Li Hongzhi
February 28, 2004, in Los Angeles

Hello! ("Hello Master!" Applause) This persecution has gone on for years. But, when it comes to those evil beings, their habitat and chances of survival are getting smaller and smaller, and life is becoming more and more difficult for those bad people who orchestrated the persecution in this world. In terms of the Fa-rectification's overall situation, right now when it comes to this persecution that the dregs of humanity and the scum orchestrated, the people of the world are becoming clearer and clearer on it, and the people in Mainland China, in particular, are waking up to it--people have seen the evilness of the persecution and have come to know the reasons behind the persecution. You could say that the current situation is becoming more and more favorable for Dafa disciples to clarify the truth, save the world's people, and expose the persecution. Right now, because the majority of the world's people have been able to become clearheaded after the evil was cleared away and they're able to rationally reflect on the persecution of Falun Gong on their own, it's getting harder for the bad people to keep up the wicked suppression. The fact that the world's people are waking up has made the evil quite afraid. The people of the world no longer want to be blamed for what the evil beings have done, and this is making the evil factors and vile people truly unable to keep up the wicked persecution anymore, and yet it's hard for them to pull themselves out of it. When the evil beings are in a frenzy and irrational, they keep escalating the persecution but to no avail, so they become even more frenzied. It looks to me like now they can't escalate it any further, but they can't back down; they can't back down yet they've lost their footing. The world's people have seen right through the evil suppression now, but the harm that this most wicked persecution has done to Dafa disciples is huge, and in all of history there has never been a persecution this malicious. From a different perspective, whatever they've done to Dafa and Dafa disciples is the same as doing that to themselves, because in the future they will have to pay for it many times over.

In the cosmos there is good and evil, negative and positive, and virtue and vice, and these bring about mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition in the cosmos. In reality people aren't able to see, and the vile people are even less likely to think of, the fact that from the very beginning the persecution was doomed to fail, and that in the process of it, it has enabled Dafa disciples to succeed in their cultivation. In other words, the vile people's intentions were wicked, but they happened to provide conditions for Dafa disciples to establish themselves as Dafa disciples. Of course, I didn't want this situation to come about, and while being persecuted, Dafa disciples and I have been working to stop the persecution and to not let beings sin against Dafa. Those beings that are beyond saving insist on doing evil, but they don't know the principle of positive and negative emerging simultaneously out of every word and action. Because at this level of the old cosmos there is the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition and the two different factors of positive and negative, something positive and negative emerges at the same time whenever a person does something. And that includes everything that's done in human society, those two factors simultaneously manifest in everything. It includes whenever someone says something, does something, or even has a thought--positive and negative factors will manifest in all of these. Likewise, with this persecution, you all know what its goal is and that the intention behind it is really evil, but the outcome is that when they've done evil things they have also enabled Dafa disciples to, while opposing the persecution, be tempered to the point of maturity. And, the more severe the persecution is, the more it's able to establish Dafa disciples. The vile people don't know about this principle at all. From my perspective, as your master, during the Fa-rectification I absolutely don't accept the using of this evil persecution to test Dafa disciples, and Dafa disciples shouldn't have the wrong idea that they can cultivate higher by enduring persecution. Dafa and its disciples oppose the persecution, that is Dafa disciples' duty. If you don't cultivate yourself based on the Fa, you can't cultivate higher by just enduring persecution, much less reach the standards for a Dafa disciple. Don't acknowledge this so-called "environment" that the old forces have provided, because during the Fa-rectification I would have had all beings assimilate to Dafa, and it wasn't at all necessary to temper Dafa disciples amidst this kind of evilness. The Fa-rectification will definitely succeed, and Dafa disciples will definitely succeed. My disciples will succeed with them doing these things, and my disciples would have succeeded without them doing these things. It's only that the evil insisted on doing all this, which has interfered with the Fa-rectification, has led them to commit sins in the course of their doing evil, and has caused many beings and people, themselves included, to be weeded out. In the cosmos this factor of a-positive-comes-with-a-negative and a-pro-comes-with-a-con truly manifests.

Human beings can't see this principle clearly. When an ordinary person wants to do something in society, in reality as soon as his thought appears, or as soon as he does something, two effects are produced. In the past cultivators had a saying, "good and bad outcomes come from a person's one thought." Another layer of meaning those words have is that in the process of doing something there can truly be two effects. With persecuting Dafa disciples, they didn't expect that it would end up tempering the Dafa disciples, that's something they couldn't expect. The past principle of the cosmos was absolute in terms of having negative and positive manifest at the same time, and it held for human society as well, with it manifesting in everything. With whatever everyday people want to do, positive and negative, and good and bad, come with it. For example, when someone hits or insults someone he doesn't like, he gives the other person virtue while hitting or insulting him, and he will also have to pay the other person back in a concrete way later on. This is how it is with regard to things people can't see. The same is true for what people can see. For example, when people teach their children, they often want them to come out on top, but it doesn't occur to them that their kids are straying further and further from being pure and kind, further and further from the cosmos's nature, and further and further from divine beings. People worry about their children getting harmed, so they teach them to retaliate and attack others, but it doesn't occur to people that when they tell their children to do that, they're harming human beings' moral values and kindness on a fundamental level. Whenever people do something, it produces the two effects.

In the past few years, the persecution of Dafa disciples has fully demonstrated that as well. How can a political power deny people their beliefs? How can it deny people freedom of thought? What it's doing is unprecedented. How could it possibly succeed in doing that? In order to achieve that, it has even sought to completely destroy thousands of years of ancient culture. They have tried to entirely overturn, completely topple, and even "stomp on" so as to "never let rise again" the things that have sustained human moral standards for thousands of years. Whether or not they were really able to achieve that, what they've done will bring about retribution, and that's something that doesn't occur to them. Ever since they did that, the Chinese people no longer believed in anything and lost the standard for their morality and behavior--people like this dare to do anything, and are capable of doing any kind of bad thing. Every facet of society is corrupt, lies just roll right off the tongue of today's Chinese people, to them lying is as normal as making small talk, and there's nothing they're ashamed to do. Then is a group of people like this good for the political power that brought it about? People didn't anticipate any of this.

The pro and con exist simultaneously, and it's totally impossible for human beings to achieve something they want in ordinary society. Whenever human society goes through any changes, or when something takes place in human society, it is in fact all controlled by divine beings. Only when divine beings direct people to do something, and under the influence of divine beings, can different circumstances come about in human society. Trying to do something out of sheer human wishes won't work, and the wretched demons and the divine beings in low-level dimensions can't just do what they want, either. Only the most wicked, stupidest thing could do something so irrational as to persecute good people, cultivators. In the future people will have a new understanding of history, especially the history of the past hundred years or so--it will be evaluated anew.

In any case, in the course of opposing the persecution you've seen that Dafa disciples have been maturing and the world's people have been waking up more and more. The evil and the vile people who've orchestrated the persecution in this world are becoming weaker and weaker. The authority that they've utilized and all of the methods they've used to rule will be eliminated by history along with the persecution of Falun Gong students. You've all seen that it's inevitable. Then, for Dafa disciples, in this kind of situation it's no longer hard to save the world's people and clarify the truth. That's the situation we see right now, and going forward it will become even easier for you all to clarify the truth, because the people of the world are becoming more and more aware. People will come to you on their own to hear about the true situation, and people will come to you on their own to learn our practice. That's about to happen, and in Mainland China the entire population is going to step forward to oppose the persecution. (Applause) Whatever human beings do, they're doing it to themselves. Persecuting Dafa disciples is in fact the persecutors persecuting themselves. That is something determined by the nature of the cosmos. Back when all this started, the persecution of Falun Gong was a campaign that mobilized the entire population. There is a pro and a con to it. Let's wait and see the final result. Human beings aren't able to just do whatever they want to do. Human beings think that they're powerful, but no matter how wild your propaganda machine gets it's no use. That bunch of villainous lies and deceit is useless against cultivators. When you do something that is not allowed by divine beings, after you're done making a ruckus, divine beings will settle the score with you. That's how it works.

As Dafa disciples you should be more clearheaded, and before the evil has been completely destroyed you still need to work hard on clarifying the truth and saving the people of this world, and do well the things Dafa disciples should do. All of the things that Dafa disciples do today is Dafa disciples' validating the Fa, and is your walking a divine path. You can't slack off in the final stages; keep doing well with what you should do.

Some students need to pay attention here: every time I mention that the evil is getting smaller and smaller, and becoming less and less able to carry on, a lot of students think, "Hmm, then I'm going to drop everything else and just do Dafa work." You can't do that. You can't go to extremes with anything Dafa disciples do. Just live a normal life and cultivate normally, and at the same time do what Dafa disciples should do. That's how it should be at present. In ordinary society, other than doing what Dafa disciples should do, there isn't any difference in form [from ordinary people], on the surface it looks the same as ordinary society, only you're a cultivator. That's how it should be. What you're doing today is establishing things for the future, and that's how this path should go. This is the most upright path and what cultivators of the future will follow, so you can't behave in an extreme way at all or go to any extremes, as that would create unnecessary obstacles and trouble for yourselves. Any and all extreme ways of thinking are not from what I've told you, and they could be a form of attachment and will cause trouble; we've already experienced a lot of things like that. I think that as Dafa disciples who have come this far today, you are supposed to be very clear on a lot of things and be more and more rational now, and you should know what's going on when you run into problems. So in these areas you should be very clearheaded now, and you should no longer be interfered with by certain things.

Another point is that everything Dafa disciples are doing right now is validating the Fa, because your understandings and improvement all come from the Fa. Then as Dafa disciples, of course you should validate the Fa, that goes without saying. But everything that's done in validating the Fa is done for yourselves--not a single thing is done for me, and that includes the things I've told you to do. Since every Dafa disciple has to establish his own mighty virtue in the process of going towards Consummation--especially since you are beings forged by Dafa--you have demonstrated [your ability to do that] in validating the Fa. So all of what Dafa disciples do is magnificent. That includes what seem like the simplest things, such as handing out flyers, clarifying the truth to the world's people, sending righteous thoughts at the consulates and embassies, Dafa disciples validating the Fa in various ways to government, to society and the community, and to the media, etc.--all of it is establishing mighty virtue for yourselves, and all of it is the path that leads to the final Consummation. In other words, all the things you're doing, including the small and insignificant things, all of them are done for yourselves, and not a single thing is done for Dafa, nor is a single thing done for me, your master. (Applause)

In the future you'll all see that other than saying what needs to be said at Fa conferences, I usually say very little. That's because everyone needs to walk his own path, everyone must walk his own path. Only then can mighty virtue be established. So I can't push you along at every moment and in every instance, as was done before. The time of just studying the Fa and cultivating oneself has passed, and the present time is for Dafa disciples to consummate their final things, all the things that you need. It looks like you're doing things for Dafa, and some people may be thinking, "I'm doing things for Master, because Master told me to do them." (Master smiles/chuckles) In fact that's not the case. The things I tell you to do, those too are done for yourselves.

