Fa Teaching Given at the New York Fa Conference Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Dafa’s Spreading

May 14, 2017 in New York
Li Hongzhi

(Master takes the stage to the enthusiastic applause of some ten thousand disciples.)

Good morning! You’ve been working hard! (Disciples reply, “Good morning, Master!”)

Every year more people are attending the Fa conference. Today, my goodness, the hall is packed. Doing the three things well is what’s most important for a Dafa disciple. Only by first cultivating yourself well can you fulfill your historic mission. That’s why you cannot neglect your own cultivation throughout the process of saving beings and validating Dafa. So you must take cultivation seriously; it is the most basic thing for cultivators to do to ensure success. Consider this: if you aren’t cultivating yourself, what you do is the same as an ordinary person doing good deeds. But as Dafa disciples you were establishing karmic ties and paving the way throughout history to become a Dafa disciple today. You thus endured a great deal in the past to become a Dafa disciple today, and your ultimate origins are special. So none of this is simple.

The human world is one of illusion. Nobody can see the reality of things while here in this illusory, secular setting. Human beings see the world two dimensionally, while divine beings view it multi-dimensionally and can see each of the world’s planes as a whole. A human being’s eyes can see only the surface of this world, and people can’t even see all of themselves—and I don’t mean their internal organs, but the appearances and shapes, in other dimensions, of the layers upon layers of particles that make up their being. They can’t see any of it. They can only see the surface of themselves. That means there are great constraints in place. The world is the most illusory and deceptive place since they can’t see things for what they are. But only then, with delusion like this, is cultivation possible. In other dimensions or worlds nothing is said of cultivation and it doesn’t exist. As you know, gods cannot cultivate. And why not? Because it doesn’t count as cultivation if you can see everything as it truly is. Only when you can’t see reality does it count as cultivation. So it’s really not easy to live by the standards for a cultivator and strive for divinity while living in an illusory world that brims with temptation.

And this plays out in China today, with the enormous pressure that Dafa disciples are under, where all they have to do is give up cultivation and the evil will let them enjoy a normal life. Whereas not giving it up spells persecution—perhaps even more severe than before. It’s just outstanding that you made it through all of that and have come to this day. I say that because back when gods settled on how this affair would be, simply your deciding to come to this world was no simple matter. Those who had the courage to come are extraordinary, and even gods consider them so. They are the brave ones. They have the courage to affirm the Fa, to prove themselves, and to blaze new paths to save lives when all of the cosmos’s old forces are honing in on this spot. This is unprecedented. That’s the nature of this affair—something never seen before since the dawn of time. Under the cosmos’s old law of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction, anything that had reached the point where it was to be dissolved, would be dissolved, and then it would be created anew. You know, it’s very easy to re-create something—easier than you could even imagine. When a god wishes for something to be, it happens at just the thought of it and becomes full reality. Gods can bring about whatever they want. Then wouldn’t that be even more so for greater gods? And for the ultimate Creator of the cosmos? He has all of the powers there are at every plane of existence, and a single thought of His can impact all planes and bring into existence a universe that is complete with all planes, things of every sort, and even countless gods. Just with a single thought. Shakyamuni also mentioned something like this, as you might be aware, about worlds being created by a god’s single thought.

But the law of the old cosmos is formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction, and the prospect of the largest cosmos disintegrating through that cycle was truly horrendous. Over the long course of time, the multitude of gods, and even the highest God, didn’t want to give up the beings in the cosmos, and each wanted to save both themselves as well as beings more broadly. Over the ages the beings of the cosmos had, over the courses of their lives, accomplished many, many things that are precious to those higher gods, and so they wished to preserve those things. Many gods thus had a wish to save sentient beings. But as I’ve said before, there are innumerable beings as well as divinities at every plane, as well as many lords, and for every universe there is a ruler. But none of the rulers knows whether there lie still other universes above them, and so they think that they rule supreme. So many lords and kings had wished to come to this world to save sentient beings. But they couldn’t, as they were only the kings and lords of a limited expanse; if they were to do something on such a limited scale, it wouldn’t be recognized [by those above]. So the scope of this affair is just enormous, extremely enormous.

