(Minghui.org) When I first started practicing Falun Dafa, another practitioner pointed out that I was not like other practitioners who reflected on their shortcomings after stumbling. I didn’t think much of what he said at the time and felt I wasn’t doing anything wrong. But as I advanced in cultivation, I realized this way of thinking was not correct. Looking inward is the key difference between practitioners and everyday people. In cultivation there are no small matters. Nothing happens by chance. Everything we encounter is a cultivation opportunity, and we should look inward. Even when we see others having problems, we should examine ourselves to see if we have similar issues or perhaps there’s something we need to pay attention to. That is what it means to cultivate.
Through cultivation, I’ve realized I have so many attachments, and they can appear at any time. I’m able to recognize some, others I cannot; some I can let go of, some I cannot. I often hear practitioners say, “Today, I lost my temper with my family again.” This means they didn’t pass that xinxing test. In other words, when problems arise, they didn’t look within and only focused on others’ faults and thought they were right. Is that cultivation? This makes cultivation very hard and tiring. If we can look within unconditionally as soon as we have tribulations and identify our attachments, then unexpected positive results will appear.
If we cannot let go of our attachments, obstacles and hardships will follow. Master is looking after practitioners. When we don’t do well we may have warnings or tribulations. These are opportunities to examine ourselves, gain some new understandings, and let go of our attachments. Otherwise, it truly feels like we are mired in an endless sea of suffering.
I’ve cultivated for more than 30 years and I’ve stumbled and struggled along the way. My being able to cultivate to this point is entirely due to Master’s protection and Dafa’s guidance. Otherwise, I would have achieved nothing. I retired more than 10 years ago. I continue to do the {{three things practitioners should do, but the tests are constant. For example, I pick up and drop off my grandson and take him to activities on weekends. Whenever possible, I recite “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” with him, memorize Hong Yin, Lunyu, and study the Fa.
My grandson is usually respectful, but he’s sometimes stubborn and difficult. If I get angry and scold him it doesn’t stop. But whenever I looked inward I found many attachments. For example, using my phone is the most common. Even everyday people know phones can be harmful and addictive, yet I still couldn’t let go. I justified online shopping as necessary purchases. But once I got started, I wasted a lot of time. Also, when posting lists of people who quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I would start browsing ordinary websites. These are all attachments. My grandson’s unusual behavior was also a reminder for me. When I recognized this, I immediately admitted my mistake to Master and resolved to correct myself.
Looking within and removing attachments can sometimes resolve very difficult problems. Otherwise, even small matters may drag on endlessly. Cultivation is serious. Of course, attachments are not always easy to detect.
I had some swimming passes that were about to expire, so I invited a retired colleague to go swimming. I thought exercising was normal. But after only half an hour, the school called saying my grandson had severe stomach pain. I wasn’t home, so my spouse took a taxi to get him. I rushed back, sent forth righteous thoughts, looked within, and recited “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” with my grandson. We often do this when problems arise.
I realized what I did that day was not right. Usually taking my grandson swimming on weekends is fulfilling a responsibility, but going swimming myself was for enjoyment. Even if I thought it was for exercise, that would also be incorrect. After identifying the attachment, I found that my grandson was fine and didn’t need to go to the hospital. My family felt this turnaround was unbelievable.
There are so many examples like this. As I continue to look inward during tribulations I continually improve. Sometimes, the issues caused by my attachments repeat themselves. Despite my shortcomings Master has never given up on me. I cannot fully express my gratitude to Master. The only thing I can do is to study the Fa more, do the three things well, and repay Master’s grace. With firm determination, I will let go of attachments and continue to look within.
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
