My Understanding of Cultivation During the Fa Rectification Period

(Clearwisdom.net) I have followed Master in the period of Fa Rectification to this day. I know that Master has endured much hardship and karma for practitioners, and worries much for practitioners. I would like to share my experience as a report for Master.

In 1999 when the persecution had just started, I read about Dafa practitioners not avoiding being imprisoned. I felt helpless. After reading Master's article "Rationality," however, I enlightened. Master said:

"Some students suggest that the best practice of cultivation is to get placed into a detention center or a labor camp, or get sentenced to jail in order to validate the Fa. Students, it is not so. Stepping forward to validate the Fa using many different approaches is a magnificent act, but this absolutely does not mean that you have to be arrested by the evil. If that were the case, why would those students who step forward to make appeals demand the release of all those innocent students who have been arrested, detained, sent to labor camps, or sentenced to jail?" (Essentials for Further Advancement II)

I know Master denies the "can not avoid being imprisoned" in the material I read, and I understood that I should not allow myself to be caught and suffer in the prison.

One time I did a Fa validating activity, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) found evidence against me. (Actually, I should not acknowledge the so-called evidence in my mind). It looked like they would come arrest me at any time. The situation was urgent, and I planned to leave home. Before that I discussed my situation with a veteran practitioner. He said, "It is an illusion. We will send forth forth righteous thoughts for you. You should study the Fa more and send forth righteous thoughts more often. Do not leave home." I thought over his words. I remembered:

"Our Law Wheel protects you if you're a true cultivator. My roots are all deeply planted in the universe, and if someone could affect you, he could affect me, and to put it directly, he'd be able to affect the universe." (Zhuan Falun)

That paragraph has given me tremendous strength. I am confident again. I want to do Fa validation things that are the most righteous things. I do not allow any evil persecute me for that. If I have to leave home, it's a way of resisting persecution to avoid being put in prison so that I can continue to do Fa validating work. Wouldn't it be better if I did not leave home and also did not bring pain to my family, or hurt my company? Through intensive Fa study, sending forth righteous thoughts, and help from fellow practitioners, I am now out of danger. Master has strengthened me with righteous thoughts, and the evil has been eliminated. I did not leave my home, this stable environment of cultivation.

I would like to share my understanding about selfishness and selflessness. Several years ago, just before the persecution started, I thought that trusting Master and Dafa and staying strong on the path of cultivation showed that I was doing well. But the more I read Master's Fa, the more clear my understanding of the Fa became. Staying strong on the path of cultivation, but just cultivating myself-- without caring for others--is selfishness. Trying to save friends, relatives, and others is selflessness. The capacity of my heart has broadened. If we can save the people who have persecuted us, this is a noble act. If we do not allow people to persecute us so as to prevent them from dying because of their acts, it's compassion. If we just protect ourselves so that we do not get caught, we are still selfish. For the sake of others and ourselves, avoiding the persecution is a manifestation of the maturity and rationality of practitioners. Considering our own safety from the perspective of the Fa and avoiding troubles for the whole group demonstrates unselfishness. While doing Fa validation work as a group, we can try our best and give up our own proposals to harmonize as one body. This is unselfishness, and is the state of mind of divine beings. Each person has a corresponding cosmos. If one person is saved, the countless sentient beings of his cosmos are saved. Furthermore, we cultivate in the environment of having different jobs. That is acknowledging gods and sentient beings from the far away cosmos.

It's Master who is saving sentient beings. We try our best to do well with our portion and cultivate ourselves well at the same time, but it's Master who is doing Fa rectification. On the surface, while we work for a living, we are actually bearing enormous responsibilities. We have to do it well. If we remember that each step is establishing a good foundation for future generations and creating a reference for the future, we will not focus only on ourselves. The characteristic of the new universe is selflessness. Only an unselfish universe can remain indestructible. The reason that the old universe is being destroyed is that old universe has selfish elements. Selfishness will bring shortcomings, the universe will become bad, at the end will be degenerated, and then the new universe is generated. Then the universe will continue to go through the stages of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction.

Following Master's requirement that disciples should eliminate selfishness and elements of the old universe, and become enlightened beings who meet the requirements of the new universe, will keep the universe indestructible. If everyone becomes selfless, everyone will benefit. Everyone receives things given by others, rather that receiving things from conflict. This is my understanding based on my level. Master keeps lecturing us, suffering for us, and enlightening us, that is my limited understanding.

The many corrupt living beings and elements of the old universe interfere with Fa rectification out of selfishness. They do not care that many lives will be destroyed due to their actions. Now the Fa rectification period is ending, and the persecution is still continuing in China. The old forces are destroying sentient beings and at the same time destroying themselves. We should follow Master's requirements. We should let go of self and do well with the three things. We should try our best to end this persecution with righteous thoughts and save more sentient beings.