PureInsight | September 2, 2002
Master has told us "One should gain things naturally without pursuing them." (From "Learning the Fa" in Essentials for Further Advancement) I have tried to meet this requirement but I have often felt pain when I couldn't accomplish what I wanted to. Because of this, I advanced very slowly on my path of cultivation. I often admired other disciples when I saw the spectacular manifestation of their levels and wondered when I would become more like them.
Today I suddenly realized that I actually treated "free of pursuit" as a means of obtaining this state instead of a natural state. My understanding of "free of pursuit" was fundamentally based on pursuit. Just like a patient who doesn't say anything but in his heart still wishes that his illnesses would be cured. This understanding in the end was only capable of deceiving myself and others. If I fooled myself with this attitude, how could I possible come to understand the profound meaning of "gain things naturally without pursuit?"
The enlightened beings have no attachments. Will they pursue anything? Certainly they will not. Then who will pursue? Aren't attachments the ones doing the pursuing? Then who has attachments? Isn't it the part of us that hasn't cultivated well? Master requires us to obtain without pursuing. Doesn't this mean that our Main Consciousness needs to take control and give up all the attachments and notions that bind us? Then we'll finally succeed in cultivation and be able to return to a realm of great freedom where nothing restrains us, free of pursuit and intention.
"Free of pursuit" is a manifestation of an enlightened being's freedom. It is extremely magnificent and spectacular. Beings who obtain Consummation are mighty Gods. At their levels, they can have whatever they need and do whatever they want. Do they need to painfully pursue anything?
For Dafa disciples, "free of pursuit" is the natural manifestation of our Main Consciousness after reaching a benevolent state. It is the Fa boat that is returning us back and driving us towards obtaining Consummation. Master rectifies us from our origin, which is also our Main Consciousness. When our Main Consciousness is free of intention then all the rectified beings at a level lower than our Main Consciousness will also be free of intention.
The mentality of pursuit is and stems from our old notions and karma, which hide inside the non-rectified beings. They are selfish things at very low levels. They are the poisonous beings that destroy lives. Why pursue? Is it because we are afraid of not obtaining? Whom do we ask it from? Are we asking it from Master? Master is infinitely benevolent and has already given us the most wonderful things. So is it necessary to ask him for anything? Don't we believe in Master? Gods fully believe in their Lord, why don't we fully believe in Master? It is actually the old notions and karma that don't believe in him, not our Main Consciousness and the parts that have been fully rectified. They are pursuing. What are they pursuing? Aren't they pursuing fame, profit and self-interest? Aren't fame and profit the dirtiest of things and the weights that make lives fall down toward hell? Giving up fame and profit means giving up the burden. Then beings can return to their original nature. Shouldn't all this be accomplished by the Main Consciousness by "obtaining without pursuit?" Nevertheless, I often consider the one doing the pursuing to be myself. Isn't this because I can't distinguish my own Main Consciousness from these low level things? Isn't this because I stood together with the evil and followed along with them? Speaking more seriously, I conspired with the evil to destroy the non-rectified lives in my own cosmic system.
However, all thoughts of pursuit stem from the root thoughts of the old forces who insist on their evil arrangements. They stubbornly insist that Master rectify the Fa according to their requirements. They persistently test Dafa and Dafa disciples. Therefore, they generate extremely huge amounts of karma and destroy countless sentient beings.
Master always requires us to keep our Main Consciousness clear. Now I finally understand how important this is. When my Main Consciousness is clear, I am able to recognize that the mentality of pursuit is not myself. It is postnatal notions. I can clearly observe them quietly arising. Although resisting them, in a certain sense, is a painful feeling, I know that it is the notions and karma that feel the pain and not me. It is because they are struggling in order to not be eliminated that there is pain. But I should treat suffering as joy because I know that the suffering is followed by less attachments and improvement of my level. Is there anything better than getting rid of attachments? Is there anything to celebrate more than returning to one's origin and saving sentient beings?
When my Main Consciousness is clear, I can identify the evil nature of the old forces' so-called tests. I eliminate them using my righteous thoughts obtained through cultivation in Dafa and save all the sentient beings. I don't assign a specific time when the evil will be eliminated because Master has his own holistic arrangement. It is fine to do what I should do without the attachment of pursuit.
Seen from a higher level, being free of pursuit is totally giving and purely benevolent. Master has given us the most wonderful things. When does he ask anything from us? Master has shown us the highest principle of being free of pursuit. Doesn't he want us to cultivate ourselves to be able to consider others first and attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism? Doesn't he let us build up our own mighty virtue during the process of saving sentient beings? Actually, Master gives all of these benevolently. It appears that we are losing something, when in reality we have gained. What we have lost are all the worst of things.
When I enlighten to the connotation of "free of pursuit," I feel that my mind and heart enlarge infinitely. I feel that the notions such as pursuit of fame and profit, supernormal abilities, improvement of levels, and selfish gains, and so on, are so ridiculous, empty and meaningless. I know that the evil old forces will relentlessly try to enlarge my attachments and make me succumb to the notion of pursuit, but I will distinguish them from myself, despise them with my strong Main Consciousness and then eliminate them with my righteous thoughts. I will no longer see studying the Fa, clarifying the truth, and sending forth righteous thoughts as my assignments, but as a sacred mission. I will make every effort to do whatever a disciple should do. However, those efforts are not with the hopes of obtaining, rather these efforts are to face the interference and the evil doing damage directly while at the same time giving up the notion of pursuit. This is the natural manifestation of an enlightened beings' benevolent state and the natural reaction of my Main Consciousness. Then I can understand better the state of grand freedom obtained by "Do but pursue not-----, Often stay in the Dao."(From "In the Dao" in an unofficial translation of Hong Yin) and Master's magnificent benevolence.
Translated from
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/8/13/17195.html
