Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference (Questions and Answers)
(Li Hongzhi ~ May 19, 2013)
Disciple: What should Dafa disciples do in daily life about the foods in today’s world that have been contaminated through industrial processes? (Everyone laughs) (Master chuckles)
Master: That really is an issue these days. Mankind’s science is quite shallow. On the surface it seems that genetic modification can reduce the damage to crops by pests, and it may even seem to increase crop yields. But this world was in fact created by divine beings, and man’s foods were made by them. There is meant to be a normal circulation among things in the natural world and the human body, in which each makes use of the other. And during the course of circulation, things can rise to higher levels. The entire universe is a circulatory system. If things here become warped and impure, it affects not just human society but also societies at higher levels. And moreover, warped things can cause the human body to deform.
I told you before that mankind has in fact lived through two earths’ time. When mankind reached the last period of the previous earth, the people looked grotesque. Some had large heads, some short legs, some had one arm longer than the other, and some had crooked facial features. They turned ugly from poisoning and became deformed. This was caused by genetic modification and industrial pollution.
Dafa disciples are cultivators. Modern man’s surface body is inherently contaminated. And furthermore, there is a lot of karma at the surface. In the cultivation process you are to remove these bad things and purify your mind and body. Whatever is deficient or damaged can even be compensated for. When you return to your position, you must meet the standard for a divine body. So there shouldn’t be a problem. As long as you cultivate, this isn’t an issue. Adults’ bodies won’t become deformed right away, but [these foods] can cause hair loss. The impact is minor. The impact on future generations is huge, though. But as long as someone is a cultivator, whether a child or an adult, the problem is actually in the process of being resolved; your body, whether contaminated or not, is being transformed.
Disciple: We are Taiwanese disciples who obtained the Fa a number of years ago. Together with my husband as a fellow practitioner, I have believed in Master and the Fa and have tried to do the three things well. I know that Dafa is not for curing diseases, and know that a cultivator’s cells are transformed by high-energy matter. However, I’m still suffering from gout. It started before I obtained the Fa. Recently my joints have hurt quite a bit. (People laugh)
Master: (Chuckles) Cultivators know that as long as you are diligent, changes are occurring in your body, and Master will adjust things for you. It is not done by this human body of Master’s here. It is done by Master’s law bodies. If the problem hasn’t been healed since taking up cultivation, you really should try to find xinxing problems on your part, see if you have some sort of attachment, and figure out in which ways you need to cultivate better. This really is a matter of your personal cultivation. (Applause)
Disciple: Greetings from Dafa disciples in the Mt. Pingding area of Henan province.
Master: (Chuckles) Let’s stop sending up greetings. Master knows how you feel.
Disciple: We are Dafa disciples who are senior citizens, and we arrived in the U.S. not too long ago. We have wished so much to see you and hear you teach the Fa, but for many reasons we hadn’t been able to fulfill our wish. So we asked a practitioner who is attending the Fa conference to pass on our greetings. Changsha city Dafa disciples.
Master: There is no need to send these up. Master knows. (Master smiles)
Disciple: Master, please have a seat as you teach the Fa. You’ve been standing for an hour…
Master: It’s all right.
Disciple: In Taipei we haven’t been able to book the most prestigious venue, the National Theatre, for the Shen Yun performances. Is this because we disciples haven’t tried hard enough?
Master: There are some good theaters in Taiwan that aren’t in Taipei. But it seems that none of the theaters in Taipei are very good. Even the National Theatre can seat only nine hundred some people, so it doesn’t really matter whether we rent it or not. So I didn’t ask people to insist on renting it.
Disciple: The way that the Taiwan edition of The Epoch Times exposes the evil Party doesn’t seem to be well-liked. Right now it’s not widely accepted by people in Taiwan. Would you please tell me what I should do?
Master: You can give them some suggestions. That’s probably all you can do. (Master chuckles)
Disciple: How many sentient beings have we saved exactly? What’s the percentage?
Master: How many people have quit the Party? Almost all the people whom you’ve clarified the facts to are among the figure who have quit the Party. But there’s no guarantee that each person who has quit the Party will never be involved in persecuting Dafa disciples. Some people have truly quit from their hearts, though. But whatever the case, when someone expresses the intent [to quit], divine beings will help take care of the related matters. One hundred and thirty million Chinese people have quit the Party now, but the wicked CCP doesn’t have that many members. The count includes people who have quit the Party, the [Communist Youth] League, and the Young Pioneers, as well as retirees.