I am just speaking in terms of Fa principles. The Fa rectification of the cosmos has progressed to where it is today. It has truly proceeded to the final stage, and is now transitioning toward the Fa’s rectification of the human world. Looking back, I would say that all of this really wasn’t easily achieved. While what you see is the persecution before your eyes—a preposterous suppression of Dafa disciples—there were also intense and harrowing upheavals in history that were similarly horrible. And it was only by laying that groundwork, throughout history during their laborious incarnations, that Dafa disciples could handle what they have today. Each of you present here, whoever you may be, went through lifetime after lifetime over the very long course of history before arriving at the present. And whether you are a Dafa disciple or not, during each lifetime you had to reduce your sins and karma through suffering and enduring turmoil all those years in order to gain a chance to be saved one day and make it to the present. Every human being has gone through that, whether they realize it or not. It’s the nature of this human setting that people think all is well in peaceful times, but then must experience all sorts of hardships in turbulent times or when they have to go through harrowing things. The entire process of descending from a high plane of the cosmos to a low one is extremely painful, even though things in higher realms aren’t as trying as in the human world and the beings aren’t as lost.

As I mentioned earlier, gods view the world multi-dimensionally. With but one glance they see the entirety of your body that’s made up of layers upon layers of particles. Your surface body is made up of molecules, but even molecules aren’t perceptible to your eyes—you can only see cells, which are made up of molecules. And your eyes themselves are made up of cells, so you see only the plane of cells. Yet just to see individual cells a microscope is needed, as the human eye sees only this surface plane, which is composed of cells. So humanity is subject to a great degree of illusion. The layers and layers of particles that make up the human body span across planes of dimensions. They form the entirety of you and are extremely numerous. The human body has as many layers of particles as does the Three Realms. They’re that numerous. While you aren’t able to see the many planes that your body has, gods can, and with just a glance. They look at the entirety of a person.

Some people have wondered about what’s involved when a person thinks something over with a lot of thought and deliberation. But in many cases when people do things the idea behind it comes to them quickly, and then they act on it; the thinking occurs very quickly, and the idea doesn’t result from any prolonged thought process or careful deliberation. They don’t think it over carefully, and yet they manage to do whatever it is very well. Why is that? People have pondered this quite a bit, and scientists have tried to figure it out as well. They wonder how it is that fully-formed, mature ideas could occur to people without there first being careful thought, reflection, or deliberation; instead, they arrive in a flash and people carry them out immediately. People can’t really explain it. In reality the human body is more than this tiny, superficial part. There are layers and layers to your body, your thoughts, and your cells, and they are all part of you as an integral whole. When a person’s surface layer does something, all of his cells are in motion and are thinking, though not just in one dimension. The more microcosmic the plane, the faster time is there and the greater the powers of the beings there. So while it might seem to you that you only gave something a moment’s thought, in another dimension perhaps the thought process lasted for years, since the thoughts were occurring in different dimensions.

Gods look at things holistically and multi-dimensionally, while human beings only look at the surface of things. Sometimes I really don’t look at the specifics of the thoughts or behaviors at the surface of those Dafa disciples who are around me or how they outwardly act; instead, I look at your true motive, at what your true thoughts or actions are. You still have to be accountable for whatever you do at the surface, however, even though that process is behind it. But what I look at is the heart of your being.

