Click on the below-mentioned, numbered subjects:
- Welcome
- What’s Happening?
- Distinguish What Comes from Your True Self and Eliminate Acquired Notions
- The Monk Who Overslept
- Appearance Stems from the Mind, and One’s Fate Changes with One’s Heart
- Consequences of Jealousy
- A Life of Comfort Is Worse Than Poisoned Wine
- Eliminating Fundamental Attachments
- 1. Welcome
Welcome to the November 2012 Falun Dafa India Newsletter.
We wish all readers a Happy Diwali, the Festival of Lights is symbolic of coming out of darkness into the light of peace, prosperity and enlightenment.
In this issue, we have a compilation of experience-sharing Articles gleaned from Clearwisdom that always shine through because of their insights and fine quality of sharing. It is important to read the Clearwisdom, Pureinsight and other Dafa sites.
We make an effort to select Articles from the Archives which people don’t go back to and are relevant even today. Contributions are welcome from practitioners.
Heshi! Hope, you like the selection of Articles and gain some new insights!
Note: "All the contents in this newsletter - except for quotations and excerpts of writings of the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi - are only ideas and experiences of practitioners and do not represent Falun Dafa in itself."
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- 2. What’s Happening?
A practitioner from Gurgaon introduced Falun Dafa to a professor in Dept. of Education at MS University, Vadodara through Water Crystals experiment presentation. He liked that very much and arranged a one hour session with Ph.D. research scholars, M.Ed. students and professors in his department. Initially presentation was about Water Crystal experiments, Falun Dafa principles and other experiments demonstrating the holistic effects of Falun Dafa .
There were about 25-30 attendees and many people showed interest. One professor asked for details on Falun Dafa and asked for exercise demonstration. A brief demo of all 5 exercises was appreciated by attendees. Falun Dafa fliers were also distributed to all. There are plans for follow up in a few weeks.
Practitioners from Hyderabad introduced Falun Dafa to freshers who joined J.B.Engineering college, Moinabad, Hyderabad. Distributed the fliers and clarified the truth. The college authorities were
impressed with the practice and requested to introduce to freshers of their Pharmacy
College later.
Introduced Falun Dafa to freshers in Narasimha Reddy Engineering College, Kompally,
Secunderabad. Distributed the fliers and clarified the truth. Zhuan Falun was presented to the
principal, on his request.
Falun Dafa was introduced to nearly 80 junior officers of South Cental Railway at their
training college located at Kachiguda Railway station. Clarified the truth and distributed the
fliers.
Practitioners also met the principal of the institute and the chief relations officer in Rail Nilayam of
South Central Railway, Secunderabad. Explained about the salient features of Falun Dafa and
distributed the fliers to the staff.
Practitioners from Bangalore introduced Falun Dafa to two young Japanese and German teachers of English who have come on an exchange program. They learnt the exercises and were keen on reading the books. Practitioners gave them the books and encouraged them to study the books along with some teachers from the local school.
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- 3. Distinguish What Comes from Your True Self and Eliminate Acquired Notions
By a Falun Dafa practitioner
(Minghui.org)
It used to be that when I practiced the fifth exercise,
I could often only sit for 40 minutes. At that point, my legs were in so much
pain that I could not continue anymore. Although I knew I should endure hardship
and eliminate my karma during cultivation, I did not have a breakthrough for a
long time. I asked myself if the purpose of eliminating karma was to eliminate
karma. I should look inwards whenever encountering anything. Shouldn't I also
upgrade my xinxing in this matter?
This morning, before I practiced the fifth exercise, I said to myself:
"My true self must sit for the whole exercise, and any thought which would
make me stop is not my true self. Master, please help me remove those bad
thoughts." Then I started the meditation.
Forty minute later, my legs hurt. I thought of stopping as usual. I said in
my mind: "It is not me. I want to continue." The thought of putting my
legs down disappeared. Although my legs still hurt, the pain seemed distant.
