(Minghui.org) For a long time, many practitioners around me have been very attached to their family members’ “success in life.” They pay much attention to all aspects of their loved one’s life, including education, job, career, financial security, marriage, childbearing decisions, etc. While it is normal to want the best for loved ones, becoming preoccupied with family members’ lives is an attachment from the perspective of Dafa cultivation.
Many practitioners have asked Master to bless their children and/or relatives with stellar grades, high-paying jobs, booming family businesses, new babies, or other things that everyday people long for.
Master is here to rectify the cosmos and guide Dafa disciples to cultivate themselves, not to take care of ordinary people’s affairs during the Fa-rectification period, as that is something to be done when the Fa rectifies the human world. Dafa disciples are conforming to the life style of ordinary people while practicing cultivation in everyday society, but our minds must be beyond everyday people’s affairs.
Master said:
“Clarifying the facts and saving sentient beings are what you need to accomplish. There is nothing else for you to accomplish. There is nothing else in this world that you need to accomplish.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2015 New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)
We should care about our children’s studies, as that is a responsibility of parents. But when we care too much about it, it becomes an attachment; when we pay attention to it more than Dafa and cultivation, it is even worse.
Regarding the childbearing issue, it seems that the problem is even more serious. Some practitioners become anxious when their children do not have any babies after several years of marriage. They even beg Master to bless them with grandchildren, which is not something a practitioner should do.
In Zhuan Falun, Master repeatedly says to “follow the course of nature.” What I realized is that Buddhas are only concerned with the elevation of a being, not their family affairs. Whether a practitioner’s children have offspring or not has little to do with them or their cultivation. This pursuit is an attachment we should eliminate.
I didn’t do well at first in this regard myself. But through studying the Fa, I gradually realized that asking for Master’s help on things not related to cultivation was not conforming to the Fa.
Regarding things in this human world, practitioners should take them lightly. We are Dafa disciples, and although we are cultivating in human society, our cultivation realm is not here. We should look beyond the level of everyday people. People have their own destiny, and what they are destined to have will be there, and what they are destined not to have should not be sought. Practitioners should follow the course of nature and not do things like ordinary people.
This human society is needed for Master’s Fa-rectification, and also as an environment for Dafa disciples to cultivate and elevate. All the manifestations around us are to help us cultivate, and ultimately our hearts should not be moved by everyday people affairs.
We fellow practitioners must be clear on one thing. Master has rearranged the path of cultivation for Dafa disciples, while everyday people are still following their everyday people’s paths.
When a person receives blessings in Dafa, it’s because they support Dafa themselves, not from our pursuit. One may think that some favorable things have happened because they asked for Master’s help, but this is not the case. It was just arranged that way.
It is normal for Dafa disciples to ask Master for help when we have difficulties in our practice. So long as our righteous thoughts are strong, we can overcome them. If we can’t solve them by ourselves, we can ask Master to enlighten us or even help us directly. It is because we are Dafa cultivators that Master can help us.
Another problem is that in order to validate that Dafa is good, some of our fellow practitioners say, “It is because I practice Dafa that my children are so good.” At my current understanding I believe that to validate the Fa, we must pay attention to doing well ourselves.
We can only speak for ourselves based on our personal experiences practicing Dafa. I believe this is because the cultivation environment is very complex. There are karmic relationships that we can’t see, and not all of our friends and relatives are having a good life just because we practice Dafa.
In one example, a practitioner said that her son’s company was doing well because she practices Dafa. Then another person asked her, “But why does your youngest son have a mental disability?”
There are cases of practitioners’ family members who have died from diseases or accidents, which can’t be simply explained with the logic that our families are blessed because we practice Dafa.
It may be better that we talk about examples where we and fellow practitioners have ourselves benefited, or how ordinary people have benefited because they supported Dafa. As for the tribulations and disasters that practitioners’ family members have faced, this may be their destiny, something we can’t change whether we practice Dafa or not.
We followed Master down realm after realm for millions of years until we descended into this human world. Through Master’s teachings, we understand the true meaning of life, who we are, and that we have a sacred mission. We have left behind the glory of history to help Master with Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings in this world. We should not be deluded by the chaotic phenomena within this everyday society and make it more difficult for Master to save us. We should conform to the requirements of the Fa in every thought, take the Fa as our teacher, and practice well in order to truly help Master with the Fa-rectification, do the three things well, and fulfill our vows.
Editor’s note: This article only 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)
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
Category: Perspective