The same holds true for Dafa disciples during the persecution. Cultivation is something done by human beings, so it follows that many, many human attachments play out. And when they do, it most likely means that you aren’t meeting the Fa’s standard, right? So people tend to think in a human way and make mistakes when they’re being subjected to persecution. Well, since you are cultivating, you’re of course allowed to make mistakes in the process, because you couldn’t possibly handle everything well. But ultimately you do have to do well. And if mistakes are possible, there could be major ones. This was anticipated long ago, the issues were thought of well in advance. It’s possible that you have made huge mistakes. So my point is, it’s okay if you make mistakes since you are a cultivator and are striving for divinity, but you need to be aware when you have done wrong and do well at what you are supposed to do, all the way until your cultivation is finished. And that is cultivation. Similarly, some practitioners have done poorly and even helped the evil persecute other Dafa disciples. But I know that each person will have a different cultivation state under the evil’s brutal persecution, and there’s a limit to how much the human body can endure. As I said, it’s human beings who are cultivating, not gods. And for that reason you will have human thoughts, and those may lead you to do the wrong thing. And the mistakes that ensue might be minor or serious. So this is why I’ve said that before this affair ends, those who’ve made serious mistakes should still be given chances, and if they want to cultivate you should still regard them as cultivators. Cultivation is involved, after all, and I’ve long known that it wouldn’t be possible for every person to always do well and conduct him or herself virtuously on his or her journey.

I said something back then when I first started to impart the Fa. I said that I was teaching such an immense Fa that it was something never seen before since the dawn of creation, but that if I could save even just one person, if even just one person were to succeed at the practice, what I was doing wouldn’t be in vain. That’s how much I lowered the bar. But looking at how we’re doing today… as I remarked when I got here, each year more people are attending our conferences, and today the place is packed. At the very least you have made it through the brutal persecution to this day, and now are seated here. And of course there are many more Dafa disciples who couldn’t make it here because their circumstances didn’t allow so. I know that there are many more Dafa disciples, a great number. Cultivation is not a human affair, after all; it is something established at the core of your existence. Persecution can only be done at the surface. Could it really affect you fundamentally? Not a chance. And so even though the evil always wants to make you give up cultivation, its persecution of the Dafa disciples who truly have missions will never succeed. It could never make them give up cultivation, for that is something established at your very core, and unreachable by persecution, which can only reach and affect a person at the surface. Of course, a person’s surface is important as well, as a being’s human conduct determines where he is heading. But as you go about things, gods look at your fundamental motive in everything you do. That’s how it is.

And it’s actually fair for human beings as well. How so? Formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction is the law of the cosmos. Each time when one round of lives no longer meets the standard, [that civilization] is dissolved. And more than just one or two rounds of civilization, spanning different eras, have come to pass, right? There have been many rounds, with many of the civilizations predating history having surpassed today’s. History is like a play script. After each round of human civilization ends, the script is revised and then used for the next play, until eventually it’s finalized. In some eras the technology was very advanced, as in the case of aliens. But when that history was ended it was decided that it wasn’t suitable, as the way people were wouldn’t have been good enough for learning the Fa when the day came. So it was concluded that man’s technology shouldn’t be that advanced. In other eras mankind’s technology was far from advanced, but that wasn’t found to be suitable either. In addition to technology, man’s conduct, thinking, culture, and even appearance would also need to meet the requirements.

With history having arrived at this point… I was just mentioning man’s appearance. The appearances that people had in the early stages of human history in various eras would actually seem bizarre to people today, as they differed greatly from today’s. Many times human races were ruled out because they were found to be unsuitable. Five major races remained for this final era today: the yellow race, the white race, the black race, the red race, and the brown race. The red race hasn’t been seen in recent times, probably due to the mixing of races. Certain races disappeared due to the erasure of regional boundaries, owing to technological developments. You don’t see people of the true, pure white race anymore, either. Of the yellow race, the Chinese people have experienced the most mixing. I know very well the true history of man, but I won’t say more since it involves racial matters that could be controversial. In any case, mankind’s history is in my grasp, and I know all of it from beginning to end. With history having arrived at this point, the gods found man to be ready and fit for use in the final, Fa rectification, period.

