(Minghui.org) The issue of maintaining willpower in cultivation has been discussed many times in our small Fa-study group. Teacher mentioned several times that we are, “always cultivating as if you were just starting” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”).
But somehow I can't be as diligent as I should be. One practitioner fell asleep during Fa-study and frequently dropped her book. It wasn't because she didn't want to be diligent, but rather, she lacked the willpower to eliminate the attachment of falling asleep.
Teacher said,
“You fall asleep while studying the Fa, you fall asleep while reading the book, you also fall asleep while doing the exercises. You haven’t even broken through the beginning stage yet. It’s about willpower! As you know, during your cultivation, not only will all elements that constitute your humanness try to stop you from breaking away from being a human, but also everything that constitutes the human environment won’t let you leave. You have to break through everything and overcome all kinds of ordeals. The biggest manifestation is the suffering they create for you. Suffering comes in different forms, and sleepiness is one of them. Those people who aren’t able to cultivate or who aren’t diligent don’t realize that this is a form of hardship. You are unable to attain the Fa—it doesn’t let you study the Fa—and yet you aren’t even aware that it’s an ordeal. Unless your heart isn’t with the Fa or you don’t want to cultivate, why not overcome it? Strengthen your willpower. If a person could become a Buddha simply by overcoming sleepiness, I’d say it would be too easy. How will you cultivate yourself if you can’t even pass a small hurdle like this one?” (“Teaching the Fa at the Assistants' Fa Conference in Changchun”)
I've also had problems with sleepiness. I'd like to share my understanding of how to overcome this and strengthen our willpower.
Teacher said,
“Back in my days of practice, more than once a teacher told me, 'Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.' And it really is so. It’s an outlook you only stand to benefit from. So the next time you are going through a real trial or tribulation, try to keep this in mind, and see if you can bear it. Or when faced with what seems impossible, and even if others say so, try to keep this in mind, and see if it isn’t in fact possible. I believe, if you can do that, that you will always see light at the end of the tunnel.” (Zhuan Falun)
I've practiced Falun Dafa for 23 years and have read Teacher's teachings many times, but it wasn't until today that I understood what this really meant.
Our willpower, or lack of it, is displayed in our cultivation. Having endurance, suffering hardships, paying off karma, enlightening to the Fa, eliminating karma while sitting in meditation, and focusing on genuinely cultivating, all require willpower. Persistently practicing despite the persecution, understanding that sickness karma is eliminating karma, not being moved by profits, controlling our emotions, and looking inward when criticized also show our willpower.
Teacher said,
“You did not fight back when hit or talk back when cursed at.” (“Lecture in Sydney”)
As cultivators, when we show our understanding that believing in Teacher and believing in the Fa are our basis, even during the most challenging moments and seemingly hopeless situations, as Teacher said, “You will always see light at the end of the tunnel” (Zhuan Falun).
Manifestations of our not having sufficient willpower are: not being diligent, not passing a tribulation well, or not doing the three things well. The interference we encounter that blocks us is precisely aimed at wrecking our willpower.
If we study the Fa well, our thoughts will be filled with the Fa, which will be the basis that we act from instead of human thoughts. Without it, it's hard to pass a tribulation.
For example, we know from the Fa that sitting in meditation can help reduce karma and that the pain in the legs is good. Perhaps we can interpret the pain as a manifestation of our being renewed. Doing the exercises does more than change our physical bodies because we represent all the beings in our universe that is undergoing the changes. When we understand this concept from the Fa, our willpower will be strengthened and we will be able to achieve what Teacher described, “Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.” (Zhuan Falun)
I have also fallen asleep during Fa-study. Sometimes when I could not stay awake, I would stand, kneel, walk, listen to or copy the Fa. If I remain steadfast, the old forces can’t do anything.
Some practitioners can’t keep their hands upright when sending righteous thoughts. Some said, “When I do ordinary people's things, I'm not tired. But the moment I begin reading a Dafa book, I start dozing off.” It's obvious that the sleepiness was caused by interference, but they couldn’t overcome it. The only way to make a breakthrough is to study the Fa more.
Teacher said,
“Cultivating gong has a pathmind is the wayOn the boundless sea of Dafahardship is your ferry” (“Falun Dafa” from Hong Yin)
We know that we should believe in Teacher and Dafa, but sometimes we only say it. At times we may feel that it's difficult to do. Indeed, “Human or divine—the difference lies in one thought.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference” from Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI).
One day, a practitioner in her 70s fell. She couldn't stand up or open her eyes. Her first thought was: “I'm a Dafa disciple. I might have some cultivation issues, but I won't allow the old forces to persecute me.” She couldn't move, so her husband put her in bed. Her children wanted to take her to the hospital, but she refused. She said, “If you take me to a hospital, you're actually harming me. I'm a practitioner, and a hospital cannot help me. If I stay home, I can listen to the Fa. I need to overcome this tribulation. Don't worry, I'll be fine.” Her family could not persuade her. Her strong willpower helped her get through the ordeal and negate the old forces' persecution. In less than one week, she recovered and resumed doing the three things.
If this practitioner had regarded what happened with ordinary thoughts, she might have agreed to go to the hospital, and the results would have been different. Teacher said, “We believe that one thought can determine the outcome of things.” (Zhuan Falun)
Regardless of what tribulations we encounter and however complicated a situation is, we must remember:
“The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
As long as we have the Fa in our hearts, there isn't anything we can't overcome. The old forces want us to leave the Fa, but Teacher encourages us to assimilate to the Fa. In the process, our karma, attachments and weak willpower will definitely dissolve in our firm belief in Teacher and the Fa.