(Minghui.org) I had some strong reactions when I read the recent Minghui editorial “Starting Point” because I had made similar mistakes to those it describes. The mistakes I made led to great losses in my cultivation, and the cultivation of others close to me. I would like to share the lesson I learned, so that nobody has to make the same mistake I did.
I used to have trouble discerning between right and wrong when facing tough issues. This caused me to do a lot of things that I now regret. I was detained for some time, and after I was released, I gave in to coercion and followed some wayward practitioners. My mistakes dishonored Dafa, caused interference for other practitioners, and hindered the process of offering salvation to sentient beings.
I examined myself and tried hard to figure out why I continued to make mistakes during tests and interference, and why I often failed to realize my mistakes until afterwards.
I continued to look inward for my faults and continued to study the Fa more, and thus found many attachments. The most salient ones included following other practitioners' behaviors instead of the Fa and over-relying on my fellow practitioners.
Even though I had tried to memorize the Fa, I only memorized its rough meaning, and not every word. Because of this, I did not have the Fa to draw upon at critical junctions.
I corrected myself by memorizing a large amount of the Fa meticulously. I also wrote many experience sharing articles and submitted them to Minghui. Through the process, I found myself improving in my understanding and decision-making. The Fa would come to my mind when I faced tests, and I became less likely to make mistakes.
One time, I saw a fellow practitioner quote Master's words on QQ (a chat client used by many Chinese) without indicating it was Master's words. I remembered what Master had said about stealing the Fa and immediately pointed it out to this fellow practitioner. A notice from Dafa Association earlier this year confirmed that my decision was right.
I used to enjoy reading sharing articles about other dimensions and reincarnations. As I memorized the Fa more and more, I realized these types of articles may help certain types of non-practitioners, but shouldn't be promoted among Dafa practitioners.
Since practitioners are all at different levels, what they see in other dimensions is certainly not the ultimate truth. I began to evaluate these articles according to the Fa.
One time I read an article recommended on Minghui. I was touched by the strong faith of the author, but I also saw where he had fallen short. The fellow practitioner had endured a lot of suffering, but he's unclear as to whether it was Master's arrangement.
Master had made careful and systematic arrangements for our cultivation, and it doesn't necessarily do any good for us to attempt any additional endurance. The corresponding section of Master's lecture came to my mind naturally after I memorized the Fa. Master said,
“To make it convenient for more people to practice cultivation, Dafa at present mainly takes the form of cultivation practice in the society of everyday people; practitioners temper themselves in their workplaces and other environments of everyday persons. Only monks and nuns need to roam around. ” (Essentials for Further Advancement - “A Heavy Blow”)
The above are just a few examples. When I keep the Fa in my mind, I would naturally know what to do as questions arose.
After learning from my own experiences, I finally understood that my major problem was that I didn't study the Fa enough. After I improved my Fa-study, I became better at sending righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth. I hope my fellow practitioners will learn from my lessons and not neglect Fa-study.
The above is my limited understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Category: Improving Oneself