This situation occurred more than once. One time, the thought occupied my
whole body: "Put your legs down. You will not feel so much pain." I
said in my mind: "Master, that thought is not me." I felt my whole
body was cool, it seemed light, and the feeling swept through me. That thought
disappeared.
After a while, another thought entered my mind: "It is so
troublesome." I also felt bothered by having the same situation occur
repeatedly. However, I thought further and found that it was also a bad notion.
I did not want to have it. It was not me. Afterwards, that thought also
disappeared. I finally finished sitting for the whole hour of meditation.
Through this experience, I realized that bad thoughts kept interfering with
me before; those bad thoughts were also alive but they were not from my true
self. Master said:
"You should first of all eliminate bad thoughts through cultivation.
The reason you can get rid of those bad things is that you don't acknowledge
them as you. That is extremely crucial. It is because you don't acknowledge
them as you that you can then eliminate them. The fact is, they really aren't
you. They are the various notions, or even karma, developed from the things
you have done after birth--those things. " ("Teaching the Fa at the
Western U.S. Fa Conference")
I recalled that I looked at many things through my acquired notions. In the
future, I should look at them using the criteria of cultivation and measure them
from the standpoint of the Fa. Does my true self think in this way? If not, what
kind of thought makes me think in this way? It must be an acquired notion. I
just say to myself that it is not me and I do not want that thought. Master
said:
"Why do I ask you to return to your origin and true self? What's the
purpose of returning to your true self? It's to return to what your true
self is. Human beings have many attachments, all kinds of notions, and a range
of emotions and desires. All these thoughts are in your head, yet none of them
are you. " ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Switzerland")
Before, I thought I was removing my bad thoughts myself. Now I understand
that I actually just "make a clear differentiation." In other
dimensions, those notions are also alive. When I realize that the bad thoughts
are not me, then Master removes those bad thoughts and notions. I seem to have
improved my understanding of Master's words "cultivation depends on one's
own efforts while the transformation of gong is done by the master. "
(Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun).
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- 4. The Monk Who Overslept
(Minghui.org)
Buddha Shakyamuni often taught his disciples
to study Buddhist doctrine attentively and wholeheartedly, and that
they must not slack off or be lazy. Most of his disciples followed
his teachings and cultivated diligently, and therefore obtained the
Dao and reached their Attainment Status while eliminating a lot of
worries and suffering.
However, there was one monk who simply was not diligent.
Whenever others practiced meditation, he would just go to sleep.
His fellow disciples tried to reason with him, but he would not
change.
The monk's greatest weakness was oversleeping. Everyday he would
go to sleep after he ate a meal. When he slept, he kept his door
closed tightly and slept alone in his room. No one could wake him
up, no matter how hard they tried.
One day at noon, after begging for food on the street, the monk
came back carrying his alms bowel. He went straight to his room and
fell asleep. The snoring from his room could be heard till the next
morning.
The next morning, it was time for Shakyamuni to teach the Buddha
Fa to the public. Every disciple was present, except the monk who
liked to sleep. Shakyamuni asked, "Why doesn't the disciple who
likes to sleep come?"
A disciple quickly stood up and replied, "Buddha, he has been
sleeping since noon yesterday. We could not wake him no matter what
we tried."
Shakyamuni remembered that the monk only had seven days to live.
If he died while sleeping all the time, his death would bring him
unhappiness. Shakyamuni had great pity for the monk. He instructed
his disciples to recite a scripture and took Ananda with him to see
the monk in his room.
They could hear the thunderous snoring before they reached the
monk's room. They opened the door only to hear even louder snoring.
The monk was still in bed in a deep sleep.
Ananda called the monk's name a few times, but the monk did not
respond and continued sleeping. Then, Shakyamuni walked to his bed
and gently shook him. The monk immediately woke up.
Upon seeing Shakyamuni standing before him and gazing at him
with compassion, the monk immediately got up and bowed to
Shakyamuni, saying, "Revered Buddha, please forgive me for being
disrespectful."