Disciple: Before, in China, I didn’t do well at clarifying the facts or in personal cultivation. In these years while living outside of China, I often think about the people who I missed the chance to clarify the truth to, but should have. I hope that I can make up for my regrets by going back and clarifying the truth to them. But in my mind there is always the word “fear.”
Master: In cultivation, if a person can be steady, confident, and aboveboard, there is sure to be little interference. Don’t think that, “Well, if Master says so, I will go ahead.” What if you get arrested after going back? Just speaking about things in terms of cultivation, you should truly have no fear in your mind, be confident and aboveboard, do what you should do, continue on the path to divinity in a noble and dignified manner, and not be afraid. The policemen, too, are beings who await salvation. “If they come, then I’ll give them the truth”—there really are some Dafa disciples who have acted that way. They have won admiration from the police, who even told them upon leaving, “Stay safe!” Just extraordinary. (Applause) But now that you’re outside of China, just do well what you should do and it’s the same.
Disciple: Hello, Master. I understand that the Fa principle of “cooperate unconditionally” means that we should do whatever the coordinator says. My question is, if at the crucial moment for a project the coordinator doesn’t say what to do, how are we to cooperate? (Audience laughs)
Master: Sometimes the coordinator will first listen to others’ ideas before deciding which one is good to adopt. That happens. But, there are some people in charge who never have any opinions on things. They never have any ideas, and never put their heart into it. Then that really doesn’t cut it. Master has entrusted so many Dafa disciples to you, and expects you to lead them well. So it is something you must do, and it is your responsibility. If you don’t do it well, it’s directly related to your cultivation.
Disciple: Does the Fa-principle of “cooperate unconditionally” also include that at the crucial moment for a project, the coordinator should have the courage to decide the direction of that project?
Master: Of course that’s the case, as otherwise how could any of your good ideas be put to use?
When we first began Shen Yun, there were no small number of Dafa disciples involved in the arts. One would tell me, “Master, we should do it this way,” while another person would then claim the same thing about his own idea. One person would say this is how something is, while another person would tell me something different. They all sounded reasonable, and they even provided many examples. Almost daily I had people airing their ideas to me. What I was thinking was, “I’m the one who is doing this, so no one and no words can interfere, and I know very well how I should do it. If this were the coordinator of any regular project, he really wouldn’t be able to hold up.” Wow, some were really emphatic, and indeed hard to ward off. But if as a coordinator you aren’t set on your direction, you really won’t be able to get anything done.
Disciple: At present some countries still haven’t followed Shen Yun’s requirements in managing finances. Would Master please talk about this again?
Master: A Shen Yun meeting is going to be held, and these are things that should be handled well. Dafa disciples are supposed to take these kinds of [monetary] things lightly, as cultivation is the first priority. But if these kinds of problems happen, then it’s hard to cultivate. The old forces will definitely make you pay for it, and it will be a test you cannot pass. Be sure not to make this mistake.
If the conditions aren’t adequate, if certain students just get carried away, or if other projects are meeting with difficulty and you misappropriate funds [for Shen Yun], then that is a terrible problem. The reason is, as you Dafa disciples validate the Fa, or work on a project, you are in the process of Consummating yourselves and walking the path of cultivation, and so you have to resolve on your own whatever challenges you meet with for it to count as passing tests, right? When you pass it, that’s mighty virtue. If you use other people’s money, or embezzle others’ money or the funds for Shen Yun, then it’s different: no matter what you do for the project, there will be no mighty virtue. And the old forces will capitalize on your problem: “Are you helping your master rectify the Fa, or is it that your master is helping you?” Moreover, embezzling funds without other people knowing, or treating the money as one’s own, is really a major taboo in cultivation, an extremely serious problem. So, sometimes I’m thinking: be sure not to make any of these kinds of mistakes. Master isn’t going to overemphasize these things, and it’s not that important to me personally. But I’m truly worried that whoever makes such mistakes will have spent all those years cultivating in vain. The old forces don’t care whether you’re a veteran student, new student, or coordinator—they might just destroy you all the same.
Of course, you’ve all in fact done really well, and everyone is thrilled upon seeing the success of Shen Yun, which is powerful in saving people. Your minds are all on supporting Shen Yun. I know that you’re all thinking this way.
Disciple: Dafa disciples from Xi’an send greetings to Master.
Master: Thank you all. You don’t need to send up more greetings.
Disciple: I’m a reporter for the Taiwan edition of The Epoch Times. This year we came across many people from all walks of life from mainland China who had come to Taiwan specifically to see Shen Yun perform. Not only were they moved, but also, they wished to give their regards to compassionate and magnificent Teacher Li Hongzhi, and convey their greatest admiration. They sincerely hope that Master will be able to return to China, and that Shen Yun Performing Arts may soon return to the home of the divinely imparted culture.
