(Minghui.org) I had a discussion recently with my family members, who are also Falun Dafa practitioners, about balancing the three things in everyday life. I said that work takes up most of our time each day, so it was hard to stay in a state of diligent cultivation.
I feel that nothing is trivial in our cultivation, and it’s a battle between good and evil every time we send forth righteous thoughts, study the Fa, and do the exercises. If we allow demons to get the upper hand, it would certainly be difficult to cultivate diligently.
When we get home from work, our thought karma sneakily tells us to relax and have a rest, pretending that this benefits us. It’s reasonable to have a rest after working hard, right? So we relax, and browse the news and seek entertainment online. And then, it escalates. Fa study time used to be 50 minutes long, but you would like to have a rest after 30 minutes. You begin making excuses, and think “let me wait until the weekend or the holidays.”
You gradually slack off, and the next battle will be harder if you lose this one. Black karma continues to build up, and starts to pull you down. You could become even less diligent, until eventually your cultivation is ruined by your attachment to comfort.
Based on my experience, I think we shouldn’t make up any excuses for ourselves. When we realize that we have missed Fa study or the exercises, we should make it up immediately. There are no shortcuts in cultivation. Every time we study the Fa and do the exercises, some of our karma gets dissolved. No effort is in vain. Some fellow practitioners have pointed out in their experience sharing articles that the more diligent we are, the easier our cultivation becomes, and the less interference we face. As our karma steadily reduces, we can do the three things more efficiently.
It’s a good idea for us to write down how long we spend on different activities when we are not at work. It will help us maintain better control over our time.
Editor's note: This article represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state, meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
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Category: Improving Oneself
