Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day (Questions & Answers)
Given at the 2014 New York Fa Conference
Li Hongzhi ~ May 13, 2014
Disciple: This year the New York Fa Conference is being held on May 13th, which is a weekday. We’ve come to the understanding that this is because we need Dafa disciples to clarify the truth to mainstream society on a larger scale during the period of the Fa Conference. But many practitioners don’t understand why it’s being done this way.
Master: It was decided by me. (Applause) Every time we’ve had a Fa conference, I have wanted to make use of it to save sentient beings. We want the world’s people to see that so many people are cultivating and that it’s not like what the evil Party has claimed. And during the period of Fa conferences, Dafa disciples go clarify the facts and save sentient beings. But Fa conferences have always been on the weekend, and so the cities are virtually empty. There hasn’t been anyone there to see your marches, so they haven’t drawn anyone’s attention. But that’s how it was always done. I told [the organizers] that, after all, most of the people who come to the Fa conference are from out of town, and they have to take off from work anyway, so it doesn’t need to be on a weekend. That’s why I said not to hold them on the weekend anymore. (Enthusiastic applause)
Disciple: Recently I’ve sensed that there is a rather widespread issue with people letting up in their cultivation. And many people regard the projects that they’re working on as more important than clarifying the truth more widely and working together.
Master: I actually noticed this problem a while ago. I’ve been observing. My reason for not saying anything was that the media must really do a very solid job and put their hearts into what they’re doing. But, you cannot forget that you’re cultivators.
On that note, I’ll say a few words about our media. Previously, several of our media coordinators asked me how to do a good job with the media, and how things should be handled differently from ordinary people. I said that it’s simple: just do things the way ordinary media companies do—the more similar, the better. Be the same as them, run your business operations well, and maintain healthy financials. Just be like an ordinary company. The one thing to remember is, know that you are Dafa disciples, and that’s it. So, that said, whatever the case, don’t slack off in your cultivation.
Disciple: In previous teachings, Master talked about Buddha Maitreya. You mentioned that the [Chinese] phonetic rendering as “mee-luh” was not accurate, and indicated that you would later tell us what the accurate rendering is.
Master: At present the wicked CCP is constantly spreading lies. I’m not afraid of those, nor am I concerned about them bad-mouthing me. Rather, I don’t want them to interfere with the salvation of sentient beings. So with certain things, let’s talk about them at a later time. (Applause)
Disciple: I’m a Dafa disciple who came to the U.S. from mainland China in 2012. I’ve heard that the Dafa Association issued a notice that those who came from China after 2005 are not allowed to help out with Shen Yun events backstage or with food service.
Master: Since this has come up, I’ll say a few words about the situation right now. This time we discovered, via people’s registration paperwork in different places, that there’s a big problem. Namely, nearly half of our practitioners outside of China have gone back to visit China, and some go back and forth constantly. Some who have only recently come from China, notably, go there often. There are veteran practitioners who have done that too, though only a few. And among those who have recently left China, who left after the start of the persecution, some of them go back frequently. Give it some thought. I know that in many cases after a person went back, the CCP sought him out for “a chat.” Everything you said, and however you handled it—countless gods saw it.
Do you realize something? With what I just said, I was alluding to something: you are treating cultivation too lightly, and you are toying with both your own existence and that of the countless sentient beings of yours who are waiting to obtain the Fa and be saved! You’re being so casual about cultivation. Do you think that the few words you said to the CCP to get them off your back, that the words you said in their presence, weren’t heard by anyone else and that it ended right there? It has been said that, “Gods are even just three feet overhead.” There are countless gods.
As you know, I was just talking about how massive the cosmos is and how many sentient beings there are. All of what I told you is absolutely true. Right now, in the space where this Fa conference is being held, in the air here, at a very dense, extremely microcosmic level, there are eyes on every single particle—eyes peering in from great distances, looking at the conference hall, listening to me speak, looking at your thoughts and listening to your words. Something so significant is happening here in human society, something that impacts the lives of the cosmos. Just think about how many gods are watching you intently! With every single thought or idea, before it is generated in your mind—and even as it is being formed—they already know what you want to express. Sometimes I really am wondering: how could some practitioners be so disappointing? Why are they still like this after obtaining the Fa?
If you are not responsible to yourself, it will bring others harm as well. The wicked Party has units that specifically probe into Falun Gong. Did you know that they have something as ridiculous as so-called Falun Gong “experts” and Shen Yun “experts,” who specifically study Falun Gong’s developments and this or that about Shen Yun. Everything is “intelligence” to them. What the Party does is abuse people on political grounds, so they want to find out even the trifling details of people’s daily lives. So, once they approach you, they appear to know everything already and to know you inside out. The goal is to scare you into divulging things and thinking that they know many things even without your telling them. The wicked Party has decades of experience abusing people for political reasons.
