(Minghui.org) In my dreams, I have seen myself enter, or try to enter, the gate to heaven three times. These dreams inspired me to re-examine my past cultivation experiences.
The first time I had such a dream was ten years ago. I easily walked through the gate, turned around, saw other practitioners just strolling along, and shouted to them, “Hurry up!”
The second time I saw heaven from afar, and the kingdom was bathed in Buddha light. As I was about to step through the gate, something about the secular world occurred to me. I regretted having the thought and criticized myself, “Why am I still thinking about secular issues? I have to go back and cultivate better.” I turned around and left.
The third dream took place a few months ago. Practitioners were waiting in line to pass through the gate. When it was my turn, someone stopped me and said that my barcode had expired and that I needed to scan my passport to generate a new barcode. Upon awakening, my thought was that the dream was a hint that I had not yet reached the “bar.”
I took a close look at my cultivation state and the following are the things I have enlightened to.
Master never talked about specific dates as to when our cultivation would end. He said, “...the very end of the end.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2009 Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume IX)
Master also tells us:
“Whatever day history is to end on, that day cannot be delayed no matter what. There can only be changes made to specific things or what unfolds in the process. Things that are not done well will impact things later on, but this overall time frame cannot be extended. This isn’t a matter of Master being compassionate or not. The reality is, in the end, if anything that has been saved or re-formed is not what I want or does not reach my standard, it will have been for naught since it will have to be destroyed. This time cannot be exceeded. So, for the beings that cannot be saved, that’s just how it is.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume XI)
Because there isn’t a set date on when Fa rectification ends, we are unable to set a specific time for a specific goal. As a result, we adjust the pace of our cultivation to our liking based on our understanding at the time.
Some practitioners may anticipate that Fa rectification will end in a certain number of years and adjust their routines accordingly, only to find out that it did not end at the time they expected. My understanding is that when they have not yet reached the levels that they were supposed to, Master adjusts their cultivation process to give them more time. Master has said: “Most Dafa disciples will follow Master in the Fa-rectification of the human realm.” (“Wake Up”)
In the past, I typically set a goal for myself at the beginning of the year: I uncovered a couple of my big attachments and focused on eliminating them during the year. I never thought about what would happen if Fa rectification ended the next day. Why would I want to wait for a year to discard my attachments? Shouldn’t I eliminate them as soon as possible?
Similarly, what would I do to save the people who believe the Chinese Communist Party’s lies about Falun Dafa if Fa rectification ends tomorrow? I think I would use my most powerful righteous thoughts to annihilate all evil. Then what am I waiting for? We should treat every day as the last day of Fa rectification and hurry up to save people.
“The reality is, in the end, if anything that has been saved or re-formed is not what I want or does not reach my standard, it will have been for naught since it will have to be destroyed.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume XI)
If a being from the old universe wants to enter the new universe, it must 100% meet the new universe’s requirements. In the midst of everyday activities, we should ask ourselves how a divine being from the new universe would likely react. When I’ve asked myself this question, often I’ve known what to do. If we do not set high standards for our behavior, what we have accomplished in the end may have impurities that prevent us from saving sentient beings and returning to our heavenly homes.
Resolute Righteous Thoughts
“... real Buddhas are guardians of the cosmos and are responsible for all righteous elements in the cosmos.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Western U.S. Fa Conference,” Guiding the Voyage)
Having righteous thoughts means having thoughts of guarding Dafa. Years ago I dreamed that I went to an ancient castle in which rotten demons were everywhere. While I was so fearful, the practitioner next to me said, “Don’t be afraid, we will guard this castle.” His righteous thoughts inspired me, a new practitioner at the time. I closed my eyes to send righteous thoughts with him, and the demons fled.
When attacks on Shen Yun and Master took place, a fellow practitioner took responsibility and said, “As a practitioner, I can’t allow this to happen.” At the time I only thought of sending additional righteous thoughts to help. I saw the difference between me and that practitioner: He took the initiative and made the effort to protect, whereas I did not even realize that my righteous thoughts could have that power.
Having righteous thoughts often leads to a good result in the Dafa initiatives we do, and we should maintain those thoughts at all times. Many times I worked on things that I had never done before and got stuck for a long time. One time, after much struggle, I started to wonder why I worked so hard. “To save people,” I thought. The next moment I had the answer to the problem.
Genuine Compassion
Master says, “Compassion is expressed in this world through love and kindness, ... (“A Wake-Up Call”)
I seldom have the chance to clarify the truth to people except for the ones I see every day. Sometimes I feel indifferent to things and people around me. One day a thought surfaced: “People suffer so much, and they struggle bitterly to survive catastrophes.”
That struck me as a genuinely compassionate thought—until I read an article in which a practitioner said that he wanted to save everyone he met and did not even think about his safety. I realized that is genuine compassion.
In order to have genuine compassion, we must first empty ourselves of attachments and notions, like Master tells us, “... The mind empties and kind thoughts arise …” (“Entering a Sacred State of Mind,” Hong Yin III)
Negate Attachment to Comfort and Fulfill Our Goals
Growing up, I did not like to set high standards for myself and wanted to live an easy life. The following are a few stories that show how I was attached to comfort. I want to remind everyone that this should not be our attitude when it comes to our cultivation.
When I worked security at a Shen Yun performance, the practitioner in charge of security sometimes gave me a ride to the venue. On one occasion, another practitioner offered me a ride as well. He said that he didn’t want to ride with the practitioner in charge of security because he always went to the venue early and left late. I didn’t object to the offer, thinking that I could get a few more hours of sleep. I took the easy route and forgot what Master says in “Tempering the Will,” (Hong Yin), “... Let joy be found in hardship ...”
A practitioner once told me that she wakes up at 2 a.m. to meditate for two hours because it is quiet and comfortable at that time. Two decades have passed since then, and I have not been able to do that once.
Some practitioners vow to cultivate and reach consummation because “there is no more suffering after reaching consummation.” I once thought that after returning home to heaven, the first thing I’d do is to get enough sleep. It’s been months since Master published “A Wake-Up Call” and I wonder if I have truly ever woken up.
Many practitioners working on Dafa initiatives comment that there is not enough manpower. My understanding is that there should be enough manpower because Master has arranged for it to be so. Perhaps those practitioners who comment have not yet reached the levels required of them and do not have enough righteous thoughts; they have yet to realize how precious and profound Dafa cultivation is.
We live in a key moment in history and should take the initiative to shoulder tremendous responsibility to save lives.