fa, ("Solid Cultivation," Hong Yin) I cannot help but ask myself, "When I study the Fa, do I measure myself
against the Fa, follow Teacher's instruction and cultivate myself
genuinely?" March 30, 2007 |