(Minghui.org) As the Fa-rectification reaches its final stage, the old forces and other evil factors are taking every opportunity to cause interference by taking advantage of practitioners' human notions. Many of us know very well that this is simply interference. However, why can’t we be more determined in denying and rejecting it?
If we are not serious about cultivation, these interferences will become more and more ferocious. Furthermore, they can be transformed into other forms of interferences, which will confuse us even more. Some practitioners have already been dragged down by them.
The interferences imposed by the old forces come in different forms. Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period should be able to recognize them rationally. However, some practitioners, especially some who suffer from sickness karma, still lack a clear understanding in this regard. Recently, many practitioners in our area passed away due to sickness karma, and others are still suffering from such interference. Thus, I would like to share my understanding here.
Studying the Fa More and Stepping Out of the “Gray Zone”
Practitioner A was a veteran practitioner who started practicing Falun Gong prior to July 20, 1999. During the recent years, she suffered from sickness karma; symptoms came and went. When her condition got worse, she went to see a doctor in a local hospital.
She studied the Fa and practiced the exercises daily. She established a Fa study group at her home, sent forth righteous thoughts four times a day, and diligently clarified the truthabout Falun Gong to save sentient beings. While running a business, she also clarified the truth to people who came to her store.
However, she recently passed away. Prior to her death, her physical condition had deteriorated. She said, “I have loopholes in my cultivation and the old forces are taking advantage of them.” Other practitioners repeatedly sent forth righteous thought for her; however, it had not been very effective.
This state lasted for several years. When we discussed it with her, sometimes she said it was interference from the old forces and she needed to completely reject and disintegrate it. But at other times she said, “I have too much karma. Teacher is eliminating my karma.”
Thus, it was unclear to her whether her state was caused by interference from the old forces or whether Teacher was eliminating karma for her. Later, she stopped sending forth righteous thoughts. She just passively thought that perhaps Teacher was eliminating karma for her, and at times she also passively recognized the situation as the arrangement of the old forces. Her death had a big impact on other practitioners.
Practitioner B was also a veteran practitioner who started practicing Falun Gong prior to July 20, 1999. She had been very diligent in studying the Fa, sending forth righteous thoughts, and clarifying the truth to save sentient beings. Because of her efforts, all of her neighbors withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. However, this practitioner also recently passed away.
When she initially suffered from sickness karma, other practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts for her, but it was not very effective. Her family, who doesn’t practice Falun Dafa, sent her to the hospital. Fellow practitioners then went to the hospital and sent forth righteous thoughts for her there, in order to disintegrate the interference from the evil forces.
However, practitioner B had a strange thought that she was suffering the karma on behalf of her grandson who was handicapped. In fact, this thought was very dangerous, and the old forces took advantage of this loophole. The practitioner passed away, and fellow practitioners were affected to various extent.
Many such examples occurred in our area. More and more practitioners suffered from sickness karma, especially among the elderly practitioners.
When one had sickness karma, other practitioners often gathered to send forth righteous thoughts for him or her. I am not saying that it is wrong to send forth righteous thoughts for other practitioners. But, in my understanding, if we continue doing this, the old forces will interfere endlessly with various sickness karma and we will be walking the path arranged by them.
We all knew that we needed to examine ourselves and look inward, and that these situations were caused by the interference from the old forces. However, when it was not effective, we immediately changed our mindset and questioned whether the sickness karma was arranged by Teacher. It was a serious matter, as it tested how firmly we believed in Teacher and the Fa. The old forces are only able to interfere with us when our righteous thoughts are not stable.
Teacher said in Zhuan Falun:
“There is a transition at the lowest level of cultivation practice, and this is to purify your body completely. All of the bad things on your mind, the karmic field surrounding your body, and the elements that make your body unhealthy will be cleaned out. If they are not cleaned out, how can you, with such an impure, dark body and a filthy mind, practice cultivation toward a higher level? We do not practice qi here. You do not need to practice such low-level things, and we will push you beyond it, making your body reach a state free of any illness. In the meantime, we will install in your body a system of ready-made mechanisms necessary for laying a foundation at the low level. This way, you will practice cultivation at a very high level.”
If we change our mindset fundamentally, the old forces and various evil factors would have no excuse to interfere with us. We are disciples in the Fa-rectification period. The period of individual cultivation has passed, and Teacher positioned those practitioners who started practicing Falun Gong prior to July 20, 1999, to their proper levels. Thus, these practitioners no longer belong to the Three Realms.
Similar experience-sharing articles have been published on the Minghui website previously. For example, when a certain area had natural disasters, such as heavy rain or hail, the farm crops were severely affected, causing farmers much financial loss. However, the crops of practitioners were unaffected. When a tornado occurred, the houses in the area were wiped out, but the homes of practitioners were safe. Why was that? It was because Dafa practitioners are fundamentally different from ordinary people.
The lives of the old universe are selfish. Dafa practitioners are selfless and consider others first. These are two different types of beings. No matter how the old forces and other factors interfere, they can only affect beings in their category; they target the old selfish beings. Dafa disciples are selfless; they are defenders of the new universe. However, the condition is that practitioners must be assimilated to Dafa.
Teacher repeatedly emphasized the importance of studying the Fa. As long as we study the Fa wholeheartedly, guide our every thought and deed with the Fa, and rectify ourselves constantly according to the Fa, the old forces would not dare to interfere with us. Otherwise, if we have loopholes, the old forces will take advantage of them, thinking that we are the same as them.
If Dafa practitioners don’t change fundamentally, our thoughts will be those of ordinary people, and we will walk the path arranged by the old forces. Using all kinds of excuses, the evil will then interfere with us when we do the three things and save sentient beings.
Saving Sentient Beings with a Clear Understanding of the Fa
Teacher said in Zhuan Falun:
“There is a criterion, however, that the life prolonged beyond your predestined time to live is completely reserved for your practice. If your mind goes wrong a little bit, your life will be in danger because your lifetime should have long been over. You will have such a restriction until you reach Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation. After that, one will be in another state.”
Some elderly practitioners in our area think that their life has been extended by Teacher, so they need to study the Fa and practice the exercises to speed up the transformation of their benti in order to return home with Teacher. Although, they've also done things to save sentient beings, they didn’t do so proactively. This selfish state is exactly the excuse that the old forces can use in order to persecute them.
We are cultivating the Fa of the universe. Our goal is to become selfless enlightened beings. We are beings who came to save other lives. In my understanding, not only do practitioners need to be assimilated to the Fa, but all remaining beings will also need to survive within the Fa. Without Dafa, nothing will exist. The universe is undergoing reformation; otherwise, all sentient beings would be disintegrated along with the old universe.
All sentient beings came for the Fa, and their lives were extended by Teacher. However, their extended life is not for living a good life. Rather, it is an opportunity for them to position themselves during this period, when the old universe is being replaced by a new one. Thus, they are currently in a dangerous position. We practitioners also need to treasure every moment. We need to save more sentient beings and fulfill our promises, because we came here for them.
We study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts in order to save sentient beings. At the beginning of my cultivation, I thought it was very difficult for a person to change from being selfish to being selfless. Now, I think these two states are just a step away from each other. If you can take this step, you will become selfless; otherwise, you are being selfish.
We have been practicing for many years. It is time to ask ourselves, “When conflicts arise, do we think of ourselves first or of others? Are we selfish or selfless?” If we are sure that the answer is the latter, then we are true disciples of the Fa-rectification period.
It is the prehistoric promise that we, Dafa practitioners, made to come here to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. The above is my understanding at my current level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