During the 1950s and 60s people were rather simple and kind. But the old forces thought it would be too easy for people like that to gain the Fa, as people’s thinking was too wholesome and virtuous. And so they brought about many modern ideas, modern art, and modern theories. Every field and domain is filled with modern, negative and bad things, and with time the negative elements came to dominate the world. That’s the setting we find ourselves in today. Most people are hesitant to openly speak about wholesome, healthy, and positive things, lest they be criticized, mocked, or looked down on. The negative and bad elements are dominant overall now, and it’s even okay now to trumpet them in formal settings and when in the public eye. You’re all familiar with Shen Yun Performing Arts. Shen Yun presents what is purely good and beautiful, and all that it performs is permeated with genuine goodness and beauty, and the most positive of elements. In a world that’s filled with negative and unhealthy things, people are really amazed to suddenly see a performing arts company that’s so pure and wholesome. Moreover, its performances bring goodness to everyone, both positive and negativepeople. It brings goodness to all, and that’s why everyone raves about it. Its mission is to save people.

I’m well aware just how hard it is to become holy or be a virtuous person in a world where negative elements are so dominant. As you know, the students at Fei Tian Academy, which develops artists who may go on to Shen Yun, have done quite well. But I still worry, because today’s arts have had too strong of an influence on them, and the world is just brimming with things that entice them. And it is in this manner that people’s values have been eroded, imperceptibly. Those behind this wouldn’t openly declare, “I’m a demon who’s bent on bringing humanity down.” They wouldn’t say anything like that. Rather, they lure you with all kinds of immoral things, without your realizing it, and you can’t see them for what they are. These [negative and unhealthy elements] are present in the arts, in people’s behaviors, in many different products, and in every sort of thing, that may appeal to you. They try to bring you down—to bring you down by making you obsess over them. It’s hard to save people once negative factors come to dominate their minds and society’s thought. That’s because their rational minds have been overtaken by negative factors, and they can’t tell that the things they are doing are not the product of their own thoughts.

As I said earlier, the human eye can see only the surface of the body formed by the cells at man’s superficial layer. People can’t observe and don’t know about their thoughts, their bodies, and all other things at all of the different layers where they take place. The notions that people now have, at the surface layer, contain very modern, and abnormal, ideas, owing to the things society has taught them, which are dominated by negative and unhealthy things now. The negative factors that influence the notions they form in this lifetime are by no means simple—evil specters are behind them. Whether it be Satan or the evil specter of the evil Communist Party, they are ruling the world and controlling people through their evil minions. Today’s people can’t tell whether their actions stem from their own thoughts or the control of negative factors. On the surface your actions might seem natural, and you may even think that there’s nothing unusual about the source of your thoughts. But you don’t even know, and you couldn’t tell, which thoughts are from your own mind and which are the doing of outside factors. They steer your desires and feed your obsessions, whatever they may be. It’s really just terribly hard to cultivate in these circumstances! Truly hard! Many religious groups, from Christians to Buddhists, have felt that increasingly society has become corrupt and its pressures are resulting in their seeing less and less positive and healthy things among their believers. They are aware of it, but powerless to do anything about it; the tide of the negative and unhealthy has overwhelmed the world.

For anyone hoping to turn things around, or go back to better ways, well, Shen Yun is doing just that. But a person has to be a practitioner to be part of it. So these practitioners in Shen Yun must have a basis in cultivation. And so it’s really a great deal of work to help them develop, a tremendous amount of hard work. The same holds true in other settings. Dafa disciples everywhere all must stay on a virtuous course and at the same time help save lives. But many of you are indulging your own children or [young] relatives, and can’t discipline them. And in some cases you are completely powerless before them. That’s how powerful the lure of this world is. The negative factors are so strong.

