PureInsight | December 5, 2005
[PureInsight.org] I would like to share my views about some phenomena that have arisen recently and hope that we can all treat them as important. Together, let's do even better and walk the path to godhood as arranged by Master even more righteously.
When Specific Projects Aren't Going Well, We Should Firstly Look at Ourselves
Master said: "Usually the specific things Dafa disciples do are related to their own cultivation, and are, at the same time, related to their circumstances." (From "Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students") and also "If a task has to do with Dafa, and has to do with your validating the Fa or saving beings, then you should go ahead with it. In that case, the more you do the more wide-open the road becomes. That's the case for sure." (From "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference)
That is, looking from the perspective of the Fa, when we encounter a lot of difficulties with specific projects, it is possible that there are problems with our state of cultivation. We should firstly look at ourselves and not point our fingers outwards. Many a times, we separate the truth-clarification projects from personal cultivation and sometimes even replace cultivation with doing specific projects. As time goes on, many practitioners become unable to elevate themselves through the Fa and their enthusiasm for improvement slackens. The projects have then become mundane duties.
Only Pure Righteous Thoughts Can Be Powerful
Master said: "Don't regard as demonic interference all your attachments to insisting on doing things you can't do." (From "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Switzerland")
There is a tendency in my local area that when some projects run into difficulties, or when some activities aren't going well, someone will send out an email out asking practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts to clear the obstacles. Of course, it is fine to send righteous thoughts regardless of whether there is interference or not, because it's one of the three things Master asked us to do; but shouldn't we look at ourselves first rather than doing it with the strong attachment of wanting to reach certain goals? Sometimes it is obvious that the difficulties are caused by our own attachments, yet some practitioners claim that these are the results of demonic interference, and asked others to send forth righteous to clear it. With such impure and unrighteous motives behind it, is like trying to achieve certain goals through supernormal abilities - that certainly doesn't meet the requirement of sending righteous thoughts.
The Cultivation Environment is to Be Maintained by All of Us
Master said: "Do you realize that as long as you're a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across—even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are—to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what's most important.
If you are able to succeed in improving yourself this way, what you do then, with a pure heart, will be the best and most sacred." (From "Further Understanding" in Essentials for Further Advancement.)
Recently there are many Fa-rectification projects to be done. Practitioners often use the excuse of "time is limited for saving sentient beings" to cover up the attachments that surface when doing specific projects. Sometimes they even choose to ignore it when they see their attachments clearly, and use the excuse of "Dafa projects come first, we shouldn't get side-tracked" to cover up these attachments, instead of sincerely getting rid of them. Other practitioners also use the excuses of "we need to maintain a harmonious environment," "Dafa projects come first," or "he has to enlighten to it by himself," and not helpfully pointing out those practitioners' shortfalls for them. What we need is a cultivation environment where we can elevate together, not an environment where there is no conflict. Maintaining a good cultivation environment is everyone's responsibility and we all need to contribute towards it.
Master told us: "Conflicts are inevitable. Without conflicts there wouldn't be any improvement. If the assistants did well, students did well, and nobody had any conflicts in this environment, who would be happy? Demons would be happy, and I wouldn't be happy. The reason is, you would lose the environment for cultivation, you wouldn't be able to improve, and wouldn't be able to achieve the goal of returning. So you shouldn't view conflicts as bad." (From "Lecture at the Western United States Fa Conference")
Evaluate Ourselves According to the Fa in All Situations
Cultivation is a step by step process and only when we can elevate ourselves solidly through enlightening to each of the problems we encounter, are we able to come through important trials and tribulations. Otherwise, we will be unable to pass the tests at crucial moments, and all the Fa-rectification work we've done will become the doings of everyday people. Such is the cultivation process! One has to evaluate all situations with the Fa, rather than with notions such as how many people turned up, or who speaks well and sounds reasonable or touching; less should we follow blindly after someone who issues orders under the pretext of doing Dafa work or saving sentient beings. We must measure everything with the Fa. The grand law we cultivate aims directly at one's heart, regardless of whether it is something of everyday society or Fa-rectification work, it has taken place for our improvement. No matter how holy certain projects appear to be, only through getting rid of human notions, can we walk our path righteously.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2005/11/4/34464.html
