PureInsight | May 23, 2005
[PureInsight.org] Since he was little, Mr. Zhang knew that one may reach godhood through cultivation practice. He had little interest in secular fame and wealth. The only thing that interested him was the Tao. He had looked everywhere for the true Tao before he finally found Falun Dafa (or Falun Gong.) Since he started practicing Falun Gong, he has been very diligent in studying Falun Gong's books. He also prompted his wife and children to practice Falun Gong. Moreover, he had very high expectations for his wife and children, so he would "coach" them strictly according to the Fa. Whenever he found an attachment in his family, he would be overcome with frustration and disgust. "Why do my wife and children have such a low enlightenment quality?" he groaned. "Why are they so terrible at their cultivation practice?" In the end, he "gave up" on his family. He would even use Teacher's words to justify his own problem. He thought, "Teacher said, 'Human beings are so lost that they are not enlightened to it, no matter what hints they are given. If something is explained from a high perspective, they will find it incomprehensible. If something is explained from a low perspective, they cannot enlighten to what is higher.' (From Zhuan Falun) Teacher is so right. I'd better focus on my own cultivation practice. I should not have any sentimental attachment to my family." Since then, he stopped caring for his family matters, his children's education or his wife.
After Jiang Zemin started to openly persecute Falun Gong, his wife and his children left him. Mr. Zhang began to hate his wife, thinking she has taken the dark side and was taking a part in the persecution against him. He decided that he had eliminated his attachment to sentimentality, so he divorced his wife right away.
Let's talk about another Falun Gong practitioner, Mr. Lee. He learned about Falun Gong by chance. After he started Falun Gong cultivation practice, he decided that it would take a lot of determination and diligence for him to complete his cultivation practice or even to meet the high requirements for a genuine Falun Gong practitioner. Hence, he has been conducting himself strictly according to the Fa and completely changed his attitude towards his belligerent, ill-tempered wife. He started to interpret his wife's reproaches with a benevolent mentality. For example, when his wife shouted at him, "You! How can you be so filthy? How can you not take a shower in such a hot, humid weather?!" he would think that his wife was truly concerned for his welfare except she had a unfeminine way to show her concern. He started to listen to his wife's bullying and reproaches with smiles. He no longer finds his wife agitating or bullying. Instead, he has become very affectionate to his wife and always praises his wife for her concern for him. Soon his ill-tempered, unfeminine wife became a more feminine and gentle woman.
Since Jiang Zemin started persecuting Falun Gong, Mrs. Lee has been an active supporter of Falun Gong and has helped with a lot of Falun Gong practitioners' truth-clarification work. Slowly Mrs. Lee also became a Falun Gong practitioner.
After Mr. Zhang made friends with Mr. and Mrs. Lee, he quickly developed a distain for Mrs. Lee. He thinks that Mrs. Lee is an uncivilized, undutiful and masculine wife. Besides, he thinks that Mr. Lee lacks the dignity of a man and the honor of a Falun Gong practitioner. Each time Mr. Zhang makes these comments in front of Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee only smiles at him in return.
Seeking the Tao only indicates one's interest in the Tao. It is not cultivation practice to look for perfect fellow practitioners that do not need any "fixing"; it is merely a strong interest to witness the manifestation of the Tao.
Cultivating oneself in the Tao is a different story. It is a true cultivation practice when one genuinely measures one's each thought according to the Fa and guides one's speech and actions according to the Fa.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2005/5/19/32419.html