Shakyamuni said to him, "You only have seven days to live. I
cannot bear to see you die while sleeping so much and failing to
reach an upright Attainment Status. I'm here to wake you up."
The monk was shocked. It had never occurred to him that he might
only have seven days to live. He was frightened and did not know
what to do.
Shakyamuni comforted him and said, "It is predestined for you.
Several lifetimes ago when you were a monk, you indulged in food
and sleep and never pondered the meaning of the Fa. You did not
follow the Buddhist's precepts. You did not sow any blessings or
virtue, therefore you reincarnated as a rice worm for 50,000 years.
Then, you reincarnated as a snail, a mussel, and a moth for 50,000
years each.
"In your previous lives you liked to live in dark places without
light, and you treasured your body and life very much. What's more
unusual is that all four different beings were fond of sleeping and
could sleep for over 100 years once they fell asleep. You did not
try at all to be diligent. After 200,000 years you were finally
able to repay the sin you had committed. Then, you reincarnated as
a human and became a monk.
"Now that you have become a monk you should cultivate and study
diligently to make up for what you previously lost. I did not
expect that you would still be so attached to food and sleep like
you were 200,000 years ago. Why do you always feel like you do not
get enough sleep? Don't forget the consequences you suffered
200,000 years ago."
Shakyamuni stopped talking. The monk blushed from shame. He
quickly repented to Shakyamuni. When he criticized himself deeply
and repented, all his distracted thoughts disappeared. He was able
to attain the status of Arhat by the end of his life.
There are only 24 hours in a day. People usually say that time
passes by in the blink of an eye. The average person sleeps eight
hours a day. People who oversleep may end up spending most of their
time in sleep and dreams and therefore accomplish very few major
tasks in a lifetime. Several decades pass by quickly in the human
world. You'll indeed regret it if you do not firmly seize the
opportunity. Sometimes you feel like life is long, but you don't
know when death will take you. By that time, you will not have done
a good job completing the tasks you were supposed to do and the
missions you were supposed to fulfill. Even worse, you may not have
made the effort to do those things at all. Nothing will help, no
matter how regretful you feel. Do you really want to become a sleep
worm in your next life?
The monk who overslept finally realized that he needed to seize
the time he had left and not be sleepy and drowsy all the time. A
cultivator stresses the importance of striving forward diligently
in Buddha cultivation. How can a sleepy and drowsy person become as
diligent as a mighty lion? A cultivator should seize every minute,
sleep less, and cultivate more to succeed in cultivation.
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- 5. Appearance Stems from the Mind, and One’s Fate Changes with One’s Heart
By Zhi Zhen
(Minghui.org)
In a person’s lifetime, although things are predestined in terms of lifespan or whether one is rich or poor, one is bound to be rewarded with good if he does good deeds and is kind, and meet with disaster if he does evil things. One’s fate can change at any time, depending on if his heart is good or evil. Heaven and earth, and gods and deities can judge things clearly without the slightest discrepancy. If one’s heart always focuses on goodness, he will accumulate extensive good fortune and virtue, and even when he encounters dangerous situations, gods would be able to turn misfortune into blessings. In contrast, if one keeps doing bad things at will, one will plant evil seeds, and even if he should have good fortune in the first place, he will end up suffering. This is what we know as the natural rule of cause and effect. Therefore, one’s heart is in control of his total self. With a kind heart, one will have a good fate, and with an evil heart, one will have an evil fate. There were many such cases documented in ancient books. The following are a few from the book The Tract of the Most Exalted on Action and Response. Twin Brothers Arrived at Different Destinations Even Though They Originally Shared the Same Fate In the Song Dynasty, there was a pair of twin brothers named Gao Xiaobiao and Gao Xiaoji, who were like one person in terms of their speech and conduct as well as in their intellect and ways of thinking. At the age of 16, they both passed the county examination. Later in the same year, they got married. After they married, their parents asked them to wear different clothes and shoes so that their wives could tell the two apart. One day they met Taoist Chen Xiyi, who said after reading the faces of the two brothers, “You both are very good-looking, with a straight nose ridge, and both of you have a red spot on your lips. Your ears are pure with a rosy helix, you show fine bearing and demeanor, and you are both