No being can damage the Fa. It existed before and was brought here; it's something that pre-existed before. It's just that it is imparted to all beings to save all beings, but how many beings can see the true, specific forms that the Fa manifests in? That's pretty difficult to do, they can't be seen, and that's why the substance of the Fa can't be seen. The Falun that you see is just a form of the gong; it's pretty hard for ordinary beings to see the wheel that is truly stabilizing the Fa, and even those at high levels can't see it. So who can really damage the Fa? Nobody.

I've told you that it's hard to save sentient beings, and that in order to allow the beings as a whole and beings at different levels to obtain the Fa and be saved, the choice of teaching the Fa at this place of humans, who are the lowest-level beings in the cosmos, had to be made so that beings at each level could hear it. Then with the Fa being taught here, who among the people in this world would be here to listen to the Fa? There had to be such beings, and such beings are today's Dafa disciples. (Applause) The choice had to be that Fa-rectification take place when the old cosmos reached the final stage of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction--in other words, the most difficult time--to save sentient beings and the entire firmament. The purpose of creating the Three Realms way back when was to have it be used by the Fa-rectification at this stage. So who would be the sentient beings in the Three Realms, what kinds of beings would be here, and what kinds of beings and what ways of existence for beings would be needed later on--which includes the beings' ways of thinking, how they conduct themselves, their cultures, and so on--all of these things would take shape over the course of history. But looking at them [now] during the Fa-rectification, [it seems] they were planned poorly, and that's because the old forces came about. What I'm saying is, many aspects of mankind aren't the way they are by accident, they're orderly. Exactly because they are quite orderly, they seem natural. But when it comes to things like whether or not a Dafa disciple can enter Dafa's door when the Fa is being taught, whether or not he'll continue to cultivate when going through a test, whether or not he can eventually progress towards Consummation, and whether or not a Dafa disciple can do well in validating the Fa when persecution or other forms of disturbance take place, these things depend on the individual himself. So in validating the Fa, you've all seen that there's a problem, namely, the old forces' emergence seriously interfering with the Fa-rectification and Dafa disciples. But no matter how they've interfered or how evil the things they've done are, when you look back you'll see that in fact nothing has "escaped from the Tathagata's palm."^[1] (Applause) And that's for sure. No matter what the old forces, the wretched demons, or the wicked human beings want to do, in the end things will have to be completed according to my Fa-rectification's requirements. Whether it's the various forms of disruption that occur during the process or the different kinds of behavior and states that certain students have shown, these things are no more than states manifest by the old cosmos's beings during the last stage of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction, and [are no more than] certain disruptions to the Fa-rectification. But when it comes to Dafa itself, no one can damage it. And no matter how awful the pain is that Dafa disciples experience, in the end they will reach divinity.

From the Fa you've all realized this principle: in this cosmos, no being will suffer in vain. This is especially true for someone who cultivates Dafa, and on top of that is a Dafa disciple in the Fa-rectification period--as long as he's still in the Fa, no matter what ends up happening to him, what awaits him is Consummation. In other words, no matter how the evil persecutes us it can't achieve its goal, and in the end everything has to be harmonized according to the Fa-rectification's inevitable outcome. That's how it is. When there's disruption to the Fa-rectification, then during the Fa-rectification [I] make use of the situation of disruption, and in the end the goal that Fa-rectification needs will still be accomplished, and that's for sure.

In the future, after Dafa disciples have made it through and you take a look at everything, you will definitely see that that's true. When divine beings in the cosmos saw that during the cosmos's process of rise and decline it was progressing toward the last stage of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction, they found it horrifying. No one wanted to be destroyed, and everyone wanted to save himself. In order to save themselves they would have had to save the entire cosmos, and yet, after exhausting all their ideas, the beings still couldn't achieve their goal, particularly because the ideas that the beings came up with and the things that they did at that time couldn't be considered good. No matter how high a being was, he couldn't be considered completely perfect or completely good. That's why they couldn't achieve their goal. Yet the beings in the cosmos saw the final, horrific end and wanted to do something about it. And that's why the cosmos's old forces came about.

As the whole Fa-rectification in the cosmos has come to this stage today, I can't in fact describe it accurately with human language anymore, as human language can no longer express it. I can only describe things in general. The things that I planned way back when have all been completed. In fact, our own cosmos has been completed. (Applause) The only things left are those final factors that make it possible for this gigantic cosmic body to exist, and all of those factors are things that are separating the human surface on a fundamental level.

At present, the situation manifest in human society is very similar to the situation of Fa-rectification in the cosmos. Things are becoming clearer and clearer [for people to see] now. And I think this situation might start changing even more quickly. When the Fa-rectification of the human world starts, that's when it will really impact human beings. At the beginning of the Fa-rectification this Three Realms area had already been encircled. So the Three Realms was separated from the original cosmic body, the beings up above could no longer have contact with the beings down below, and in the future when human affairs are being worked on it will be unrelated to what's outside the Three Realms. In recent times, the beings in upper realms saw all of this, and before the Fa-rectification they descended and incarnated in this world in large numbers. So to human beings those appear to be the same human skins, but in fact the persons inside the human skins are different now. Many high-level beings came to obtain the Fa and incarnated as human beings, and many are beings from different, faraway cosmic bodies. And actually, while Dafa disciples validate the Fa at this time, a lot more people were supposed to obtain the Fa, but for various reasons they were separated back then by the old forces, who wouldn't allow them to obtain the Fa. And during this persecution some beings have even sinned against Dafa--something they can never fully pay for--and now face elimination. And there are also ones who haven't sinned against Dafa but aren't able to cultivate; they will be humans in the new epoch. These are all future matters.

Let me take this opportunity to mention something. Recently a lot of Dafa disciples have written books. I've looked at a few of them briefly. The intentions behind them are good, and many of the books are about cultivation, being persecuted, and opposing the persecution. However, they cannot be circulated among Dafa disciples. Their starting point is affirmed--they're validating the Fa using the form of books, they're saving the people in this world, and they're doing what Dafa disciples should do. But as you know, Dafa disciples need to reach Consummation, so nothing should interfere with the form in which today's Dafa disciples validate the Fa--this is extremely critical. Don't add anything in beyond Fa-study. So you absolutely cannot circulate among Dafa disciples anything that isn't a part of Dafa itself, and you absolutely cannot disrupt Dafa disciples in any way.

I've talked about these things before. In today's special situation and unique circumstances, and with the occurrence of the special situation of being persecuted, I'm bringing it up again. Those books can be promoted in ordinary society, Dafa disciples can help advertise them using the media outlets established by Dafa disciples, and you can spread them in ordinary society. All of you can help do it, and that's all good. It's just that you can't cause a stir among Dafa disciples. From now on, besides Dafa books, don't sell at Fa conferences any materials, or any audio or video materials, etc., that aren't part of the Fa itself. Even less should you make Fa conferences or our students your primary customers. You cannot make money off of Dafa disciples. Materials for spreading the Fa, clarifying the truth, and so on, should target society. That's how things should be done.

Next, I'll take some time to answer some questions for you. (Applause) You can pass up question slips. Let's get right to it.

Question: Can we use legal means to deal with the French policemen's behavior?

Teacher: While the Chinese leader was visiting France, you went there to appeal to and welcome him. It was originally a very good thing. But some of those gangsters from the group that persecutes Falun Gong had to stir up trouble, which led the French policemen who didn't know the truth to harass our students. The incident was certainly the work of the evil, the work of that bunch of gangsters that persecutes Falun Gong. [The French police,] the law enforcement agency of a democratic country, completely followed the orders of another country, a government controlled by evil, and violated human rights. For a country that advocates democracy and human rights, I don't think that's something to be proud of. It's completely appropriate to use legal means to resolve the problem.

Question: Dafa disciples in Thailand send greetings to Master.

Teacher: Thank you. (Applause)

Question: While clarifying the truth, some students aren't coolheaded and they speak in an extreme way.

Teacher: Dafa disciples should do everything cool-headedly and with Shan thoughts. Whether you're clarifying the truth to people or participating in an activity, you should always have people see the goodness and kindness of Dafa disciples. Absolutely don't do anything that's too extreme. When you save beings and clarify the truth, if you speak in an extreme way it won't have a positive effect. That's because when you lack Shan you won't disintegrate the evil elements that exist in the minds of those people who have been poisoned, so you won't be able to achieve a positive effect.

I've told you before that Shan isn't something pretended, nor is it a state that's just maintained on the surface. Shan truly comes from within and can only be attained and embodied through cultivation. When you're before sentient beings, as soon as words come out of your mouth and as soon as your thoughts emerge, they are able to disintegrate bad elements and the bad things that poison the world's people and that exist in people's minds. And then people will come to understand, and you'll be able to save them. Without the mighty power of true Shan at work, you won't be able to disintegrate those things, and you won't achieve anything in clarifying the truth. Those who do things in an extreme way, in particular, let me tell you that it absolutely won't have a positive effect. That's because the abilities you've acquired in cultivation won't manifest, and your Shan won't manifest. So, while doing anything, don't have any combative thoughts, that's wrong. Don't go to extremes, even when you go to the consulates and embassies. You should be compassionate to people. But it's different when it comes to evil beings. When we send forth righteous thoughts, we clear away the evil that doesn't belong to mankind, and the demons, ghosts, and monsters that have engaged in the persecution. However you handle those wretched demons and dark minions is fine. But you need to be Shan to people. Aren't we saving people? Since we are saving the world's people, how could you save people if you're not Shan to them?

Question: As more beings are created, some beings grow selfish, and they drop down. Is that one of the reasons why the cosmos has degenerated? Will there be as many beings in the future?

Teacher: Selfishness is a fundamental attribute of the cosmos of the past. Because of that attribute, formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction and birth-aging-sickness-death are inevitable. In the future the Fa will be all-harmonizing, perfect, and selfless. The change in that fundamental attribute of the cosmos leads to fundamental changes in the cosmos's progression and beings' characteristics. The fundamental attribute of the cosmos has determined the fundamental state that the cosmos is in. The impurity of beings, and even the dropping down of beings that have gone bad, have been caused by formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction. And formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction, in turn, results from the fundamental attribute of the cosmos, but it doesn't seem to relate directly to the fundamental attribute.

