(Minghui.org) (Continued from Part 1)
The old cosmos is moving towards destruction. The essence of all beings within it has degenerated, one level after another. This kind of degeneration becomes very complicated and defective at lower levels. From what I see, it exists in the form of human attachments and desires. To fully cleanse it, we have to pull out the roots, which start at the bottom. This is the only way to separate ourselves from the old cosmos and the old forces' arrangements.
Otherwise, our roots are still connected with the old cosmos. The old forces are able to control us, as if we are puppets.
I used to write articles about Falun Gong. With help from Master and the wisdom he granted me, my articles became very popular. Then came tests of fame, personal interest, and sentimentality. Some publishers approached me, offering a large royalty payment for the copyright. Some institutions and renowned universities invited me to give speeches. Journalists also contacted me for interviews.
Considering myself a practitioner, I refused all of these temptations, did not accept a penny, and remained low-key.
In fact, at that time I had quit my job, given up my business, and risked my life because of the unprecedented persecution of Falun Gong in China. With no pursuit of fame or interest, I thought what I did was very righteous and that I was selfless.
My understanding could be correct at a certain cultivation level. But without further improvement based on the Fa and identifying hidden attachments at a deeper level, I was unable to find my loopholes. As a result, the old forces took advantage of them and continued to control me, until I gradually began to plagiarize and undermine the Fa. I did wake up and realized what I had done, but it was almost too late.
Plagiarizing from and undermining the Fa is a serious, unforgivable sin for practitioners. Anyone who commits such a sin would have been completely destroyed in the gate of no-life. The old forces were clear on this.
The old forces took me to a most horrible place and stuffed the most dire, dead, and degenerate substances into my dimensional fields. The pressure was immense and boundless, which gradually drained the remaining hope in me. I knew I could not get through it, because the difficulty was way beyond what I could endure. I was in despair.
At the final moment of my life, I suddenly calmed down and asked myself, “why do I cultivate?”
Then, I found why I cultivated at the bottom of my heart. Since I was young, I regretted that good things would not last long. I could not watch lives struggling in despair, as it would tear my heart open. I hoped that life in the universe would be bathed in happiness forever. I knew that only Master can do this, and only Dafa can save the world. That was why I cultivated.
It was a certainty that I had committed serious sins. No matter what I had done in the past, and even if my body and soul would be exterminated, at least I was clear at that moment. Even if I still have a few seconds left, I would exhaust that limited time to praise Dafa. I would then leave no regret, even if I no longer existed in the cosmos. After all, this is what I came here for.
Once I had that thought and held it in the bottom of my heart, all of the dead substances disappeared instantly, and my dimensional fields became clear. I saw the sunshine outside and regained hope.
I was so grateful, because I knew Master took away the substances and endured everything for me.
Going forward, every time before doing something, I ask myself: what is the motivation behind this? Are you doing this to validate the Fa or validate yourself?
If it turned out I was validating myself, I would stop and purify my mind. Only after my mind became pure and righteous would I continue.
Otherwise, if even a little self-interest exists, it may influence us and bring us back to the old cosmos.
Occasionally, some practitioners are unable to look within. Instead, they focus on superficial issues and look outward: “Why is he so bad and why did he did this to me?” or “I did nothing wrong. It's all his fault.” By looking on the surface and basing one's understanding on human notions, these practitioners missed many opportunities to look inward and cultivate oneself.
For example, one may do his or her best to help another practitioner. But that practitioner, in turn, harmed this person or spread disinformation about him. If one looks at the issue on the surface, one may wonder, “Why did he do this? Is he still a practitioner?” As a result, one may become more cautious and no longer help others casually.
This is learning lessons in a negative way, which makes one more cunning and unable to elevate in cultivation. Because human attachments and selfishness have not been eliminated, it is difficult for this practitioner to make progress.
Master has told us this many times in Fa lectures. If we are able to learn lessons in a positive way, we would look within to find the attachment and why this happened, and why the practitioner spread disinformation. Is it because my heart was not pure, or did I help others out of selfishness and expected them to be thankful? In any case, one must have lacked compassion or did not do well, which led to a negative impression by that practitioner.
Master said,
“Cultivators look at things in just the opposite way. They see tribulations and suffering as good opportunities for improvement. [To cultivators] these are all good things, and the more there are and the faster they come, the faster the improvement.” (“Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005”)
Of course, we have to be responsible to both ourselves and other practitioners. If there are words or actions that undermine our efforts as one body, we need to point it out. Master said, “whereas real Buddhas are guardians of the cosmos and are responsible for all righteous elements in the cosmos.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference,” Guiding the Voyage)
One cannot make breakthroughs by looking on the surface. It may appear to help for a short time, but that is an illusion. Because one has not done true cultivation, one will enter a dead end and be ruined.
Master told us,
“You have gone through great trials and hardships to arrive at where you are today. By all means, you shouldn’t let your heart and mind bob about like duckweed, stirred at the first hint of wind.” (“On the Novel The Cosmic Disaster,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
We cannot allow our human notions to move along with the waves in ordinary society. Master also told us,
“As gods see it, for a cultivator to be right or wrong in the human world is not important in the least, whereas eliminating the attachments that come from human thinking is important, and it is precisely your managing to eliminate those attachments rooted in your human thinking as you cultivate that counts as important.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan”)
Only by following the Fa and seriously cultivating ourselves can we accomplish what Master wants and save people.
(To be continued)