Master: I thank them. I do want to have Shen Yun perform in mainland China. (Applause) Let’s see if there’s enough time left. If we’re to go to the mainland, then three or even four companies won’t be enough. Someone in the company was reckoning the other day, that if we had the three companies performing in China, it would take sixty years just for the Dafa disciples to see the show (all laugh), for all of them to see it. (Applause) So, that audience would be enormous. Of course, since we want to save sentient beings, we need to have more ordinary people go see it.
Disciple: On behalf of Beijing and Tianjin Dafa disciples in China, I send regards to Master and bow to him.
Master: Thank you all. There’s no need to keep sending up greetings.
Disciple: (Master: I won’t read you the greetings to me at the beginning.) I’m a Changchun Dafa disciple. We’re not fazed by the bitter cold or extreme heat, nor winds or rains. We persist in sending righteous thoughts. As long as the persecution hasn’t stopped, our righteous thoughts won’t stop and we will do the three things well. Master, please rest assured.
Master: Thank you all. (Applause) The disciples in my hometown have done really well. (Applause)
Disciple: (Master: Hmmm, what to do here? Still more greetings. Should I read them?) Dafa disciples from Yongling township of Xinbin county in Fushung city, Liaoning province, send greetings to compassionate, magnificent Master.
Master: Thank you all.
Disciple: How should we better clarify the truth about the persecution to the Western media and human rights organizations?
Master: Clarifying the truth, that’s something you can do anywhere or to anyone. Don’t specifically target some government, organization, etc. Don’t have that thinking. Often it’s precisely on account of such thinking that your path gets blocked. As you know, we are saving people. And what is it we save when saving people? Their minds. So, just direct it at the mind, direct it at the individual. Don’t direct it at an organization or entity. If you really want to target some organization and clarify the truth to them, you can go and do that. But, for you to achieve real results as you go about saving people, you should be open to clarifying the truth to anyone. You can clarify the truth to people of any social status. All sentient beings are waiting.
Disciple: I’m not sure how to expose and yet compassionately deal with the people who have long passed themselves off as practitioners while being with Dafa disciples and deliberately stirring up trouble among us.
Master: Indeed, some people think that Dafa is good and don’t want to leave it, but they don’t cultivate and so they have been in effect stirring up trouble. They don’t realize it. And some students who have strong human thinking even like listening to what they say. They’ll attract a pack of people and speak before them, with all of what they say being human understandings, and not being on the Fa. It really is stirring up trouble. To these people who aren’t diligent, but feel that Dafa is good and something they can’t live without: I hope you don’t pass up this opportunity of countless ages; I hope that you can really, solidly cultivate some, and gain from it; and only then will you not have wasted the time you spent among Dafa disciples.
Disciple: If a Dafa disciple hasn’t cultivated himself well, is it that no matter how much he does, he won’t achieve the goal of saving sentient beings?
Master: No, that’s not the case. This reminds me of a principle, actually. Some people—and in particular, many people in mainland China—would say, “Since you haven’t done well, you don’t have any business finding fault with me.” Those words may sound correct to you. “Right, once you’ve done well you can criticize me.” That’s not in fact right. Nobody is perfect. Maybe the person is lacking in one regard, but maybe in other regards he’s a bit better. Whoever the person may be, as long as what he says is correct, you should listen to him. It doesn’t matter whether you think he’s a good or bad person. Only this way is right. So, no matter whether you feel you’ve done well or not in cultivation, you should still go and do things to clarify the truth. (Applause)
Disciple: All Dafa disciples in Tangshan city of Hebei province send greetings to Master. Since July 20 of 1999, this has always been one of the most severely persecuted areas in the whole country. And last year there were two episodes of large-scale persecution that brought about massive losses for sentient beings. Could Master please shed light on this.
Master: If I’m to talk about it, there are just too many of these sorts of things. Things are actually like this throughout mainland China. As Master just said, though, if our Dafa disciples have stronger righteous thoughts, are able to act as a cultivator would in the persecution, and have fewer human attachments, then there will be less persecution.