You're now thinking about matters of divine beings with a human mind. It's not like what you think. The number of beings in the cosmos is fixed, and it has nothing to do with beings degenerating or not.

Divine beings are present everywhere, and beings are present everywhere, and there are so many of them they're impossible to count. You know, with the air, there are so many particles that make up air. Everything we see when we open our eyes is composed of microcosmic particles and even more microcosmic particles that form particles of the next larger layer. There are beings in every layer of particles, and there are even gigantic groups of beings in every layer of particles. Some manifest in different dimensions. Presently they can't be seen using scientific methods, but they do exist. That's how numerous they are--if you pick up a speck of dust, there are countless beings on it. And I'm not referring to bacteria here. If you magnify a particle so that it's as large as the Earth, take a look at it and you'll see how many beings are on it. And that tiny speck of dust isn't the most microcosmic particle. There are more microcosmic particles, even more microcosmic particles, and ones that are almost infinitely microcosmic. This is about the microcosmic things. Then what about larger particles? In the macrocosm, how many beings are there in gigantic cosmic bodies that are larger than molecules, even larger, and larger still? How many beings must there be altogether?! The cosmos is a richly diverse and incredibly large cosmic body. Everything is alive and everything is a being. There are so many beings that they're everywhere. Whether beings are good or not has nothing to do with their number. The lengths of all beings' lives were determined by the nature of the past cosmos; in the past, the law of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction caused that. In the future the Fa will be all-harmonizing and perfect.

Question: Is our current appearance identical to our soul's (yuanshen's) appearance and our appearance after we've completed cultivation?

Teacher: I've talked about this before. The higher up you go, the more wonderful and the younger [you look], and you'll still look like you. Whether you are old, middle-aged or young today, your soul may not be like that. But the higher up you go, the more wonderful and more beautiful you look, for sure. Well, since it's wonderful, being wonderful includes being beautiful. So when you reach a very high level, say you've cultivated to a certain point, you will find that you're so beautiful that you don't look like you do now, and that you don't look at all like people on earth. It's a manifestation of the realm that comes from ascending there out of humanness.

Question: Where in the body is the energy field particularly strong? (People laugh)

Teacher: This is from a new student. It makes no difference where, the strength is the same everywhere. It's just that different parts of your body are sensitive. You wonder where it's sensitive and where it's particularly strong? Under the effect of gong, the changes are the same everywhere in your body.

Question: There are some students in Mainland China who haven't stepped forward because they're afraid. What will their future be?

Teacher: At present I don't want to say anything conclusive on these things. You're actually all quite clear about this: when a person has benefited from Dafa, yet in order to protect himself, when Dafa is faced with adversity, he doesn't say anything about the true situation, does that person deserve salvation? Let me give a simple illustration. There was this person who saw that another person was in danger and saved his life. Then the person whose life was saved sees that the person who saved him is in big trouble, but he ignores it. Is that a good person? You are a being that was created by Dafa and have had a new life given to you by Dafa, so when a situation arises where Dafa disciples are all being persecuted and Dafa is being harmed, yet you aren't able to safeguard Dafa, are you still a Dafa disciple? You can't even be called a good person in the most basic sense. Besides, you've truly benefited [from Dafa]. In the eyes of divine beings, you are the worst being, even worse than those who've directly persecuted the Fa. That's because the people who have persecuted Dafa disciples didn't benefit from the Fa. So, such a person is even worse than those vile people. What's more, this is the Great Law that created all life in the cosmos. As for how they'll be dealt with, the Fa has its standards.

Question: Do the "excessive thoughts" in "All excessive thoughts extinguished // Cultivating Buddhahood is not difficult" ^[2] refer to thought karma?

Teacher: Yes, that's right. Thought karma mostly manifests as going off into flights of fancy or indulging in wild imagination, which is all human attachments. Most of the time, those are wild thoughts of wanting to get things that one desires, things that one wants but can't get. That's why they're called "excessive thoughts," thoughts that are useless, futile. (Master smiles/chuckles) That's the idea.

Question: When reporting news from Taiwan, what angle should we use in order to highlight the contrast between the two sides of the Strait?

Teacher: "When reporting news from Taiwan, what angle should we use in order to highlight the contrast between the two sides of the Strait?" The question isn't written clearly. What you're actually trying to say is that they have different attitudes regarding Falun Gong. How to contrast the two? The attitudes that the two sides of the Strait hold in and of themselves form a contrast. They have the same ancestry and the same culture, yet the two places have two different attitudes toward Dafa. Isn't that itself a contrast? In truth-clarification articles you can contrast them and help the world's people see it.

Question: How do we clarify the truth to large corporations?

Teacher: At this point I make no distinction as to whether they're big corporations or small corporations. No matter what, we should save all those who should be saved. You should do whatever you're supposed to do, save whoever can be saved, and do whatever you can do. Whether people want to be saved is their own issue.

Question: A Dafa disciple in our area is too busy doing Dafa work and has thus neglected the responsibilities he's supposed to fulfill in his family.

Teacher: The student who raised this question seems to have an attachment, too. Don't try to use Master's mouth [to criticize others]. What I've told you is that you should be a good person wherever you are and have others say that you are a Dafa disciple. You need to handle the things in your family well and handle the things in your workplace well. As Dafa disciples, how well you've cultivated is precisely reflected in these areas, in front of the world's people. You might say, "I've cultivated well, I'm a Dafa disciple." Yet when you're dealing with the world's people your behavior in those areas isn't good. Then how could you show that you've cultivated well? (Master smiles/chuckles) Right? Of course, some of our Dafa disciples have cultivated well but it's just that they've overlooked those things. But the state of having cultivated well isn't something that can be acted, it's just how a cultivator is.

Question: That chief evil thing in China that was chosen by the old forces must have a shameful past. Could Master tell us its background?

Teacher: It actually doesn't have much of a background. It was a puff of evil air emitted by a decomposed body that was thousands of years old, and it turned into a toad embryo and was chosen by the old forces. Being prone to jealousy that stemmed from its short temper and pettiness, and through its wheeling and dealing in bureaucratic circles, it developed its ways of hurting people to get ahead, forming cliques, having no noble aspirations, bootlicking, and doing utterly shameless things. The old forces felt that it completely met the standard for being human scum--it had more than satisfied all the requirements--and had all kinds of wickedness. The old forces were incredibly fond of it and they knew it was sure to be quite useful when the time came. It was selected by the old forces and was then deliberately molded. When they were making the selection back then they were looking for something that's evil and stupid. That's why it completely behaves as it does.

Question: Please tell us more about the significance of sending righteous thoughts and appealing in front of the consulates and embassies. We practice in front of them every day, rain or shine. Although the conditions are poor, we're all quite steadfast.

Teacher: The consulates and embassies in different countries are places where overseas Chinese people can go to express their views. Of course you can go there. There are people there, too, who can be saved. So it has great significance. Also, everything that you do there can be seen by the world's people. But for Dafa disciples it really is strenuous. In the North winter is very cold, with its freezing winds that chill to the bone, yet Dafa disciples still keep up their efforts. They're amazing, truly amazing! Everyone is walking his own path of validating the Fa. Those students too are walking their own paths of validating the Fa.

Question: You've often talked about the mighty virtue of Dafa disciples. Of course I believe everything you've said. But it's difficult for me to see the mighty power of the small things that I do. They just look like a drop of water in a mighty river. I'll continue to study the Fa, and things will become clear through the Fa.

Teacher: It does feel that way because basically all beings in human society are living in delusion, and human beings are the most deluded. I've talked with you about the purpose of that. It's to give human beings a chance to return, a chance to cultivate while being in delusion. While not being able to see the true picture, if humans are still able to do well and on top of that persist in cultivating amidst suffering, then that's the key to returning. If people could all see the true picture of the cosmos and the existence of divine beings, then everyone would do well. There wouldn't be any need to talk about giving human beings a chance and it wouldn't be necessary to save human beings. Everyone would try to do well. Every day they wouldn't want to do anything else anymore, and they wouldn't want anything else anymore--they would all want to cultivate themselves. In that case would it still count as cultivation? Even if they were able to cultivate, I think they would definitely cultivate very slowly since they'd have seen the true picture--"Divine beings are right there. There's the goal. Let's go, and we won't stop until we get there." But while being in this delusion you can't see the end, and you can't see your goal. And you can't even see the true effects of those magnificent things you do. Exactly in such an environment, if you're able to emerge from it and succeed in cultivation, divine beings will all be won over. They'll think that after going through such hardship, being in such delusion and in an environment where there's all kinds of disruption, and resisting all kinds of worldly temptations like fame, self-interest, and emotion, you were able to break away and step out of humanness. Only then will the divine beings be won over. Only then will they think that you're remarkable and worthy of being a divine being. That is mighty virtue. If all that weren't the case, the Three Realms and mankind would be the same as other levels of the cosmos, with the true picture being known to each level. Then this wouldn't be mankind here, it would be a world of divine beings here. At a minimum we'd be able to say that these were divine beings at the lowest level, instead of human beings who are at this lowest level. That's how these things are related. When today's Dafa disciples are able to do well with what they're supposed to do, and are able to make it through these few years that are full of trials and tribulations, in the future you will see everything. Cherish it. Cherish it! You must cherish the part of the journey that you've already completed, and you have to do well with what's left ahead, too. (Applause)

Question: How do we understand the Chinese character "bei" in the term "ci bei" (compassion/mercy)? ^[3]

Teacher: I don't impart Dafa in order to explain words, because these things are too insignificant, so insignificant that they amount to nothing. Let me endow you with two sentences: "Without 'nothing,' it is a human feeling. If it is a human feeling, then it's not bei (compassion)."