grade candidates in the imperial exams. Furthermore, you both have radiance in your eyes, and will be very successful in the same imperial examination!” When examination time came in the autumn, the two brothers went to the capital city to take the exam, and stayed with a relative. A beautiful widow lived next door. Gao Xiaobiao focused on his studies and took no notice of the widow. However, Gao Xiaoji could not control himself and had an affair with the widow. Someone found out and told the widow’s clan members. The widow, out of guilt and fear, then committed suicide by throwing herself into a river. After the exam, the two brothers went to visit the Taoist again. When Taoist Chen Xiyi saw them, he was quite shocked and said, “There is already a big change in your appearance. One has become even better while the other has become very bad. Xiaobiao shows some purple radiance in his eyebrows, and his eyes shine like stars. He will definitely pass the exam with a high grade. Xiaoji’s eyebrows have also changed. His eyes are puffy, his nose ridge is red and black, and his spirit has withered and is disappearing. This change must have resulted from a deterioration in his morals. He will not only fail the exam, but is also showing signs of an early death.” After the exam results were published, Gao Xiaoji indeed failed and died from depression. Later, Gao Xiaobiao became a high-ranking official and a man of mark. His children and grandchildren were also very capable and talented. When he was celebrating his 70th birthday, Taoist Chen Xiyi also came to extend his congratulations. In his speech he said, “It’s quite easy to do face reading for ordinary people. However, it is not easy to tell precisely what one will end up with, because fate is decided by heaven, while appearance is decided by one’s deeds. If one can follow the heavenly principles and is in harmony with things in human society, then one will definitely enjoy prosperity. Heaven is fair and unselfish, so one’s fortunes can decline due to evil conduct, and one's sins can be atoned for by doing good things. What develops in a person’s heart appears on his face, and nothing can escape the eyes of others. This is why we say that there is no door to fortune or misfortune, as it comes and goes according to one’s conduct.” Ding Shi Earned Sixth Place In the Qing Dynasty, there was a scholar named Ding Shi. He was a quick thinker and very talented, with a straightforward personality. Because he liked gambling, he was often criticized by his father, but he never listened or mended his ways. His father became very angry with him and drove him out of the house. Ding Shi drifted to the capital city, and through various means, he got into the Imperial College. One day Ding Shi walked past Xiangguo Temple, where a fortuneteller surprised him by saying, “You look really good! I have done face reading for many people, and I can see the best in your appearance.” After the fortuneteller asked his name, he wrote it down and put it up on the wall, “Ding Shi will be the No. 1 Scholar this year.” Afterwards, Ding Shi was very happy and became more arrogant, and he gambled even more. When he heard that there were two wealthy candidates from Sichuan, he invited the two to gamble. Ding Shi kept winning, and in the end he won six million in cash. A few days later, Ding Shi went to Xiangguo Temple again. The fortuneteller was surprised to see him and asked, “Why do you look so awful? You have no hope of passing the examination, let alone being the No. 1 Scholar.” As he was talking, he removed the piece of paper with what he had written last time on it from the wall. He said with a sigh, “This is simply tarnishing my name. I got it wrong this time.” Ding Shi anxiously asked him why he said what he did. The fortuneteller said, “In face reading, we look at one’s forehead first. If the color is yellow and moist with radiance, it is a sign of auspiciousness. Now your forehead looks dry and dark. You must have had bad thoughts and ill-gotten gains. You have angered the heavenly gods.” Ding Shi became very frightened and told the fortuneteller what had happened. He asked in bafflement, “We only had a bit of fun. Was it that serious?” The fortuneteller took issue with him and said, “Don’t tell me you were only having a bit of fun. Anything that involves money is supervised by heavenly gods. When one has received ill-gotten wealth, he will naturally reduce his good rewards.” Ding Shi deeply regretted what he had done and asked anxiously, “Can I return the money?” The fortuneteller said, “If you want to mend your ways from your heart, the heavenly gods will certainly know it. If you can truly mend your ways and change for the better, you can still get sixth place in the examination.” Ding Shi rushed to return the money to the two wealthy candidates, and he vowed that he would never gamble again. Indeed, when the list of successful candidates was published, a person named Xu Duo was listed as the No. 1 Scholar and Ding Shi was in sixth place.
