(Minghui.org) The Fa-rectification period has reached the very end, but I still see Minghui articles showing that some practitioners aren’t clear about the difference between individual cultivation and cultivation during Fa rectification.
My understanding is that before July 20, 1999, we only enlightened to the Fa principles in Zhuan Falunrelated to individual cultivation. But after the persecution started, Master guided us to cultivate during Fa rectification through the articles Guiding the Voyage, “Fa Teaching Given at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.,” “Teachings From a Tour of North America,” “Rationality,” and “Beyond What Can Be Forborne” in The Essentials of Diligent Progress II.
To discern between individual cultivation and cultivation during Fa-rectification, we can start by understanding the following points:
“ … beings’ magnificent, indestructible, and diamond-like solidity; is tolerance for the purpose of upholding the truth; and is mercy toward and salvation of beings who still have human nature and decent thoughts.” (“Beyond What Can Be Forborne,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
In individual cultivation, when practitioners faced persecution, they didn’t need to clarify the truth and send righteous thoughts. They just accepted what happened to them and searched within. However, as we progress into Fa rectification, Master asks us to do the three things (study the Fa, clarify the truth, and send righteous thoughts). We remain compassionate in everything we do, even in situations that are “beyond what can be forborne.”
When a practitioner is involved in a traffic accident, instead of just saying “There’s nothing wrong. You can leave.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun), we can tell the other party not to worry because we’re Falun Dafa practitioners. We should then explain the importance of quitting the CCP, as well as teaching them the auspicious phrases, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.” These accidents most likely serve a dual purpose. They are opportunities for us to eliminate karma and save predestined people.
Master told us before the persecution started:
“We do not allow accumulation of any funds or material things.” (“To the Beijing Veteran Practitioners,” Essentials For Further Advancement)
After the persecution began, practitioners started their own media outlets and other initiatives to have our voice heard, and we couldn’t do it without money. Hence, Master repeatedly reminded us to manage the funds of these initiatives more carefully than if it was our own money. We must be worthy of Master’s trust and the welfare of sentient beings in this regard.
Master talked about “Different Levels Have Different Fa” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) There are certain things that are done only because we are cultivators during the Fa rectification. I would also like to mention a few cases in which I believe practitioners made mistakes based on experience sharing articles I read.
Case 1. A practitioner was a teacher who made outstanding achievements in her teaching career. She was nominated to be a provincial-level distinguished teacher. However, she wanted to take fame and gain lightly, and despite objections from the school administration, turned down the award and the housing offer that came with it.
In my opinion, she did not follow the principle of letting things occur naturally. The honor was the result of her contribution to the school, as well as the overall education system, which was aligned with “Gain naturally without pursuit.” (“Lecture in Sydney”)
When she turned down the honor, she probably thought of the passage in Zhuan Falun about a person who gave up a free housing offer from his workplace. However, this person practiced in a different school, which only focused on individual cultivation.
With the honor of a provincial-level distinguished teacher, she would have impressed people in the education system and made them think, “This distinguished teacher also practices Falun Gong and is truly amazing.” For the honor she brought to the school, all her supervisors would have had a good reason to stand up for her during the persecution. Unfortunately, she felt she had to prove that she was able to let go of fame and gain. A new principal was later appointed, and under the CCP’s pressure he reassigned her to work in the kitchen.
The title and housing offer she gave up ended up being awarded to a person who did not deserve it. On the surface, she seemed to be doing what was expected of practitioners, but she had actually forced another person to lose virtue, while she disappointed her families and friends. Instead of validating the Fa, she validated herself. This is ultimately the result of selfishness at work.
The wage increase from becoming a distinguished teacher was quite substantial. She could have produced more informational materials or helped with other projects. So declining the promotion was equivalent to giving up resources for Dafa.
Case 2. A practitioner got along with her new neighbor and successfully clarified the truth to her. From that point on, she often went to her neighbor’s home with snack food and socialized with her. On several occasions, her neighbor complained that her snacks were of low quality. By looking within, she realized that she liked to save money and subsequently decided to buy things that would please her neighbor.
Though there’s nothing wrong with socializing in moderation, the money we spend could be used as resource to validate the Fa during this historic period of time. This practitioner frequently went to her neighbors, wanting to stay on good terms with them. This not only took up a lot of her time, but she also spent a lot of money on people who already understood the truth.
Master said:
“Compare in studying, compare in cultivating” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)
I couldn’t help but think of how this woman’s experience contrasted with another practitioner’s story. He was poor, but insisted on clarifying the truth with the minimal resources he had. He went out every day, carrying a steamed bun and a bottle of water, to tell people about Dafa. The water would freeze in winter, so he’d warm the bottle with his hands and sip on a few drops of the melted water. All the money he had was used in saving people.
Case 3. Many practitioners believe that we became bad and fell to this mortal world, so we must cultivate to return to where we came from. Indeed, in Zhuan Falun Master mentioned several times that we fell from high levels because we became selfish. However, Master later told us in “Teachings From a Tour of North America” that we came to this world to accomplish a special mission and took vows before we came. We were bound to be Dafa practitioners during Fa rectification, and Master has protected and watched over us life after life.
For individual cultivation, do we just need to complete cultivation and return home? If so, there would be no missions or vows. This way of thinking explains why some practitioners have failed to progress diligently. If a practitioner only thinks about how to reach consummation without saving sentient beings, that’s a manifestation of selfishness. Those practitioners who frequently fall ill and can’t go out to clarify the truth should look within for this selfish notion that the old forces have used to persecute them.