In human society, over the course of a very long time--as I've told you before--China has been the stage of this grand pageant of history. For thousands of years the groundwork for everything was constantly being laid for human beings so that when the time for obtaining the Fa came they would have the right culture, thinking, behavior, way of life, and the ability to know and understand the Fa; it also included how amidst delusion, people would be affected by attachments and wouldn't be able to see the true situation, yet at the same time, as long as they developed righteous thoughts through studying the Fa, they'd be able to break free from it. This is precisely the kind of environment that was created. Really, a great deal of effort was put into it, and today's mankind was created. But because of the old forces' meddling, what we have here is no longer the best situation, and I'm just making use of it wisely. There are many white students, black students, and students of other ethnicities. Today you're not in the setting of Mainland China, but let me tell you, over the course of history almost everyone in the world came out of Mainland China. (Applause) Your thinking is different from today's Chinese. But some time in history you laid the groundwork for that kind of thinking. Deep down inside your being you understand. In other words, you can understand the Fa I'm imparting today. The words at the surface [of each language] are different, but what's contained inside is the same. You're able to know what's contained in the Fa, and are able to experience and sense what's contained in the Fa. That's why your cultivation won't be affected.

So, the [concept of] ci bei was created when culture was being established for mankind. Ci bei describes the state of a godly feeling being displayed, a feeling that transcends human beings. Of course, the two-character term cibei is now being used in ordinary human society as well, but it's definitely not something human beings can attain. That's happened because today's culture has become confused. People don't believe in divine beings anymore, and don't know that they should cultivate anymore. Humans dare to be blasphemous against Buddhas, against Fa, and against Gods, and use cultivation terms among ordinary people. Humans have done all of that. But those are not ordinary human terms, it's just that ordinary people have taken them up and used them.

Question: "The entire nation will defy it." Could you elaborate on that more?

Teacher: Heaven's secrets can't be revealed too early on. (Master smiles/chuckles) (Audience laughs, applauds) As I've told you before, the persecution of Falun Gong has caused misunderstandings about Falun Gong among Chinese people, so what I'm saying is, although a lot of people aren't familiar with Falun Gong, everybody condemns that wicked ringleader. Isn't it like that now? (Applause)

Question: Recently, I've been fighting a strong element. I feel like I might not be able to keep it up, and I've never felt so tired mentally and physically.

Teacher: Send forth righteous thoughts to clear away the dark minions. At present, whenever Dafa disciples have abnormal and persistent interference while they validate the Fa, then it must be the work of the dark minions. When you eliminate them, be sure to dissolve them completely. But those students who obtained the Fa later on or stepped forward later on, your cultivation and validating the Fa are joined together at the same time, and that will make the pressure on you seem even greater. Of course, this is cultivation, and as long as you have strong righteous thoughts you'll surely be able to overcome it. There are bound to be difficulties. Human beings have karma before they cultivate, they need to eliminate karma during cultivation, and when they eliminate karma they suffer. That's the karma you owed from before, and Master can't eliminate all of it for you. If you were to become a divine being without paying off any karmic debt, divine beings would find your presence to be a nuisance: "How can you be among us? Have you paid off those debts you owed? They were all taken off and paid off by your master. Since when does it work like that?" Of course it doesn't work like that, and that's why you need to endure a certain amount of suffering when you cultivate.

Yet relatively speaking, for students outside of Mainland China, the suffering you endure is a far cry from the suffering borne by cultivators in the past. How hard it was back then! Today it's not as hard. Do you know where the suffering lies today? In the past, people suffered both mentally and physically, and now you only suffer when you can't let go of your attachments. Your suffering only comes from not wanting to let go of your attachments--"My! How come I feel so awful! Why do some people always treat me so badly? Why is my body always eliminating karma?" Human beings just can't let those things go. What's the maximum you can let go? Can your thoughts be righteous and can you be like a true Dafa disciple? Be upright, dignified, and confident, and regard yourself as a Dafa disciple. If you can truly let go of your attachments in any circumstance, and treat yourself as a Dafa disciple who is different from an ordinary person, I believe everything will change. Veteran students have experienced this deeply, as they have gone through all of that. So, newer students should ask and seek advice from veteran students in these areas more often, and spend more time reading the Fa I taught before. These questions have been explained quite a bit. Another thing is, recently the bad divine beings (dark minions) that crept into the Three Realms have also been directly participating in persecuting Dafa disciples. Very often they've been the ones doing things. When you send forth righteous thoughts, destroy them and eliminate the disruptions.

Question: I'm very grateful to Master for saving me. But I'm in serious financial debt, and have all kinds of human thoughts and attachments. I'm very worried. Esteemed Master, please help me.

Teacher: I can save you, but I can't help you for those reasons. (Audience laughs) I can only tell you to cultivate. If you say that "I owe so much money now, I can't calm my mind and cultivate. Teacher, help me make a fortune and pay back all the money so that I can cultivate without worries," let me tell you, that's not cultivation. I don't want you to cultivate that way. That's because human beings all have debts to pay off that are owed over here and owed over there, and everybody has suffering they have to go through, and it's precisely during such difficulties that you show whether you can cultivate. If you can, then everything might change. But your cultivation has to be solid, real, and self-motivated. If you say, "I'll cultivate and I'll do the exercises every day," but deep down inside you're secretly thinking, "As long as I practice, Master said all those troubles of mine will be removed and changed," then if you have such thoughts, things won't change. That's because in that case you have a gap and you're covering up your attachments. You might fool yourself, but you can't fool divine beings. When you truly become a cultivator, become a Dafa disciple openly and nobly, everything will change.

All the same, there are some cases where the dark minions are interfering. You should seriously eliminate the disruptions with your righteous thoughts.

I'll mention another thing in passing. Recently many students have noticed that a very small number of students are disrespectful of Master. The truth is, I can forgive all of that, but be careful: the various factors of the old forces and the beings in the cosmos that haven't been rectified by the Fa won't. They'll jump on this and do what they want with you. This type of thing happened quite often when I was imparting the Fa in the Mainland way back when. Once somebody is disrespectful of Master, they will for sure push him over to the opposite side. All beings came for the Fa, to play either a positive or a negative role. Those who play a negative role will be destroyed in the end. So, when they see a student acting that way, they'll definitely push that person over to the other side, and have him do as many bad things as he can from then on.

Very dangerous. So, once such situations come about, the old forces will do that right away because they will have found a reason to do that. They'll say the person's huge debt was eliminated by his master and borne for him by his master, who scooped up a being like him--one that was as good as in hell--allowed him to become a divine being, and gave him so many things. Although he doesn't see them, all those things are real and have truly been given to him. They'll think, "How could he dare to treat his master that way?" And so they will insist on pushing him over to the other side, get him to do bad things, and eventually have him destroyed.

Of course, I don't acknowledge these arrangements of the old forces, and I don't allow them to do those things. And that's why I try my best to have students realize these things themselves. But if our students don't pay attention to this, it will be hard for you to break free from this kind of tribulation. This issue just came to mind a moment ago. You do need to take this seriously--all deviant paths are fraught with danger and pitfalls.

Question: I obtained the Fa only seven months ago. Am I a Fa-rectification disciple? Will I go back when the Fa rectifies the human world?

Teacher: I can't say that what you're asking is wrong. But you have an attachment there. Whether you're a newer student or a veteran student, and no matter which category of disciples you fall into, now that you've entered the door of Dafa cultivation--now that you've entered the door of true cultivation--don't be attached to anything. A single human thought can become an obstacle that hinders your improvement. That's why there's a saying in cultivation, "Have the desire to cultivate, without the desire to obtain gong." You can cultivate but you can't be attached. When you have no human desires and aren't attached to anything, you'll cultivate quickly, improve quickly, and have fewer ordeals. Whenever you have attachments your cultivation will be slow.

Don't worry about whether you're a Fa-rectification period disciple or a future disciple. Now that you've taken up cultivation, you're already a being that's envied by countless other beings. So just walk your path well. With anything a being does in the cosmos, he'll get returns for it. There will be returns for doing good, and there will be returns for doing bad. Cultivation of course involves returns as well--it's the good return of achieving an Attainment Status for validating your Attainment Status. This is an absolute truth in the cosmos. Don't think too much, and don't get concerned with what your own situation is. If you can do what it takes and you can cultivate, then go ahead and cultivate.

Question: Teacher, please explain "benevolent solutions."

Teacher: By saying "benevolent solutions," I was referring to a way in which beings in the cosmos are assimilated to the Fa during the Fa-rectification. Some beings aren't worthy of a benevolent solution, in which case whatever should be done will be done. For some beings who have sinned against the Fa-rectification, they deserve still less of a chance for a benevolent solution. The moment the Fa-rectification passes through, they are purged. The beings that are handled with benevolent solutions are assimilated to the Fa by the best method. And Dafa disciples are getting something even better than a benevolent solution, because Dafa disciples are cultivating proactively, and cultivating themselves toward the future, so it's more precious than being benevolently resolved.

Question: All French Dafa disciples give Master their best regards.

Teacher: Thank you. (Applause)

Question: In France, there's a Dafa student with mental problems. Once while he was handing out flyers to Chinese tourists, he lost control and began yelling in front of many Chinese tourists, which had a negative effect. When he sends righteous thoughts in front of the embassy he can't stay still, and he wrote things all over the Chinese Embassy.

Teacher: When it comes to these things, as Dafa disciples you should handle them well. That student, being a Dafa disciple, can't do that. We can only save beings with compassion. Doing things irrationally will bring about negative effects.

When a very few students can't keep their own emotions under control, other students should stop them. Dafa disciples are one, and you should cooperate with each other and not allow things like that to happen anymore--when they have happened, you should resolve the problem appropriately. If the person really does have mental problems, then I think we should try to persuade that student to practice at home; Master will look after him all the same, and there's no need for him to go out in public. If it's not an issue of mental problems, then you should help him.

Question: Everything in the cosmos has a certain predetermination to it. Some beings are doomed to be destroyed. What determines that for that kind of being?

Teacher: "Everything in the cosmos has a certain predetermination to it" refers to the cosmos overall. For instance, the old Fa-truths predetermined the fact that the cosmos would go through formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction. That's the extent of that old Fa's wisdom. Although the destiny of the cosmos is predetermined as such, and although the fundamentals of the specific beings within it are connected to the cosmos historically, as for what a being does specifically and how much karma he has, he needs to pay for all that, and if his karma gets large he'll be destroyed. These are all matters that have to do with that being himself. And also, what direction a being himself takes, these are things that are basically unstable. But, through what a being does, people can see what will happen with him in the cosmos next, and then next, and then next. In other words, away from the time setting of this dimension of ours, in another time setting you can see what he'll be doing later on, a continuation of his current state. If his present state suddenly changes, then his state in the next stage will change as well, so these things are unstable. But the overall formation-stasis-degeneration destiny for the cosmos is stable.

Question: [Whether someone can become] a Dafa disciple is to a large extent determined by his predestined connection with it. Then what's the root cause of the predestined connections?