I won’t fault that notice or the policy that was issued. The problems I just described do exist among you. I described just a few of them, and only one aspect, at that. The power of Shen Yun in saving people is significant, so isn’t it necessary to not let anything related to it be compromised?
Disciple: Please allow us to pass on regards to Master on behalf of the Dafa disciples in Chengdu city of Sichuan province. Master has put forth such an incredible effort with everything.
Master: Thank you. (Applause)
Disciple: The Dafa disciples in Chengdu miss Master a great deal, and hope that the day when they can see Master will come soon.
Master: Thank you. Since time is limited, let’s not pass up slips with greetings.
Disciple: There are many older cultivators around me who on a daily basis do the three things well, including Fa-study and the exercises. But they are very stubborn. They have cultivated for over a decade, but their exercise movements aren’t accurate, and when they do the exercises or send righteous thoughts they often doze off. When it’s pointed out to them, they won’t listen or make a change.
Master: Many of the older Dafa disciples’ bodies have aged. Perhaps there are some problems there. But on the whole, many of them have done a good job with cultivation and doing the three things. All the same, let’s really try to pay more attention to these issues and not give others cause for worry. Let’s set a good example for our younger practitioners. (Master laughs) (Disciples applaud)
Disciple: A certain project coordinator is too attached to profit, and evaluates everything in terms of money. The person is not honest in business dealings, and often uses coercive approaches to manage people. This has made me question whether the project is on the right track. If I resign from the project, does that mean I’m changing my cultivation path with my own intentions?
Master: Here’s what I think. If we’re talking about one of the media, which is a Dafa disciples’ project, then it should be run in the way that ordinary companies are run. But some Dafa disciples think, “These are all our own things. Why does the management have to be so strict?” And they even just do as they please. I don’t agree with that way of viewing things. What I advocate is the use of standard management practices.
Don’t think of our media as some special kind of media that’s different from ordinary media. A company is a company. In Dafa there are no companies, and in Dafa there are no media. Those aren’t cultivation, and they are not part of Dafa. However, in that setting you can do cultivation, and you are cultivators. That’s how I look at it. Whatever company you are in, you should try to do better and not be averse to being managed.
When running a company one has to think about financial performance. I am adamantly opposed to your constantly relying on practitioners for sponsorship and funding. So, the person in charge is naturally going to think about financial outcomes, and there should be nothing wrong with that.
If the person in charge forgets, however, that he is a Dafa disciple, if he forgets that he’s a cultivator, then that is a problem. That’s my take on it. Of course, if on the management front people overdo it and go beyond what ordinary companies would do, then I think that’s not right.
Disciple: 1) Certain family members have misgivings about how overseas Chinese Dafa disciples had to submit identification recently. Could I ask Master to say a few words of explanation?
Master: I’ll explain by way of example. A practitioner told me about how in Hong Kong there are a handful of people who show up whenever there’s a critical meeting or a project meeting, but normally you have no idea where they are. You don’t know them and nobody knows their real names. Although I’m giving the example of Hong Kong, there are many places where the same problem exists. Dafa disciples’ projects need to be kept secure, and this is a special period of time after all, with the wicked Party persecuting people. So I think it’s fine that it was handled that way.
Someone asked me, “As Dafa disciples, our cultivation isn’t supposed to have membership rosters, right?” Right, we don’t have membership rosters. The information that people submitted isn’t going to be used for a membership roster. It was only about wanting to know who you are. This is a unique time period. When in history have cultivators ever formed media companies? Who has ever fought back against persecution? Indeed, those are not part of cultivation. But, those are projects that Dafa disciples do to save sentient beings.
Disciple: 2) After Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples have departed with Master, will there still be a Dafa Association in the future? If there will be, what will its relationship be to Dafa?
Master: Your mind is too active. (Everyone laughs) Future matters are future matters. Things at the time of the Fa’s rectification of the human world won’t be handled at all like they are today. Whether or not there will be an Association will depend on whether it is needed at that time. (Master laughs)
Human beings are not as simple as they seem. Human beings, the human beings I’m referring to, are people who tend to go by “seeing is believing.” They don’t acknowledge what they can’t see. But cultivation enables you to understand things by enlightening to the truth. So that’s the difference. For the people of the future, I will reveal to them and display before them the full picture of reality. So things will be different then.
Disciple: For this Fa conference the Dafa Association was supposed to regulate attendance strictly. Yet there are practitioners who don’t meet the regulations but still tried to get in by pulling strings, and they even sought out all of their contacts.
Master: Wanting to attend Dafa’s Fa conference—we can’t say there is anything wrong with that intention, and it’s a good thing. But, those managing the event won’t look at it that way. They have to be concerned with security and ensure that our Fa conference proceeds as planned, free of interference. These [two things] are at odds with each other, so I’ll let you figure it out for yourselves. (Master laughs)
Disciple: Some practitioners got to know many Dafa disciples around the world via Dafa projects, and then started their own businesses. Should that be considered interfering with Dafa disciples?
