(Minghui.org) After the publication of “Thoughts on the End Time for Fa Rectification and Prophecies,” many practitioners expressed their opinions about the article, and I would also like to share some of my understandings.
I thought that the fact that this article could be written and even published was that the attachment of Dafa disciples as a whole had come to the fore, namely, the attachment to the end time for cultivation.
As for the prediction mentioned in the article about lawyer Gao Zhisheng and a group of practitioners who cultivated well and would be by Master's side, we don't know whether it is accurate, but isn't it also a reflection of my own attachment of wanting to be near Master?
I looked within and realized that I had always felt that I was a bit different from other practitioners. In the past, when everyone else placed their hope on a certain official to end the persecution, my heart did not move; when others fixated on the Beijing Olympics to be the end time for cultivation, I also remained unswayed; later on, when an article about the assistant consciousness caused strong repercussions among fellow practitioners, I also did not react, because I felt that the old forces were exhausting everything in tormenting practitioners with attachments.
I had never thought about when my cultivation would end, because, for one, I still had a long way to go to improve my xinxing. I also knew that how much time we had left in cultivation would concern the lives of all beings and reflect Master's painstaking arrangement. I did not dare to guess what Master's arrangement was. I only wanted to focus on what's required of me as a Dafa disciple.
A few days before the publication of the article mentioned above, I had just lost my job because of the pandemic. I was torn between job-hunting and printing truth-clarification materials. On the one hand, I felt that I should find a job. On the other hand, I felt that it was not easy to find a suitable job because printing materials would take a lot of time. Especially when I saw my mother’s attitude, I sensed a feeling of disgust, as if I were idling my life away. I really couldn't stand it in my heart, as I had always felt she understood me.
I felt disheartened and lacked righteous thoughts. I began to hope for an immediate end to cultivation so life would not be so hard. Because of the pandemic, a huge number of people were laid off and it was not easy to find a job. I knew that my thought was not right, but the anxiety got the best of me. I calmed down only after I studied the Fa more intensely. I looked within and realized that I had always longed for my mother's approval and acknowledgment. Master reminded me that she was interfered with by some bad things. When I sent forth righteous thoughts, her attitude changed for the better.
Then came the article about predictions. The moment I finished reading it, I noticed there was resistance in my heart. On the surface, I did not seem to care about the end of cultivation. Deep down, my heart wished it would not drag on for so long, because I knew that I still had to face all sorts of pressure. It was the human heart and attachment to comfort at play. When I realized it, I focused on eliminating it. My path of cultivation is arranged by Master, so what should I be afraid of? No matter how long the path is, I will keep on going. I cherish my cultivation.
When I got up the next morning, I said to Master in my heart, “I've made up my mind to follow Master to the end no matter how long it takes. I will let go of my human heart. I am not afraid of hardship. I will study the Fa more and well. I believe I will do better.”
I remembered one time when I was on the bus, a passenger in front of me raised her cellphone up as if she were showing me a video clip. In the video, a woman was sitting at the top of a high mountain, looking far ahead at the sky, as if she were one with the universe. Then a message appeared: “Do not dwell on the past. Do not fixate on the future. When you focus on doing a good job in the present, life has gained eternity.”
I felt that the message was a hint from Master not to let my mind wander. This was before the pandemic and the US election. Now looking back, I know that Master was telling me not to think about anything (especially predictions about the future) and just do what needs to be done in the present moment, and the realm of perfection will be achieved when things are done well here.
Consummation as conceived by human beings may be the moment of ascending to heaven, but a cultivator’s understanding of Consummation is a manifestation of xinxing being elevated. In the eternal opportunity of assisting Master in the Fa-rectification in the world, we walk our own path well, and Consummation is within it.
If we remove human notions and then evaluate the time again, we would feel that this moment of being with Master in the human world and assisting Master with Fa-rectification is too precious. Would we still hope for an early end?
Editor's note: views expressed in this article only represent the author’s own opinion, for which the author is solely responsible. Readers should evaluate the merit of the article on their own.
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Category: Improving Oneself