Teacher: I've talked about predestined connections in Zhuan Falun, and I've talked about them in many other Fa lectures. I've specifically talked about Dafa disciples' predestined connections. There are three types, Dafa disciples fall into three types of situations. I don't think I should repeat it here, as we don't have much time here. I might not end up answering all of the questions. (Master smiles/chuckles) Look up my Fa-teaching from before.

Question: Many fellow cultivators have different views on how we should perfect and complete^[4] the Fa at this human level.

Teacher: Perfecting and completing this human level? That's an incorrect statement. If you haven't done things well, that's a cultivation issue, and it doesn't involve any issue of "perfecting and completing."

Question: How can a person break through his base^[5] or the limitations of his base?

Teacher: You shouldn't be attached to these things in cultivation. That's not relevant. Don't worry about how your base is. When a being has managed to enter Dafa today, his base is not bad. Look at the world's people--there are more than 7 billion people in the world, and how many Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples are there? Yet you are one of them. So why should you still talk about your base? (Applause)

Question: While being part of a group, if a few project coordinators have strong human concepts, how can we manage to work together better?

Teacher: Every Dafa disciple is cultivating, every person is walking his own path, and each person still has human attachments, which is why you can still cultivate. Then the human attachments will show. Don't be unwilling to work with other students when there are conflicts or differences of opinion. Keep in mind that all of you have been through that state, and from time to time each person may experience that state. You should forgive others and be understanding of others, and you should help each other. To be able to work together and do well the things that Dafa disciples do to validate the Fa--now that's what you should do.

Question: What will happen to those countries where there are no Dafa disciples? How should we spread the Fa and clarify the truth in those distant countries?

Teacher: Dafa disciples are doing what Dafa disciples should do. If you're able to, you can go do that. You can go spread the Fa in places where there are no Dafa disciples. But when it comes to places where it's too difficult or places that have very close ties with that group of gangsters in China that persecutes Dafa disciples, you shouldn't go for the time being, because there are things that will need to be done during the next stage.

Question: If the beings become degenerate again in the future, will Fa-rectification be necessary again?

Teacher: This is something that has never happened before and will probably never happen again.

If the cosmos's beings had become even more degenerate, then Fa-rectification couldn't have been done. Fa-rectification happened, this undertaking began, exactly at a time when the beings in the cosmos and mankind were no longer good enough and were about to be weeded out, but hadn't gotten to the point of being beyond salvation. It was then that the Fa was imparted. If they truly become as bad as beings that go to hell, then at that point they're no longer worthy of salvation, even though I can certainly do anything and everything and could save them.

Question: When a rocket travels beyond the scope of the nine major planets, will it have gone beyond the Three Realms?

Teacher: That's only the range that's made up of the layer of molecular particles. It's really hard to use human language to describe the range of the Three Realms. Now when I tell you how large the Three Realms is, I'm using concepts from human sensual and visual perceptions, and from the particles that are at the same level. The biggest difference between how divine beings and how human beings look at the cosmos is that divine beings don't look at things on the basis of the structure of this one layer of particles. They simultaneously look at things from all directions and three-dimensionally, on the basis of the combined cosmic structures of the different layers of particles below that and the different layers of particles above that. They can see the whole structural appearance of things at different levels in the cosmos, and see what they look like on a fundamental level. Human beings, on the other hand, can only see this world that's composed of this molecular layer of particles; they can only see things that are composed of this layer of particles. But the cosmos isn't composed of just this one layer of particles. Human beings can't see the true picture; human beings can only see this one layer. This results from the separation and restriction that's due to various factors, and the limitations of the human eye's structure, all of which are meant to produce this false picture of things for human beings. Humans just aren't allowed to see the true picture. In other words, even when it comes to things that are composed of this layer of particles, human beings aren't allowed to see the full picture, and human beings are given this kind of eye precisely to limit their perception of the cosmos, which makes for this culture here. Everything has been created with a certain purpose.

You know, besides infrared and ultraviolet light, there are other invisible kinds of light and inaudible sounds, but they do exist. Today's scientific devices can detect and recognize that they exist, but human eyes can't see them. In other words, human eyes aren't even allowed to see all the things that are at this level of the human world. The kind of world human beings are allowed to see is deliberately designed so that human beings' cognition is stabilized in this state. But actually it's not absolutely stable or impenetrable--through cultivation a person can break through it. But how much a person can break through and how much of the truth of the cosmos he can see depend on the cultivator's level. Conversely, the more materialistic a person is, the more he's trapped inside this maze. The more materialistic a person is, the more so his thoughts and understandings are trapped in this "reality," and the more he is within this "reality."

The larger boundaries of the Three Realms are the size of the small universe. The Three Realms' boundaries in the microcosm are actually, when you look at it in the microcosm, I'd say that "inches away" is an overstatement. You know, microcosmic particles make up particles of one level higher. So in other words, particles at different levels are all composed of smaller particles one level below. It can be said that the Three Realms' boundaries are right here, right amidst everything, in the microcosm of all things. There is no distance in the way that modern people think of or understand it--you almost can't calculate their distance. But the particles of the different levels that constitute the Three Realms have their boundaries at different levels. That is, when you look at them on different planes, the different levels have their boundaries and distances. The cosmos is a very complex entity. The Three Realms that we talk about is a range that was designated for use by the would-be Fa-rectification. But there are identical particles in identical states that exist along with the Three Realms and they are connected with an even broader area. And many divine beings at the very highest levels generally refer to that, too, as "the lowest level." The Three Realms that we refer to, though, is this specially-designated range. The scopes of those other related dimensions that are composed of particles in the same class as those of the Three Realms are incredibly immense.

Question: Why do Dafa disciples call you the Lord of Buddhas? Why is it that you came from a higher, more distant place?

Teacher: (Master smiles/chuckles) I actually don't have any titles. Just because I wrote in one of my writings, "The Lord of Buddhas' mercy...," students speculated: is Master the Lord of Buddhas? The fact is, anything people call me is inaccurate. Each person's life has a place of origin in the cosmos and at the same time has more ancient, remote factors, and this includes beings at the lowest levels--even the grass on the ground has a place of origin and more remote factors. There are different plants in different historical periods, and over the long winding course of the cosmos's history, planets and particles have been continually disintegrating and then being reborn, disintegrating, being reborn, continually being renewed. And a lot of the dust in the cosmos may be factors of beings that disintegrated a very, very long time ago. A lot of the dirt that's fallen to the ground may be matter from very, very far back. Then the grass absorbed matter from that dirt, and perhaps that grass also has various factors from way back. This is talking about it in terms of the surface of matter. Everything is alive--as long as it exists, it's alive.

From another perspective, the Bible said that Yahweh created man out of clay. In fact, what Yahweh created was one species of white people, not all white people. White people don't all belong to one species of man--they were created by several divine beings. Yellow people were also created by several divine beings. And other peoples, for example the people of India, the ancient Egyptians, and so on, were all created by different divine beings. People believe that God created man in his own image, when in fact that's simply how a divine being's ability works--the man he creates is bound to be of the lowest part of him and the lowest level of particles of him, that's all. Plainly put, it's a particle at the bottom of the divine being's foot; you could also call it a cell. I've told you in my Fa lectures before that, every cell of a being--humans, animals, plants, and so on--is in the image of the main body.

Everything of the human beings that were created way back when, including all that makes up their souls and beings, was created with substances and elements from within the Three Realms. Then of course the divine beings that created the different peoples would watch over their own people. This continued all the way until recent times, when the time for Dafa to be spread was imminent, at which point many of the souls inside the human skins consisted of beings that came down from high levels, instead of the souls of human beings, as before. Another thing that needs to be clarified is, everything made up by the layer of particles at the human-surface level is called human skin, and that includes a person's bones, internal organs, as well as his skin at the surface. This surface human skin dies from old age, but many of the things that the surface skin receives during its lifetime are passed down to the next generation. Over ages and ages, generation after generation, humans have been passing on the cultural contents that divine beings created for man. On a cognitive level human beings don't know about these things, but they are part of them internally. When it got to recent times, when many beings that came for the Fa reincarnated as humans, the souls of the humans that were created by divine beings stayed in the netherworld, and divine beings that came from high levels beyond the Three Realms reincarnated as humans and put on that clothing (the human skin). So in other words, the human skin created by that divine being in the past was put on by a different divine being.

Then something else needs to be clarified here: that different divine being might not be lower than the divine being who created the human being; he may be higher, or, of course, lower, or at the same level; he came and took over the human that [a divine being] created, which means that another divine being has entered the boundaries of the divine being that originally created the human being. I often say that today's people all have a significant background--few if any of the world's people have the souls divine beings created back then. No matter who it is, when he has entered this world of delusion, everything he comes into contact with and sees with his eyes is like this, this is how he sees the world from the moment he's born from his mother's womb. And in this society of delusion he'll generate karma just like everyone else. What's more, the mankind of recent times has created a culture that makes people even more lost in this society, raising itself in this materialistic culture. It's extremely hard for human beings to transcend the thinking here--for someone to comprehend what's beyond all of this, he can only achieve that through cultivation.

There's another phenomenon, too. Different divine beings created different peoples, but over the past few thousand years various religions have been spread beyond their region or ethnic group. As a result, some people have begun to believe in another divine being, which has made the divine being who created them quite sad. What's more, the divine being that the person now believes in can't save people created by another divine being. And many ethnic groups no longer have any idea who their true god is. This situation has come about quite often in the course of history, leaving the divine being who created those humans no choice but to abandon the humans he created. Once this happened, many ethnic groups became people without roots and have no divine beings watching over them. Things like social turmoil, losing rationality, and disrespect for divine beings mostly come from these peoples. These ethnic groups and individuals are all impoverished.

As for why Master came from a higher, more distant place, actually, perhaps a lot of Dafa disciples in the audience here also came from some higher and more distant places. (Applause slowly begins and increases.) It's just that I came from a slightly more distant place, and because of that, during the Fa-rectification I can save everyone. As for where I came from, for the beings in the cosmos, it's now irrelevant whether I came from a high or low level--what's most important is that I'm going towards what is the highest and the most ultimate. It's enough for you to know that I came to impart and build up this Dafa.

Question: Some Dafa students believe that systemically clarifying the truth to lawyers, learning the details of the law, and eventually seeking the most favorable resolution is being distrustful of lawyers. Would Master please say a few words on this?