Master: Yes. If you use Dafa’s resources to make money for yourself, then what you are doing is no different than persecution. You will realize this in the future. This form of interference depletes Dafa disciples’ resources. Resources are limited, and they are meant to be used for Fa-rectification and saving people. In the future, there will turn out to be serious consequences for this.
Disciple: I’m a Western practitioner. I’ve been working at our media in New York for several years. I’ve found that many Chinese practitioners even today still don’t know much about Western society.
Master: That’s absolutely right. A lot of our people spend all of their time in the Chinese community. I’ve often suggested to them that they should find a job out in ordinary society and get to know the society, to learn how people in a free society think about things and do things. I’ve often said that.
Disciple: I don’t quite have a good understanding of how we can make our media become well-grounded in society.
Master: I think this question does warrant serious consideration from us. I’ve heard that there aren’t many people working at the English Epoch Times in New York, but that some Western practitioners there are very organized in the way they do things. I was delighted to hear that. It will surely grow in a healthy way in the future, and even surpass our Chinese language media, for this is an English speaking society after all. (Applause slowly rises)
Disciple: When a practitioner was interfered with by sickness karma, another practitioner suggested that we ask cultivators whose third eyes are open to help “achieve benevolent solutions.”
Master: Then that person has allowed demons to develop in his mind. What “benevolent solutions”? Is anything that happens to a Dafa disciple just by chance?
You know, after arrangements for a Dafa disciple have been made, even I, his master, can’t change them again. There are two reasons why I can’t change them. If I were to change them, his entire path of cultivation—from start to finish—would be altered completely, and everything would have to start over. The other reason is, if I really were to change the arrangements, all of the old factors would interfere.
I don’t accept this persecution. Then how is it that they can interfere? It is because Master’s human body is in the outermost dimension. My enormous body and enormous power are separated from the parts of the cosmic body that have yet to be rectified by the Fa, and contained in those places are countless levels of universes and lives, all of whom are gods. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be blocked. In the Fa-rectification I am constantly pushing forward, rectifying the Fa level by level. Level by level, those that are to remain are being kept and those that are not to remain are being destroyed; I am pressing forward constantly at lightning speed. The cosmic bodies that have yet to be rectified by the Fa separate me like that, and for this reason, the old forces are able to go about persecuting Dafa disciples and interfering with me. So what could you “benevolently resolve”? Could you impact something as enormous as that?
Moreover, dimensions are exceedingly complex. Within even something as thin as a sheet of paper there may be hundreds of millions of dimensions. Each dimension has its own, enormous timescale. As you know, the more microcosmic a particle is, the greater its energy; or in other words, the greater its power. Molecules cannot do anything to atoms, but atoms can disintegrate molecules. You see the idea, right? The more microcosmic a particle, the greater its power. How could you impact it? They are at different layers. Some of our practitioners are often not on the Fa. They’re very interested in lesser paths and all kinds of messed up things, and they talk nonsense.
With dimensions being that complex, some students with third eyes that are not open completely, but partially open, cannot see the full picture, and all of what they see are complicated, false visions. It is not that someone is trying to show the person false visions. Rather, he simply cannot see all of the true picture. He can see just a speck of it, and that one speck will become a false picture for him. When there is a person before him, in front of and behind that person, and to the left and to the right of him, there are countless, innumerable dimensions within which there are countless and overlaying lives, so how could he possibly sort out those things? How could he know what the connection is between those beings and that person? That’s why sometimes when a practitioner talks about this or that spirit possession, I’d say he’s the one who is possessed. I have always told you: you cannot see the true picture, so don’t make irresponsible remarks, and be sure that you cultivate on the Fa. Anything one encounters in cultivation is a good thing.
Disciple: A group of young practitioners are about to graduate from the Fei Tian school in Taiwan and become college students. I’d like to ask how they can do well at validating the Fa in the future.
Master: I think that if you are qualified you can join a professional [performing arts] company, or you can pursue advanced studies in your field. If you don’t have the qualifications for it, you can choose a different area of study. Whatever it is you study, do well at it, so at a minimum you’ll be proficient at something in this society. There are a lot of Dafa disciples who are computer experts, scientists, and people with top-notch talent. That is why the web technologies developed by Dafa disciples are the only ones in the world that can break through the wicked CCP’s Internet blockade. (Applause) Various governments and major corporations are using our web portals to connect with mainland China. What I am saying is, make use of your expertise. To use your words for it, help Master in Fa-rectification and save sentient beings. That’s what you should do.
Disciple: Last year my sister brought a friend to Japan specifically to see Shen Yun. After returning to Hong Kong, the friend resolutely joined in with a Falun Gong march, walking the whole route. She wished she could have come to this year’s New York Fa Conference, and three times asked me to send Master her regards and thank him. My [ordinary] friends also left me a voicemail wishing the Dafa conference success. Sentient beings are awakening.
Master: Some other ordinary people, people who don’t cultivate, have also joined in Dafa marches. They’re all awakening.