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- 6. Consequences of Jealousy
By Zhizhen
(Minghui.org)
The Chinese are known for valuing the virtues of kindness, generosity, and tolerance. People are ashamed of acts of jealousy. When a generous person sees the merits of others, he or she compliments these merits, thinks about how he or she falls short, and learns to do a better job. Only those narrow-minded and selfish people, out of shortsightedness, would be jealous of others' accomplishments. They worry about who will exceed them today, and who they will lose to tomorrow. They feel bad when others have shown outstanding character. Some less virtuous people would even go the extent of falsely accusing kindhearted people. They may have their way for some time. Yet, in the end, they will lose all their support and meet with retributions, as everything is governed by heavenly principles. Shen Gongbao Ended Up Plugging the Hole in the North Sea with His Body Shen Gongbao is a figure in the book Investiture of the Gods. He and Jiang Ziya were fellow disciples of the Primitive God of Heaven. When Shen learned that their master was to dispatch Jiang Ziya to help establish the Zhou Dynasty, which was to replace the Shang Dynasty, and assign titles to different deities, he was overtaken by jealousy. He pressed Jiang for an answer, “Which king are you to protect?” Jiang replied, “I am to protect King Wu of the Zhou people, whose merits are of the caliber of the ancient emperors Yao and Shun, whose kindness is in tune with the universal characteristics, and whose rise matches perfectly with the change in the heavenly climate. King Zhou of the Shang Dynasty lacks any merits; he is on the way out and will be the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty.” Shen retorted, “I am going to protect your opponent and thwart your plans.” Jiang sternly told Shen, “How dare you! No one can violate our master's orders. Nor can people reverse heavenly changes.” Shen was angry and retorted, “Jiang Ziya, you want to protect the Zhou people? What abilities do you have? You have studied for merely 40 years. How can you match me? I can chop off my head, throw it into the air, and it falls right back on my neck as before. How can you dare to oppose me?” Jiang ignored Shen, and Shen left in anger. Shen started to disrupt Jiang's efforts. He called on different deities to kill Jiang. One day he was caught by the Primitive God of Heaven, who was about to throw him under a huge mountain. Shen begged his master to forgive him by swearing, “If I continue to call out deities to thwart Jiang Ziya, I am willing to plug the hole of the North Sea with my own body.” He was set free. However, Shen did not repent. He continued to stir up disharmony. He asked the head of a cult to deploy 10,000 deities, which caused great trouble for Jiang's King Wu. The Primitive God of Heaven knocked Shen down and killed the tiger he rode on. He told Shen, “You promised that if you continued to sabotage Jiang's work, you would plug the North Sea. It is time you fulfill your promise.” That was where Shen ended up, at the bottom of the sea, where he could never see the sun rise again. How Can a Man Outsmart Heaven? In the book Examples of Supernormal Phenomena, Su Dazhang, who passed the first level of imperial examinations, was about to participate in the second level examinations. Su, who lived in the Song Dynasty, was known in the townships for his superb understanding of the I Ching, or the Book of Changes. One night he dreamed that he was ranked No. 11 in the upcoming exam. He told his dream to a fellow student. This student, who was also to take the same examination, was quite jealous that he did not have such an auspicious dream himself. He went to report to the official overseeing the examination, claiming that Su must have bribed one of the officials reviewing the exam papers, otherwise, how could Su be so certain he was to be ranked No. 11? After all the students' papers were graded, the official in charge pulled out the paper that was ranked No. 11. As was the convention at that time, the students' names were covered up on the papers they turned in. The official in charge read the paper and turned angry. The paper discussed the I Ching, which was Su's specialty. He interrogated the officials who had graded the paper, “Now how can you explain this? Did any