(Clearwisdom.net) Since July 20, 1999, many thousands of Dafa practitioners have stepped forward to validate Dafa and clarify the truth. Amidst the persecution, many practitioners have lost their jobs, become homeless, and have had to leave their families. Some even lost their lives due to the brutal torture. In the so-called tests arranged by the old forces, practitioners are becoming more and more mature and imperturbable. The material interest of people in society, the hypocrisy of the evil, the thought of life and death--none of these can move the hearts of practitioners whose level has elevated in the Fa-rectification process.
However, there are some practitioners who still look at the issue of letting go of life and death with their human mentality. They mistakenly think that if they are not afraid of the threat of death, they can be viewed as having achieved the state of truly letting go of life and death. When faced with unbearable tribulations, they may be inclined to commit suicide because they think that death may set them free from suffering. Although the number of such practitioners is very few, it will negatively affect Dafa practitioners as a whole in validating Dafa and clarifying the truth. Therefore, we should pay enough attention to this issue, and rectify anything in our minds that does not conform to the Fa.
For a period of time, I have been feeling really proud of my fellow practitioners and myself for being able to go through the test of life and death, and I have deeply sensed the magnificence after passing the test. However, for Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, what is the real meaning of letting go of life and death?
For most people, the idea of death often brings unspeakable fear and darkness. Heroes are willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of justice and other people's happiness, while cowards may choose to end their lives in fear of enduring more of life's suffering. As a result, they unknowingly accumulate karma for committing suicide. As Dafa practitioners, we should meet higher standards. It is easy to let go of the fear of death. However, not fearing death does not mean that we have discarded all attachments, nor does it free us from suffering. Being free of the fear of the suffering of life is truly seeing through life and death.
Once I shared experiences with a couple of fellow practitioners. We all felt that we did not fear death. A practitioner said the difficulty of letting go of life and death lies in the fact that it is hard to relinquish all kinds of attachments we have in our daily lives. If we can truly get rid of our attachments, then when we are faced with tribulations, our hearts will not be moved, nor will we think that to die will free us from suffering. Moreover, for Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples, there is yet a higher standard. Not only should we let go of life and death, but we should also rectify the Fa amidst tribulations, oppose the persecution and eliminate the evil with righteous thoughts, which is exactly the mission that we came to this human world to accomplish. Letting go of life and death does not mean that we should be prepared to die any time, but that we shall live in a dignified and upright manner, and validate the Dafa and offer salvation to sentient beings with strong righteous thoughts.
A practitioner said to some policemen, "I do not fear life, nor do I fear death." In the eyes of old beings and old gods, living in this human world, which is the filthiest place within the Three Realms, is most difficult and terrible. Death, on the other hand, means complete relief. Of course, for Dafa practitioners, both committing suicide and killing others are absolutely prohibited, because killing is an insult to the gods, and disdain for life, and will bring big trouble to Teacher. Teacher has arranged our path to consummation and all things after our consummation. If we suddenly killed someone, where would we and the beings in our universes be positioned?
Speaking of being free from suffering, I have come to realize that a life that has been renewed in the Fa-rectification, and has become better after relinquishing all human notions, is satisfied no matter which realm he is in. To him, the meaning of life is to be responsible to others with all the compassion and tolerance he has enlightened to and obtained from the universal principles of "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance." He is always benevolent to any being, be it humans or gods. He does not have the concept of social class in human society, and he treats every being the same. His benevolence is completely selfless and goes beyond the issue of life and death. He will never hurt others for the purpose of freeing himself from suffering, nor will he think of going to a different dimension to save himself. We cultivate "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance." Our benevolence should be selfless and unselfish, as required by the Fa principle.
During our cultivation, any human notion we have is an omission that we need to get rid of. If we cannot follow the principle of "no killing" seriously, and thus commit suicide, can we still be called a Dafa practitioner? Isn't committing suicide the same as assisting the evil to undermine Fa-rectification?
Teacher said in "Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)" (Essentials for Further Advancement II),
"If a cultivator can let go of the thought of life and death under any circumstance, evil is sure to be afraid of him. If every student is able to do this, evil will of itself no longer exist."
As I understand, to "let go of the thought of life and death under any circumstance" requires that we let go of all the attachments we have in our life. If we can see through the nature of the persecution from the standpoint of the Fa, and can take the initiative to eliminate the evil in any seemingly tough circumstances, we have then reached the realm of consummation, and we are truly assisting Teacher in the Fa-rectification. Teacher also told us in the same article,
"All of you are already aware of the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition. If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist. This is not to be self-imposed, but is achieved by truly and calmly letting go of it."
If we truly believe in Teacher and Dafa, we shall be able to let go of the thought of life and death. Not only are we not afraid of evil and persecution, but we can also use the power bestowed on us by Dafa to eliminate the evils.
In fact, many Dafa practitioners have already proven with their own righteous thoughts and righteous actions, that when we can be as pure as Fa-rectification requires, it is the evil that can no longer endure and wants to be set free early, not our Dafa practitioners.
(Editor's note: Lunan is the penname that Dafa practitioners in China and overseas use when they co-author articles.)