PureInsight | September 4, 2008
[PureInsight.org] Recently, my son, who worked in our relative’s company, didn’t want to go to work. This created a very bad impression among our relatives and I was under a lot of pressure. I kept looking inside and found many attachments: affection to family members, being concerned about saving face, fear of this or that, being unable to take criticism, etc. Although I kept cleaning them up, I could feel some human elements still attached to me. My human thoughts became stronger and stronger and eventually I used “wickedness to subdue the wicked.” I thought that giving my son external pressure would force him to go to work. But the more I was attached to this, the worse the result was. In the end, he handed in his resignation. I was very upset!
In the morning when he went to work to submit his resignation, I tried hard to control my temper, “No, I have to jump out of this matter; I have to do what I should do.” So I took 32 DVDs of the Divine Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular shows and passed them out in the community. Once I finished that, I felt relaxed and calm, so I went back home. Along the way, I saw the sky-blue water in the swimming pool, the fragrant white orchid, and the mango trees with hanging fruit; everything was delightful. Suddenly I thought of my son’s trouble, and I became clear-minded, “What’s the big deal! Why I am so attached to this? People can make a living no matter what kind of work they do. Those rag pickers are making a living too.” Right at the moment this thought emerged, a yellow ripe mango appeared in front of me. I thought, “Thank you, Master!” As soon as I picked up the mango, I heard a “dong” and another big mango dropped on the sidewalk. I blurted out, “Thank you for the encouragement, Master!” You know, everyday there were always some people searching for ripe mangos in the bushes. These two mangos appeared to have blown down to the sidewalk but actually there was no wind at all. I carried the two mangos, which Master rewarded me with and put them on the dressing table. Recalling what happened just now, I felt it was just with one single thought that I could let go of my attachment!
So, I took out a Dafa book to study the Fa. At once, I turned to the page in “Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston” that said: “They are in a state of immense tolerance, of mercy toward all beings, and of being able to understand everything with kindness. To put it in human terms, they're always able to be understanding of others. So sometimes we shouldn't ‘burrow into the horn's point’ with strong everyday people's attachments, be unable to get out of it for a long time, and get more attached the more we think about it--the more you think about it the more your mind seethes, and the more you think about it the more demons take advantage of you. When you're not coolheaded, I'll tell you, that's when demons are using you. I don't care how long you've cultivated for, and it doesn't matter what reputation you have among Dafa disciples, I can guarantee that's what's going on when you're not paying attention to these things. Let me tell you, no matter how well you've cultivated, as long as you still have everyday people's attachments, those are what demons can use, and when you're not paying attention they can be used at any moment. So as a Dafa disciple, you should try your best to restrain those everyday people's attachments, try your best to prevent them from having an effect, try your best to walk a righteous path, and try your best, in all environments and with everything that happens, to conduct yourself in an open and dignified manner, to be tolerant and broad-minded, to be able to understand others, and to be able to consider all perspectives. Then, I think you might be able to do a lot of things well. Acting this way is not compromising! Everybody can share their views and you can evaluate them in a kind manner.”
I read this paragraph repeatedly. Wasn’t it talking about me? The more I read it, the more clear-headed I became.
Now, looking back at what I did in the last several months, I found that I didn’t take a step back, but instead I rushed forward to chase the solution. Although I looked inside sometimes, I only touched the surface. For example, I told my son that going to work is for his own good. But from the bottom of my heart, I was trying to dodge the troubles and pursuing comfort, and it was all for myself. Because I looked at the problem from the ordinary people’s perspective, I asked someone else to either talk with my son or keep an eye on him like a spy. I totally strayed away from the Fa and relied on ordinary people. My son often caught a cold and had a fever, but I insisted on him going to work if the fever was less than 102 degrees (Fahrenheit). It ended up that he took sick days off without telling me. My son also suffered from tenosynovitis (swelling around the tendons) in his left hand. Since he needed to carry heavy stuff at work, it hurt his hand. But I said the tenosynovitis was not a big enough deal for him to skip out on work. I was not compassionate or caring, and as a result, my son wanted to quit his job. The more attached I was, the further I continued down a dead end. My attachment was exploited by demons and I created the tribulation by myself. My son suffered because of this. It was all my fault!
When I found out my real problem, I got a call from the company saying that the vice president agreed that within half a year my son could go back to work any time he wanted. This created a precedent in the company. It’s really like the saying, “when you take a step back in a conflict, you will find the seas and the skies boundless” (“Enlightenment,” Lecture 9, Zhuan Falun)! Later, I talked with my son from his perspective, and he then talked about his true thoughts. I expressed my understanding and my support.
Through this incident, I learned how wonderful it is to cultivate in the Fa. I felt I improved to a higher level. Meanwhile, I also felt Master watched us every single minute and gave us hints. Master taught us that we need to cultivate all the way until the last part of us is fully cultivated. But the gap between my cultivation and the requirements of Dafa made me realize the seriousness and urgency of cultivation. Fellow practitioners, we must not ignore personal cultivation and improvement while doing the three things!
Please kindly point out my misunderstandings if any of my sharing is not in line with the Fa.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2008/8/16/54387.html