We have some new practitioners, Western practitioners, who might not grasp what it means when I say that this affair is so enormous. I’m telling you, whether you believe it or not—since this is a Fa conference and I’m teaching the Fa to Dafa disciples, I speak at a level somewhat higher than normal, so it’s possible you might not be able to accept it and new practitioners might not understand it—but I want to tell you, the kings of every country throughout the entire world of every historical period, and numerous kings in the heavens, all incarnated in China and [many of them] are currently Chinese persons. That is because China was to be the heart of the Fa’s spreading and cultivation. This was something decided before history began.
Chinese people, owing to all the persecutions they’ve been through, have been in terribly bad shape in recent times, and their outward appearance is even unsightly. But I will tell you: your king, your people’s king, may very well be one of them. This is absolutely no small matter, as you will one day realize. As for other countries, besides the ones that will be able to remain as a result of our efforts to save sentient beings, there will be the Fa’s rectification of the human world, which will happen later. But that’s a future matter, a human matter.
Disciple: As of now more than 160 million people have withdrawn from the three [Party organizations]. But a large number of Chinese people have yet to do the three withdrawals. The number of Dafa disciples is huge. If each Dafa disciple could speak out, we would be able to save a greater number of people. Is it that, right now, the number of Dafa disciples who are clarifying the truth is still too small?
Master: I believe that all disciples are clarifying the facts to varying degrees, in keeping with their cultivation states. Those with good states are clarifying the facts a lot, and those whose states are a bit lacking are clarifying the facts a little. That’s more or less what is happening. As for the strength of their truth clarification, those who frequently go to clarify the facts to people are really remarkable, and they have grown quite experienced. The number [of withdrawals that they have helped bring about] is quite large. The issue is that many people haven’t taken clarifying the facts seriously. But not taking it seriously is actually no minor thing. If it’s because you’re involved in a project, then that’s not a problem, since you are helping that project to clarify the facts. But if that’s not the case, and you, as a Dafa disciple, don’t clarify the facts, then it means you haven’t taken on the responsibilities that Dafa disciples are supposed to take on.
Disciple: Several practitioners involved in the media in our area have had serious issues to some degree or other. During Fa-study it’s as if their eyelids can’t stay open, when some of them send righteous thoughts their hands droop over badly, and during exercises they fall asleep.
Master: In many Dafa disciples’ cases, if they are indeed busy with a Dafa project, then it’s excusable. The demands involved in saving people really can make you very busy, so it can be attributed to circumstances and is excusable. But if that is not your situation, then it’s a matter of you not being diligent in cultivation.
Disciple: They stand or kneel to study the Fa, but as soon as they sit to do so they get sleepy again. They haven’t been able to break through this for a long time. The practitioners I’m referring to all shoulder a lot of work.
Master: Indeed. My thought on Fa-study is that, whatever the case—be it standing up to study or whatever approach you use—you definitely have to treat it seriously. Master knows that many practitioners are quite busy, with only a few hours of sleep each day. And that’s how this problem comes about.
Disciple: Is the same effect achieved if one studies the Fa with an e-book instead of an actual book?
Master: It’s the same, but I think that using an actual book is best. That book is precious, and nothing can compare to it.
Disciple: Can a person who frequently returns to China serve as a coordinator?
Master: Well, if that area has only two people in it (audience laughs), then he can. Otherwise he cannot. (Audience laughs, applauds)
Disciple: Some practitioners think that circumstances in mainland China have eased up, so as long as one’s righteous thoughts are strong, one shouldn’t have any problems.
Master: Strong righteous thoughts reduce persecution, for sure. Having strong righteous thoughts is a result of cultivation. But cultivation is something solemn. The old forces absolutely won’t let you off the hook if they see human attachments in you. The old forces have been undermining what I want to do, but they really don’t dare to undermine the Fa-rectification. That’s because if the Fa-rectification were to cease to exist, that would be the end of everything in the cosmos, for the enormous cosmos has already reached the final, last phase of the cycle of formation, stasis, degeneration, destruction, and so all beings have been putting their hopes in this Fa-rectification. If the Fa-rectification were sabotaged, everything would be no more. So nobody dares to truly undermine it.
Disciple: A fellow practitioner hasn’t joined other projects after his release during the reorganization of our media. He doesn’t study the Fa, do the exercises, or send righteous thoughts much, and stays up late and sleeps in. Sharing with him has proved futile. I’m very worried about him.
Master: Indeed, that is certainly worrisome, as the old forces will soon go after him. And I’m not just saying that. There have been simply too many cases like this, and too many lessons.
Disciple: It seems that he is being interfered with by some external force, and that all we can do to help him is to send righteous thoughts.
