(Minghui.org) Based on my own cultivation experience, the attachment of relying on others, including dependency on Master and Dafa to get through tribulations, often results from sentimentality.

When one does not feel the existence of someone or something to rely on, one might get anxious and worried. This is a state caused by human sentimentality. Everyday people are immersed in different feelings arising from sentimentality every day. This is exactly what cultivators need to recognize and let go of.

Master said,

“Since human beings have sentimentality, being upset is sentimentality, so are happiness, love, hatred, enjoying doing one thing, resenting doing another thing, preferring one person to another, hobbies, and dislikes. Everything belongs to sentimentality, and everyday people just live for it.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)

Master also said,

“Dafa disciples can keep emotion in check by using reason; it’s not possible to be completely free of its influence, however. You can merely use reason to deal with it. Only the part of you that has completed cultivation will break free of it.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.”)

Human beings do things based on sentimentality. Some practitioners may also be driven by sentimentality when they first made the decision to cultivate. But in our cultivation, we should be able to gradually recognize the different manifestations of sentimentality, eliminate the attachments associated with it and handle things with rationality.

I realized in my own cultivation that I mistakenly viewed my relying on Master and Dafa as righteous thoughts and actions, when in fact it was something derived from my sentimentality.

When I encountered a conflict, I would have all sorts of bad thoughts. I also lacked firm determination to resolve them. Sometimes I noticed that I even had doubt about Master and Dafa.

I tried to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it, but I could not get rid of it completely. It is actually due to the attachment of relying on Master and Dafa – when the conflict or tribulation didn't have any improvement after I asked Master for help, I would begin to worry.

As I cultivated more, I realized that the process of eliminating the attachment of relying on others is the process of letting go of sentimentality.

The old forces attempt to use sentimentality to destroy human beings and use the old universe’ principles to test Dafa disciples. As practitioners, we should be alert to the different manifestations of sentimentality because if we do not search within, they are not easily identifiable.

This is my personal understanding. Please point out anything inappropriate.