Master told us:
“When I tell you to change your human understandings, I am not asking you to maintain a human way of understanding Dafa. Yet neither should you be irrational or eccentric. I want you to be clearheaded in understanding Dafa.” (“Take the Middle Way,” Essentials For Further Advancement)
My understanding of “a human way of understanding Dafa” is how we thought when we first learned Dafa. If we continue to hold on to those superficial understandings, we will be unable to cultivate in the Fa-rectification period. We must transcend the level of individual cultivation to walk our paths correctly. I’d like to share some of my understandings at my level.
A) Have even more faith in Master and the Fa
I often read reports on how practitioners passed away after being tortured and released from prison. I believe one factor relates to not having 100 percent belief in Master and the Fa. They may have treated themselves as sick people who needed their families’ care, instead of spending more time studying the Fa to make up for the time lost in prison.
Master is able to protect incarcerated practitioners so that they leave the prisons and quickly recover. Master doesn’t treat his disciples differently, but he cannot not help those who do not want to cultivate.
B) Stop thinking of ourselves as victims of persecution
When officials or police officers went to practitioners’ homes, some saw it as harassment or persecution. But Master told us:
“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.” (“Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts Are Powerful,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
If we superficially refuse to cooperate with the authorities by shouting out and physically resisting, it may make us look uncivil. From the perspective of Fa rectification, we should treat the authorities as people who came for the opportunity to be saved. If we use our compassion and truly think of saving them, this righteous power will disintegrate the evil factors controlling them, and they will no longer want to persecute us. At that moment, we will have transcended the level of being persecuted.
During Fa rectification, the relationship between practitioners and the police is not about persecution, but salvation. The compassion practitioners have for the police is also a manifestation of “do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates.”
C) Digging out hidden selfishness
Selfishness is the root of all attachments and the cause of the degeneration of the old universe. We were born into the old universe, so we need to eliminate selfishness through cultivation. As soon as a bad thought emerges, we should be able to catch it quickly and eliminate it. The old forces are attempting to interfere with practitioners’ thoughts in a last ditch effort. We should keep our righteous thoughts at all times and not give them any chance of success.
The new universe is made of pure selflessness and altruism. Selfishness has no place in it. Tribulations often take a turn for the good if we can face them selflessly.
The thought of “doing something to help my world and sentient beings” may seem selfless, but it actually comes from well-hidden selfishness. We have a bigger mission to accomplish and need to let go of our limited perspectives and completely assimilate to the Fa.
D) Make good use of the treasure Master gave us--looking within
Master has often stressed the importance of looking within. Whether one cultivates well or not depends largely on whether or not he is able to look within. A practitioner saw with his third eye looking within a golden Fa treasure located in one’s heart. As soon as a practictioner starts to look within, a force begins drilling and breaking the shell formed by his notions. We must make good use of the treasure Master gave us and make a habit of looking within.
Practitioners who do not look within include those who refuse to change their notions or improve their state of cultivation. They want to change others instead. A mature practitioner will make changes and improve based on the Fa; they will learn from others without being easily swayed.
E) We should be able to protect ourselves with supernormal abilities
Master has given us supernormal abilities to use. The reasons some practitioners are unable to use them is because they feel they cannot see or feel anything, or don’t think they have cultivated well enough to do so.
There are three reasons why practitioners are still being persecuted in China: 1) They still have the notion of being persecuted; (2) They do not believe they can protect themselves with supernormal abilities; (3) They entered Dafa cultivation late and are just beginning to gain a deeper understanding of the Fa.
When Master tells veteran practitioners to put their supernormal abilities to use and they do not, there’s something missing in their cultivation. Supernormal abilities can be used to protect us and our families. I was put in prisons ten times, totaling over ten years. And although I was divorced, my parents and my brother and his wife became practitioners.
The first two times the police came to arrest me, I tried to use supernormal abilities to make the evildoers not see me, but it didn’t work because I felt unsure, because my third eye was not open.
I’ve read many Minghui articles in recent years on using supernormal abilities. In one of the stories, a practitioner asked the divine to help remove outdoor bulletins or posters that slandered Dafa. A strong wind then blew away and damaged the posters. This practitioner also wished the authorities would remove some indoor posters because he didn’t want them committing crimes against Dafa. The authorities replaced the posters in a few days.
Another practitioner used her abilities in front of surveillance cameras. She thought, “I’m made of Zhen-Shan-Ren,” or “I’m made of microscopic particles.” The authorities then could not see images of her in the video footage.
These stories inspired me and deepened my confidence. We must change the way we think during Fa rectification and believe in Master. He will not have to worry as much if we are all able to protect ourselves.
F) Learn to ask Master for help
I believe that asking Master for help in situations that we cannot handle is a form of believing in Master and the Fa. I couldn’t remember to do so at first, but I gradually improved.
When I was imprisoned, a practitioner renounced his faith. I knew it was unlikely that he’d become a practitioner again and began to worry what would happen to the over 100 prisoners he helped quit the CCP. So I begged Master, “Please arrange for them to come to my world. They have quit the CCP after all.”
I wasn’t sure if the thought conformed to the Fa, and constantly worried about it. After I was released, however, I read an article about a practitioner who saw Master relocate beings from another world to his. I immediately stopped worrying and knew I could always count on Master whenever I needed to resolve a situation.
The Fa principles I’ve enlightened to are only a drop in the ocean. The Fa rectification is unprecedented in the history of the universe, and we should be exceptionally honored to be Master’s disciples. We shoulder an enormous responsibility, and an infinite number of beings are watching us closely. So in order to fulfill our prehistoric vows, we must walk the last part of our paths well and not disappoint Master and the sentient beings who are counting on us.
I ask that you kindly point out any mistakes, as my current understandings may be incorrect. I thank Master for bestowing me with the glory of being a Dafa disciple during the Fa-rectification period.