Master: When there’s something a person can’t get over, there is an attachment. If the person has a problem himself, it is not something that you can resolve by sending righteous thoughts. If, however, the person’s righteous thoughts are strong but the demons are many and the person can’t handle it by himself, and you assist the person by sending righteous thoughts, then that helps. But if his own thoughts are inadequate, and he doesn’t want to take action himself, then interference is sure to come and it will be hard at that time for you to clear it out by sending righteous thoughts. That’s because the person himself must have righteous thoughts for any action to be effective and for your assistance to be helpful.
Disciple: For many years we Dafa disciples in Eastern Europe have been at odds with the coordinator. Any time we suggest clarifying the facts he blocks it, yet he and his little clique don’t do anything. We’ve tried to communicate with him but not gotten anywhere.
Master: Then the person should be replaced. Indeed, some people who hold onto a lot of human attachments are like that. This also came up in the early years when I was imparting the Fa, where someone would lead a group of people and show himself off, putting on airs. And then there are others who lead a group and they all have a ball together, in which case, are you mistaking this for a social club? That’s human attachments at work. All sorts of human attachments do play out in the course of cultivation. If the person himself isn’t diligent, and he leads a group of people in such a way that it affects their being diligent, then what role would you say he’s playing? If you can really get back on track, then you’ll still be a Dafa disciple. But if you can’t get back on track, then you will be dealt with like a demon that causes interference. That is the case, but I’m not saying that I will do something to him. What Master does is save people, not punish so-and-so. However, those old forces will not let him off the hook.
Disciple: At present, how are we to save those who’ve arrived at crooked understandings, especially those who were assistants around July 20th or who were at the forefront at one time and who still have influence over a group of people?
Master: There’s no special approach. Just speak with them, and try to see where they went wrong, see if you can help resolve their stuck points. When it comes to saving people, that’s how we do it.
Disciple: What can post-July 20th practitioners do to better handle the test of sickness karma?
Master: In cultivation a person’s ordeals are not eliminated in one shot. [The karma from] lifetime after lifetime is piled up like a mountain. If it were eliminated in one shot, one wouldn’t survive it. Instead, it is divided into stages, and may even span all the way until the end of your cultivation. So you shouldn’t think, “Why do I still have sickness karma after cultivating for so long?” You can’t look at things in the same way as the cultivators of the past. You do your cultivation among ordinary people, so this is the form that your cultivation takes.
Disciple: I’m a disciple from the mainland. I’ve interacted with fellow practitioners from various places, and I’m left with the impression that overall we have become more and more mature and rational, and that circumstances are gradually being changed. However, if Dafa’s standard is used to measure things, then, from the surface at least, it appears that not many people have met the standard; of course, it really hasn’t been easy for everyone, given the persecution.
Master: That’s true. As the circumstances get easier, people become bolder and their fears subside a bit—though it’s not that they have no fear. When their fears subside they have the courage to step forward. Yet the fear has not in fact been eliminated. So, this manifests as people being diligent to different degrees, their doing things with different degrees of vigor, and their cultivation states being different. That’s what happens. Those who have done really well have managed to always hold fast to the Fa and cultivate according to Dafa. They understand things on the basis of the Fa and elevate on the basis of the Fa.
Disciple: I’d like to ask Master to tell us about the significance of Taiwan’s doing the large-scale formations of Chinese characters each year.
Master: Taiwan has done a great job with its annual large-scale Chinese character formations. (Master chuckles) I think they’re a magnificent sight. When ordinary people see them, they too find them to be sacred. And when the evil sees them, they are definitely terrifying.
Disciple: Ever since the labor camp system was abolished in China, brainwashing classes have since become prevalent again. Some lawyers with a sense of justice have collaborated with us to dismantle those dark dens. The last couple of times we went to the brainwashing classes to speak out, and went to the local procuratorate bureau and Agricultural Reclamation Bureau to press charges against the evildoers, it really frightened the evildoers.
Master: Dafa disciples have done a great job with these things. Some specific officials who have persecuted Dafa disciples still can’t see the situation for what it is, and the evil is making use of them still. The evil looks not only at Dafa disciples’ human attachments, but also at ordinary people’s human attachments so as to make use of them. All of your surroundings are your cultivation environment. And so those bad people will keep being made to do those things by the evil as long as their superiors haven’t directed them to stop persecuting, for that is what their task is and that is their job function, and the evil is going to keep exploiting them. There used to be a saying in China: one thief has made off with the donkey, while a second one foolishly tries to steal the pole [it was tied to] [and ends up being made a scapegoat]. Those bad people are like the person that steals the pole.
Disciple: I’d like to ask whether our media should be learning from the culture of Shen Yun, and get rid of the Party’s culture?
Master: It’s not the culture of Shen Yun; what Shen Yun displays is traditional culture. But it’s right to not have the Party’s culture.
