(Minghui.org) Continued from part 1.
The Fa requires us to negate the old forces. Some practitioners have studied the Fa for a long time without any new enlightenment about this. Many practitioners often talk about it but do not know how to do it. Others have an understanding of the Fa based on what they sense but are still somewhat muddle-headed about it.
Still others negate some of the persecution arranged by the old forces but accept some other aspects of it. The old forces then seize the opportunity to persecute them. As I understand it, not only should our actions conform to the Fa, but Fa principles should be present in our hearts.
Some practitioners really do not know what it means to “assimilate.” Yet I believe that the long-term persecution practitioners have experienced results from our not understanding the Fa and not assimilating to the Fa. The old forces thus have an excuse to persecute us.
Master said,
“Examine how each and every thing measures up—Achieving these is cultivation”("Solid Cultivation" from Hong Yin)
I understand that when you naturally do everything according to Dafa's principles; when every thought and action is based on the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, it is an indication that your mind assimilates to the Fa and meets the Fa standard at that level. When you do your best in line with Dafa, the standard elevates and you are assimilating to the Fa constantly.
Master has talked about the safety issue several times, yet some practitioners do not pay attention to it and act according to their own notions. They boast that they have “no fear.” Some are persecuted as a result. This seems to happen everywhere. It happens when practitioners study the Fa but do not assimilate to the Fa, thus giving the old forces an excuse to persecute them.
Before the persecution began, many practitioners did not truly understand what “Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation” (Zhuan Falun) is. Some practitioners are still confused even today and are troubled by sickness karma.
In Teaching the Fa at the Assistants’ Fa Conference in Changchun:
Question: Upon reaching Beyond-Triple-World-Law, does one’s body still have the symptoms of sickness karma?
Teacher: No. But the bodies of our cultivators today are quite messed up internally. Yet they’re all being adjusted. In any righteous cultivation way, once a person goes beyond the Three Realms, the condition of having sickness karma no longer appears in his body—absolutely not. But before he achieves his Attainment Status he will still have conflicts with others and xinxing frictions in the ordinary human society, all the way until he Consummates.
Many practitioners only understand the literal meaning. Since they still had symptoms of illness after nearly 20 years of cultivation, they thought they were still In-Triple-World-Fa. When they read other practitioners' sharings and see others cultivating so well, they became disappointed at themselves and depressed.
During Master's Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference, this question came up:
Disciple: Master once said that disciples who started the practice before July 20, 1999, have been pushed to their positions...
Master: Actually, I have pushed every student to his or her position, really. At the time, everyone felt it, and some had seen it...
Some veteran practitioners thought they were still In-Triple-World-Fa even after Master pushed them to their position. They believed their inborn quality was poor and began to show low self-esteem.
Some practitioners went to an extreme after witnessing many veteran practitioners experiencing sickness karma. They believed these practitioners were In-Triple-World-Fa, which conflicted with Master's words. They began to doubt the Fa and waiver in their belief.
These practitioners ended up with sicknesses themselves. The old forces used these sicknesses to teach them lessons since they did not have clear understanding of Fa's principles on sickness. These practitioners were shown where they got stuck and where their problems were. If they did not enlighten, it became a vicious cycle.
In fact, the Fa is harmonious. These practitioners did not truly understand the Fa, blocked themselves, and caused internal conflicts.
Master told us:
“Some people who used to have illness did recover as soon as they started cultivating Dafa, and they really were cured. But, in order to remove your attachments and test whether or not you have what it takes, the old forces cause you to have pain wherever the focal point of your former illness was, or have a relapse, with the symptoms even being the same, all to see whether you believe in Dafa. How are you to handle it when that happens? Human or divine—the difference lies in one thought. If what arises is a righteous thought, and you take the position that all of this is false, that it’s the old forces meddling, and you remind yourself of how long you’ve cultivated Dafa for and that no such thing is possible, if that thought truly comes from within, instantly the problem will vanish. But this isn’t just something you say and then are able to achieve. That kind of unwavering righteous thought comes from within you, and it is not superficial or just lip service.”"(Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference" from Teaching the Fa at the Conference XI)
Many practitioners' sicknesses were illusions that the old forces created to test them. Some practitioners failed the test; they treated the illusion as an illness and endured it. As I mentioned in my first article, Practitioner A did not enlighten righteously and accepted the sickness test imposed by the old forces.
