Respecting the Fa

(Minghui.org) The second volume of Biography of Eminent Monks, a collection of biographies written during the Liang dynasty (502-557) by monk Hujiao (497-554), records a story as follows:

“Tan Wuchan had a lot of super-normal capabilities. He could predict things very well. He was called the Master of Great Mantra by the people of the Xiyu area. One time, he followed the King to the mountains. The King got thirsty but couldn't find any water. Wuchan silently recited Mantra and made water gush out of cracks in stones.

“After bidding farewell to the King, Tan Wuchan went traveling with several volumes of Buddhist scriptures. While staying in a hotel in Guzang, he worried that the Buddhist scriptures would be stolen, so he slept with his head on the scriptures. For three nights in a row, he was pulled off his bed in the middle of the night. He thought a thief had done this, but he couldn't find anyone. He was puzzled. At this time, he heard a voice, 'These scriptures are what Gautama Buddha uses to free people from suffering. How could you put them under your head?'

Wuchan felt ashamed. He hurriedly put the scriptures at the highest point in the room. One night, a thief sneaked in and tried to steal the scriptures, but couldn't pick the scriptures up, even after several tries. After sunrise, the thief saw how easily Wuchan was able to pick up the scriptures and then walk out of the hotel. The thief thought Wuchan must be a saint and confessed to him.”

This story tells us that Buddha scriptures are sacred and should be respected.

Every Falun Dafa practitioner knows clearly that it's a basic principle to respect the Fa like we respect Master. The true selves of Dafa practitioners are respectful to the Fa. However, it's not always easy to follow this principle under interference from the old forces, human mentalities, bad thoughts, and attachments. The old forces glare at us fiercely and could arrange for us be disrespectful when we are off guard. The old forces could then use our actions as a handy excuse to persecute us.

One of my fellow practitioners didn't put her Dafa books in a good place. Her son got hold of her books and destroyed Master's picture with his pencil. Her family later went through a lot of tribulations. We have to teach our children that Falun Dafa books are holy and shouldn't be marked in, and let them regard Dafa books with reverence.

A former fellow practitioner had tried to hide her Dafa books in her office at the beginning of the persecution. The books ended up being soaked, because of a leaking heating pipe. She said Master had actually given her hints not to put the book up there, but she had ignored them. She was later abducted by the police and forced to renounce her faith. She never was able to resume her cultivation.

Another fellow practitioner had separated a Dafa book into several small stacks so that she could take parts of the book with her to study at her convenience. She later became involved in a pyramid scam and hasn't studied the Fa for eight years.

Respecting the Fa means treating the Dafa books as Master himself. We should hold Dafa books with reverence in our minds and in our behavior. It's certainly not respectful to put Dafa books under a bed, on a balcony, or under our arms.

What are Falun Dafa books? They are the origin of all law in the universe. Master's law bodies and countless Buddhas, Taos, and Gods are in the books. It's needless to say how we should treat these books. The test of respecting the Fa is a test of our rationality and of our humility. If a cultivator can't be respectful to the Dafa that saves him, why bother talking about being steadfast, validating the Fa or offering salvation to sentient beings?

The old forces could mislead us to be disrespectful, or even violate the sacredness of the Fa. If we follow the old forces and commit sacrilege without correcting ourselves or making up for it, the old forces could use this excuse to destroy our cultivation. Though the persecution has complicated causes, being disrespectful to the Fa is certainly one of them.

Many tribulations have happened due to seemingly negligible things. However, we have to keep in mind that our lack of oversight, slacking off, and blunders could lead us to serious danger. We must treat this issue seriously with a clear mind and rationality. Stay alert to negligence and presumptuousness, and never violate this principle knowingly.