On Differences in Diligence

[PureInsight.org] One interesting math equation is now circulating on Weibo (the Chinese equivalent of Twitter). The equation goes: “1.01 to the power of 365 will result in 37.8; 0.99 to the power of 365 will result in 0.03.”

So, if we let 1 represent one day’s effort, 1.01 indicates just adding 1% more to one’s effort every day, while 0.99 means slacking off 1% every day. The difference after one year (365 days) is so great. For someone putting in 1% more effort every day, he will end up with 37.8, while someone putting in 1% less every day will end up with a paltry 0.03. If we divide these two results, the result is a factor of 1219 (37.8/0.03).

I was really surprised to learn of this equation. A single day’s trivial difference will end up in such a great difference after just one year’s passage of time.

Isn’t it just the same principle for us cultivators? We all cultivate in the same school, learn the same Fa, and have the same Master. In the same decade, due to our differences of self-discipline, willingness to put in more hard work, diligence etc., we end up with great differences in our achievements.

Some fellow practitioners are now able to keep calm at all times. Whenever they run into issues, these practitioners will usually seek the guidance of the Fa. Such practitioners have already come to realize that Fa-study is the most important task in their lives. Cultivation is their main occupation. When these practitioners get a chance, they will pick up a Dafa book to study. When riding a bus, or working in an office, these practitioners won’t forget to recite the Fa in their hearts. Day in and day out, these practitioners keep studying the Fa and their minds are filled with the principles of the Fa.

Now, at the same time, there are those practitioners who still try hard to enjoy their everyday lives in society. Whenever they get a chance, they will watch TV, browse the Internet, or go shopping. When they feel like it, they might pick up a Dafa book and read it. If they don’t feel like it, they will put the Fa on the backburner. To such practitioners, cultivation and Fa-study is not their main occupation, rather it’s my side job. It’s just one of their personal hobbies. Let’s think about it, if we read one lecture every day, then in one decade, we will end up reading Zhuan Falun more than 3,500 times. On the other hand, if we just study one lecture every month, then in 10 years, we will end up reading Zhuan Falun a mere 120 times. The vast difference between the above two groups of practitioners is simply due to one’s dedication that one puts into the Fa on a daily basis.

Some fellow practitioners pay very important attention to sending forth righteous thoughts (SFRT). In the beginning of doing SFRT, these practitioners experience much interference, however, these practitioners have kept doing SFRT every day. Whenever it’s time to do SFRT, it’s almost like a military command. These practitioners sit cross-legged and erect their hands to send forth their righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. As time goes on, these practitioners’ righteous power grows stronger and stronger and human notions become less and less potent. These fellow practitioners have experienced remarkable reductions of external interference, while their minds have become even clearer. Their righteous energy fields are very powerful.

At the same time, there are those practitioners who don’t pay any attention to SFRT at all. Some of them even claim that SFRT is not necessary. They even claim they themselves are the righteous thoughts. As a result, these practitioners have simply given up performing SFRT. Such practitioners have struggled with external interference. Since the Fa requires us to perform SFRT, it is essential for every one of us to do so when the time comes. It’s just like a military command. When we are united and performing SFRT all at the same exact time, the power is limitless. If each just follows his/her own way, it will be like grains of sand scattered everywhere. The power of SFRT is determined by the unity of each and every one of us as cultivators. It will determine whether or not we can win the battle against the evil and definitely influence the process of Fa-rectification. Do we treat SFRT like a military command or something that we can ignore? The difference is in one’s choice.

Some fellow practitioners are always smiling with faces that shine like the sun. They treat every conflict as a cultivation opportunity and hold onto righteous thoughts. They will improve and become more tolerant. Yet, at the same time, there are some practitioners who are always whining with complaints about everything. Whenever they run into a conflict, such practitioners will inevitably start a fight with others and are never willing to yield, bent on looking for faults within others. So, we have practitioners who are improving tolerance every day. We also have practitioners who hold onto grudges without improving tolerance at all. The difference is shown daily by one’s attitude towards conflict.

Some fellow practitioners have already gotten rid of their attachments to lust and desires in this human world. Their physical bodies are filled with righteous energy. These practitioners are able to discipline themselves on the issue of lust. They read traditional moral stories about abstinence and stay away from erotic venues or TV programs. Whenever their attachment to lust is revealed, these practitioners will immediately SFRT to eliminate interference. At the same time, there are those practitioners who are still heavily attached to lust and desires. Just like what Master has mentioned in the article “Cultivators’ Avoidances” in Essentials for Further Advancement: “While reciting the scriptures, they even cast furtive glances; they are far from the Dao and are wicked, everyday people.”

Such practitioners claim that they can discipline themselves as long as they study the Fa. They don’t pay attention to the Fa on lust and desire. Whenever erotic programs appear on TV, these practitioners will not shut down the TV right away; they will instead continue to watch. Whenever their attachment to lust is revealed, such practitioners will not try to suppress their attachment. Rather, they will just indulge themselves. So, on one side, we’ve got practitioners who treat the issue of lust as a red line in the sand—there is absolutely no crossing of this line whatsoever. Yet, on the other side, we’ve still got practitioners who indulge themselves. The difference is simply due to one’s Xinxing cultivation.