How did Shen Yun first get started? There was a group of Dafa disciples involved in the arts who wished to use their professional skills to expose the persecution and save sentient beings. Back then, since the persecution had just begun, many people had all sorts of thoughts and ideas about what to do, and they couldn’t pull it together, or collaborate together. The result was that the outcome of their performances wasn’t great and the quality of the pieces wasn’t good enough. I observed that as people were leaving the theater afterwards, they were making all kinds of comments, but not many of these were compliments. The words that I heard weighed on me. The Dafa disciples’ intentions were good and they wished to save sentient beings, but the outcome wasn’t good. After a couple rounds, I found that quite a bit of manpower and resources were going into it, and yet the outcome wasn’t good. Another consideration was, this was something that would require a high level of professional expertise, and so it wouldn’t work if there was no overarching approach to it, and nor could it save people. So, afterwards I thought, “I’ll lead them in doing this.” And that was how Shen Yun was first established.
Once Shen Yun was established, right from year one it made a big impact. The key thing was that audience members had a positive experience, and the understanding they got from it was what we had hoped for. The response was terrific. But then I also saw that the performers at that time didn’t quite have the physical attributes required for dance. They were recruited in a rush and took the stage after only some brief training. And the same was true for the orchestra: a large group of people came to join, of all ages and abilities. I felt that this wasn’t a sound long-term approach. If Shen Yun was to have greater power in saving people, we would need to develop our own performers. We thus established a school and began to develop our own dancers and musicians.
So that was the process we went through. In terms of management and the way of doing things, since these were cultivators and at the same time it was a performing arts company, as for how to run it well and balance those considerations well, and what would be more suitable from a management standpoint, I gave it a great deal of thought before finally settling on an approach.
With regard to the whole process of doing this, I’ve in fact also wanted to show other Dafa-disciple-run projects: you can’t do things in a half-hearted way. I told them long ago that they should develop talent in-house. If you always need to be pushed to do things, then that’s no good, and you won’t do them well. At present, Fei Tian Academy is developing a limitless number of performers—a huge supply of talent. Just look at these couple of years: each year we establish a new [Shen Yun] company. And in terms of how things are managed, as you know, the cultivation states of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ members are excellent, except for those who were recently recruited from society and who don’t quite understand yet. Many have an excellent cultivation state. These are all things I’ve wanted other projects to see. Of course, the show requires a high level of skill, but in a short span of time we were able to quickly raise its profile, making it a world-class show. No other performing arts company can compare. And that’s because these are cultivators. But as it now stands, I can’t free myself from it and it keeps me very busy. Yet nobody would be able to take my place anytime soon.
Disciple: In our area it seems that some projects haven’t been handled in an upright manner, and even the direction they’re heading in seems to be off. I feel powerless to change anything. It always seems that there are certain factors that don’t conform to the Fa at work behind the scenes, controlling things, with impure motives. So I’ve decided not to get involved.
Master: It’s not possible for there to be no conflicts. It’s a human attachment if you become passive when things don’t go your way. Whether or not to participate in something is a personal matter. If you decide not to be involved with one thing, and choose to work on another project or clarify the facts, that’s fine. But, as a Dafa disciple, if you see problems in our media, don’t do nothing about it. You are a Dafa disciple, so if you see that someone has a problem and you don’t say anything, then that’s not good for that person, either. Bring up the issue with goodwill and try to resolve it. Regardless of who is involved, nobody is given positions of power among Dafa disciples; the coordinators are just points of contact, and each person is in the process of cultivating. I’ve often said this: if you sincerely do it for the other person’s sake, and there is nothing self-serving on your part, your words will be able to move the other party to tears. Want to give it a try?
Disciple: In China some practitioners are online from morning until evening. They contact people, study the Fa and share with others online, and run around to different places throughout the country.
Master: With some things, with some specific things in China, I would rather not comment much, particularly when it might affect practitioners’ safety. Some things play a positive role, while with some, too many human attachments are mixed in. With some other things, I’m observing. It’s a process of cultivation after all, so with these matters we’ll have to watch and see what the results are. If you see problems, do say something—for the sake of saving people. It’s vital that there be a strong positive force among our Dafa disciples.
Disciple: Master has been teaching the Fa for an hour and twenty minutes now. Should we continue to pass up question slips?
Master: (Laughing) These will do. Let’s not pass up more.
Disciple: As Fa-rectification presses forward, it is important that we form one body; each Dafa disciple has a responsibility for merging himself into the one body. Yet a few disciples still haven’t realized this.
Master: Master has never, with cultivation matters, wanted to impose some kind of hard and fast uniformity, stipulating that things be this or that way. Everything in cultivation is determined by one’s own level, understanding, and cultivation state. Some things need everybody’s cooperation. If you have the heart for it, then participate; but if your understanding hasn’t reached that level, you won’t manage to work together with others even if you do participate. In some cases it’s human attachments at work. Those people may have cultivated very well in some regards, though, so you can’t say that they are no good. Yet if someone has done something well but hasn’t done well with other things, then that won’t do.
Disciple: In this year’s Shen Yun program the lyrics and emcees refer to “the Creator” multiple times. Audience members have asked staff or our reporters just who exactly this “Creator” is. Disciples aren’t sure how to respond.
