(Minghui.org) A story I read in Investiture of the Gods when I was very young left a great impression on me. It went like this:
Jiang Ziya could foresee that King Zhou and Daji wanted Bigan's heart, so he wrote it out on a talisman and gave it to Bigan, telling him when it would happen. Then he told him to make sure to burn the talisman, eat the ashes with water, and keep walking south. No matter what he encountered, Jiang Ziya told him, he was to pay no attention to it, and only then would his life be saved.
One day, sure enough, King Zhou listened to Daji and asked to see if Bigan had a delicate heart. Bigan had no choice but to dig out his heart and hand it over to King Zhou. He held his hand over the hole in his chest, hurried home, burned the talisman, and ate the ashes with water. He then left home, heading south. He saw a woman selling vegetables and yelling, “Heartless vegetable for sale, heartless vegetable for sale.”
Puzzled, Bigan asked, “Why do you call it heartless?” She answered, “One cannot live without a heart.” Bigan realized that he had no heart, fell down, and died.
We have encountered severe interference in our area lately, and the police kept looking for me. I was also very concerned for our group safety. I worried that certain practitioners who don't cultivate solidly might stumble. I especially worried about problems that might be caused due to my own mistakes. I knew everything was related to my cultivation and elevation, so I paid close attention to cultivating my xinxing, looking for my shortcomings, and was careful not to be affected by the negative comments of others.
I asked myself: "Am I helping Master rectify the Fa with total dedication and devotion? Do I still have attachments?" I have walked on the path of Fa-rectification for 13 years with Master's tender care and compassionate protection. If there is loss to our group because of my cultivation state, how could I face Master?"
I had a very vivid dream afterwards: A person named Shiping and I both held our hearts in our hands; we had no idea how our hearts ended up in our hands. Shiping was scared to death and said in a trembling voice, "I can no longer live without a heart."
I was not afraid at all. I recalled the story of Bigan and said calmly, "I have Master, I have the Fa, I will live!" I was instructed to swallow my heart down, so I did. The dream made me think a great deal after I woke up. I realized that as long as I believe in Master and the Fa and my thoughts are righteous, nothing can interfere with me.
I understood why I encountered all those difficult, complicated situations; managed to do everything even better; and enlightened to what Master taught us: “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” ( Zhuan Falun )
Dafa practitioners have cultivated on the path of helping Master rectify the Fa for close to 15 years. During the process of saving sentient beings and resisting persecution, each step reflects our faith in Master and the Fa. It is not something we just utter with our lips. It reveals our true cultivation state. No matter what we encounter, only when we completely believe in Master and the Fa can we let go of the attachment of life and death and let go of everything. We can then do the three things well and have strong supernatural powers and wisdom from the Fa. We are able to work out complicated, perilous situations safely, as well as verify the grandness of the Fa and its mighty virtue.
Since Bigan did not completely believe Jiang Ziya and follow his instructions, he was interfered with and lost his life. It was also a reflection of his poor enlightenment quality. Removing the heart normally results in instant death. Without Jiang Ziya's protection, he could not have done anything. It was already supernatural that he could do so much without his heart. In the end his human notion caused his death.
As Dafa practitioners, Master's constant protection and care has allowed us to walk our path smoothly during the savage persecution. However, when some fellow practitioners faced persecution and tribulations, they could not completely believe in Master and the Fa, and could not follow the requirements set forth by Master, so they were interfered with by all sorts of false impressions, causing losses in their own cultivation.
If we hold onto our attachments and human hearts, then we can only understand the Fa revealed in this human dimension, making it hard to see the wonder and supernatural power of Dafa.
The reference to swallowing my heart in the dream related to sincerity and heartfelt intention. I knew it was a test to check my sincerity toward Master and the Fa. As long as we are devoted to Master and the Fa, use the most righteous thoughts regarding our mission and responsibility, care little about our gains and losses, and become truly selfless, we will gradually elevate, reaching the realm Master set for us.
Shiping was very active when evil people were not around and the situation was more relaxed, and didn't truly work on his xinxing. At critical moments, his faith was not solid, and he tended to stumble, retreat, and behave like Bigan in the story.
This entire event reminded me to work on the solid foundation of my cultivation on a daily basis, rather than being satisfied with the progress so far. Each step is a new start, and every test needs to meet a higher standard. Particularly as we approach the final moment, it is more critical, and one thought is the difference between being human or divine.
This is my personal understanding at the current stage. Please kindly point out any shortcomings.
Category: Improving Oneself
