(Clearwisdom.net) Through a couple of recent events, I observed that I would develop stubborn preconceptions if I followed my human feelings and notions. These preconceptions control my mind if my main consciousness is not strong. For example, I would develop the notion that a certain person was good overall if I saw that he or she was good in one respect. I would have all good thoughts toward this person whenever I thought of him or her. I would think that a person was bad overall if I saw his or her shortcoming in one respect. I would have nothing but bad thoughts toward this person whenever I thought of him or her. It would even cause me to have resistance toward that person. I sometimes made up merits and faults about this person in my mind. It severely interfered with my righteous thoughts to save people and cultivate.

Some interference comes from my own human notions. For example, I once saw a bricklayer with very dark skin and covered with dust. I had a bad thought toward him at that instant. Later, after I saw that he was very efficient and the wall he was working on was nicely made, I started to have a good impression of him. The good impression became stronger, and his dark face and the dust seemed charming to me. The good impression still occupied my mind when I saw him the next day. I had no idea about this bricklayer's character, but the bad impression was changed to a good impression on very little. Wasn't that a preconception? Once this preconception is developed, I won't be able to look at a person's goodness or badness from the standpoint of saving him or her.

It's also easy to develop preconceptions when working with fellow practitioners. When I saw that a practitioner had done things which did not conform to Dafa or my own ideas, I would develop bad thoughts. All the previously developed bad thoughts I had about this practitioner would come up. They would all come to support this unrighteous thought. They sometimes embellished the facts. As time went on, a gap would develop between me and the practitioner if I didn't change my own notion. I also tend to idolize a practitioner over a period of time if I see him or her doing great in one respect. This way of thinking is still interfering with me to this day. Once I realized that, I had a better understanding of the Fa principle Master taught, “the appearance stems from the mind.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”) When I change my way of thinking and warn myself to discern everything with the Fa principles, I have a correct understanding of people and things and will not be puzzled by perceptual understandings.

While I was writing this article, I observed that I have lived within my own perceptions. External factors have influenced my understandings and I have always followed my own feelings. It is reflected in many aspects of life such as food, clothing, housing, and transportation. We add clothes when we feel cold, go to bed when we feel sleepy, take a rest when we feel tired, stop clarifying the truth when we feel afraid, think that we have illnesses when we feel uncomfortable, develop partiality when we feel a certain food tastes good, want to buy clothing when we think it is nice, etc. I realized that I was being controlled by those notions and feelings, and that they were nourishing many human notions. Still, even though I realized that I needed to relinquish these notions, it was really hard to do so.

During the process of Fa-study and looking within, I remembered this Fa principle that Master taught us, “If you do not change the human logic that you, as an ordinary human, have formed deep in your bones over thousands of years, you will be unable to break away from this superficial human shell and reach Consummation.” (“Cautionary Advice” from Essentials for Further Advancement). My understanding is that the human logic formed over thousands of years is false logic. As cultivators, we need to change our array of notions and remove our attachments formed under this false logic with the guidance of the Dafa principles. Only then can we break through the influence of external factors and postnatal notions, understand the Fa with rationality, look at problems in a sober-minded way, and not be puzzled by understandings based on perceptions.

This is my personal understanding; please kindly correct anything inappropriate.