Teacher: Human society has been boxed into a very tight space now by man himself. Human wisdom is limited, and many restrictions are boxing humans in. A lot of things are indeed difficult to resolve, and it's hard to save people now. Handle these things with wisdom. As for what to do, it is of course not a problem to clarify the truth. Act according to your specific situations. None of the things that you come across in the course of validating the Fa are the same, so it's impossible for me to comprehensively cover everything or talk about these specific things here, so you still have to handle on your own the things you encounter. Figuring out how to do things well is part of your validating the Fa and walking your own path.

Question: Does demonstrating the exercises for people, including tourists from China, count as clarifying the truth?

Teacher: Demonstrating the exercises can achieve a certain effect. Everything you do can achieve a certain positive effect. But, if you don't talk about the facts, don't get into the specifics and only do the exercises, then you won't be able to resolve the many perplexing issues in people's minds for the time being.

Question: Dafa disciples from China's Xishuangbanna of Yunnan Province, Qinghua University in Beijing, Jiayuguan in Gansu Province, Hebei Province, Guangdong Province, New Zealand, Peru, the City of Tianjin, Montreal Canada, the City of Changchun, Beijing, the City of Shenyang, the City of Harbin, Leshan of Sichuan Province, Emei Mountain, Guangzhou, the City of Zhengzhou, and Mudanjiang send greetings to Master.

Teacher: Thank you all. (Applause)

Question: What should a person do if fellow practitioners mistake him for a spy?

Teacher: Let me talk a little about the issue of spies. (Master smiles/chuckles) (Audience laughs) Do you know how Master actually looks at these issues from a different perspective? Of course, those things that the old forces concocted are tests that target Dafa disciples, but in fact I'd say they are an insult to the Fa, they bring shame to mankind, they disrespect the Fa, they are disruptions to the Fa-rectification, and they shouldn't have happened. But it's exactly because beings are no longer up to par that Fa-rectification is necessary. Such an occupation has, after all, come into being among humans. So, is it true that only the most vile and the worst people were chosen to become spies? No. What a person does is largely determined by his own preference, but there are also many people who reluctantly do a job under the circumstances, and there are those who've been picked because they are considered smart and able to do a certain job. In other words, the choice of a person's occupation is not determined by whether his nature is good or bad. Are there good people among spies? Definitely. The different occupations in human society don't tell us whether a person is good or bad, or whether that being can be saved.

I saw this issue, so since the time I started to teach the Fa I've said--and I've followed through on it--that I don't draw lines based on occupations or social status; I'll save you no matter what your line of work is. My door is wide open, completely open, so open that there's really no door left--as long as you want to cultivate you can come in. I'll save anyone, no matter what your line of work is. But whether or not a person enters is up to that person himself, and whether or not he obtains the Fa is his own issue. It's hard for today's people to dictate what occupation they'll do--how could someone just go and do whatever he wants in life? How could it be that easy? It's really hard. In other words, a person who lives in this world can't just choose whatever occupation he wants. I saw that, and besides, all human beings have come here for the Fa, so no matter what work you do, no matter what your job is, I can save you. But whether or not you can persist in cultivating well depends on you, and whether or not you want to cultivate is up to you, too.

I've been up front about this and have put it into practice, but over these years a lot of our students still haven't truly understood the purpose behind your master's words. I've completely opened the door, and I let in people from any occupation or segment of society. Then why do you still insist on making unnecessary distinctions and drawing lines? (Applause) It's because it is human beings cultivating, not divine beings. When humans are cultivating, humans have human thoughts, and human thoughts include occupational habits and attachments and tendencies caused by their professions, which are all at work subconsciously. When a person hasn't cultivated well, his habitual attachments that were formed at his job will show. Then of course, a person's tendencies as a spy or special agent will show too, and he might even do wrong things when he can't pass a test. During this time when Dafa disciples are being persecuted, specifically, when he's unable to pass a certain test he'll go report some information in a moment of confusion. But on a fundamental level, whether this is a bad person and whether he can be saved can't be determined just by how he is at one given time. You have to allow him to make mistakes and give him the opportunity to correct his actions--that is what's magnificent about our Fa. (Applause)

I've said before that nobody can undermine Dafa, and that only when Dafa disciples don't do well can they undermine Dafa. So during this persecution, that bunch of gangsters wants to use Dafa disciples to undermine Dafa, but in fact they can't undermine Dafa one bit. The premise of what I said was that a Dafa disciple is truly cultivating, but during his cultivation he doesn't understand the Fa's principles that deeply or that thoroughly, and he doesn't walk his path correctly, which has a bad effect. Actually it can only have an effect here among humans--nobody can affect the essence of Dafa. As for those who've gone over to the opposite side during the persecution, they're not Dafa disciples anymore, but those who can come back, though, are a different matter. When they are no longer Dafa disciples, they've essentially become part of that evil bunch of persecutors, and they deliberately do bad things, intentionally undermining things, turning the truth upside down, and stating lies as facts. That can't undermine Dafa, and can only help Dafa disciples become more and more rational, and their thoughts become more and more upright, and make them become more and more clearheaded and aware. Isn't that the outcome of the persecution? Haven't you all matured? What I'm talking about is, only when Dafa disciples don't do well themselves can they have a bad effect and impact in this world. If a Dafa disciple has an ordinary person's mentality and isn't doing well, or was a spy before, or a student did something wrong because he couldn't pass a test, and thus everybody drives the person out or regards him differently, truly causes his predestined opportunity of thousands of years to really be ruined, and causes him to go over to the opposite side, then, let me tell you, that would be truly doing something bad. (Applause)

Only when we're able to be forgiving can we save people. If every Dafa disciple could think that way, then think about it, with that power from compassion, would there still be any room for bad factors to exist? With that said, let me tell you, the professional spies aren't able to get in. [The spies among us] are [Dafa] students who used to be in that line of work before 1999 and who didn't cultivate well, or students who gave in to the evil at one point out of fear and didn't do well. If you were to tell them to really harm the Fa, they wouldn't do it. It's just that they became confused at a certain time, didn't do well, and couldn't pass the test, at which point they took the wrong path. There are also some Dafa disciples who are attached to those little things that they have, and some who just wanted to do enough to get the rogue spy agencies off their back. The reality is, it's impossible for anyone to truly harm Dafa.

So this has happened exactly because some students still have human attachments and still haven't done well in some respects. As for the idea that spies have truly infiltrated us and snuck in, I'll tell you, that's impossible, since what we're doing is cultivation. They want to use students to provide them with some so-called "intelligence" for them to find targets. But all of that's useless, and they're only fooling themselves. Those spy agencies know full well that Falun Gong has no secrets at all, and they know very well that Falun Gong is a group of good people who are just against the persecution. They know that themselves. One of the crooked means they use is to generate a climate that pressures people and whips them up--in China they're used to creating these campaigns. That's all they know how to do, and they hype certain things up to influence people. Does that work on cultivators? A few years have gone by, and haven't Dafa disciples become more steadfast and more rational? (Applause) Has anyone been scared by it? Nobody has. Under such a wicked persecution, have any of the Dafa disciples in Mainland China been scared? Of course, there are those who couldn't come through it, but those who couldn't were deliberately arranged to get in by the old forces. I've said that all beings came for the Fa, but not all of them came to play a positive role. The old forces' purpose was to have that type of being play a negative role so that Dafa disciples could be tempered, that's all; it's not that the vile people have the ability to do anything. Humans can't see these things clearly, and humans are just attached to what humans want to do. But whatever humans have done, they have to pay for it, that's for sure. (Applause)

But I also know that there really are special agents taking advantage of the gaps in students who have attachments. That's caused by the students not doing well and being too attached. The few students who aren't clearheaded have got to pay attention to this now.

Just now I taught this Fa from a positive angle. But I also know that while Master is giving chances again and again there are still a few people who don't get it and who haven't been taking Master's continued mercy seriously and have been doing the dirty work of spies, betraying their own consciences and betraying Dafa disciples. They've been repeatedly providing so-called "intelligence" to the evil, and in the eyes of divine beings, the negative effects that their actions have brought to Dafa are now beyond what they can pay for. That kind of involvement in interfering with Fa-rectification is in fact directly participating in the persecution, and the consequences will be the same as for that group of gangsters in China that is persecuting Dafa disciples. I now have nothing more to say to these people, and what I said a little bit ago doesn't hold for this type of person. As I got to this point, a divine being just said, "It looks like all they have left is a chance to plan their funerals."

Question: You said that by doing the three things well everything is encompassed. Does this mean that all of a person's attachments and the conflicts a person has had will be benevolently resolved? I sincerely ask Master to enlighten me on this.

Teacher: (Master smiles/chuckles) If a person can't resolve those fundamental problems of his in cultivation, then you can't say that he's cultivating. What is cultivation? What is the ultimate goal of cultivation? It's to emerge from among ordinary people. When you're no longer one of them, can ordinary people's various conflicts, attachments, and different factors still have an effect on you? Absolutely not. But whether you can emerge from it and cultivate out of it, whether you can forge ahead diligently, whether you will progress quickly or slowly in cultivation--all of that depends on you, yourself. I, as your master, will absolutely be responsible to you. But whether or not you can move forward diligently is still up to you. Could a divine being be swayed by all kinds of human attachments? Not a chance, of course it's impossible. So anything can be resolved. It just depends on how you cultivate. If you're just cultivating with your mind focused on solving that problem, then you're not truly cultivating. Cultivation has to be completely unconditional.

Question: The level of the cosmos created by a Dafa disciple won't last long. Could Master please clarify that?

Teacher: I didn't tell you that it wouldn't last long. Right now you folks are thinking with a human mentality. (Master smiles/chuckles) A human thought... since humans don't have any abilities, what they send out is like a bubble of air, it's tiny, and it dissipates in no time. But the things that arise from a Dafa disciple's thoughts are strong, and the higher the disciple's level, the more powerful and bigger the things that emerge out of his thoughts, and the longer they last. For a gigantic divine being, his one thought can create cosmic bodies and cosmoses. Well actually, there are more fundamental factors involved. The Fa is all-encompassing and all-perfecting, and all of the imperfect factors in the cosmos of the past are perfectly resolved this time during the Fa-rectification. So since it's an all-encompassing and all-perfecting Fa, even the cosmos's fundamental nature of formation-stasis-degeneration has changed, and its time concept can't be comprehended with a human mind.

Question: Lately fellow practitioners have often been using electronic software to share understandings and study the Fa, and are even strongly encouraging its usage. As a result, people have less opportunities to share their thoughts and study the Fa in person.

