PureInsight | November 22, 2021
[Pureinsight.org] In my recent cultivation practice, I can look inward in most cases but not thoroughly. Only when we find out the obstacles in looking inward, can we have breakthroughs in cultivation practice.
The obstacles are as follows:
1. Interfered with by the Old Forces
We are at the Fa-rectification period, we often regard the issues encountered as the old forces’ interference. Thus we reject to search inside. When we’re involved in a test of life or death, we will undoubtedly deny the old force’s arrangement. But why interference? This is because the old forces have exploited our loopholes. In such a case, we should work hard on our hearts to genuinely cultivate Dafa. Then we can truly have the tribulation dispelled.
2. Safeguarding the Fa Was Used as an Excuse to Ignore Looking Inward
Master said in Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference, “So, when you meet with ordeals, it is the perfect opportunity for you to improve. If you are able to look inside, that trying situation will become instead an opportunity, something to overcome and a chance to enter a new state. Why haven't you looked at things that way? As soon as you meet with an ordeal, you push it away. As I said, even if you quarrelled over validating the Fa and saving sentient beings, or you heard some unpleasant comments, those were all for your improvement, because your improvement comes first. Without your improvement, nothing can be achieved, and that includes saving sentient beings.”
We always reckon that we are safeguarding the Fa in the course of validating the Fa. Why do we sometimes argue with others? Because we insist that we’re right. As a result, we don’t realize that we refuse to look inside. We are unable to tell the root cause of a problem if involved in judging right and wrong.
Genuine cultivators are aware that it’s necessary to look inside whenever we’re moved, whilst enlightened beings will stay unmoved. Master wrote in Further Understanding from Essentials for Further Advancement, “Do you realize that as long as you’re a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across—even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are—to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what’s most important.”
3. Hindered by Deep-rooted Notions
Master said in Teachings at the First Conference in North America, “When it comes to whether you can conduct yourself as a cultivator, remember these words of mine: No matter what trouble you encounter, no matter what makes you feel unhappy, and no matter whether on the surface you are right or wrong, if you are to truly regard yourself as a cultivator you should always examine yourself for the cause. Ask yourself whether you have a wrong, hard-to-detect motive that is related to the problem. If you, as a cultivator, only let go of things superficially while beneath the surface you are still guarding and stubbornly defending something, defending your own vital self-interest from being infringed upon by others, I would say that your cultivation is fake! If your thinking doesn’t change, you cannot advance even one step and are deceiving yourself. Only when you truly improve from within can you make real progress. So be sure to remember this: Whenever you come across anything such as troubles, unpleasant things, or confrontations with others, you need to examine yourself and search within. You will find the reason that has kept the problem from being resolved.”
Those deeply-rooted human notions have kept us from looking within. In fact, human attachments do not equal to true-self. If we are unable to search inside ourselves, we will acknowledge the old forces’ arrangement rather than being in line with Master’s arrangement.
The greater the extent we cultivate Dafa, the less the shortcuts. We should examine and shed every human mindset carefully and judge the right and wrong using righteous thoughts. Only when we comply with Zhen-Shan-Ren, can we avoid detours and walk on the golden road leading to the new universe.
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Chinese version: www.zhengjian.org/node/271012
