(Minghui.org) A recent experience taught me that the only way to fundamentally transform my notions and break free from the fear of persecution is to unconditionally look within.
Cold Rejection
A practitioner told me they suspected that practitioner Yu’s phone might be under police surveillance, and asked me to warn Yu. I also thought Yu was being too careless about phone security, so I went to talk to her.
When I mentioned these concerns to Yu, she seemed impatient, saying such matters could be entirely negated with righteous thoughts, so there was no need to keep reminding her. Though I didn’t lose my cool at the time, I still felt a bit uncomfortable. I was doing this for her own good—why was she treating me like this?
Looking Within
Reminding other practitioners about phone security isn’t wrong—it’s the right thing to do. I asked myself: “Am I truly thinking of her best interests? Have I genuinely looked within myself? If I’d truly looked within, my first thoughts when hearing about this matter would have been: Why am I hearing this? What human attachments am I meant to cultivate? How am I meant to improve?”
Instead, my first thought had been: “Oh no, she called me yesterday. I need to delete her from my contacts and block her number. I’ve wanted to talk to Yu in person about this for ages, but out of pride, I never found the courage. This time, I absolutely must tell her.”
Selfishness and Fear On Display
Look at these thoughts of mine! Was it really for her own good, or was I just trying to protect myself? My selfishness was on full display. On the surface, it seemed I was doing this for her good, and taking responsibility for her, but in reality, it was because I was afraid of being implicated and persecuted. Yu must have sensed this. No wonder she treated me impatiently.
Master told us:
“When you meet with a conflict, it doesn’t matter whether you are in the right. You should be asking yourself, “What on my part isn’t right in this situation? Might it really be that there is something wrong on my part?” You should all be thinking this way, with your first thought being to scrutinize yourself to try to find the problem. Whoever is not like this is not in fact a true cultivator of Dafa. It is a magical tool in our cultivation. This is a distinguishing feature of our Dafa disciples’ cultivation. Whatever it is that you encounter, the first thought should be to scrutinize yourself, and it’s called “looking within.”” (“What a Dafa Disciple Is,” Collected Teachings Given Around the WorldVolume XI)
According to Master’s teachings, a true Dafa cultivator should first look within when encountering a problem. Even though I’ve cultivated for over 20 years, I still haven’t truly achieved this or fundamentally changed my human notions.
Eliminating the Notion of Fear and Persecution
Isn’t being afraid of persecution also a loophole? Why am I afraid of being persecuted? During my years of cultivation, I have been arrested and had my home ransacked by the police many times. I realized this had instilled a deep-seated fear within me. Although I’ve been trying to eliminate it, when problems come up, I still feel fearful and insecure.
Hasn’t the Chinese Communist Party been about to topple itself through years of persecution? Haven’t we Dafa disciples grown increasingly mature through our trials? If we still view ourselves as victims, won’t that fear and dread be shielded by our own notions, and become impossible to eliminate? It’s time to completely transform our notions.
Grateful For Master’s Guidance
I also discovered my hidden desire to show off, believing I had cultivated better than others and was more experienced due to my greater trials. I was clinging to self-centered notions, along with Party culture, fear when facing challenges, and a lack of absolute faith in Master and the Fa—I had countless human attachments.
When I recognized all this, my heart became full of boundless gratitude for Master! It was Master’s meticulous arrangement that allowed me to see through my acquired notions and human attachments. I stopped fearing persecution, found my true place, and got rid of all my fear and dread. I am filled with profound gratitude to be a Dafa disciple during this period of rectifying the Fa—what an honor and blessing! I also sincerely thank other practitioners for their companionship along the way.
To truly meet the standards of a true cultivator, one should not be swayed by anything.
On the path of cultivation ahead, I will cherish every opportunity for improvement arranged by our revered Master. I will make good use of the magical tool Master has given us—“looking inward”—to completely transform my human notions, let go of all my attachments, diligently fulfill the three things Master requires of us, live up to the title of a Dafa disciple, and achieve genuine and authentic cultivation.
Articles in which cultivators share their understandings typically reflect an individual's perception at a point in time based on their cultivation state, and they are offered in the spirit of enabling mutual elevation.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
