My Understanding of Cultivation

[PureInght.org] What is
cultivation? Why do we cultivate? These seem like simple and basic
questions. However, I have had to spend a long time during my course of
cultivation, under Master's guidance, slowly moving from fuzzy to
clear, with continuing understanding, and finally reached many answers.




Actually, I am quite embarrassed about that even after I had practiced
for almost a year I did not know why I wanted to cultivate. Why is it
so great to become a Buddha? "The Buddha school requires emptiness and
Tao School teaches nothingness," so the more one cultivates, the less
one gets, so one will slowly become a senseless stick of wood. What
good would it be when one elevates to a high level? It is far better
living a life of an ordinary person. After I continued to read the Fa,
I thought what Zhuan Falun
talks about is so right. Many topics in the book are things I loved
since childhood, such as prehistoric culture, hospital treatment and
qigong treatment, and heavenly circulation as well as many others
subjects. Perhaps, this is predestined for me.



Not until I read "Falun Dafa Yijie", when answering a question of "What
is the real meaning of life --- living a better life?" Master said,
"Some people think that way. They say, why do we want to cultivate to
be a Buddha?  This clearly indicates that their understanding of
Buddha is very poor and that is why they do not want to cultivate to be
a Buddha. They really do not know.  Why do you want to cultivate
to be a Buddha? First, you can keep your human body; second, you will
never suffer and have ever lasting happiness." "Why do you want to
return? The place you originated from is in the higher dimension and
that is the most beautiful place. That is the place you should stay."
[Unofficial translation] I believed that what Master said was
specifically for practitioners like me. I really did not know until I
read that lecture. The world of divine beings is really beautiful, but
I did not know how beautiful and why it is beautiful.



Over time, I studied the Fa and gained deeper understandings.  I
saw a cartoon about "Heaven and Hell" before I started cultivating. In
the cartoon, there are two pictures: one up and one down. The lower
picture depicts Hell: A group of people surround a big pot of steaming
hot dumplings, but they could not do anything even though they are very
hungry. From the expressions on their faces, they are miserable. They
cannot eat the dumplings because the spoon holding the dumpling is too
long to put the dumpling in the mouth. The picture above depicts
Heaven: The situation is the same, but everyone is very happy. The
reason is that having a spoon that is too long, everyone feeds someone
else. After I saw those pictures, I had mixed feelings and knew that
there was a difference between Heaven and Hell, but I did not know why.



Later in the course of my cultivation, I thought about that cartoon
again. I realized that the difference between Heaven and Hell was not
material but spiritual. The beings in Heaven are truthful,
compassionate, and volunteer to serve others, whereas the beings in
Hell are selfish and distrustful of others: "If you don't feed me
first, I won't feed you. I  would rather be starving and not be
cheated." That is why everyone ends up suffering.



I thought about it carefully and realized that I thought highly about
supernormal capabilities before and believed that diving beings were
happy because of their supernormal capabilities.  Of course, the
divine beings do have enormous power to enable them to live with more
freedom and space, have better living environment, but those matters
alone are not enough.  Obviously, if your celestial eye is open,
so is mine. If you can fly, so can I. Thus, supernormal capabilities
are not a big deal among them. However, in different levels, divine
beings are also being restricted in some ways and cannot do as they
wish. Supposedly, if an ordinary person were given those kinds of

supernormal capabilities and went to the paradise, I bet that he would
be bored in a few days. If human notions were carried up to paradise, I
am sure that it would bring harm to paradise. Perhaps, as more people
went up to Heaven that way, everyone would become unhappy. And the
paradise would turn into a world for ordinary people, or even a Hell.



From that standpoint, it is not important to have supernormal
capabilities.  Those abilities can be a gift. Even a Buddha body
can be given when one reaches consummation. Just like someone can give
you a bicycle and you ride slowly. Someone can also give you a car, so
you car drive it on the highway. Someone can even give you an airplane,
so you can fly. However, if you can not elevate spiritually and your xinxing
is below the requirement, then there would be chaos in this universe.
This requirement is an absolute necessity for the existence of all
different levels in the universe and every being has to meet that
requirement fairly and squarely. Pretense and cover-ups would
eventually be exposed. One has to truly cultivate and to meet the
requirement from the most basic element.



To cultivate in the maze is the most desirable condition and whatever one exhibits in the maze is most definitely true.



Different paradises have different requirements and all those paradises
are the validation of the enlightened beings from different angles and
aspects and also the manifestation of the universe's Fa at different
levels. They integrate harmoniously. Master said in Zhuan Falun,
"The same is true with our universe, which has the Milky Way, other
galaxies, as well as life and water. All things and matter in this
universe are aspects of material existence. At the same time, however,
it also possesses the characteristic Zhen-Shan-Ren.
All microscopic particles of matter embody this characteristic—even the
extremely microscopic particles have this property." He also says, "The
most fundamental characteristic of this universe, Zhen-Shan-Ren,
is the highest manifestation of the Buddha Fa." In this way, all
particles, microscopically to macroscopically, have the basic
characteristic of the universe, even though they may be from different
levels, different worlds, and different types of matter.  Only
when beings can comply with this characteristic, can they last for a
long time. Only when theory can comply with this characteristic, can it
become upright, become "Tao" or "Fa", and "principles." Only when the
essence or the motion of any matter can comply with this characteristic
can it function properly. Otherwise, malfunctions will occur, lives
will disintegrate, and theories turn into fallacies. Since all minute
particles in all kinds of matter have this characteristic, therefore,
when we deviate from this characteristic, we will create conflicts with
all minute particles.  We will meet with their resistance and run
into difficulties or even total failure. If we comply with this
characteristic, we will be welcome.  Actually, not only righteous
matter has this characteristic, but evil matter also has this
characteristic. The only difference is that the preponderance of any
evil matter has deviated from "truthfulness, compassion, and
forbearance." If any evil matter did not have a tiny bit of
"Truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance," then it would cease to
exist.



When I gained a better understanding of "truthfulness, compassion, and
forbearance," I also remembered the Fa more, experienced it more
deeply, elevated higher, and lived a more wondrous life. Cultivation is
a way, a path, and a broad road which enables us to enlighten to Dafa,
assimilate to Dafa, and to meet the requirements of the universe. While
we are in the process of validating Dafa and saving sentient beings, it
is also an opportunity to apply the principles we learn to improve us.
Cultivators acquire maturity through various trials and tribulations
and validating activities and should become enlightened beings who have
assimilated to Dafa. Master's arrangements for us are based on the need
of the universe and our special qualities. I believe that is the best
and most wonderful.

 

Cultivation is a path for human beings to become a magnificent Buddha,
Tao, and immortal in the beautiful paradises. Those divine beings are
in the spiritual realm of thinking of others first and possess mighty
power. Cultivation is a path that human beings must walk on before they
can become the higher beings of endless joy.



Translated from: http://zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2007/5/11/43772.html