(Clearwisdom.net) It has been a while since any of our local practitioners have run into so-called "tribulations." Recently however, an older female practitioner suddenly lost her eyesight, and another practitioner's home was robbed. When these things happened, the persons concerned should have looked inward and found the places where their mind-heart nature (xinxing) had gaps in their cultivation. Some who were concerned actually looked outward and analyzed the problems from the surface, attempting to solve the problems using ordinary people's methods. Teacher indicated clearly in his Fa-lectures (1) that whatever occurs around practitioners is not accidental, and all incidents relate directly to practitioners' cultivation practice. The practitioners who had "accidents" should think about why they met with the tribulations, and try to find where they may still have omissions that let the evil beings find loopholes to persecute them. It was known that several practitioners who had "accidents," indeed, had very serious problems in their xinxing. Some of them were disturbed by the attachments of their personal sentiments for a long time, and some of them spent much time pursuing the bad things that ordinary people desired. They were not rational and clearheaded, so they let the evil beings take the opportunity to find their loopholes.
Falun Dafa requires that practitioners have higher mind-heart natures than ordinary people. However, in the case of the blind practitioner, from the time that she started practicing Falun Dafa prior to July 20, 1999 when the persecution began, to the time of losing her eyesight, she hadn't seriously cultivated at all. Not to mention that, she didn't do well the three things that Teacher has requested of practitioners (2), even the two basic things -- studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. She was not at all steadfast in these areas. The worst thing was that she never quit smoking after all those years, and she played Mah Jong all the time, something which even most ordinary people didn't do. For such a person, who didn't adhere to the course of cultivation practice seriously, how could the old forces not find her loopholes to persecute her? The old forces want to prove that one is unable to practice cultivation and also want to separate practitioners from the Fa-rectification. Actually, the dark minions of the old forces, and the bad gods arranged by the old forces to have negative effects, both persecute practitioners according to the old cosmos' Fa-principles. If we act with righteous thoughts, if every action and thought that we have is in accordance with the Fa, then the old forces can do nothing to us. If they still persecute practitioners, then Teacher and the Fa-guarding gods will not pardon them. If we don't walk righteous paths, and if we also have attachments, then the old forces will disturb us. They will strengthen and enlarge our attachments. Then they will make us irrational, and step by step try to induce practitioners to quit practicing, and finally they will persecute practitioners. All this happens just like Teacher said:
"The evil takes advantage of the slightest gap and glares menacingly at every single word and action of yours. Whatever you're attached to, that's what the evil beings will strengthen, and when your mind is off they will make you irrational." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference")
Of course, the things the evil beings have done were arranged by the old forces. At present, although the old forces no longer exist, their mechanisms and systems still work, and are protected whole-heartedly by the dark minions of the old forces and the bad gods, which the old forces arranged to have negative effects. Therefore, the evil beings glare menacingly at every single word and action of ours and wait for our gaps to be revealed at any time. Teacher said:
"Of course, we don't acknowledge any of the things that the old forces arranged--I as your master don't acknowledge them, and Dafa disciples of course don't acknowledge them either. But after all, they did do what they wanted to do, so there's all the more reason for Dafa disciples to do even better and cultivate themselves well in the course of saving all beings. When you encounter ordeals during your cultivation, you have got to cultivate yourself and look at yourself--that doesn't mean acknowledging the ordeals arranged by the old forces and trying to do well amidst the ordeals they've arranged, that's not the case. We negate even the very emergence of the old forces and everything that they've arranged; we don't even acknowledge their existence. We're fundamentally negating all of their things, and all of, and only, the things you do while negating and getting rid of them is mighty-virtue. It's not that you're cultivating amidst the ordeals they created. Rather, you are to walk your own path well while not acknowledging them, not even acknowledging the elimination of their ordeals' manifestations. So looking at it from this angle, what we need to do is completely negate the old forces. Dafa disciples and I don't even acknowledge the manifestations of their last-ditch efforts." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference")
My fellow practitioners, during the last period of Fa-rectification, we must pay attention. We should take responsibility for ourselves, and especially for the sentient beings that we are here to save!
Notes
(1) Fa: Law and principles; the teachings of Falun Dafa.
(2) Master Li has asked practitioners to study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts, and clarify the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution in China.