Teacher: Indeed that's not right. Except for little disciples, you shouldn't do that. But that's not to rule out using it occasionally when you're very busy, just don't make a habit of it. That isn't something I want to pass down. There's no problem with you studying the Fa in person as a group, and studying the Fa and exchanging thoughts in person. You can take advantage of [such software] when you're busy, but you can't all do that, and you can't do it frequently.

Question: I don't understand very well the difference between matter being impure and matter having deviated. Master, would you please explain?

Teacher: Matter's impurity and deviation is the fundamental reason for the fall of the old cosmos, and it was caused by the old cosmos's nature. Formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction was the extent of the wisdom of the Fa back then, and it was a way to cyclically purify different specific domains, but when the whole thing reaches that stage, that's the end. As far as matter's impurity and deviation goes, if you look at it in terms of human society, the modern-science-wrought impurity of air, soil, metals, water, and various chemical elements cannot be resolved by mankind. In the eyes of divine beings, mankind's thinking has deviated so much that it is no longer human. Everything in the cosmos is cycling, so after those things are extracted by higher-level beings they'll make the elements and beings in high-level dimensions impure. That's just putting it simply. Take a look at my last few talks on the Fa.

Question: As for the role of the Minghui website in clarifying the truth, how should overseas students work together and help?

Teacher: The Minghui website's role in clarifying the truth is irreplaceable. It's the most important window through which we get the truth out about the persecution and the overall situation of Dafa and Dafa disciples' validating the Fa. When it comes to the things of Dafa disciples, you should always cooperate with each other and work well together.

Question: Recently I came across a student who claimed that he had reached Consummation and could switch to cultivating in another discipline now. May I ask if he has enlightened along an evil path or was just letting his imagination run wild?

Teacher: I'd say he's got a fever, (audience laughs) and he's become foggy-headed from the fever. Well actually, whoever says that is in a dangerous state. Beings who don't have rational, upright thoughts and clear heads are the ones divine beings look down on most.

Question: Is it appropriate for media to publish Master's photo?

Teacher: I think it's fine, no problem, because I have my ways. (Master smiles/chuckles) (Applause)

Question: Master said in Touring North America to Teach the Fa, "I do not know who I am, either." I don't understand that so well.

Teacher: What about it is hard to understand? What's past is past, and now I'm a puzzle to all beings, and in the future nobody will know where I am. I am omnipotent, and nothing can hinder me. Anything you call me won't be accurate. In the future different beings will see me in the image of their own ethnic group. Everything was created by me, and yet I'm not amidst anything--that's the idea. (Audience laughs, applauds)

Question: Currently diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans such as the bird flu and mad cow disease are appearing all over the world. May I ask revered Master, how is this phenomenon related to the progress of Fa-rectification?

Teacher: Mankind has too much karma. It's because human beings have already slid down into a very dangerous situation in all regards, their karma has gotten greater and greater, and on top of that their attitude about Dafa... much of it was caused by man himself. This doesn't appear to be directly related to the Fa-rectification, but everything revolves around Dafa, and nothing happens by accident. People are being warned through these things.

Question: Why is it that those who engage in spying among the students still aren't awakening? If we expose who they are right in front of them, would that be uncompassionate?

Teacher: Doing that to protect the Fa can't be considered uncompassionate. Why don't you sober them up, then, or you can expose them if you want. It'd be better if we could save them, but if they can't be saved that's their own choice.

Question: Some Dafa disciples have posted some articles on the Internet about Dafa-related miracles, and this has caused some Internet readers to misunderstand Dafa.

Teacher: Discussing things about that topic responsibly isn't a problem. Don't worry about misunderstandings, but don't do things in a weird and incomprehensible way, either. If you validate the Fa magnanimously and rationally, there won't be any problems. Dafa disciples are, after all, cultivators; we aren't some ordinary people's political group in society, we're a group of cultivators, and we cultivate divinity, so of course miracles have indeed happened. (Applause)

Question: You've said that if sexual attraction and desire aren't relinquished the person absolutely cannot reach Consummation. Currently there are still many disciples who haven't let go of their sexual attraction and desire. Would you please tell me what the unit of measurement for Consummation is? Is the unit of measurement calculated by particles?

Teacher: Nobody's ever said that--did that come from some wild thinking you had? I've never said anything to you about any relationship between Consummation and some unit of measurement. Dafa disciples: I said long ago that sexual attraction and desire are a fatal roadblock that a cultivator absolutely must overcome. [Those people are] driven by human feelings and emotions way too much. If they can't even pull themselves out of this little thing, then it would seem that back then the old forces should have arranged to put them behind prison walls in Mainland China, as only under those circumstances would they correct the problem, right? I wonder how you'd behave in a brutal environment like that. Are you like this because your life is too comfortable? All those who don't remove that attachment and make excuses for their behavior are fooling themselves and trying to fool others--it's not like I've made any special arrangements for you.

Question: Is it true that we don't need to send righteous thoughts at set times?

Teacher: Didn't the Minghui website announce that all Dafa disciples around the world should send righteous thoughts as a group at certain times? I think that's a pretty good idea, and so why don't you do that, then. When it comes to any other specifics, you can do things according to the different situations in different regions.

Question: Every time I see Master all of my questions vanish without a trace. With Teacher here, with the Fa here, there's nothing that can't be resolved. We should really cherish this period of time.

Teacher: With strong righteous thoughts, everything can in fact be resolved. And with strong righteous thoughts, everything becomes clear. When a person doesn't have clear thinking, that's always when he has attachments that he can't let go. When he feels uneasy inside he doesn't think clearly.

Question: Would you please tell us whether including magic acts in our Dafa disciples' concerts is appropriate in light of our efforts to validate the Fa?

Teacher: I actually don't think there is anything wrong with that. To me, forms of performing arts are forms of performing arts. If it's something that people enjoy and like to watch, and it's not in bad taste, then I think it's fine.

Question: Through its mechanisms, Dafa ensures that the beings in the future won't develop attachments or selfishness even after they go through a very long period of time in the cosmos, and thus the cosmos will be perfect and harmonized and will never perish.

Teacher: No, that's not how it is, it's not the right understanding, and that's not the idea. Dafa is perfect and harmonized, and the fundamental nature of the cosmos is selfless. When a being cultivates and reaches that realm, that's how he'll become, too. The Fa has provided for all beings' existence, the Fa has created for all beings the mechanisms of the cosmos and the rich variety in the cosmos, and the Fa has created all beings, all the myriad things, heaven-and-earths, human beings, and divine beings. But how the beings conduct themselves is to a certain degree their own choice.

Question: Greetings to Master from Dafa disciples in Yichang and Gezhouba of Hubei Province, Three Gorges, Melbourne, Haiban Province, Nongan, Kaian, and Jilin City of Jilin Province, Heze of Shandong Province, Heilongjiang Province, the North Gate area of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, Sichuan Province, and Ziyang of Chengdu City.

Teacher: Thank you all! (Applause)

Question: You've said in your book that when others treat you badly, they are giving you virtue and you should be happy about that. But if we are happy about it, are we not being compassionate enough?

Teacher: (People laugh) That's not being uncompassionate. Only true cultivators and Dafa disciples are able to remain unmoved when self-interest and feelings are involved. As for the one who strikes giving virtue to the person who is hit, that results from the nature of the cosmos; it's not something you can get just by being happy. When the person who was hit feels no resentment or hatred while experiencing pain and settles what was done to him with a smile, isn't that compassion? From a human perspective, no one would say he's being uncompassionate--when someone hits him, he responds with a smile and feels no resentment. Of course, a cultivator shouldn't smile or laugh the way an ordinary person does after he gains something (people laugh); you should feel quite at ease, and everyone will say you're a good person. When someone does bad things to you, you can advise him to do good so that he doesn't lose virtue, and that is your being compassionate to him. If he doesn't listen and still wants to do evil, then there will be retribution as a result of his evil action. Just like in the case of those vile policemen and bad people in labor camps in China, it is they who want to do evil and refuse to listen when they're urged to stop. In that case there's nothing we can do; they insist on beating people and can't be stopped no matter what. Then after they carry out the beatings, they are going to hell when the time comes. That's not Dafa disciples being uncompassionate.

In each dimension there are the Fa-truths of that dimension. Although truths become higher at higher levels, in any given dimension, if a being can follow the truths in that dimension, then he's a good being in that dimension. When you can transcend those truths, you will have transcended that level of beings. No one is happy about being hit, human beings are unhappy when they suffer--that's how human beings in this dimension are. No ordinary person would say, "No matter who mistreats me, I'll still be happy." Only cultivators are able to do that, and that's being in a higher realm than ordinary people. Being able to maintain your xinxing while enduring physical pain, that's a cultivator's compassion. As for others giving us virtue, it's not as if Dafa disciples took it from them, it's not as if those people could give it out if they wanted to, and it's not as if anyone could get it if he just wanted to. It's the mechanism of the cosmos that does that transformation, it's the nature of the cosmos at work. What I've done as your master is to teach the Fa-truths to all beings.

Question: Since pregnant disciples don't have the essence of the human body, how could they cultivate their bodies?

Teacher: Who says pregnant disciples don't have the essence of the human body? Nothing can interfere with Dafa cultivation. Quite the opposite, it's good for the baby.

Question: My husband, [name omitted] , was just freed, but he's still in Mainland China. He learned that I was coming to this Fa conference and asked me to tell you that he misses venerable Teacher.

Teacher: Thank you. (Applause) As their master, I won't leave behind a single Dafa disciple in Mainland China, except for those who've gone over to the opposite side and can no longer be saved. (Applause) I'm thinking of all of them.

Question: Recently I've felt that time is going even faster now. Has the time in the Three Realms already been replaced?

Teacher: Yes, time is going very fast. Before the Fa-rectification of the human world reaches this dimension of ordinary people, the time at this human place won't slow down completely.

Question: In the old cosmic system, one wrong thought of a high-level being could cause countless beings to go awry. But in the new cosmos that will never happen. Is that because the mechanism of the new cosmos is more perfect?

Teacher: That's not the right understanding, as that can happen in the new cosmos as well. Why do I say that both the Fa-rectification and [your] cultivation have to meet the standard? No matter whether it's those who've been assimilated or those who've been rectified by the Fa during the Fa-rectification, all of them absolutely must meet the standard. Dafa disciples, if you cultivate to a very high level and will be governing a high-level cosmic body, a single thought of yours will indeed be all-powerful within your own cosmic body. That's for sure. That's why Dafa disciples must cultivate themselves well and become upright by cultivating. Of course, your cultivating yourselves is only part of it. In addition to that, during the Fa-rectification Master is helping you resolve the things of yours that are impure at their most fundamental levels. So, in the future [you] will definitely be very upright.

