(Clearwisdom.net) Master's article "The Closer the End the More Diligent You Should Be" was published five years ago. Every time I think of this article, I feel in my heart Master's truly compassionate guidance and unlimited patience.
In this article, Master tells us why we face so many tribulations during cultivation. As I understand it, the main reason is that since we were young, we have been developing human notions. We think that suffering is a bad thing and indulgence is a good thing. Therefore, people develop notions in order to evade suffering. This deeply-rooted notion constantly attacks our diligence on the cultivation path, like ropes binding our legs as we try to walk.
"It can even be to the point that you know full well it's a test but still can't let go of your attachments." ("The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be")
The article has three paragraphs. The tone Master used seems just like a merciful mother talking to a young and innocent child. It really touches my heart. During these five years, my cultivation state has sometimes been good, sometimes bad, but I have always kept that article in my mind. I study it repeatedly.
I am greatly touched every time I think about the following sentence:
"Actually, if you think about it, the cultivators of the past didn't dare to slack off for even a second, and that was when it took an entire lifetime to complete the journey."
Now I have to ask myself if I would even dare to shave my hair to be a monk. If I couldn't do that, then I'm not even meeting the basic requirements of being a monk in ancient China: to sever earthly ties, to shave one's head, to become a monk, nun, or Taoist in a temple and renounce one's name. They didn't even acknowledge they had parents. They gave up their reputation, all material possessions, and money. Think about it, isn't that a high standard? We can see how determined they were to cultivate. If someone required us to do the same, could we do it?
Maybe it's that I'm not strict with myself. For example, my xinxing was tested by someone, and I felt uncomfortable. Someone said some bad things about me, people took advantage of me, and I was upset when something didn't go smoothly. I tried hard to overcome it, to act like a cultivator, and calm my mind. It seemed like I was trying to improve myself by Dafa's requirements. It seemed like I was cultivating. But compared to the basic requirements for monks in the past: giving up the secular life, what I was able to accomplish counts as nothing. Yet, it was difficult enough for me to give up my attachment. If we really wanted to transcend the three realms, would we still care about these little things in our daily lives? Would we still say we're truly cultivating? Would we still treat those little things as tribulations? Can they even count as tests?
I think in order to have a good future and cultivate well, I probably could give up the secular life to become a monk. If I clenched my teeth, I could do it because it would be for cultivation. I could give up everything. But, Master requires us to cultivate in human society. This takes far more than just momentary courage and determination, as one has to face temptations everywhere. Everyday people's mannerisms are constantly tempting me to renounce Truth-Compassion-Forbearance and pushing me into the big dye vat of everyday temptations. If a person insists on being diligent, it's not just about having the moment of courage it takes to renounce the secular life, but also about having constant determination and self-discipline. The body is in this society, but the mind should be beyond contamination. When I relax too much and am on the verge of going along with the current, I must ask myself, should I keep caring about these little things, or would I dare to become a monk and exit the secular world?
Think about what Master said in the DVD lecture "Fa-Teaching Given to the Australian Practitioners." Yes, we are cultivating in human society and live a secular life. We live the same as everyday people, do the same things as everyday people, but we need to remind ourselves that we are practitioners. We are going to exit the earthly realm, and act according to Dafa's standards. I think when compared to being a monk in a temple, going above and beyond in everyday society is the most difficult.
How can we make ourselves diligent all the time? Master told us to study the Fa more. I think we can't treat studying the Fa as just a formality. Besides studying, we have to be strict with ourselves as well. We know Dafa's requirements for Dafa disciples, so why aren't we stricter with ourselves? Think about it, we are going to exit the earthly realm. We are going to leave here. Why do we still miss the temptations on this earth and the leisure of this society?
When we are not diligent we should really ask ourselves: do I really want to rise above this earthly realm?
