(Minghui.org) My daughter told me a story called “One Minute.” It’s about a student who, after his alarm went off, slept for another minute, thinking that it wasn’t a big deal. It turned out that because of that one minute, he missed the green traffic light, and then the bus went by as he was waiting for the light to change. In the end, he was 20 minutes late for school.
This story was a wake-up call, because the scenario sounded just like my morning routine. When the alarm went off and it was time for me to do the exercises. I always wanted to sleep in for another couple of minutes. I believed that I would still be in time to send righteous thoughts.
My excuse was beside the point. In the long run, it affected my willpower as a practitioner. Teacher said, “As a practitioner, without a strong will and self-restraint, you will not be able to do this.” (Zhuan Falun)
When it comes to food, sometimes I still wanted to take another bite even when I was already full. It wasn’t a big deal, but the thought of it was nourishing my attachment to food.
At times, my family or friends would ask for a favor, and I would reply, “Just a minute.” It exposed my notions of not wanting to help or not wanting to put down the work I had at hand.
I occasionally browse through the messages my daughter’s teacher sends. After that, I often wanted to read more messages from other sources, believing that I would just take a look. When I “take a look” enough times, I would have read plenty of degenerate information. It may enter my brain, form stubborn attachments, and cause interference for my cultivation.
Teacher has said,
“Every test or every tribulation is related to the matter of either progression or regression in cultivation. It is already difficult, yet still you add this self-imposed tribulation. How can you overcome it? You might come across hardships or troubles as a result of it.” (Zhuan Falun)
Ignoring trivial attachments over a long period of time turns into accepting a big attachment. I finally understood why I was unable to progress quickly. I still fell asleep while studying the Fa and doing the exercises. I also did not maintain righteous thoughts when I did Dafa work.
Not paying attention to small details in my daily life has become severe interference in my cultivation and resulted in repetitive failures of my tests. The notions that are too small to catch my attention can, in fact, have serious consequences.
As a practitioner, our every thought should be based on the Fa. At all times, we should measure everything we do against the highest standard and have strong righteous thoughts. This is something we say a lot but do not necessarily put into practice.
Teacher has said,
“If you do not change the human logic that you, as an ordinary human, have formed deep in your bones over thousands of years, you will be unable to break away from this superficial human shell and reach Consummation.” (“Cautionary Advice” from Essentials for Further Advancements)
Category: Improving Oneself