(Minghui.org) Practitioners should view the situations and events in their lives in a comprehensive manner. For example, the people we come in contact with cannot be judged by their behavior alone or from just this one lifetime. Although they may appear to be ordinary, they may have done some very extraordinary things in their past lives.
While cultivating ourselves during this historic period, we're also shouldering the mission of validating Dafa and saving sentient beings. Master wants to rescue the beings in the old cosmos and is providing us with an opportunity to assist him.
Master said:
“The closer it gets to the end, the more you cannot let up; the closer it gets to the end, the better you must study the Fa; the closer it gets to the end, the stronger your righteous thoughts must be.” (“To the Canada Fa Conference” in The Essentials of Diligent Progress, Vol. III)
Some practitioners in my area feel gloomy and depressed. As a result, they become less strict with themselves and often forget their grand missions in life. This is a very serious matter!
The old forces expand these practitioners' feelings and take advantage of their human notions. This causes some practitioners to lose confidence after being so-called “transformed.” I feel this is mainly due to their shallow understanding of the Fa.
Instead of feeling depressed, they should simply pick themselves up, learn from their mistakes, and look forward to doing better from that point forward. As long as they study the Fa and are not moved by the old forces' influences, they'll be able to do well in the future.
Some practitioners fall into the trap of self-loathing when they fail to handle themselves correctly. This is because they cannot let go of their human notions.
Don't spend a lot of time berating yourself, thinking that it serves some noble purpose. It doesn't serve any purpose and is just another attachment that we need to get rid of.
In the past, I was in a situation where I was unable to live up to Dafa's requirements. I felt a lot of regret and was determined to do well the next time a similar opportunity presented itself. Yet, after being diligent for a while, I repeated the mistake.
As time went by, I became less confident in myself and in my ability to overcome different challenges. I even started to doubt if I was capable of reaching consummation. As a result, I became more and more depressed.
Although I couldn't figure out why I kept repeating the mistake, I still continued to study the Fa, do the five Dafa exercises, and clarify the truth. I was able to do this because I am wholly committed to following Master and never, ever giving up on myself.
It's similar to how a slow marathon runner loses track of where he stands in a race. After falling down numerous times, he finally calls it quits.
However, as practitioners, no matter how badly you feel about your current cultivation state, you can never give up!
Remember, this is the only true “marathon” that there is or ever will be. That means we must run as fast as we can. If we cannot run, then we need to walk. Quitting is not an option!
As Master said in Zhuan Falun, “In Buddha Law cultivation you have to boldly and vigorously forge ahead.”
We need to cultivate our xinxing wholeheartedly and never allow ourselves to feel depressed for not doing certain things well.
As long as you're an athlete in this “marathon,” you are outstanding. No matter how many times you fall, no matter how bad you feel, and no matter how difficult your path seems, you must keep going.
Never give up!
Category: Improving Oneself