The more the human attachments, the more the trouble. Some people still don’t learn their lessons. Soon after they get out of the labor camp, all sorts of human thoughts start coming again, including the attachment of showing off. Then that will bring trouble, won’t it? Not only will that person suffer for it, but it will also affect the whole environment. That’s why if every Dafa disciple could manage to do well, I will tell you, the persecution would not persist, and would have ended long ago. (Applause)
Disciple: In some areas, the person in charge of the Dafa Association is in charge of many things at the same time, such as The Epoch Times, NTDTV, the Dafa Association, and truth-clarification project groups. We have to consult him on everything.
Master: Indeed, that’s the way some areas are. If it is really due to lack of manpower, then there is nothing to criticize. With some areas, it is really problematic, though. Even I’m thinking: if someone could take my place, I wouldn’t work on Shen Yun. In validating the Fa, you must let each Dafa disciple walk his own path and give them [chances for] mighty virtue. If you hoard too many things for yourself, you might not do them well, in fact. Looking at it from another angle, is it attachments that caused you to do things this way? Then that’s actually a problem in cultivation that you haven’t overcome. In my case, I’m willing to let go of things. I can let anything go. These things are meant to temper people anyway, so why not let things go? You’re all cultivators, and with the Fa here, what’s there to fear? I’m willing to hand over anything to others, so why can’t you? My purpose is to temper people, so why don’t you let other people do it? (Applause)
Disciple: The Dafa disciples of Heilongjiang province miss Master. We will overcome any hardship and do the three things well. Under Master’s personal guidance, Shen Yun has become the best show in the world. Our understanding is that, right now, we need to handle it with our highest standards.
Master: Oh, you’re talking about the Shen Yun DVDs. Dafa disciples in the mainland want to make elegant packaging for them. Do it in keeping with your abilities and means. Since a lot of practitioners are still experiencing many difficulties, if everyone were to do it that way, it would impact your normal daily lives. Some practitioners would forego food and drink in order to help out financially. Let’s not create difficulties for our practitioners. As you may know, Shen Yun and the Mountain have never accepted donations from regular practitioners. But, there are always some who do donate, and we always have to return it. We only accept donations from those who are businesspeople or quite wealthy. We don’t accept them from others who hold regular jobs.
Disciple: Under the circumstances in China, how can we tell the difference between being rational and having fear?
Master: In the setting of mainland China, if you can truly be free of any fear, I would say that is really remarkable. That atmosphere of terror was in fact concocted by the old forces, and it has been made based on Dafa disciples’ present circumstances. Supposing you are without fear, they will think that [setting] isn’t able to test people enough. If you have no fear, they would have done everything in vain, wouldn’t they? They just want to make you scared, and see whether, in this vile climate, you dare to work on saving people. That’s what they’ve done.
Some students’ righteous thoughts are stronger, so they have less fear and they conduct themselves in a more confident, upright, and dignified way. Some people are more fearful, so they don’t do so well. There is a very small number of people who are completely without fear. In areas where things are not so intense, there are more such people. But in places where there is a lot of evil and pressure, there are very few of them. It’s not that if you have fear you are no good. It’s about overcoming your fears and trying to do the three things well with stronger righteous thoughts, and that is outstanding. (Applause) To put it in perspective, no matter how afraid you may be, if when faced with the responsibility of saving sentient beings you feel compelled to take action, to go save people, then that is remarkable.
Disciple: There are a lot of people right now who haven’t been saved yet. Could I trouble Master to speak more about the importance of making the best use of time to clarify the truth and promote the “three withdrawals”?
Master: I don’t think too much needs to be said about the importance of this, does it? It is your responsibility to save people, and something that every Dafa disciple must do. You may say, “I’ve cultivated pretty well. I read the book every day, and I do the exercises for a long time.” But I would say that is not the cultivation of a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple; you haven’t cultivated. And how is that so? Because Dafa disciples are not the monks of the past, who only sought personal Consummation. Dafa disciples have a mission, and that is why you are called “Dafa disciples.” Your goal is not your personal Consummation. It is to lead a large group of lives to Consummation. So you must go and do that. (Applause)
Disciple: The states of mind of fellow cultivators who’ve been through the evil persecution, and those who’ve lived outside China for some time, are different.
Master: Indeed. I’ve noticed, with people who come out of the mainland over to America, that when they walk down the street and see the Western police officers, they still seem to be afraid. And when they say the words, “Falun Gong,” they’re worried about what others will think. There’s still a lot of fear inside them. Because they’ve been in those circumstances [in China] for a long time, they’ve interacted with one another in abnormal ways, and because the behavior and thinking of the people there come from the culture of the evil Party, there’s a difference in how these people act.