Master: Here’s how you can respond to them. Everywhere in the world people know the idea of a Creator; the Law of the universe is the Law that created the world, and the Creator created the universe, including all lives at every level within it. As cultivators, we know that the universe’s Dafa (Great Law) is being spread. The gods hold that as long as you have a human body, you can’t be called a god. As you might know, in Tibet lamas are called “living Buddhas.” The gods in the heavens aren’t exactly pleased with that expression. They quip, “If you are a living Buddha, then are we dead ones?” (Everyone laughs) As long as a person has a human body he cannot be called a Buddha. A Buddha has the complete look of a Buddha, whereas a human has the complete look of a human. We know that the Creator has now come. Don’t talk about it too specifically, as, currently, Master is just spreading the Fa. (Applause)
Whatever name is used, the purpose is to arouse people’s righteous thoughts. If you were to say to a Chinese person that “the head of the evil Party has come,” he might figure, “So the evil ringleader has come. What’s the big deal?” When you say that some celebrity is coming, people will just take a glance. If you wish to arouse in people the righteous thought of cultivation, then speak from the standpoint of saving them, and the result will be different.
Dafa disciples are aware that as Master reincarnated downwards level by level through the universe, he assumed a variety of names. But at this time, with the complete look of a human being, I am your master—the master who teaches the Fa. That’s it. ( Applause) Just regard me as you would a normal human being.
Disciple: How can we make a breakthrough with clarifying the facts to mainstream Japanese society?
Master: These things are for you to work out yourselves. It’s going to be hard for Dafa disciples from mainland China to turn things around in Japanese society. Because the sinister CCP has always been stirring up conflicts [with Japan], Japanese people tend to be strongly averse to China—to the extent that they won’t even attend Shen Yun. They are against anything Chinese. That’s how bad it is. This then makes it hard to clarify the facts. At the beginning I named a Japanese practitioner to be the main Dafa assistant, but when it came to the coordination work, the Chinese mainlanders always asserted themselves and snatched [the responsibilities for themselves]. As a result, things haven’t gone well on a large scale in Japanese society. Those are bygones, though, and things are what they are now.
Disciple: In Hong Kong we now face the problem of having had our truth-clarification banners blocked by the evil.
Master: Things have gone well in Hong Kong. Hong Kong, needless to say, is situated in the jaws of the evil. Those Dafa disciples who have stepped forward and done things there are outstanding. The Dafa disciples there have been a thorn in the evil Party’s side, and have had a great impact in saving people and clarifying the facts. (Applause)
Disciple: Dafa disciples from more than fifty countries and two hundred areas send their regards to their compassionate Master.
Master: Thank you all. (Applause) There are a few more slips. I’ll finish them.
Disciple: Sometimes I see clearly the difference between myself and those Dafa disciples who have cultivated well. Will I still be able to make it to the level that Master arranged for me to reach?
Master: There shouldn’t be a problem. I think that Dafa disciples—especially the ones who have made it through since July 20th—needn’t concern themselves with too much. Just do well with the things you should be doing, and that will suffice. (Applause)
As for newer practitioners, Master is really concerned about you, and I really hope you can catch up. If you take a look at the things taught in the past by all of those who you call saints, prophets, or messengers of God, and compare it with what’s taught in this Dafa today, you will realize that they did not in fact teach the Law. From ancient times to the present, not a single person was able to explain with clarity cultivation and the structure of the cosmic body, and even less so how human beings and divine beings are connected. Once you have read this Dafa, you will be able to understand the scriptures of any religion, though that’s not what this is for. Many accomplished people in various fields of learning have been stunned when they’ve read this Dafa. Some people haven’t read it sincerely, however, and so, instead, they felt that there wasn’t much to it. People are different and their mindsets are different. Because it is the Fa, after all, if one’s state of mind is not proper, if one’s attitude toward it is off, what it will show you, or reveal to you, will be different. It may even display nothing to you.
Disciple: The marketing department at the Epoch Times has people study a certain theory of marketing. But this theory is one that’s normally taught to people who do pyramid sales in China.
Master: Dafa disciples are Dafa disciples, after all. Just get down to it and do a good job at what you are supposed to do, and as you gain more experience you will be able to succeed. With things that require a high level of skill, just master the skills and you’re all set. With certain things, you may not need that kind of study. Actually, with whatever Dafa disciples do, if you put a bit of heart into it you’ll get twice the results with half the effort. If you ask me, it’s a question of heart. Many people say that they don’t know how to do marketing, but I would say it’s that they don’t want to put their heart into it. The key issue is that your mind hasn’t been steady and firm.
Disciple: Does getting a divorce harm the Fa?
