A Few Thoughts on Determination

Watching my little baby girl learning to stand has taught me something about determination. It was shown most to me in the way she responded when she failed, and fell, which she did many times. She would fall. Sometimes she would cry and need some comfort, but would quickly try again. Sometimes she would fall and begin to cry, but whilst still crying, get back to her knees and try once again. Whatever happened, she kept trying. What struck me most was not that she kept trying again and again, but the fact that she had no concept whatsoever that she should ever stop trying. She had no concept whatsoever that because it hurt or was frustrating or was difficult that she should stop. She was going to stand. She had no notion that the efforts she was making to stand were causing her to fall. The frustration, failures and suffering on the way were not connected with her efforts to succeed, but were exactly the obstacles which needed determination to overcome. Her determination was so simple, strong and innocent, you could almost feel it.

Our determination in cultivation is not something which can be subject to what happens on our path of cultivation – no matter how much we stumble and fall, no matter how tough things are, we should not hesitate in our resolve. We cannot allow any notions about falling and stumbling to influence our resolve. True determination does not mean that we are determined to succeed without falling on the way, nor does it mean that we will succeed at once. It means that whatever happens and however much we stumble, that we never loose faith in our ability to succeed, and our fundamental resolve to succeed. There is something very inspiring about watching a baby try and fall, try and fall, try and fall, but never be put off by falling. In another sense, it is not remarkable, for a baby of course, this is natural – it is what babies do. Then for a cultivator, whatever happens, no matter how we stumble, we get up again and again and with an iron will face the tribulations again. For a cultivator, this too is only natural, because we are cultivating Dafa.