The Dafa disciples living outside of China now forget, having lived here for a long time, what’s different about people in China. And especially in these years, the difference is even bigger. So they wonder, “How come the people who come from the mainland are so strange?” In particular, when you are afraid inside, the students outside of China feel that you’re beating around the bush when you talk. It makes them wonder if the person is a spy. They really feel that way. I often tell them how in the mainland, after a long time of persecution and a long time in the environment of the Party’s culture, people become like that, and they don’t dare to share their thoughts with anyone. That’s not normal. It’s because in that Chinese society people’s faults or mistakes will be seized upon, you will be labeled, and be attacked. Outside of China there is nothing like that, and nor has there ever been in the history of mankind. Only in the evil CCP’s society is it like that. Outside of China, when two people who don’t even know each other are together, they’ll tell the other anything and everything about their families, all very openly and naturally.
Sometimes mainlanders think that people abroad are so naive, even telling people all about their family matters. But that is normal human behavior, isn’t it? [This kind of thing] is because the people of China have gotten messed up by that wicked Party’s culture, by that society; and it results from their having gone through the political movements there. They constantly conceal their thoughts, and are afraid of everything. That sinister CCP is really just too evil! (Applause)
Disciple: Disciples in the UK have persisted at peacefully protesting in front of the Chinese consulate for over a decade. Currently, disciples have divided opinions about it.
Master: What I think is, whatever the case may be, each and every thing that Dafa disciples do to validate the Fa, Master affirms. And that includes sitting quietly outside the consulate, helping the world’s people become aware and understand, and making passersby see that these people are being persecuted. It is exposing the evil. I think it’s a great thing you’ve done, and it should be done. (Applause) I have affirmed this approach all along. And people will notice that no other country is having this happen in front of its consulate. It only happens to the wicked CCP’s rogue regime. I have always affirmed this approach.
Disciple: In the mainland, when a fellow cultivator’s body is unwell, in most cases it’s because the old forces are persecuting the person, and we would all work against it with righteous thoughts and look within. After coming out of China, when a fellow cultivator’s body is unwell, they attribute it to karma elimination. I don’t have a good understanding of this from the Fa’s principles.
Master: In an evil environment, especially in China, there is a lot of evil in other dimensions and it persecutes you. Outside of China there are not that many evil factors, and the pressure is gone. Currently, whether it is karma elimination or interference from evil factors, that is all the work of the old forces. It’s all the same—they are just called different names. I am against all that the old forces do. I don’t accept any of it. And even less so should Dafa disciples be made to endure such suffering. (Applause)
Disciple: I obtained the Fa in 2010. Today is the first time I’ve been to a Fa conference, and now I’m having the privilege of seeing Master in person. Please allow me to represent my sister and her daughter in passing along regards to Master.
Master: Thank you, thank you. Master knows.
Disciple: Master, I’d like to ask why some mainland Dafa disciples who had been severely persecuted and who came to the U.S. had their applications for political asylum rejected.
Master: There are two reasons. The first is that perhaps there are still some things in China that you should do but haven’t done yet. Perhaps there are people that you are to save but haven’t yet? I’m just speaking in terms of the Fa’s principles. I’m not saying this is your situation necessarily. Another reason is, as you know, the U.S. immigration officers are very direct when they ask questions. But when we Chinese people speak, we are not upfront. In the mainland, once the general idea is conveyed, people all get it—“Oh, that’s what it’s about.” But people in Western society don’t think that way. So, things often don’t go very smoothly, and sometimes it upsets the immigration officers, “Why don’t you give me a straight answer?” They think that you are hemming and hawing because you’re lying. But you aren’t. It stems from your manner of expressing things, or your way of thinking, your understanding, or your concepts. There are indeed differences. Try to answer directly. Of course, there’s another reason that is crucial: the person’s cultivation state.
Disciple: If the media company recruits ordinary people for some tasks, will the good ideas that come from our Dafa disciples’ sharing of resources leak to ordinary people’s society?
Master: If your own advertising abilities are poor and you hire some ordinary people to work on advertising, or marketing, then it might not be a big issue. But, with other things, if the [non-practitioner] person were in the same office, then it might be a big problem. It’s quite possible many people would assume that he’s a Dafa disciple, and not be careful with what they say. There would of course be a difference in how things are understood. And if there were issues with the person’s background, then it would bring bigger trouble. The evil Party considers any information about Falun Gong to be “intelligence.” So, these things are tricky. If you hire people from ordinary society, don’t have them be together with you. Put them in a separate place. That way the Dafa disciples will know that those are non-practitioners and these are Dafa disciples. Otherwise they’ll get jumbled together.
