Recently, I noticed that fellow practitioners were often being praised by everyday people because they were able to let go of human notions. I am very pleased for them, but at the same time I am a little worried. Some practitioners make delicious meals so their families don't want to eat out, some practitioners treat their daughters-in-law like princesses, and some spend large amounts of money on their relatives. I personally think they are overdoing it, perhaps trying too hard and have become too attached to being good persons in front of everyday people. A cultivator should start with being a good person in ordinary society, then they should become better than that, a person beyond the realm of everyday people. A practitioner must not be content with just being good like everyday people.
I believe that as a cultivator, one should let nature take its course, look inward when encountering tribulations, always consider others, not fight with everyday people and cultivate openly and with dignity. This is completely different from being a good person and looking after one's family.
Cultivators undertake many Dafa projects and also cultivate their character at the same time. As time is limited, if we spend all our time taking care of the family, we would not have enough time for anything else. Anyone who has done this will know that preparing three meals a day and doing the normal household chores can keep a person plenty busy. A Dafa practitioner lives in everyday society, just like everyone else, and the society has its own standards. For example, a person has a duty and responsibility to their family, and children need to respect their parents. As an everyday person, if one has a good temperament, does all the housework, and spends more money on others, one would be recognized as a good person in everyday people's eyes. As cultivators, this could waste our precious time, energy and money, and is an arrangement of the old forces. It also reveals an attachment to sentimentality. I know of an elderly practitioner who takes care of her son and daughter-in-law, as well as her grandson. She cooks dumplings in one meal, wonton soup the next. She cooks fish one day, meat the next. The old forces take advantage of her. As a result, she drifted further away from the Fa and has not yet returned.
It is my personal understanding that a cultivator should allow nature to take its course. When you think of your family and your family thinks of you and tries to help reduce the time you have to spend looking after them, then that is the best state.
This is my personal understanding, please correct anything that is inappropriate.
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