PureInsight | January 25, 2010
[PureInsight.org] An elderly person who has been practicing Falun Dafa for many years was suffering through some sickness karma. She knew about the Fa principle on this issue, but still couldn't give up her ordinary thinking. Other practitioners thus shared their experiences with her to encourage her to improve. Looking at the fellow practitioner in tribulation and listening to others’ sharing, I thought of many things. I have been cultivating for over a dozen years, but have suffered little sickness karma. I usually passed these tribulations quickly when they did come. Seeing her situation, which was similar to that of other practitioners, I could see what her attachments were. At the same time, I thought that it wasn’t a coincidence for me to see this situation. What was the reason for it?
I was having many problems myself that prevented me from making progress on my cultivation path. They had been dragging on for a long time. I had tried to improve the situation without success and felt a bit helpless. Actually, I knew what to do but still couldn't improve on it. Wasn’t it just like the sickness karma the fellow practitioner had encountered?
Teacher said in Zhuan Falun, Lecture Six:
“Only if one truly practices cultivation can one’s journey of life be changed. But as a regular person, this person is practicing qigong only for healing and fitness. Who will change his path of life? As an ordinary person, he will catch an illness one day or come across some trouble on another day. He might become psychotic someday or drop dead. An ordinary person’s whole life is just like that.”
Cultivation is neither a profession nor a hobby. It is not an ordinary person’s title either. Instead, it comes from deep within one's mind. It is for improving the most essential parts of life. Through studying the Fa, we understand that cultivation is intertwined with everything such as one's thoughts in dealing with people and affairs. When you are troubled by some difficulties or are looking outward and complaining about unpleasant things, have you thought about what you should be doing inside yourself?
My child will be five years old soon and he still cannot maintain a regular eating schedule. He eats for a while, then plays for a while. Sometimes he still wants me to feed him. He crawls around on the floor and does not walk correctly. He would break his toys as soon as he touches them. I have told him to stop doing this numerous times, but he still hasn't changed. One day I compared my child's behavior to my own cultivation state. I don't maintain a regular Fa study schedule and am often absent-minded or fall asleep when reading. I do not take cultivation truly seriously. Through Fa study, I understand the standard of being a cultivator and the state one should be in, but I often let the my human notions and attachments control my thoughts and behavior, which is unbefitting of a Dafa disciple. Isn't my behavior just like that of my child?
When I woke up this morning, I realized that being a cultivator, I have the path I need to walk on. When one's mind is pure and walks steadfastly on the cultivation path, nothing can hold you back. I should not be confused by the various phenomena around me and forget what my primary goal is. When we do well cultivating ourselves, clarifying the truth, and sending forth righteous thoughts, people will witness the greatness of Dafa and have a bright future.
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2009/10/16/62119.html
