Saving Sentient Beings Is a Mission That Dafa Disciples Must Fulfill

(Minghui.org) At one of Shen Yun's performances this year, there was a short dance drama that I found thought-provoking. I want to share my insights with fellow practitioners.

Steadfast and Diligent Cultivation Is Essential

In the story, a defeated general, alone amid the ruins littered with corpses and shrouded in smoke from the battle, raised his long sword to end his life—but at that very moment, he was saved by a Taoist master.

He began practicing the Tao under the master’s guidance. One by one, his fellow practitioners gave up when they couldn’t endure the various trials. Only he remained steadfast, meditating with a calm mind, never wavering.

Faced with the temptation of lust, he not only remained unmoved but also treated the matter with the utmost seriousness in his actions. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to his practice and ultimately achieved divinity and ascended to heaven.

For those who failed to attain enlightenment, seeing his triumphant ascent, they beat their chests and stamped their feet in despair. Filled with regret and grief, they collapsed to the ground in anguish, crying out to heaven and earth.

The Attachment to Sentimentality Can Be Deadly

I remember reading an article on the Minghui website years ago. It told the story of a young woman from long ago who had cultivated herself for over a decade. Just as she was about to achieve consummation and ascend, she suddenly heard a heart-wrenching cry behind her, “My child. Do not be so cruel as to abandon your aging mother!” Her sorrowful wailing echoed through the air, yet the cultivator remained unmoved.

The woman’s voice cried out again: “Do you truly no longer want your mother?” The cultivator’s mind stayed as calm as still water.

She cried out a third time: “Does the Buddha truly demand the agonizing death of your own mother?” Still, the cultivator remained indifferent.

With a fourth cry, the anguished wail turned into a low sob: “Oh, very well. Since your decision to leave is firm and your heart can’t be changed, at least look back and give your poor, elderly mother one last glance.”

Because the cultivator was about to ascend, her heart wavered. Success was imminent, and her departure already decided, so what harm was there in one final look? She turned, looked back, and then crashed to the ground. She saw her elderly mother’s pitiful face—framed by white hair—contort and transform into a grotesque bird, which flew away amid peals of laughter, saying, “Ha ha ha. I have waited 3,000 years to destroy your cultivation in this lifetime. Ha ha ha!”

Ultimately, the woman’s attachment to sentiment held her back. This serves as a powerful reminder of the consequences of such an attachment. Of course, in the practice of Falun Dafa, Master Li has also taught us how to properly relate to our families and loved ones, which requires a heart of compassion that emerges after we let go of the attachment to sentiment, and develop love for all sentient beings. Cultivation is truly a serious matter.

Wake-Up Call

Don’t these vivid cultivation stories act as wake-up calls to Dafa disciples about how we should cultivate ourselves and offer salvation to others?

The magnificent process of Fa-rectification is nearing its end; we have reached the final, critical phase of history. Time is extremely limited. Through great endurance, Master has repeatedly extended the time for all of us to cultivate well while also saving sentient beings and building our mighty virtue.

Yet, how many practitioners are truly fulfilling their missions and honoring their vows? Many simply read the new scriptures and weekly journals, or study the Fa and practice the exercises at home, but fail to step forward to save sentient beings. Some are held back by the fear of persecution, while others are weighed down by attachments to family and sentimentality.

Some practitioners cannot let go of their attachment to their children. They spend years tirelessly working for their children’s benefit, shackled by invisible chains of affection. This distracts them from their true mission and leaves them with nothing but regret. When the day of the Fa-rectification arrives in the human world, no amount of bitter remorse can undo their actions.

From the Fa, we understand that Master gave us our very lives. Clearly, he is our closest and dearest kin. Like a benevolent father, he guides us back to the heavens and makes every effort to guide us as we assist in saving sentient beings—enabling us to lead the beings of our own celestial kingdoms back home and bring prosperity to our respective worlds—yet he attributes all the glory to us.

Isn’t this a magnificent blessing that every deity in the heavens would desire but could never attain? Search the entire universe, and you won’t find such a magnificent and benevolent Master; therefore, we have no reason not to heed his words.

Dafa Cultivators Bear Historic Missions

We are Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period, and we bear the responsibility of saving sentient beings. Remaining stuck in personal cultivation and not keeping up with the progress of Fa-rectification is a serious matter.

Master has clearly revealed this in the Fa:

“If you don’t take action to save sentient beings, you will not have fulfilled your responsibility as a Dafa disciple and your cultivation will amount to nothing, for your becoming a Dafa disciple was not for the sake of your own Consummation. This means that you shoulder a monumental mission.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2009 Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume IX)

In the course of cultivating in the Fa, Dafa disciples in mainland China have endured 27 years of brutal persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. Despite bloodshed and turmoil, they have remained steadfast, assisting Master in rectifying the Fa and saving sentient beings. We are saving people in a land permeated with the evil “Red Terror.” Anyone can feel fear, but we still must save them.

Master told us:

“However hard the situation may be, you still must do the three things well. Saving sentient beings—that is a Dafa disciple’s responsibility! A Dafa disciple’s Consummation is absolutely not just individual Consummation. Rather, it must be that in saving sentient beings you will have led countless beings to Consummation. That holds true for every one of you!” (“Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XII)

Protection and Safety Come From the Fa

Many practitioners persevere in clarifying the truth—whether they work in technology, coordination, producing flyers, telling people about the Fa, or distributing informational materials—and because they are filled with righteous thoughts, they have not encountered any problems at all. The evil forces truly dare not touch them. These practitioners find their path of cultivation in the Fa-rectification becoming smoother and broader with each step.

Practitioners who feel fear might want to try this approach, take that step, and become truly remarkable. As long as we have faith in Master and the Fa, there is no obstacle we cannot overcome. Master’s Law Bodies are always by our side, watching over us, and the Fa-guarding gods are also constantly with us. What is there to fear? As long as our righteous thoughts are strong, Master has the power to turn the tide. Dafa is boundless, and its power is infinite.

The views I share aim to remind practitioners to step forward and join those saving sentient beings. I sincerely hope that all practitioners who are cultivating in Dafa will achieve Consummation guided by Master. 

If there is anything in my sharing that is not in line with the Fa, please kindly point it out.