of you take bribes from Su, the I Ching expert, who was so confident that he would end up with a rank of No. 11?” All the officials were quite upset. They had to come up with another paper from the remaining candidates to replace this I Ching paper. Finally, on the day the results were announced, when all the candidates' names were uncovered, to the astonishment of the official in charge, the newly selected paper that now ranked No. 11 was Su's, while the jealous student who had made up lies to frame Su for bribery had been swapped out from his original 11th position. As a result, Su passed this second level of imperial examinations. The following year, Su passed the third and final level of the imperial examinations, while his fellow student who had made up false charges against him ended up humiliated and passed out. Jealousy is a negative emotion caused by not accepting the fact that others can exceed us in the quality of their character, skills, achievements, or situations. When one badmouths others or does things to hurt others out of jealousy, this demonstrates a lack of kindness in one's heart. This also creates karma for oneself, which will result in retribution. To be respectful and compassionate is a basic principle. When others accomplish things, we are glad for them. When others exceed us, we learn from them. When others need help, we do our best to help them. To truly treat others kindly so they can feel we are sincere, we have to be generous, which is the opposite of being jealous.
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- 7. A Life of Comfort Is Worse Than Poisoned Wine
By Jing Lian
(Minghui.org)
Everyone living in this world wants to
live a happy and enjoyable life. These thoughts are certainly not
wrong, but a happy life and a life of comfort are two completely
different concepts. A happy life is gauged by one's spiritual
feeling, while ease and comfort primarily refer to one's physical
enjoyment. For human beings, the mind and body are interlinked with
each other like the roots and branches on a tree. Maintaining one's
mind with peace and joy is fundamental. Blindly and constantly
pursuing physical pleasure however, is like putting the cart before
the horse.
Let's first examine a story called "A Life of Comfort Is Worse
Than Poisoned Wine."
There was a renowned official named Tao Kan during the Eastern
Jin Dynasty (317-420). He gained merit during the wars and became
the governor of Jingzhou. Some people were jealous of him and
slandered him. As a result, he was demoted and transferred to a
faraway place in the Guangzhou region of Guangdong. It was a wild
place where criminals were exiled.
There were very few official duties in Guangzhou, but Tao never
pursued leisure or comfort. He carried one hundred bricks from his
study to the yard every morning, and then carried the same bricks
back to his study in the evening. People were curious about his
behavior and asked him why he did this.
Tao replied, "I aim to reclaim Central China during this
lifetime. If I am too comfortable and become complacent, I am
afraid that I will not be able to accomplish my mission."
Tao was later transferred back to Jingzhou. Although he became
much busier than he was in Guangzhou, he still carried the bricks
every day to strengthen his willpower.
Tao Kan often told people, "Dayu, the legendary founder of the
Xia Dynasty around 2100 B.C., was a sage, but he knew how to
treasure every minute. We are ordinary people, therefore we should
treasure every second. How can we ease up and indulge in games or
pleasure and forget our duties?"
Mr. Tao held a very responsible position and endured many
hardships. He did not pursue leisure. He was so persistent that
while serving as governor of Jingzhou, he was promoted to grand
general of West Battlefield. He was in charge of military affairs
for eight prefectures and was given the title Sir Changsha County,
thereby becoming a famous person in history.
During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 B.C.-476 B.C.), Guan
Zhong, the prime minister of Qi State, advised the ruler Qi Huan
Gong, "One should not pursue good food, comfort, and wine." Our
ancestors saw leisure as something worse than poisoned wine because
leisure can erode man's willpower. There is an ancient saying, "One
often survives through hardship, yet perishes in comfort," which
refers to the same wisdom.
