(Part II)

(Continued from Part I)

My Yuanshen (Main Consciousness) left my body at noon the next day. I was very glad to see some familiar practitioners approaching me, smiling. To my surprise, they attempted to attack me as they came close. They even said that they were true practitioners, whereas I was not. While doing battle with them, I started to think, "I am a real practitioner and I carry a righteous spirit with me. Since you are trying to do me harm, there is no doubt that you are evil spirits disguised as practitioners." As soon as my righteous thought emerged, their true nature was revealedthey were a bunch of fowls and weasels. Just as I thought of incinerating them with fire, a fiery dragon burst out of my Niwan Palace with flames spraying out of its mouth; there was suddenly an ocean of fire and smoke. Immediately thereafter, another dragon flew out of my Niwan Palace and crystal clear water gushed from its mouth like a waterfall. In a fleeting moment the muddy sky turned pure and fresh. Two more evil phantoms disguised as practitioners approached me for battle. This time I commanded them outright to show their true identity. They insisted that they were indeed the two "practitioners" whom I knew. I thought that I knew these two practitioners really well and that they were indeed genuine practitioners. I knew they would never harm me. After my righteous thoughts formed, I could see our predestined relationship from the past. It turned out that these two practitioners were related to me in a certain realm. Due to my shortcomings, they also accrued some karma. Their karma in another dimension took on their appearance and semblance. The phantoms were not the real practitioners; rather, they were the manifestations of the two practitioners' evil nature. The two evil figures said to me, "We were changed to this form because of your own imperfections, so why are you destroying us?" I replied by saying, "Yes, I had my blemish before, and I have affected those lives below my own realm. But I am willing to repent and change for the better. That is why I am cultivating the virtuous Fa. You, however, were formed by karma and are trying to undermine the Dafa. There will be no place for you in the New Universe, so therefore I have to demolish you." I used a Tathagata's earthen bowl to illuminate them, and they instantly changed into tiny specks of liquid-black karma. Through this incident, I realized that as practitioners, we have accumulated significant amounts of karma through our various incarnations at different levels. It is precisely because we still have the heart for repentance and the willingness to return to our true selves that our Teacher will save us by facing innumerable hardships and confronting the most arduous, untold difficulties. Our Teacher has such immense and boundless compassion.

Without being aware of it, my attachment of complacency gradually reared its ugly head. One day, I finally realized just how serious this was after I lost my divine powers while subduing demons. I began to grasp that, as practitioners, every surrounding environment is provided for our cultivation. Our Xinxing will be tested even during the process of eliminating demons. Is there Fa in your heart? Can you distinguish the right from the evil? Can you discriminate between true and false? Do you have an attachment of complacency? One must recognize that only the Fa can exterminate evil. If you do not have a righteous heart, none of your divine powers will be revealed. After I corrected myself, everything went back to normal. Our Teacher has set a very high standard for our cultivation.

III. Returning Home

It was a calm and beautiful day. A lion carried me on his back and took me climbing over mountains and leaping over countless cliffs. Several times I could feel that the lion was getting tired; yet each time he charged bravely forward, overcoming many hardships and dangerous encounters. The lion finally delivered me in front of a universe that was saturated with substance. There, I changed transportation and got on the back of a black leopard. We entered into an immense and boundless universe. I couldn't see any life with a definite form and all I could feel was darkness. I could not even see my own fingers. The black leopard sprinted forward like a lightening bolt through this universe. After a seemingly unfathomable length of time, we reached a beautiful meadow with a blue sky and snowy white clouds. From there a swan carried me towards the sky. We went piercing through the sea of clouds and finally landed at a place that was so immaculate and beautiful that it was beyond description. I saw Teacher and many other practitioners waiting for those of us arriving late. Right after I got there, another familiar practitioner also flew in. He asked me, "Brother, when did you arrive?" I told him I just got there not long ago. Following this, several more practitioners arrived and they all flew in by themselves. I took a look at myself and found that I was a small Caucasian boy.

Later, Teacher guided me on my next journey with a thin thread. Though he was facing me, he kept a certain distance from me. I reached out with my right hand, trying to catch the thread, but I could not reach it. Below, there was a vast and boundless ocean and my body was no more than a few feet from the surface. I was virtually hugging the water while flying. I was a bit apprehensive. If I had any fearful thoughts I would have fallen into the ocean; but I knew Teacher was helping me rid myself of the attachment of fear. I had several simple thoughts in my mind: do not look down; do not have any deliberation; just keep my eyes focused further ahead. Teacher was there, yet I could no longer see him. I kept shouting, "Teacher, Teacher, Teacher" while flying with all my might, trying to follow that thin thread. I didn't remember how long it was before I finally crossed the immense ocean and arrived in the realm with many Buddhas. I looked at myself and I was a Goddess--a great Tao. While turning around, my gown waved to and fro like a changing cloud. In the sky, the positions of many high-level life forms also changed accordingly. I flew up again, going through various realms and reaching yet another dimension. I was a male Ambassador of Peace in that universe. I continued to ascend and pass through countless spaces. Again, I arrived at the Teacher's side. I was a dragona Guardian of Fa in that realm. From there, I burst out of that universe and rose to a boundlessly azure sky. There were no clouds in sight. Everything was crystal clear and twinkling stars surrounded me. With such clear skies and fresh air, I felt carefree and joyous. Looking back, the universe that once contained my sacred realm was no more than a little rubber ball in front of me. It was so tiny and insignificant. It felt just like what Teacher wrote, when he said, "The vast heaven and earth are small in my eyes, Who created the immense firmament?" [Wish, January 1, 1990]

Only within this environment could I truly appreciate the immense splendor and compassion of our Teacher, as well as the profundity and mystique of the Fa (only the most infinitesimal part of which I could comprehend). As Teacher stated in his article [Firmament, September 24, 1995], "The vastness of the universe and the enormity of the cosmic bodies can never be understood by humans through exploration; the minuteness of matter can never be detected by humans. The human body is so mysterious that it is beyond human knowledge, which can merely scratch the surface. Life is so abundant and complex that it will forever remain an eternal enigma to mankind."

Teacher mentioned to me that there are still higher realms awaiting me, and I must advance further in my cultivation. I realized that Teacher has intended for me to cultivate to an even purer, more virtuous state. Suddenly I returned to my body of flesh in the human realm.

Chinese practitioner

April 20, 2001