(Minghui.org) A question has been on my mind for years: “I still have a bunch of attachments after years of cultivation. How can I abandon them so that none remain?” I was enlightened by Master's recent teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference and gained new understanding on the topic.

Master said,

“Because Dafa is so pure, righteous, and majestic, upon seeing such mighty virtue and power, and its positive qualities shining through as it saves lives, even gods are in awe, and no one would be so bold as to do negative things toward it. They would put up a positive front but still be trying to attain what they want—even forming something as large as they have in order to achieve their ends. That is how the old forces are, and what they are doing is interfering and doing harm.” (Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference)

Even though the old forces put up a front to supposedly help Dafa disciples improve in their cultivation, their essential goal is to attain what they want. Isn't it selfishness? For us to step out of the principles of the old cosmos and be free of restrictions from the old forces, we have to step out of selfishness and cultivate ourselves to selflessness and altruism.

No matter how great our cause is, even when we offer salvation to sentient beings, if our starting point is selfish, it would still conform with the old forces' arrangements, which will be used against us.

During the time I was imprisoned for practicing Falun Dafa, there were about 30 other practitioners in different wards of the same prison. Practitioners who visited us managed to bring in copies of Master's lectures for us to read. Because my situation was fairly relaxed, another imprisoned practitioner was able to take the materials and carefully distribute them to other practitioners in the prison.

However, I was worried they may be found and confiscated by guards, so I asked practitioners to return the materials to me after reading them.

I thought I was being responsible to Dafa. But when I looked deep inside, I found some negative thoughts. First of all, it would be convenient for me to study the Fa if all materials were kept with me. This was a truly selfish thought.

Second, I didn't have enough confidence in the other practitioners. I was worried that I would be implicated if the papers were found in their cells. My fear was out of self-protection.

Third, I should have sent forth righteous thoughts to help other practitioners improve their Fa-study environment, but my worries didn't help them.

The root of all of these thoughts was selfishness. My omissions in cultivation eventually caused the loss of one copy of the book Zhuan Falun.

I have learned my lesson the hard way.

Master told us,

“You can only reach Consummation after you have abandoned all of your attachments and none of them remain.” (“Cultivation Practice is Not Political” in Essentials for Further Advancement)

Cultivation is very serious. We have to search deep down to find our hidden attachments.

Take the example of filing lawsuits against Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), for ordering the persecution of Falun Gong. The number of practitioners who have filed lawsuits are around 190,000. Even though Master said that practitioners who are not known to the authorities shouldn't reveal their identities, we have to ask ourselves if we are using Master's words to conceal our attachments. Could fear of the CCP still be lurking inside us?

Master was more solemn at this recent Fa conference than any other. The time left for us isn't long. We have to seize the time to eliminate any hidden attachments and reach the realm of selflessness and altruism.

Fellow practitioners, let's encourage each other with Master's words:

“I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism. So from now on, whatever you do or whatever you say, you must consider others—or even future generations—along with Dafa’s eternal stability.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature” in Essentials for Further Advancement)

The above is my limited understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.