Master: Getting a divorce has nothing to do with harming the Fa. No one can harm the Fa, for it is something that exists in the universe. You should just, as Dafa disciples in the course of cultivation, do what you should do, and you cannot do what you should not do. Whatever it is you do, try to gauge it with a cultivator’s standard. Divorce is permitted by law. So, if the two of you have nothing in common in life, and your spouse blocks your cultivation, then that’s a different story. But if that is not the case, and it’s that you are being fickle and have developed feelings for others, or if it’s that you now have some other ideas in mind, then you are at fault. Then there is a problem in your cultivation.
Disciple: There’s someone who for a long time has tried to pass himself off as a practitioner. He claims that his third eye can see certain things and that he can cleanse practitioners’ bodies.
Master: People like that have in fact allowed demons to develop in their minds. The more someone is like that, the more he will be given a false picture, which he then increasingly takes to be real. But who could change Dafa disciples? Of course, we don’t regard those who don’t truly cultivate as Dafa disciples anyway.
In the eyes of gods, everything is conjured up. With just one thought from a god, something can become real. How does a world come to be? I’ve shared with you before the principle that’s at work. Human beings aren’t all that able; they have to use their hands and feet to accomplish things. Take for example the flower arrangement here on this table. Whoever arranged them had to insert them one by one, as well as pick them or buy them, and place them. Gods’ abilities are great, and their gong exist at many levels. Within the expanse of their position and level, whatever they want to accomplish, their gong is able to create it out of nothing. And the time field they use for this is one that’s exceptionally fast, with particles of their gong in all dimensions acting in concert, creating it out of nothing in merely an instant. Yet this is done in the fastest of times possible, so it is accomplished at just the thought of it. Human beings don’t have this ability, so they have to do things manually.
Disciple: And this person tries to collect money from practitioners.
Master: Then I would say that he’s not a cultivator, and you should keep your distance from someone like that. He’s not a cultivator anyway.
Disciple: Recently a practitioner suggested in an experience sharing article that we not use electronic readers for doing Fa-study. I’d like to ask if that’s the case.
Master: I haven’t said that you can’t use e-books. As a convenience during this special time period, anything is fine to use, but, of course actual books are the best. Technology already is what it is today, so if you choose to use it to study the Fa, that’s fine. It’s just that as a result [that device] will be blessed for it. But it’s no replacement for reading actual books for Fa-study.
Everything is a being, and everything is alive. What you consider to be organic matter are things that display the traits of life here in this dimension. What you consider to be inorganic matter, such as steel, iron, stone, cement, or electrons, are things that simply don’t show signs of having life here in this dimension. That’s all.
I’ll stop here. I’ve answered questions for over an hour. With the large number of practitioners here, I can’t answer all of your questions in a short time. The cultivation experiences that practitioners share during the Fa conference are important, for those are first-hand experiences that directly relate to you. I was merely saying a few words about things at present and answering a few questions. You all travel from afar every time and hope to hear Master teach something, so I wanted to spend a little more time with you. Actually, I really enjoy being with you. ( Enthusiastic applause)
But however much Master says, you still have to make good on your cultivation. What Master is most concerned about is that at present a number of you have become not diligent. When the persecution first began you were full of vigor, and you turned around that entire situation. But as circumstances have eased up, you have instead slackened. Cultivation… There’s a saying, and it’s one I’ve shared with you before: “Cultivate with the heart you once had, and success is certain.” ( Enthusiastic applause) The reason many people didn’t succeed in their cultivation was because they weren’t able to make it through over the long haul. They might have felt lonely or bored, or they might have become so familiar with something or have grown so accustomed to something that they didn’t want to do it anymore. Anything can cause a person to become lax. So you should continue to be diligent. In the past, there would be sudden tests for cultivators even at the very last step. If you grew increasingly lax, you certainly wouldn’t be able to pass that test.
Of course, that’s not the path that Dafa disciples are taking. What more could possibly block you? I’m just giving you the general idea here. You have already made it through the hardest period. I’ll tell you, the Dafa disciples from the early period, those who formed ties of destiny with me during history, or who came here following Master—each and every one of you—if you had wanted to accomplish something in ordinary society, every one of you could have been a billionaire, every one of you could have been famous, and every one of you could have been among society’s elite. But this lifetime you came here to be a Dafa disciple, and you passed up all of those things. If you had wanted to be rich, you could have long since been rich. Don’t let your soul’s long-cherished wish be extinguished over a few petty, worldly temptations.
Your life came to this earth all for this. How could you not be diligent, and grow lax? This is your moment of destiny, the chance you have waited all eternity for! For however long it has been, you were all along preparing for this, suffering and shedding karma. Yet now, after all the hardship and pain, when you have made it to this day, somehow you have become not diligent. Isn’t that a shame?! Yet this juncture is critical, and if you are not diligent now, you’re done for. Was it not exactly for this moment that your life came here?
For what was it that your life journeyed through history to this day? For just one, brief moment. In the long river of time, this stretch is really but a moment. Don’t be so passive and down—get going! You are a cultivator. Sentient beings are waiting for you to save them!
Thank you all! ( Master does heshi and surveys the hall; all Dafa disciples stand and applaud at length.)