It is stated in Hanshu (Han Dynasty historical records): "The
ancients considered leisure as poisoned wine, and trading virtue
for wealth as misfortune. From the beginning of the Han Dynasty
(206 B.C.) to Emperor Xiaoping of Han (1 B.C. to 5 B.C.), among
hundreds of dukes, kings, and emperors, most of them were corrupt
and morally degraded. Why is history like that? It was their living
environment and their position that caused them to sink into a
state lacking self discipline." This is truly a lesson we later
generations should learn from.
The ancients said, "Birds of a feather flock together." Good
conduct and moral character are intertwined. Virtue amidst hard
work makes people realize that life is hard, thus they learn to be
thrifty, cherishing things and developing kindness. Were life too
easy and comfortable, one would become dissipated without
restraint, and unkind, thus being selfish, where evil thoughts can
easily be generated. So seeking a life of ease and comfort without
virtue is very dangerous for a person.
Looking at this from a cultivators' perspective, persons living
in this world must have done many bad things during many lifetimes
[reincarnations] and created much karma. Disasters in life and
things that adversely affect one's needs all stem from karmic
retribution. Just as we must pay what we owe others, if one
accumulates too much karma but does not pay it off, this person's
next life will be miserable. Looking at it from the perspective of
higher-level cultivation of the Buddha School and Tao School, the
purpose of living in this world is not to seek pleasure, but to
return to one's original, true self.
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- 8. Eliminating Fundamental Attachments
(Minghui.org)
The fundamental difference between cultivators and non-cultivators is that cultivators look inward to address problems. Additionally, cultivators find and eliminate their attachments through daily interactions with others so that they can improve.
This past summer, two fellow practitioners and I worked at a college. The three of us, I had thought, coordinated with each other to get our work done. On one of our days off, however, Practitioner A said to me, "You have the attachment of pursuit during work. Also, you don't want to take responsibility." Then, Practitioner B added, "Yes, I agree. He acts like a non-practitioner, only focusing on his own interests rather than others'...so selfish." Such comments depressed me. I didn't know what was going on. I forgot that I was a practitioner. Of course, I wasn't looking inward. I thought, "What was I pursuing? There is only three months of work during the summer. What recognition did they give me? What did they see in my behavior that made them think that I was pursuing recognition? How did they know that I didn't want to take responsibility? Did I work less than others? Didn't you guys see? How would you know I didn't take care of others?" I felt so unbalanced.
I calmed down over the next few days and realized that I should look inside. They would not comment on my behavior if I had done nothing wrong. From the perspective of Dafa, I know that if something has nothing to do with you, it will not happen to you. Knowing this, I knew that I needed to find my attachments. I suddenly recalled that when I was young, adults used to talk about how conceited I was. I wasn't able to accept criticism as a child and this continued into my adult years when I started work. I much preferred positive comments rather than negative. Looking back, I saw what a deep attachment I had.
The three of us should have worked as a united team this summer, and we should have had a united philosophy. I felt that only I had done well in my work and that the others had shortcomings. I didn't recognize my role and own up to my responsibility. Furthermore, since I was released from the forced labor camp, how much work had I done for our local Dafa projects? How much work did I do for the materials production site, group study environment, or helping former practitioners return to cultivation? Wasn't this my lack of awareness that all practitioners are one body? I didn't take others' needs as a priority and stand beside others, but instead selfishly stood alone. Did I comply with Teacher's requirement to cultivate into a selfless, altruistic, and righteous enlightened being? Did I meet the requirements for being a practitioner?
After I looked inside, I was clear that their comments were reasonable. I now need to eliminate my selfish attachments and improve my understanding of practitioners as one body, and cultivate to selflessness. I will indeed cultivate diligently.
This is a sharing from my personal experience. Please kindly point out if there is anything inappropriate.
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