You are aware, as practitioners, that there are not many people left in this world who are leading virtuous lives. Who still has the courage to do that? It’s really hard to do. As I said earlier, only the brave dared to come here, as gods see it. You must be someone who’s brave to have chosen to come to a setting this complicated. Gods consider you extraordinary just for having come during the Fa rectification, having joined the ranks of those who are saving people, and having even become a cultivator—truly extraordinary! And if, atop that, you are able to do relatively well in your cultivation, then think about it, since people are a product of their environment, then this bad environment and what’s around you serves to make you look good. Even just when a non-practitioner picks up and reads a Dafa book, just by that act alone he or she stands out and is recognized as someone special—so how much more so for Dafa disciples. If this setting were instead really good and people’s minds were full of virtuous thoughts, and if it were a world filled with positive elements, then what you are doing wouldn’t count for much, as it would be something everyone could do; you would have to behave exceptionally well for it to count, right? The evilness of this setting makes you stand out, and has for sure, in this regard, made your practice somewhat less difficult. But the expectation for you, as a Dafa disciple, is that you still try your utmost to do well and fulfill your historic mission; and saving lives is something you have to do. Let me make it clear: saving lives is extremely important, and you must work on it.

What is a Dafa disciple? There have been many religions throughout history. As you know, spiritual practice normally doesn’t involve a special mission, and only takes as its goal self-perfection—to go to heaven or become a bodhisattva or arhat as a result of successful practicing. It’s been easy for people to talk about “saving lives,” but who would dare to actually do so? It’s hard enough to cultivate yourself, let alone take someone else with you. If you take one person with you, it means you are responsible for everything about him, and you must see to it that he practices well just as you must yourself. If you can’t even cultivate yourself well, or struggle at it, how could you possibly get him to do well at it? Moreover, “saving lives” means saving more than just one person—you would be saving many people, and how would you shoulder the responsibility for all of them? That’s why it strikes me as rather absurd when some people say that they want to “save lives.” But who dares to actually save lives? Good luck! To think that you could “save lives” is a real stretch when just taking on the sickness karma from one part of a single person’s body alone would destroy you, before you could save him.

What makes it possible for you to save lives is the power of the Fa; the foundation that you, who are Dafa disciples, laid in history; and the immense importance of your responsibilities. It is not something just anyone could do, and it is something that has never occurred in the history of all of creation. The Great Law of the cosmos is establishing Disciples of Dafa. Which beings deserve to cultivate by the Great Law of the cosmos? None had ever done that before. Even Shakyamuni didn’t achieve enlightenment by cultivating the Great Law of the cosmos, did he? He achieved what he did, as you know, by enlightening to the level of the law in the cosmos that he met the standard for. Have you thought about what you should do and what your responsibilities are as a being at this time when the Great Law of the cosmos is directly saving people? Of course, divine beings cherish greatly the Dafa disciples who have journeyed through the years of trial and tribulations, and I keep saying that those who have made it through from July 20, 1999, are extraordinary. So as a disciple yourself, you should cherish yourself and your journey, and rid yourself of anything that is filthy or bad. And by doing so you will achieve the Way through your righteous enlightenment that you established, and it will be what earns you your majestic virtue. And it will decide, for each of you, your heavenly rank.

As I indicated, the Fa rectification of the cosmos is now in the latter stage, and is concluding soon, and it is transitioning toward the Fa’s rectification of the human world. So during this period you have all the more reason to do well, to not squander your achievements, to cease doing wrong, and to stop doing foolish things in an attempt to show off or be novel and different, or due to other attachments. It’s not enough to be passionate about Dafa—you need to be rational, to be mindful of safety when in an evil setting, and to go about your practice in a virtuous and honorable manner. The old forces have changed many things, but I am beating them at their own game. But on your part as Dafa disciples, you have to stay on a proper course. You have managed to come through to this day as Dafa disciples, and Master cherishes you greatly, so you must do well. What I once said would come to pass is now happening. I didn’t prophesize it, but I spelled out the progression of the Fa’s rectification of the cosmos, step by step, all the way through to the end. Just watch, my words are coming true.

I will just say this much for now. There are people here who have come from thousands of miles away, including from mainland China. If there are questions you really need to ask, you can submit them to the conference staff, and I will answer them for you. (Disciples applaud enthusiastically.)

(Master takes a seat at the table on stage, and disciples applaud warmly.)

(Note: Translation by Team Yellow, subject to further improvement. Question and Answer portion will be published in the near future. Last revised June 3, 2017)