Relinquishing My Attachment of Pursuing Happiness Through the U.S. Election

(Minghui.org) Our local practitioners have been sending forth righteous thoughts for the U.S. election. When I learned of what happened at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2020, including Congress's certification of the election result, it was heart-wrenching and I felt very sad.

At that moment, I suddenly realized that I had been thinking like an ordinary person without realizing that I should have risen above and beyond that. I was embarrassed that I was so affected by the election result, because Master Li had pointed out this issue in the article “Greeting to the Taiwan Fa Conference.”

Master said,

“And as you work to raise awareness, you must be sure not to think or act too much like an ordinary person.” (“Greetings to the Taiwan Fa Conference,” Team Yellow Translation)

Master talked about identifying our fundamental attachments in cultivation in the past. And during the U.S. election, many of my fundamental attachments have been exposed, especially my pursuit of “a happy life.”

When I saw what the United States—the beacon of freedom and the world’s police force—had become, I felt that I had lost hope and everything I could count on. I had hoped that the United States, as the “world’s police,” could help to stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China. That was the “happiness” I had hoped for.

When the result was not I had expected, I felt a sense of loss and sadness. I realized that it is not only this election, but everything I've been doing, including my work, life, and my child’s education, has been to pursue some sort of “happiness” or happy outcomes in the human world. When things didn’t go my way, I would become extremely upset. The fact that I have been severely persecuted in the past 20 years is also due to this fundamental attachment!

Looking at the issue from another perspective, I am glad that I have found two of my attachments: pinning my hopes on the U.S., the world’s police force, to stop the persecution and relying on ordinary people. It is in fact a very good thing to be able to dig out my attachments. Once I let go of my attachments, what remains is my faith in Master! All else are just illusions to deceive us. I don't know if other practitioners also feel the same way.

Now I feel much more relaxed. I no longer send righteous thoughts for Trump’s victory or the happy outcomes I had hoped for. I send righteous thoughts to eliminate the old forces and communist demons so as to save all people regardless of class, party affiliation, nationality, or race. What happened in the U.S. election is only the evil rearing its head. As Dafa disciples, we just need to send righteous thoughts to eliminate the old forces and the communist demons, regardless of what forms they take and where they are.