No matter how long the period of time [you spend] in the human world lasts, even if it's tens of thousands of years, when Unlocking of Gong takes place this will all in fact feel like a dream to you. It will be so vague that it was like a dream, and gradually it will feel like you've forgotten it. You will no longer have the human thought structure or think about mankind with human thoughts, you won't have thoughts like that, and your thought structure will be that of a divine being. I've said before that a Tathagata Buddha knows the thoughts of even cattle and horses, but he would never use their ways of thinking to think about things.

Question: Verses of Master's poems occasionally come up in my mind. Can I say them out loud? If I do that, do I have to recite the entire poem? If I recite only two verses, do I need to add Master's name to note the source?

Teacher: No, that's not necessary when you're just saying them out loud. If you put them down in written form or make an audio or video recording of them, then it's different. A lot of the poems I've written are actually related to Dafa cultivation, and thus they too are part of the Fa. So they can't be used at will by someone else as his own things. When you mention them to others or quote them in articles, just bear that in mind.

Question: Russian and all Russian-speaking Dafa disciples around the world, Dafa disciples in Vancouver of Canada, Yujiaweier, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Nanjing City of Jiangsu Province, Texas of the U.S., Shanghai, young disciples in Vancouver of Canada, Anshan of Liaoning Province, and Chaoyang of Liaoning Province send greetings to Master.

Teacher: Thank you all! (Applause)

Question: Dafa disciples who have technical expertise, especially those who are eminent among ordinary people, are really jealous of each other and have big egos. Master, please offer some guidance on this.

Teacher: It's not that serious, is it? But I won't rule out unremoved attachments manifesting. If you haven't cultivated yourself well and have those kinds of attachments, you need to get rid of them. Don't be conceited no matter what special skills you have. Do you know that the only one who can fully explain the whole cosmos and all of mankind is me, Li Hongzhi? No other being can possibly do that. (Applause) But I have never put on airs before you. So Dafa disciples, you must not get bigheaded if you've acquired some little human skills. They're nothing to get bigheaded about. The fact is, you've learned what you've learned because you had that wish and accordingly arrangements were made for you back in the past since it would be needed in validating the Fa, that's all.

Question: I feel as though right now time passes quickly every day and there are a lot of things I haven't been able to do well in a timely manner. In a sharing on Minghui, a student said that when he's in a very good state he is able to do something well in a short period of time. Could Master please talk about the issue of time?

Teacher: This is actually still what I think: it's all right for our Dafa disciples to have human attachments, but how you manage to establish your own righteous thoughts is what's key. If your righteous thoughts are strong and you're like a cultivator at every moment--or, instead of saying "every moment," let's say when you come across certain things you can act as a Dafa disciple does--then you'll know how to handle things, you will produce miracles, you will demonstrate extraordinariness, you will be able to tell right from wrong, and you will be able to do everything well. (Applause) You're cultivators, after all. You are different from ordinary people. Even though you're all cultivating in delusion and it's hard to have many of Dafa disciples' things manifest, it's actually not as if you don't know anything. If your righteous thoughts are strong supernormal things do manifest.

Question: I brought with me some friends and children. Even though they're seeing you they don't understand what you're saying. Are their master souls listening? Can they return to their homes?

Teacher: You need to know that I'm teaching the Fa to Dafa disciples. (Master smiles/chuckles) If an ordinary person comes today he won't know what I'm talking about, and for kids it's even harder. But human beings all have a side of them that's aware; that side will know and will benefit from it. But don't focus too much on these things. In the case of a person who can't be saved, it's useless even though that other side of him is aware.

Question: When it comes to the materials being used to clarify the truth to people in China on a large scale, some students believe that "cultivation is what you handle, gong is what the master handles," so the selection of content is not that important.

Teacher: Then they've gone to another extreme. In validating the Fa you need to do things rationally. How you make the selections and do things better, that's your validating the Fa and that's your blazing your own path righteously. If everything were done by me, you would've turned into a typewriter, then why would I have you be Dafa disciples? You might as well reincarnate as a typewriter, right? (People laugh)

Question: Would you please tell us whether the people who will obtain the Fa and cultivate in the future include Dafa disciples who haven't done well enough during the Fa-rectification period?

Teacher: No, they won't be included. I can give you a definite answer on this. For this batch, this group--this is it.

Question: Now disciples are very busy with their Dafa work. Is it necessary to have disciples take time to write ordinary people's articles for use by a newspaper Dafa disciples run? Or should we try our best to use articles that have already been written by ordinary people?

Teacher: I think that depends on your needs. However you handle it is fine. Don't think that writing ordinary people's articles is not saving beings. You have a share in the saving of beings that results from everybody's collective efforts with that media outlet, even though what you wrote were ordinary people's articles. (Applause) Of course, you won't be writing ordinary people's articles all the time, you'll do some other things that a Dafa disciple should do, right?

Question: Dafa disciples in both northern and southern California give their regards to Master. Esteemed Master, some veteran students pursue supernormal abilities, energy, etc., and like to show off. And one person fell asleep when he was doing the exercises and sending righteous thoughts, yet when we brought it to his attention with good intentions, he got angry. We don't know what to do about him.

Teacher: If he gets angry, so be it. If he gets angry it means there's a problem in his cultivation. Why should he be angry when he's done something wrong? Even if he's going to get angry, you still have to let him know about it with the intention of being responsible to him, in which case, just don't worry about him getting angry. (Applause)

What's the point of showing off supernormal abilities to Dafa disciples? What's there to show off? Why don't you show them off to the wicked dark minions? Wouldn't that be better? Haven't all of your abilities actually been given to you because you cultivate Dafa? Don't go showing things off to other students, and don't feel smug and think you're so able--what can those little abilities of yours do, anyway? Don't make Master reprimand you over these things again--you should at least have some self-respect. You've been driven by attachments so much that you're not seeing straight anymore. Other than those few people who listen to you out of attachment when you show off, do you realize how other students view you?

As soon as you show those things off they become nothing. Don't be attached to those things, and even less should you spread, with human attachments, among our students what you've seen. In fact, it's not that those things can't be discussed among cultivators, and it's not that you can't have supernormal abilities. What's key is the intent behind the act. If it's used in a positive way it will benefit Dafa disciples; if it's to show off, you will be interfering with them.

Today Dafa disciples are consummating their incomparably high honors and glory as well as Attainment Status as they validate the Fa. Nothing can get in the way--whoever gets in the way is committing a sin, and it's absolutely prohibited. If you refuse to listen to others the first or second time it happens, and you carry on for a long time, then you must be doing that because the old forces want to push you over to the other side--that will be the kind of role you're playing. If you really reach that point, you will be considered beyond redemption. I don't acknowledge the old forces' arrangements. Master is rescuing and saving you and giving you second chances. Don't continue to be like that time and time again. If your divine powers truly manifest in a magnificent way as you clarify the facts, save beings, and defy the persecution, then all the Dafa disciples and I will praise you. Isn't that so?

The cosmic body is so immense that it's beyond description. There are a lot of things that I don't tell you. What you know is so trivial. When a very high-level divine being sees the broadness and the enormity of a larger cosmic body he is shocked and dumbfounded; you know, even a divine being will be like that. So when a human being learns a little bit about a larger dimension, of course he gets stirred up by it. But Dafa disciples must be rational.

Question: The media outlets run by Dafa disciples are powerful and influential overseas. At this, the final stage of the Fa-rectification, should these media outlets be entering Mainland China on a large scale via our existing truth-clarification channels, such as the Internet, postal mail, etc.? Also, should we consider the levels at which the Chinese people can understand and accept things? I ask because the people in Mainland China are different from those overseas. They've been badly poisoned by the lies.

Teacher: I'd say that the things we're doing right now are being done in a rational way, for the most part. Whether it be people who live in Mainland China or Chinese people outside the Mainland, they can both understand it. I think the way the media outlets are being run is fine. In terms of how they report on things and the articles they've written to clarify the truth, the people in Mainland China are fully able to understand and accept them.

Right now it's still not feasible to fully target Mainland China. In the future the newspaper run by Dafa disciples will be the biggest newspaper in the entire world, (applause) because all those media that have made up lies have committed sins, and those people will have to pay for that, as will those media of theirs.

[Well, it looks like] I still answered all of your questions. (Applause) Human society has gone through a process 100 million years long. And all beings have come for the Fa--all beings in the Three Realms came for the Fa, were created for the Fa, and were formed for the Fa. That includes all the myriad things. And everything in the human world has been revolving around Dafa, whether ordinary people sense it or not; whether you think they're aware of it or not, everything is revolving around Dafa. That includes all the people in the world today, regardless of whether they seem indifferent toward the persecution or concerned about it--they all revolve around Dafa. The Fa-rectification requires that some people be in a certain state where they are sealed off and kept there so that the next batch of people will be able to cultivate. In other words, even though everything appears to be disorderly, it is in fact orderly, and everything is closely linked to the Fa-rectification.

Everything we're doing is magnificent. Everything Dafa disciples are doing is saving beings. And everything Dafa disciples are doing is simply unprecedented. It is magnificent because it's of Dafa, it's magnificent because Dafa is establishing this batch of cultivators, and also because Dafa is being spread in the Three Realms and in the human world and yet this tiny Earth is in fact having an impact on colossal cosmic bodies. Things appear to be ordinary, and they don't look much different from ordinary people's things, but the mighty virtue corresponds to the highest cosmic body.

Dafa disciples have already gone through such a difficult time. I hope that all of you will walk the last leg of your journey well and treasure the journey you've already completed. Everything of your future is shown in how you validate the Fa. (About one minute of applause)

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¹ Translator's note: This is a phrase commonly used to suggest that someone has complete control of something, regardless of how hard others might try to change things or how things might appear to be.

² Translator's note: This is a translation of two lines from Hong Yin, Master Li抯 book of poetry.

³ Translator's note: These two sentences are a sort of play on words. The Chinese character "bei" consists of two parts, one that can be understood as "nothing" and the other as "feeling."

⁴ Translator's note: The Chinese term rendered here as "perfect and complete" is sometimes translated as "harmonize."

⁵ Translator's note: The Chinese term rendered here as "base" is sometimes translated as "inborn quality."

Editor's note: The translation is subject to further improvement so as to be closer to the original text. Last updated: May 2, 2004.

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