There is another situation. Some practitioners treat their flesh body as their body’s entire existence.
Master said: “As forms of existence in other dimensions, every cell and all internal organs carry your image’s message. Thus, it is extremely complicated.” (Zhuan Falun) Master also said, “All bodies within the Three Realms are called “human bodies.”(Teaching the Fa at the Assistants’ Fa Conference in Changchun)
This is how I understand this: A cell at each level is a body itself and is shown as a cell or a particle in this dimension. Perhaps bodies in many dimensions within Three Realms have cultivated to Beyond-Triple-World-Fa, which correspond to many cells in your flesh body. They no longer have any sickness karma. But the cells which have not cultivated well still have sickness karma so parts of your body will have sickness. One’s cultivated body, including the bodies at higher levels of Beyond-Triple-World-Fa, will come together to form one body.
After understanding the Fa principles on sickness karma and no longer attaching to our cultivation levels, we should cultivate diligently as we did when we first obtained the Fa. The old forces no longer have the excuse to persecute us and it will be easier for us to negate their persecution.
Master said:
“Except for newer students, from July 20 of 1999 on, Master hasn't created any personal cultivation tests for you, and that's because overall your personal cultivation has changed in every respect so that it's in the direction of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa.”(Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
Every practitioner knows what these words mean in a literal sense. Veteran practitioners, who began their cultivation before July 20, 1999, now experience personal xinxing tests or sickness karma because they are now interfered with by the old forces. These veteran practitioners have been pushed to their positions by Master and all their personal cultivation tribulations have already passed. The old forces imposed the extra interference because practitioners' xinxing was not at their required level and their understanding of Fa principles is limited. Master used this interference to give practitioners opportunities to further improve themselves.
We have seen that many veteran practitioners had their illnesses completely removed some ten years ago, yet they didn't fully believe in the Fa or Master. Their notions about sickness were not eliminated, and they accepted the illnesses. They worried, they doubted. They cared about their nutrition, diet, and rest. They relied on or sought other ways. They resented, they covered up, and they even wanted a backup plan.
Their minds were not pure and were filled with these kinds of thoughts. Their illnesses kept hanging on and the old forces continued to persecute them with sickness karma. I enlightened that Master used the old forces' tests to improve practitioners' cultivation. Master does not want to see the tests drag on for long periods of time. Master wants practitioners to negate these arrangements completely and quickly pass the tests.
Many examples were posted on the Minghui website. Practitioners were able to pass the sickness karma tests by completely negating the old forces and looking inward. They do not accept the illusion of sickness nor care about their body. They quickly pass the tests. Their miracles validated the Fa and saved people around them. They could not do this if their minds were full of being ill.
One article contrasted practitioners' first thoughts when they were arrested. One practitioner thought, “I will be fine and nothing can touch me.” This practitioner told the truth of Dafa to the people around him and he was sent back home shortly.
Another practitioner thought, “I am doomed.” He was sent to the brainwashing center and wrote a guarantee letter to secure his release. Another practitioner thought, “What could they possibly do to me? Fifteen days of detention would be the most I will get.” That practitioner had no fear and was released 15 days later.
Many practitioners can probably relate these stories to Master's teaching in Zhuan Falun about the elderly lady being hit by a car. Master said, “We have said that good or bad comes from a person’s initial thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.”
Why can’t some of us enlighten to the Fa's true meaning after studying the Fa for so long? I believe this is why:
Some practitioners only study the Fa superficially and their minds are not on the Fa. Some practitioners read the Fa as if chanting the Buddha scriptures and for a long time their main consciousness has not had a better understanding of the Fa. They do not look inward in their daily lives or do things according to the Fa. Their understanding stubbornly stays at one level. When others point this out to them, these practitioners refute it. They cannot get rid of their attachments, which leaves loopholes for the old forces to exploit.
(to be continued)