Disciple: I’m a Dafa disciple from northeastern China. Many Dafa disciples are still being persecuted in China’s jails and labor camps. What should we do to more effectively rescue our fellow cultivators?
Master: Each person has his own cultivation path. As Dafa disciples, it’s only fitting that you think about helping your fellow cultivators suffer less persecution. But as for how to do it specifically, in cultivation, the person’s cultivation state comes into play. If his cultivation state is good, it will be easy to help; if his state is off, it won’t be easy to help. I can only say that you should try your best within your means to do what you should do. Actually, Dafa disciples around the world are working on this. They are exposing the evil and restraining it.
Disciple: How should Dafa disciples make good use of society’s media?
Master: Make good use of ordinary people’s media? Let me put it this way: Dafa disciples’ affairs are ours to handle—we’ve got to do them ourselves. If you count on ordinary media to do them, that media company’s mighty virtue would be too great. As you know, some newspapers have a huge influence. If some paper exposed the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong, and covered the whole thing from A to Z, with great clarity, you would think this was definitely a good thing. A lot of people would think it was just great. But the old forces absolutely would not go for it, as it would destroy the environment they arranged. They would absolutely object to something that damages the supposed “environment” that they believe tests Dafa disciples. That’s why ordinary people’s media have not reported on it all these years. I knew about these things long ago, so I never asked you to work on that. As long as you go and do that, the story will come out negative.
Of course, some reporters have watched Shen Yun or learned the truth while interacting with Dafa disciples, in which case they’re different. So sometimes there will be an occasional report on certain things, and that’s of course great, excellent. It can only be said that that person is outstanding, and has chosen a future for himself. That’s the only way to put it. But if you want such things to happen on a larger scale, or for people to report our story at great length, that hasn’t happened yet these years. It’s not that you aren’t able to make it happen, nor is it because Master hasn’t let you. It is that the old forces are restraining ordinary society.
Disciple: There has been some evil interference in Hong Kong recently. Was this triggered by human attachments on the part of the majority of Hong Kong’s Dafa disciples? Or are there other reasons?
Master: When you run into problems don’t point fingers at one another. Everyone should think it over calmly. Hong Kong is the front line for the evil Party, and it’s just outside its jaws now. When you expose the evil there, it is so full of hatred that its teeth ache down to the root [from gnashing]. It would be abnormal if [the CCP] didn’t do those evil things. But Dafa disciples are amazing. All these years you have done an outstanding job, and have managed to expose the evil with great strength under those circumstances. Although it’s so full of hatred that its teeth ache, there’s nothing it can do. And with its latest bout of madness, it doesn’t even care about its supposed “one country, two systems” or image anymore. The world’s people have seen that the evil Party has lost its senses, and has gone mad again with its dirty tricks.
At this time you need to act calmly and rationally. This is a place arranged previously for Dafa disciples to clarify the truth. So could such madness last long? It won’t. And the old forces are doing it to target certain human attachments. If one person has a problem, it’s a personal cultivation issue. But if in cultivation many people have problems, problems will occur in the larger state of affairs. So, when you encounter things you must stay composed. Master has been observing this matter, and I am observing Dafa disciples’ states of mind and how each person deals with such things.
Disciple: Some people spread fake Fa-teachings all over the place. How should we handle such things when we run across them?
Master: As an individual: don’t listen to it, don’t look at it, and that’s the end of it. Why are people still being swayed by those things when they know they’re fake and know that the Minghui website has many times announced this and talked about the problem?
Let’s think about it: what is the reason why such things are happening among our students? Isn’t it because some people like to hear information through the grapevine? It is an attachment born of human thinking. So, targeting that human thinking, the old forces figure, “If we don’t make him take a nasty fall, he won’t change, and he won’t get rid of that mentality. We must make him fall over this.” And so they make those people go and spread hearsay. The people who spread hearsay are interested in the hearsay themselves, and that’s why they do it.
Haven’t some people taken a fall? They were down for years and couldn’t get up. In the end they realized it, and were pained with regret. Master doesn’t recognize such things, but it was because you allowed the evil to seize upon a principle that it dared to do that. If you could have let go of the attachment earlier, there wouldn’t have been such losses. This is particularly [important] when you cultivate among such a large group. When people cultivated in the past, in order to enable someone to succeed at cultivation, different approaches would be used to target and remove different human attachments. Then, when Dafa disciples have omissions, the evil targets their attachments and stirs up trouble. Sometimes the evil targets whatever you are afraid of and makes that happen, or it brings about whatever your mind is dwelling on.
