(Minghui.org) I have been practicing Falun Dafa for 13 years. The fellow practitioners in our Fa study group have been doing the three things diligently. We all thought that we were already validating the Fa in Fa-rectification cultivation. However, after studying Master's “20th Anniversary Fa Teaching,” our understanding has changed significantly. We would like to share our thoughts and experiences.
1. Changing Our Way of Thinking and Walking Out of Personal Cultivation
Practitioner A said: “Master said,
'Especially notable are the notions that one forms, or habits of thought that one forms, which make it very hard for a person to recognize when human thinking is unconsciously at work.' (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)
I realized that such human notions or habits of thought are mainly reflected in our way of thinking. I realized that I have not walked out of personal cultivation. In my daily life, it's always, 'I want to do something.' Subconsciously, I habitually thought that the more difficult a project is and the more work I do, the more mighty virtue I'll be able to establish. Everything I was doing was to reach consummation.”
Practitioner B said: “Isn't it true that everything we do, we do so to establish the mighty virtue and to reach consummation?”
Practitioner A said: “Then isn't everything done for our personal goals and with pursuit? For example, through clarifying the truth, I want to eliminate the attachment of fear so I can save more sentient beings to establish mighty virtue; If I do not go out to clarify the truth, I will not be a Dafa disciple... This way, we are adding selfishness into our doing the sacred three things.”
Practitioner C said: “It sounds almost the same as what the old forces do. '...they took part in Fa-rectification, when in reality they were using Fa-rectification to reach their selfish goals.' (“The Effect of Righteous Thoughts” in Essentials for Further Advancement II)”
Practitioner D, who had been silent, said: “This selfish way of thinking is hindering Master's Fa-rectification. We have to change this way of thinking.”
Practitioner A said: “That is right! We are the newer lives in the Fa-rectification. The basis of the new universe is altruistic. Master asked us to cultivate into selfless and altruistic enlightened beings. We do everything for others and without any intention for ourselves.”
Everybody agreed after the sharing that only when we do the three things completely for others, are we walking the path Master arranged for us and are we truly walking into Fa-rectification cultivation.
2. Changing Our Way of Thinking and Completely Negating All Arrangements by the Old Forces
Practitioner B said: “I am a single mother with a son. In the past, my son behaved very well. However, now, he often contradicts me. At first, I felt that my son did this to give me an opportunity to improve my xinxing. So I have been tolerant with him. Now, he has started to hit me. I am very confused. Why did my tolerance make him worse?”
Through this sharing, I understood that in the past, I was thinking about things from the perspective of personal cultivation. It was selfish, and the old forces took advantage of my loophole.
Practitioner A said: “Master has not arranged any personal cultivation tests for us after July 20, 1999 [when the persecution began]. However, the old forces have been using excuses to test Dafa disciples and have arranged many huge tribulations in our cultivation process. When we thought our family was here to improve our xinxing, we were already on the path arranged by the old forces. They would then increase the level of tribulations. This is the tribulation caused by ourselves. We not only hurt ourselves, but also harmed sentient beings.”
An elderly fellow practitioner said: “Recently I have been having hearing issues. In the beginning, I thought it was because I had loopholes and looked for many attachments. I kept sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference. However, I did not see any effect despite doing all this. Later, I felt helpless. After hearing this sharing, I realize that my thought was not right. I seemed to have acknowledged the persecution.”
Practitioner A said: “That is right. If we think we have loopholes, and if we have attachments, we will meet with tribulations; the old forces will use that as an excuse to increase the level of tribulations. The old forces want to give us fatal tests. They are not doing this for our benefits. The change in our way of thinking is directly related to whether the sentient beings can be fully saved. Only when we base things on Fa-rectification and change our way of thinking from selfish to altruistic, will we be able to truly save sentient beings. Sentient beings came here for obtaining the Fa, they did not come here to give us improvement opportunities. If we don't change our way of thinking, we will unintentionally destroy our families, increase the persecution of our families by the old forces, and distance our families from Dafa further and further.”
Through experience sharing, we realized that only when we follow Master's Fa, will we be able to completely negate the old forces' arrangements, walk the path Master arranged for us, and walk out of the notion of “persecuted enlightened beings” to truly become the Dafa disciples assisting Master in Fa-rectification.
3. Changing Our Way of Thinking and Walking out of Human Notions
Practitioner A said: “I realized that we need to clearly distinguish between the true self and false self. If there is conflict between two practitioners, we should not view the manifestation of the competitiveness as fellow practitioners themselves because it was not practitioners' true selves that controlled the brain; it was the manifestation of human notions. We should use the stricter and higher standard to search within and search with the basis of actively assimilating to Dafa, validating Dafa, assisting Master in Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings, and search for the true self and the false self. When the true self of assimilating with the Fa controls the brain, everything we do conforms to the Fa's standards. When the false self controls the brain, we will have different attachments.”
Practitioner C said: “I realize that I treated my attachment as myself. Now that we recognize that it was our notion, we should grab it and send forth a thought: 'You are not me, leave me if you can. If you can't leave, please do not interfere with me. If you come again, the Fa-rectification will not tolerate you.' This way, we not only rectify the notions, but also save the beings on that level.”
Through our experience sharing, we realized that we have to change our way of thinking from that of personal cultivation to Fa-rectification cultivation, based on assisting Master in Fa-rectification, being compassionate, and thinking about saving sentient beings. We should eliminate the evil factors hindering the salvation of sentient beings and truly melt into the Fa to become newer lives in the Fa. If we do not change our basis or if we continue to lower our standard, it will bring us more trouble.
Master said,
“As I have always said, as Dafa disciples your historic missions are simply huge, with you shouldering the responsibility of saving sentient beings. So for sure there is a path that you will be able to walk through to completion. It is a path that has to meet the requirements, and only that way will the sentient beings of the cosmos admire you and not be able to interfere; will your path be free of problems; and will your journey go smoothly.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)
Only when we walk the path Master arranged for us and do the three things based on selflessness and altruism to conform to the new universe's standards and requirements, will the beings in the old universe look up to us and will we be able to save all sentient beings.
This is the sharing from our Fa-study group. Please point out anything inappropriate.