(Minghui.org) After reading “Fa Teaching Given at the 2016 New York Fa Conference,” I thought about several practitioners who experienced situations similar to the ones Master addressed. These practitioners were not taking marriage seriously. Here I would like to share my thoughts.

“Disciple: Some fellow practitioners get remarried to other practitioners after getting divorced, while some get back together again while staying divorced. It’s not clear to me whether that’s appropriate for cultivators to do.”

“Master said,

“If a cultivator gets divorced and remarries because of changes in feelings, that disgraces the title you have of “Dafa disciple,” and do you think the old forces will let you off the hook? Marriage between a man and a woman is something ordained by the divine, and it encompasses how the human race is to live and its lifestyle. If an unmarried couple is living together, that of course doesn’t conform to morality; or, from a cultivator’s standpoint, it’s not befitting of the standards for a cultivator.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)

In pursuit of qing(emotion),some of the practitioners divorced and then married another practitioner. Others continued living together after they divorced. And some simply lived together without getting married.

What's worse, some had falsified divorce papers so as not to implicate their families during the persecution. They even remained together despite the divorce. These are called “de facto” marriages in ordinary society.

Today, as society continues to degenerate, a significant percentage of people tend to believe that marriage should be only for pleasure, instead of something solemn and enduring. The result is that less attention is paid to the moral and legal legitimacy of marriage.

But as cultivators, we should by no means deal with this issue the way everyday society does. We should take marriage as a legal joining together of a man and a woman for life.

A man and a woman living together without being married is illegal in many places. Cultivators should live in accordance with the principles of the Fa.

If there is harmony between a couple who want to live together, they must follow the legal procedure and obtain a marriage certificate from the local civil authorities. That way, they eliminate this loophole that the old forces may take advantage of to trip us up.

Suppose, once the Fa-rectification ends, you have done everything in line with the Fa, except for taking a serious attitude about marriage. You would find it impossible to return to your “true self,” because you had failed to obey the Fa’s principles.

As we know, Falun Dafa cultivation is a predestined opportunity that comes only once in a millennium. It would be a shame to see this end in failure because we did not meet the requirements for Dafa disciples.

One local practitioner lived with her boyfriend for years without being married. But after realizing the seriousness of Master’s teaching about marriage, she and her boyfriend went to the proper authorities to apply for a marriage certificate.

Without our awareness, the old forces are persecuting us by taking advantage of our loopholes whenever our thoughts are unrighteous.

Looking inward every day for what we have done wrong will enable us to find where we fall short and modify our behavior.

If we are strict about complying with the basic standards for Dafa practitioners, enlighten to the Fa principles, and strengthen our righteous thoughts, then we will be truly cultivating.

In sharing my perspective, I may have made unavoidable mistakes due to my limited cultivation level. Please point out anything inappropriate.