Disciple: How can we help disciples who haven’t been diligent or who have fallen get back on track?
Master: Clarify the facts to him just as you do with someone who hasn’t learned the Fa. That’s because once he has fallen, he won’t even be able to recite Lunyu anymore, and he won’t be able to call to mind any passages from the Dafa books. If he really wants to come back, he must begin studying anew. He must start over again.
Disciple: Some disciples don’t pay much heed to the changes to the Chinese characters made in the books. How could such books be passed on to later generations?
Master: Master will handle things for later generations. But, Dafa disciples should do well with what they are supposed to do.
Disciple: There are a few students from China who are very hard working, but they are very attached to their own understandings.
Master: Indeed. So why is the persecution so severe in the mainland? One reason is that some people’s human mindsets are just so intense. I’ve said that when you work together as a group, nobody’s idea could possibly be completely perfect. Society is constantly changing, and so are states of affairs. And isn’t it true that people regard one thing as trendy today, but then tomorrow it’s something else. It’s a society in flux. So don’t be insistent that your own ideas are so good. As long as something is for the completion of the task, go and work hard together at it. If you feel that something is not ideal in some regard, and you do your best to make it better, then that is remarkable, that is what divine beings want to see, and that is what a cultivator should do. (Applause) It’s not about which idea or whose idea is perfect or amazing. You may have won the argument, but that is precisely what divine beings oppose, and Master doesn’t want to see that either. And besides, the old forces think that the less complete [an idea], the better. As that way, when you act on it and all kinds of flaws in it become apparent, if you are able to compensate for those things, then that is remarkable. The situation has given everyone an opportunity to cultivate together. That’s how they look at it.
Disciple: Some fellow cultivators work full-time for several media, and have no income to sustain their daily lives. Some media provide a living stipend; the money is donated by practitioners. Some cultivators have come to the understanding that accepting subsidies doesn’t comply with the Fa taught by Master about paying salaries, and so they have left the company and found an ordinary job. They now have chosen to work on other truth-clarification projects. I too face this question of receiving a subsidy. How should I understand it?
Master: Some of the media have provided subsidies with my approval. If you want to make a media company successful as quickly as possible, yet you have no salaries, how could that work? And if people don’t work full-time, is that feasible? So it’s okay to do that at first. For example, if NTDTV is to start over and do well, it’s fine to do this during this period of time, due to the circumstances. But it won’t go on for long. The new person in charge won’t let that go on too long.
Disciple: Because it’s been so long, some veteran students in China have not been diligent, and even quit cultivating. What should we do?
Master: With cultivation, don’t you know—the old forces precisely want to sift out those who aren’t diligent or up to standard. It was said before, cultivation is just like panning for gold, right? The sand is all sifted out and only gold is left. Isn’t there a phrase that goes, “Great waves sift the sand”? Amidst great winds and waves, what’s sifted out is sand and what remains is gold.
Actually, I think that all sentient beings should, during this period in history, make a critical decision about their existence. If someone doesn’t want to cultivate anymore, that’s entirely up to the person himself. In an upright cultivation way, no one is forced to cultivate. If the person’s heart isn’t in it, then his presence among cultivators is fake. So all along my approach has been that if you cultivate, I, as your master, will look after you; and if you don’t cultivate, you are free to leave. If the person’s heart isn’t in it, it’s not going to work.
Disciple: The wicked Party has begun to reduce the use of labor camps on Dafa disciples, but increase the use of jail sentences and heavy jail sentences. Has the evil begun to pick up again?
Master: It’s a case of old wine in a new bottle. The evil is out of tricks. It has shown people all of its evil tactics, and this has been done to test human attachments.
Disciple: A few years ago, Master said in his Fa teachings that Dafa disciples outside of China shouldn’t return there. Can overseas Dafa disciples go back to China now?
Master: If you are on the evil’s blacklist and you go back to China, they will definitely seek you out. If they let you return, it is for two purposes: one is to get supposed “intelligence” from you; the other is to make you into a spy. Otherwise they won’t let you go back. That’s why when many people return from a trip back to China, their fellow cultivators don’t trust them. They’re thinking, “It’s hard to say what you did while back in China.” People are going to think that way. Do you really want to invite such troubles?
Disciple: Recently an extremely evil labor camp was exposed. An ordinary person published a book exposing the evil of the camp as well. And there are ordinary people and ordinary media that want to interview mainland students who were persecuted in labor camps. Some Chinese students are willing to come forward and expose the evil. I’d like to ask Master, is it appropriate at this time?
