Eliminate the Attachment to Relationships Between Practitioners in Previous Lifetimes

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net) Recently I've read many stories and articles that were written by practitioners describing their memories of previous lifetimes with fellow practitioners. To be honest, every time I've read these articles, I've had some concerns. Today I feel that I need to write about my concerns in order to share them with my fellow practitioners. In doing this I am also being responsible to our cultivation environment.

When I went to Beijing in July 1999, to appeal, I was in close contact with a study group there. At that time, I was shocked to notice that some practitioners there were very attached to "their previous lifetimes' relationship" with each other. Someone remembered that he was a descendant of Yue Fei, and at the same time he discovered other "brothers and sisters." I don't want to talk about this case in particular. However, during that period of time in July 1999, the whole cosmos focused on this crucial moment and history was recording forever this moment, yet I saw many practitioners referring to each other by their previous lifetimes' identities as "brothers and sisters." At the same time they could not get rid of an attachment to affection among practitioners. Carrying on with this strong attachment could not be compared with the demeanor of those practitioners around us who ignored their own safety and went to Tiananmen Square again and again to safeguard the Fa.

I am a practitioner who has had some supernormal abilities from the beginning of my practice. During my cultivation I became aware of the various predestined relationships of the people around me, not to mention the profound predestined relationships amongst practitioners. However, I think these things are not important, and not what we should be focusing on. The most important relationships that a practitioner has are the relationships with the Fa and the relationships with our sentient beings who are waiting for us to save them. Therefore, I seldom talk about any previous lifetimes with fellow practitioners. Compared to this lifetime in which we can cultivate in Dafa, any previous lifetime is meaningless.

My wife cannot see anything during her cultivation. So, including our predestined relationship as husband and wife, I feel there is no need to talk about it. As practitioners, what we are now seeing may not be the truth, or it could be true at a certain level, but it is still not comprehensive. It is the Fa that keeps practitioners striving forward vigorously. If we can avoid mixing other things in with our cultivation, we should definitely avoid them. Besides, compared to this lifetime when we are helping Master to rectify the Fa, any relationship that we may have had in any past ordinary lifetime is nothing.
We are have come down from places in the boundless and vast cosmos, and have reincarnated in this world of mortals. Lifetime after lifetime the relationships we have built up are countless. Today in this period of helping Master rectify the Fa and saving sentient beings, we shouldn't concern ourselves with any relationships from past lifetimes. In my opinion, if the articles that discuss this subject were not written for ordinary people to read also and not for helping to save sentient beings but solely for practitioners to read, it would not be necessary to share this knowledge at all. Especially when pointing out that, in another lifetime, the person in the story is now this or that practitioner today, makes it very easy to create an attachment of sentimentality between practitioners. Now is the period of Fa-rectification, and the time is very precious. Practitioners are in the pure environment of focusing on study, cultivation and helping Master to rectify the Fa. Creating any negative effect by mixing curiosity and zealotry into this sacred relationship between practitioners should be avoided.

Surely, the original intent to write these articles might be good. However, since the writers and readers are still in this human society and are still cultivating themselves, it's hard to avoid adding in ordinary people's mentality and sentimentality between the lines, and these mentalities naturally bring out this attachment. My point is we should differentiate between our readers. Sharing our articles to be read by ordinary people is fine. Since a practitioners' mind is clear and pure, no matter what form of writing we use, it will benefit non-practitioners. However, if the articles are written primarily for other practitioners, I think we should be more circumspect about this issue. Think it over and decide whether it is necessary to discuss this topic during this sacred period. Think about whether it would create human attachments, whether it would create a positive or negative effect on our cultivation environment, and whether we can use our wisdom in a better way.

These are my thoughts and concerns to share with fellow practitioners. My enlightenment level is still limited. If there is anything improper, please point it out.


Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2008/1/17/170459.html

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