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Taking Worldly Appearances Lightly

March 24, 2012 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

 

(Minghui.org) Living in the human world, which is a huge dye vat, it's very easy for us to be influenced to value its false appearances and material interests. Those who cultivate toward a higher dimension should stay away from these things, take them lightly, or better yet, get rid of them. Here, I would like to share with you some of my understandings of the Fa.

 

Teacher said,

 

The more he cares for this tiny bit of practical gain, the more narrow-minded he becomes, and the more he feels that material gains of everyday people are something he cannot let go. So he will then deem himself very practical, and he will not suffer any losses.” Zhuan Falun

 

After studying Teacher's Fa in this paragraph, I came to understand that I was narrow-minded when I looked down upon others and their weak points, and this rendered me to have difficulty breaking through barriers. Actually, I valued too much my own understanding of the Fa, thinking that I was right.

 

Teacher said,

 

Of course, such a person is not really foolish. We simply treat the issue of personal, vested interests with indifference, while in other areas we are very wise. In terms of conducting scientific research projects or carrying out assignments from our supervisors or other duties, we are very clear-minded and perform them very well. Only in terms of our personal benefits or our interpersonal conflicts will we care less.” (Zhuan Falun)

 

I came to comprehend that as far as things in human society are concerned, which are considered to be unreal, I must take an indifferent attitude until I completely get rid of all human notions. Sometimes, if I did not agree with the way others did things, I asked myself to take it lightly with an indifferent attitude, and when I did that, I noticed that it was really nothing at all and that I was not affected after all. If we could develop a habit of taking things lightly when a conflict occurs, then it will really fade away.

 

This is because Teacher said,

 

In fact, let me tell everyone that matter and mind are one thing.” (Zhuan Falun)

 

In fact, this world's rationality is against all reason, and human phenomena are false impressions—there is no need to value them, and they should be regarded lightly.

 

Let me talk about my understanding of “considering oneself in the right.” Generally speaking, to consider oneself in the right is to request or to judge others with one's own understanding or reasoning. Sometimes, it is expressed as being unable to listen to opinions of others. In the end, one still emphasizes oneself, strengthening one's own thinking, possibly leading to self-expansion. Endangering others could be summed up in three points: (1) not being able to understand one's own position and regarding oneself too highly; (2) causing others to feel disgusted; and (3) easily getting demonic interference from one's own mind.

 

Considering oneself in the right” manifests as one's own knowledge being absolutely correct, which is against the Fa of the universe.

 

I am currently unemployed and am looking for a new job. My ideal job, in my mind, would be that I would have time for cultivation and truth clarification. The new job should be located close to my residence, and my salary should be higher. All in all, I want what I want. When I told some fellow practitioners about my situation at a Fa-study session, one of them asked, “Do you have the final say?” She was right. I've been looking for a job for quite a few months, but still haven't gotten one yet! (I negate any arrangement by the old forces.) This is to say that I cannot get whatever I want. This situation made me realize that I had a strong notion of “considering oneself in the right.” Fortunately, Teacher arranged a fellow practitioner to point it out and I awakened. This fellow practitioner said that her former job was relatively binding, which caused her to often think about getting a position with less work so that she could do more for Dafa. Who would have thought that the following day a new assignment was given to her, enabling her to do only a few things, which merely took a few days a month!

 

She quoted Teacher's Fa:

 

The paths of cultivation are varied

But none is outside the Great Law

When one is attached to nothing

The path underfoot is naturally smooth

(“Unimpeded” from Hong Yin II)

 

I came to realize that one should not over-value things from one's own enlightenment; otherwise one could fall into a quagmire and will be unable to extricate oneself from it. Also, this mentality could be amplified, leading to a state where one's understanding seems absolutely correct and causing one to be unable to listen to others' understandings and thoughts, let alone tolerate them.

 

I realized that a Dafa practitioner of a different realm at a different level could have entirely different reasons and understandings of things. Even everyday people's understandings of things are different from one another. With this kind of understanding, there's no reason for me to look down upon other Dafa practitioners or require them to do the same as me. How could I get rid of this toxin of “considering oneself in the right”? I need to care less about myself, consider others first and finally become selfless.

 

Let's get rid of all worldly attachments, along with human thinking, so that we'll be able to fulfill our mission, follow Teacher and return home!

 

Thank you, Teacher!

Thank you, fellow practitioners!