(Minghui.org) For a period of time, I had to work two jobs which consumed almost all of my time and I was very distressed. During those several months, I was exhausted, and always felt I didn't have enough sleep or rest. I stopped studying the Fa or sending forth righteous thoughts as often. I couldn't keep up with doing the exercises either, and only practiced them once every two weeks. The longer this situation dragged on, the more exhausted I felt and the worse my cultivation state became.
Practitioner A was anxious over my state and shared his understandings with me. He felt that my attachment to ease and comfort was too strong and I needed to keep advancing.
I gave him a forced smile and asked, “Am I enjoying ease and comfort though? I get up at 5 a.m. every day to go to the first job, then go to the second job at the end of the day as well as weekends. I don't get done until 12:00 a.m. I have to find time for Fa-study, exercises and truth-clarification. Is this ease and comfort?”
Practitioner A pondered for a while and said, “You are working very hard, but your state doesn't sound right. There must be some loopholes being taken advantage by the old forces, and you are following the old forces' arrangements. You have to negate it and break through as soon as possible. You cannot let it affect you and keep you from doing the three things.”
After he left, I thought about what he said and realized it was time to break through, because doing the three things cannot be affected. So I put my work aside, and began to study the Fa with a calm mind. I looked inward closely to examine what the obstacles in my cultivation were and why I was trapped by my situation.
The practitioner said I had an attachment to ease and comfort, which must not be a coincidence. I looked inside and indeed discovered my strong attachment to ease and comfort. For example, when I worked late and got tired, I would study only a section in the book as if finishing my homework. My mind wouldn't be clear while I read because all I cared about was going to bed as soon as possible. When I was busy with work, I would forget about the global times to send forth righteous thoughts, or would use work as an excuse to reduce the frequency of sending forth righteous thoughts. I normally sent forth righteous thoughts only twice a day, if at all. I slacked off even more on practicing the exercises, and would only do the sitting meditation once a week. I was shocked! I failed to realize such a strong attachment to ease and comfort, and even refused to admit it when my fellow practitioner pointed it out to me.
So I became determined: I must break through this awful state and must do the three things well no matter how tired I am or how difficult it is! In the weeks that followed, I have been able to persistently study the Fa and do the exercises before I go to bed, no matter how late I worked and how tired I was. I did not skip any of the four global times to send forth righteous thoughts. Two months later, my situation was changed fundamentally: my second job was smoothly concluded, and my workload at the first job was greatly reduced. Surprisingly, my salary was increased and I could make ends meet for my family. I was very grateful. I knew this was the result that only happens after negating the old forces and choosing to follow Master's arrangements. Master did everything for me.
Looking back, I realized that when my life was difficult, I longed for ease and comfort deep down my heart. Even when I negated my situation, I did it because of that attachment instead of wanting to do the three things well, and therefore I was trapped. In my humble understanding, if one fails to change from the bottom of his heart, no matter how hard one works, it won't work because it is passive cultivation practice. Only after one truly looks inside under every circumstance and truly changes himself from the heart, can it be regarded as active cultivation practice and can one assimilate to Dafa.
In my understanding, the wisdom of the old cosmos is limited and the old forces born in that cosmos only know passive cultivation practice. They want to change practitioners' hearts by forcefully deteriorating their living environments and violently persecuting them. They think they are helping us cultivate this way.
But Dafa disciples are actively assimilating to the Fa and actively cultivating. The Fa we practice is far more advanced than any cultivation practice method known to the old cosmos. Therefore, as soon as we fail to actively assimilate to Dafa, stop strictly looking inside under every circumstance and begin to look outward instead, we may be following the old forces' arrangements. Our environment may deteriorate, which can trap us in it and even turn it into a vicious cycle.
We do not acknowledge any of the old forces' arrangements. We only follow Master's arrangements. Let us look inside under every circumstance, study the Fa more, actively assimilate to Dafa, and practice active cultivation. Let's stop following the old forces' arrangements. Do not wait for the old forces to interfere and persecute us by practicing passive cultivation. Let us completely negate the old forces' arrangements.
Category: Improving Oneself
