PureInsight | December 22, 2008
[PureInsight.org] Yesterday, I talked to my co-worker Ms. He about a tiny cut on one of my fingers. I mentioned it casually. But Ms. He is a kind and helpful young lady, and so she brought me a bandage after our conversation. I thanked her and took the bandage and put it inside my pocket. However, I did not anticipate that this was just the beginning of my troubles.
The next day, I went to work as usual. I finished my preparation work and then went to help a co-worker named Hong Lin with cutting vegetables. When I was about to finish, I stared at the little orange squares of carrots with satisfaction in my heart. I thought happily that I could really cut this type of vegetable well. I wanted to show off to Hong Lin. However, just before I opened my mouth, an unfortunate thing happened. I lost control of the knife and cut my finger. I let out a loud cry, “Ah!” and dropped the knife immediately. I stood there with blood dripping from my finger. Hong Lin heard the noise and rushed in from outside. She asked me anxiously, “What happened?” I shook my bloody finger and stood there. I thought in my mind, “What’s wrong with me?” She asked me to rinse my finger with tap water and called to co-workers outside to bring in a bandage. I said that she didn’t need to call for help and quickly took out the bandage from my pocket and passed it to her. She immediately helped me to wrap the cut and I thanked her.
After looking inward, I realized what was going on. If I had not accepted the bandage from Ms. He, I might not have gotten the cut. It was I who wanted it. I also had the mentality of showing off while cutting the vegetables, so this accident happened and I cut my finger. It must have been the result of my indulging in showing off for such a long time. After cultivating for so long, I must completely eliminate this attachment since one can’t bring a single human thought to heaven.
I deeply feel that cultivation is very serious. “What is immortal? Human mentalities do not exist” (Hong Yin, “Distinction Between Human and Enlightened Beings”). However, after all this time, I still have human mentalities that should have been removed long ago. This bloody accident taught me to use a higher standard to discipline myself. Every single thought I have should be of a divine nature. How can I be moved by human notions? I still have plenty of good things that I haven’t done. This incident really should not have happened.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2008/10/2/55148.html