Master: Of course it’s appropriate. Why wouldn’t we expose it? (Applause) Students outside of mainland China can put a lot of effort into it. Students inside should mind their safety. I have always refused to accept this persecution, and I don’t accept the stuff arranged by the old forces. Nor will I ever. (Applause)
Disciple: Minghui has continually published articles asking people to stop disrupting the Fa, but some students in China still haven’t gotten clear about it.
Master: Indeed. They are being controlled by the evil, and they even oppose Minghui. Do you know why I publish information on Minghui? It is to tell you that it is trustworthy, that it is a platform via which Dafa disciples can communicate. Speaking from another angle, Master is also keeping an eye on it, and it won’t have any major problems.
Disciple: Some fellow cultivators in the mainland do the exercises together in public. This has led to arrests. And they don’t actively clarify the truth.
Master: Not clarifying the truth, and not resolving those issues is not right. When conditions are right, the students in some areas aren’t bothered when they come out to practice. But some other areas shouldn’t blindly imitate them. When the situation is still quite evil, don’t do it, as it will bring about losses.
Disciple: Only about half a million Dafa disciples have published solemn declarations on Minghui. Is that because there are many who have done wrong things but still haven’t stepped forward? How can we help them better?
Master: Just do well at what Dafa disciples should do. Once a fellow cultivator from before has truly fallen, then approach him just as you would an ordinary person when clarifying the truth. Don’t treat him as if he were still a cultivator. If you think his understandings are the same as yours, then you’re wrong. As soon as someone falls, he is the exact same as an ordinary person. So you have to clarify the truth to him just as you would an ordinary person. I’ve said to you before that if a person stops cultivating, his memory will be wiped of all traces of Fa. So he won’t remember anything. If he intends to cultivate, then he has to cultivate anew and start again from scratch.
Disciple: In addition to the questions raised, the conference staff has received slips from students in many regions. We will give them to Master later on.
Master: The conference staff wrote this one for me. There was a large pile of greetings to Master that they combined. I’ll read them to you. The entire body of Dafa disciples from Taiyuan, Shanxi; Beijing; Zhuzhou, Hunan; Chengdu, Sichuan; Jinzhou; Jixi city of Heilongjiang; Nanyang; Fushan district; Baoding, Hebei; Shanxi; Yushan; Shenzhen; Liuzhou, Guangxi; Shijiazhuang; Panjin; Macau; Jinan; Tangshan, Hebei; Liaocheng, Shandong; Shenyang; Anhui; Shaanxi; Yunnan; Suzhou; Changchun; Heilongjiang; Lingyuan; Weifang; Mudanjiang; Chifeng, Inner Mongolia; Shandong; Yunnan; Pingjiang, Hunan; Pingshan, Hebei; Chengde; Wuhan, Hubei; Shanghai; Jinzhong, Shanxi; Yuci; Guangzhou; Hunan; Ministry of Aerospace, Beijing; Hongshan district, Wuhan; Huanggang city, Hubei; Wuxue city; Macheng city; Huangshi city; Xishui city; Xinjiang; Langfang, Hebei; Zhejiang; Panzhihua city; Leshan, Sichuan; universities and colleges in Beijing; Jiangsu; Liaoning; Fujian; Dalian; Tianjin; Henan; Datong; Deyang, Sichuan; Zhangjiakou, and Gansu send their regards to Master.
Master: Thank you all. (Applause) There’s more. The conference staff combined the greetings. The following is another portion. All Dafa disciples from Japan; Los Angeles, USA; Australia; Romania; Holland; Norway; Hawaii; Vancouver; Iran; Dubai; New Zealand; Vietnam; Korea; Italy; France; England; Spain; Malaysia; Sydney; Taiwan; San Francisco, California, USA, and New York send their regards to Master. (Applause)
That’s all I’ll say for now. There are over eight thousand in attendance today. If every one of you sent up a slip, I certainly wouldn’t be able to read them all. But all the same, the questions I just responded to were perhaps representative. I hope everyone got something out of it. Each time we have a Fa conference, Master will do it this way if time allows and try to answer more of your questions. But whatever the case, no matter how much I say, it still has to be you who cultivates. Master can only serve to provide guidance. Of course, in cultivation it still holds true that, “cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master.” That’s for certain. But when you encounter problems, when you encounter that whole array of different scenarios out there among ordinary people, it has to be you who manages them.
That’s all for today. I hope you walk the final leg of the journey well. There really isn’t much time left. It could end at any time, and the next phase could begin at any time. Thank you all. (All disciples stand. Long, enthusiastic applause.)