Some practitioners get to read Minghui articles every day. They learn from others and try hard to understand the cultivation experiences of other practitioners. They treat fellow practitioners like a mirror of themselves and make comparisons in order to improve. If we can just learn from one experience of fellow practitioners every week, in 10 years we will end up knowing of at least 520 precious cultivation experiences. Some of those experiences were gained only after fellow practitioners lost their lives. Such experiences are very precious and must be cherished. Yet, there are those practitioners who use the principles of “treating the Fa as one’s Master” as an excuse, and claim that they don’t need to learn from Minghui, claiming that it is already enough to study the Fa. As we all know, Minghui is a platform for Falun Dafa cultivators around the world. Master has provided this platform to exchange our cultivation experiences and improve ourselves together as a group. When we cultivate with the help of this Minghui platform, the platform will improve and we will be elevated. If we cultivate on our own, there will be no reference, no supporting base; there will not exist an environment where everyone is comparing themselves against others in his or her cultivation. Yes, one can still improve in such a way, but it will take a long time. If we practice cultivation as a group every day, of course we can improve faster. If we cultivate on our own every day it will take much longer to elevate.

Some fellow practitioners are very energetic. They feel that their physical bodies are as light as the air. No matter how hard their professions or house work, these practitioners will always practice the five sets of exercises every day. In their minds, practicing the exercises is like an iron cast rule that one must follow daily—one will never compromise this rule. It is a homework that a cultivator will have to complete no matter what.

There are those practitioners who have not yet experienced dramatic changes in their physical health. These practitioners are always showing signs of some kind of physical ailments. Some of them have been taking medicine for more than eight years. They feel pain in one part of their body today and in another part tomorrow. Most of these practitioners have not practiced the exercises for a while or don’t practice the exercises daily. Some of them only practice the sitting mediation exercise, and some practice only now and then. Master has mentioned in the poem, “Assimilation” from Hong Yin: “Scriptures cultivate one’s heart, exercises refine one’s body.” If we don’t practice the exercises, how can we expect to get Gong? How can we expect to cleanse our bodies of disease karma? How can we transform our Benti? Everyone has an attachment to comfort, everyone is prone to laziness. If we can make up our minds to practice the exercise a little bit more every day, our physical bodies will definitely become healthy.

Some fellow practitioners pay special attention to speech. They don’t engage in rumors. Cultivation is their first priority as these practitioners mind their speech at all times; they choose to tolerate rather than fight back. As a result, their tolerance and determination improves and conflicts are solved in an easy way.

Yet, there are those practitioners who are still interested in hearing and spreading all kinds of rumors. They become angry if the rumors happen to include themselves. For such practitioners, the more they engage in rumors, the more they feel the pain of ordinary people who simply can’t go beyond the complex net of inter-conflicts. These practitioners only aggravate the situation and get themselves bogged down in the end. If we mind our speech every day and speak a little bit less, try hard to tolerate and then forget about those rumors, things will definitely get better. If we never mind our speech, and utter whatever we feel like, it’s a sure thing that we will end up in a mess. The more we try to explain, the more mess we will create. We will keep our Xinxing level at the same place, and as a result, we might create speech karma and our cultivation will lag behind.

There is a nursery rhyme which goes: “A single screw nut is lost, a horse is lost; a horse is lost, a battling horse is amiss; a battling horse is amiss, a war general is lost; a war general is lost, a war is lost; a war is lost, an empire is gone.” So, the fall of a great empire is basically due to a single loss of a loosened screw nut on a horseshoe. This rhyme tells us a principle where if we neglect small things, we will end up in a big mess. A trivial negligence in the first place, if not corrected properly and timely, might result in an irreversible catastrophe at the very end.

Every fellow practitioner is following his/her path in cultivation. Each has difficulties, hardships, or complaints that are hard to explain to others. The difference in cultivation accomplishment sometimes seems like a difference in a single thought. Such a tiny difference makes it hard to be exposed. People don’t even want to talk about such trivial things. Yet, cultivation is just like sailing against the wind—if you don’t push hard, you will inevitably get pushed backward. If we spend a little more time on Fa study and practice the exercises every day, then we will be able to go beyond our human notions and our human realms for the long haul. If we slacken a little bit and get a little bit lazy with Fa study and the exercises every day, then we will definitely lag behind and might just get lost in the end.

Cultivation is not a sprint; a sudden burst of incredible speedup will not help. Cultivation is more like a marathon—a contest in both speed and endurance are needed. Cultivation will only be achieved after years and years of hard work. We will have to apply high standards day after day, year after year. We will have to preserve and keep our motivation up just like when we first started cultivating. We push ourselves a little hard, we want to improve more from yesterday— only then can we eventually achieve a “complete universe in our own body” and reach consummation.

Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/node/121974