(Minghui.org) I’m ashamed because I feel that the gaps in my cultivation contributed to loopholes that allowed people who were manipulated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to lodge lawsuits targeting Master Li, Falun Dafa’s founder. Each day I try to look inward and do better by following Dafa’s teachings.
When the CCP and its former head Jiang Zemin began suppressing Falun Dafa in 1999, the persecution was vicious. I thought I had righteous thoughts, but I still felt powerless due to the large number of negative elements. But the situation is different now. The current CCP leader thought Jiang did not handle the persecution well, and he wanted a “victory.” Because this suppression targets mankind’s traditional values and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, we know this is ridiculous.
In my understanding, Master is using recent events to give us another cultivation opportunity. But we, myself especially, have not done much over the past several months.
We have learned a lot since the CCP began the persecution 25 years ago. If a large number of practitioners had stepped forward to validate Dafa in 1999, the persecution may not have been so rampant. If we had done well collectively starting with the Guangming Daily defamation incident in 1996, to the April 25, 1999 peaceful appeal, and the onset of the persecution a few weeks later on July 20, the persecution might not have happened.
If most practitioners had done well at these critical moments, it may not have been possible for a worldwide persecution to take place. More than 20 years have now passed. Whether such a large-scale suppression continues or not depends on us. As long as we wake up and have righteous thoughts, we’ll be able to overcome the challenges.
From Falun Dafa’s teachings, we know that Master gave us more than 20 years to become mature, but 15% of our karma remains. The question is, are we different from or are we better than how we were over 20 years ago?
After the persecution started in 1999, Master did not give any lectures for nearly a year. A picture of Master was published on Minghui and stayed on the front page with the description, “Master Li quietly watching the world from amidst the mountains after leaving New York following July 20th, 1999. (Published January 19, 2000).”
Master is Compassionate
Master does not speak during major tests. He compassionately observes how we and everyday people handle them.
In the first few years of Fa-rectification cultivation, Master gave many lectures and explained everything. He even told us what would happen, and how we should respond. I feel that we’re now being given an exam. When we reread the lectures Master gave after 1999, our understandings may be different now. Many of us have practiced for nearly 30 years, but we may be too numb to remember that we have abilities. By now we should be mature Dafa disciples. The progress of Fa-rectification is waiting for us to handle this interference by the old forces.
At this critical moment in history, by reading Master’s lectures and articles again, I’ve gained many new understandings. The lectures are very enlightening, and each of them is important. Even reading the titles helps me understand how carefully Master has guided us all these years.
Master wrote:
“Now you can see why I have often told you to read the book more, right? The Fa can break all attachments; the Fa can destroy all evil; the Fa can shatter all lies; and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
Have we done this? In one of his lectures, Master said he had originally planned for us to reach consummation by now. Master has now arranged for us to follow him in the era of the Fa rectifying the human world. If a practitioner is unaware of his or her own abilities, can they be viewed as a mature Dafa disciple? Master gave us supernormal abilities and skills. If we don’t realize this or feel we have no powers, are we worthy of Master’s compassionate, painstaking salvation? Isn’t it a sin if we don’t do well and fail to carry out our responsibilities?
People Are Waiting for Us to Pass the Test
How can Master be sued? Practitioners know that everyone living today established relationships with Master in history, and that he wants to compassionately save them. Master gave us all these abilities, but by not proactively eliminating our attachments, we have allowed this to happen. After all, everyday people are not practitioners, but we are. So the issues that caused this incident are beyond everyday society.
I’ve become more clear-headed since having these realizations. I did not do well in the past, but Master is giving us another opportunity, and I shall do well this time.
By rereading Master’s articles recently, I’ve gained deeper understandings. The year after the persecution started, Master talked about many things, including our supernormal abilities, sending forth righteous thoughts, and more. Looking back, I realized I hadn’t put into practice the second half of the formulas: “fă zhèng tiān dì, xiàn shì xiàn bào” (“The Two Hand Positions for Sending Righteous Thoughts,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
Master gave us everything we need to assist him in Fa-rectification, including supernormal abilities. I was unclear about this in the past and assumed these abilities were only applicable to practitioners in China during the persecution. I now realize that the persecution is also directly targeting Master, which is even more serious. That’s why the formulas mentioned above are important. The vicious elements are manipulating people in this world to do evil, and by preventing them from committing sins, we are saving them. I’m confident that we have this ability.
Years passed, and I forgot that Master gave us supernormal abilities—this new tribulation is an opportunity to make up for that. We should cherish the supernormal abilities and divine powers Master gave us, and we should remind other practitioners to do the same. It’s a pity if any one of us misses this opportunity.
We all have a responsibility to act even when some practitioners around us don't. We should use our abilities to protect what the evil seeks to destroy, and we should completely eliminate the evil forces in other dimensions. For example, when people engage in online defamation or lawfare, we will have the power to handle it by focusing on studying Dafa’s teachings and constantly improving and rectifying ourselves. Any attempt to defame Dafa or publish slanderous articles can be stopped by our righteous thoughts. In addition to stopping people from doing evil, we can send forth righteous thoughts to help these people expose the manipulation behind the scenes and make up for their wrongdoing. Finally, observing karmic retribution playing out within the same lifetime can help people understand the cause-effect relationship and strengthen their conscience.
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Category: Cultivation Insights