PureInsight | January 14, 2002
I had a dream that was still vivid even when I woke up. I couldn’t help but heave a sigh. Cultivation is indeed solemn and difficult. You know the principles on the surface, that cultivation is a battle between life and death and that you have to get rid of all kinds of attachments to reach Consummation. When you are awake, and nothing is bothering you, your attachments remain hidden. Cultivation is serious in that can you take the Fa as the teacher at every moment. By following It in all respects one reaches the state of “Compliance is cultivation.” (From “Solid Cultivation” in Hong Yin) Can I recognize the obstacles that prevent me from improving, willingly dig out their roots and get rid of them? Or, do I continue to give them room, allowing them to nourish themselves in dark corners, and eventually let them engulf me when they become big and strong?
In my dream, I was sitting in a bus with many people. The bus was full of noise and excitement throughout the journey. Suddenly, my eldest daughter came from the back seat, holding many beautiful hand-made flowers. She stood in front of me, asking me which one I wanted. I looked at all the flowers and couldn’t decide. I took a glance at the people behind me, and found that everyone on the bus had very beautiful flowers in their hands; many of these were still in whole bouquets. However, the flowers in my daughter’s hand were only single stalks. I asked her where her flowers came from. She said that she used part of the money I sent her to pay living expenses while attending college away from home to buy the materials and make these beautiful flowers to give away to people. So the people on the bus were full of joy. When I heard this, I started to scold her, “We are hard up, yet you are not thrifty. Maybe I’ll send you less money next month, so you will be more frugal. And what’s more, I am your mother. Why didn’t you let me choose the flowers first after you made them? All the ones I like are in the hands of others.” My daughter stood there and looked at me with surprise and disappointment.
When I woke up from the dream, my daughter’s expression deeply pained me. The pain came from having thought that I had lessened my attachment to fame, interest and sentimentality through cultivation. I saw even more clearly my hidden attachments through our benevolent Master’s hints in the dream. I analyzed the dream as follows: My daughter spent her own money making beautiful flowers to give to others and to spread happiness. She was generous with her money. This is a manifestation of kindness. I, however, was attached to self-interest, attached to the losses and gains of the ordinary world. Then I rambled on about why she didn’t let me choose first because I am her mother, and that it was natural that I should get to choose first. This was emotional attachment . I forgot that I should think of others before myself and become selfless. I also blamed her for giving the more beautiful flowers to others. Man loves to compare. This gives rise to the competitive mentality and the attachments of zealotry and jealousy. Also, much greed was manifested.
Master! I am truly grateful to you. Being able to dig out the roots of attachments through dreams is a matter all practitioners should take seriously. Otherwise, it’s just like Master said, “If you fail the test the first time, it will be difficult to pass it the second time. Yet there is also the case where when one fails the first test, one will regret it very much upon waking from sleep. Perhaps this mentality and state of mind will reinforce your thoughts about it. When the issue again arises, you will be able to control yourself and pass the test. If one who fails the test does not care about it, it will be harder to pass later. It is definitely this way.” (From Lecture Six, “Demonic Interference in Cultivation” in Zhuan Falun)
Therefore, I realized that human thinking, deeply engrained within us for thousands of years is the stumbling block to reaching Consummation. Every attachment is like a cable tightly hitched to a ship that is about to set sail. How can you not face it at all the time? Shouldn’t we actively eradicate those poisonous roots that have grown so deeply within us life after life? Master has spread Dafa that directly emphasizes the cultivation of one’s mind. It enables cultivators to reach their own original, wonderful and highest position through climbing the heavenly ladder. If we still can’t recognize the hindrance of this stumbling block and stumble over it again and again, we can’t go anywhere. Only when we acknowledge the occurrence of every thought, truly follow the Fa in everything we encounter and keep Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) in our mind and actions, can we vigorously advance on our cultivation path towards Consummation.
I hope to encourage fellow practitioners with this personal experience. Please correct me if there is anything inappropriate.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2001/12/13/12887.html
