Shenglian #fundie en.minghui.org
Half the year has passed, and I have a strong sense of urgency. What’s more, I feel that our time has been extended by our Master’s tremendous suffering in order for Dafa disciples to save more sentient beings at this most critical moment.
There are many questions I have to ask myself: Have I cherished the unprecedented opportunity of Master’s compassionate salvation? Have I advanced diligently in practicing Falun Dafa during the extended period of the Fa-Rectification? Is it true that I fully believe in Master and the Fa? Can I be considered a qualified Dafa disciple? Have I done the three things well to meet the standard set by Master?
Master taught us:
“Even now some people still can’t concentrate when it comes to reading the books. Those of you who do work for Dafa, especially, shouldn’t use any pretexts to conceal your not reading the books or studying the Fa. Even if you do work for me, your Master, you still need to study the Fa every day with a calm mind and cultivate yourself solidly.” (“Towards Consummation” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
One day I read the section “A Clear and Clean Mind” in Lecture Nine of Zhuan Falun. My eyes fell on the words “A Clear and Clean Mind” for a long time.
Why didn’t I notice before that Master had used the word “Clean” instead of “Calm”?
There is a big difference in meaning between those two words, even though they share the same pronunciation (in Chinese) but have different spellings.
For a long time I had thought of “Clean” as “Calm,” as a result of my stubborn thoughts that had been unconsciously shaped by ordinary society.
What I had enlightened to in Dafa was that a superficial form of Fa-study shouldn’t be adopted. That is to say, through studying the Fa, I should be crystal clear about what I am learning.
Once while reading, I became distracted and drowsy. I knew I needed to pause in my reading to look for loopholes in my cultivation practice that the old forces were exploiting.
Looking within, I found I had had stubborn human attachments to thoughts that were formed in the human world. Obviously, they were imposed on me by the evil old forces who did not want me to obtain the Fa.
By interfering with me, they could easily make me deviate from Dafa.
I told myself that, henceforth, I must concentrate fully on the Fa with a pure and clean mind and with a down-to-earth attitude.
It was easier said than done, however. Although I stuck to my daily schedule to study the Fa, I was still distracted by my everyday people’s attachments.
For instance, in order to satisfy my curiosity, I often visited everyday people's websites or WeChat on the mobile phone to surf for all kinds of news. The news ranged from current political changes and scandal gossip, to therapies that increased longevity and the quality of life, etc.
In other words, I was thinking about how to have a better life in everyday society and was pursuing fame, material interests, and sentimentality. This took up a lot of my valuable time, which could have been used for Fa-study.
It was just like a frog that was content to sit in a pot of water that was warmed slowly until it was boiled to death. Shouldn’t I cherish the valuable time that is being extended by Master to study the Fa well and to save more sentient beings?
Having identified my attachments that caused this distraction, I took immediate action to eliminate them. It was clear that any distraction or selfishness could likely bring problems and ultimately affect the quality of my projects for letting people know the truth about Falun Dafa face-to-face.
I realized that wallowing in everyday people's websites was actually a disguised attachment to comfort, which had been arranged by the old forces. Most recently, I’ve been addicted to browsing the web on my phone.
As a result, my pursuit of love between a man and a woman was aroused again. I was even yearning for the happy, sweet life between lovers.
Dafa cultivation is serious. Nowadays, ordinary human society is very seductive and has a negative influence, which is getting stronger.
As Dafa practitioners, we can overcome any temptation if we cultivate ourselves well in Dafa. I believe that Master has made a way for us to escape those negative emotions.