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Validating Oneself and Validating Dafa

February 13, 2004 |   By Zhengxing, a practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net)

While sharing experiences with fellow practitioners, I found that some practitioners still think that they must first "validate themselves" before they can validate Dafa. I personally feel that this view is a result of selfishness, and I believe those practitioners share an incorrect mentality.

As Dafa practitioners in the Fa-rectification period, we gain glory by participating in the rectification of the entire universe. At the same time, we must always behave according to Teacher's requirements in our personal cultivation in order to assimilate to the Fa and abandon all of our attachments. Even if we attain results and uplift our personal cultivation to a higher realm, we must remember that we owe everything to Teacher's compassionate salvation; we really contributed very little ourselves. Since Falun Gong is being persecuted and Teacher is being slandered and insulted, we should step forward and protect Dafa in kind ways, as well as work to restore the reputation of our Teacher. This is not the same as validating oneself. Teacher said, "...as a cultivator, you should make use of all feasible conditions to spread Dafa and validate Dafa as a correct and true science, rather than preaching or idealism- this is every cultivator's obligation. Without this enormous Buddha Fa, there would be nothing--and this includes everything in the universe, from the most macroscopic to the most microscopic, as well as all of human society's knowledge." ("Validation" from Essentials for Further Advancement). Actually Teacher said a long time ago, "Without my Law Bodies doing these things, even protecting the people in charge could hardly be ensured, let alone spreading the Fa widely. So don't always think of yourselves too highly." ("A Heavy Blow" from Essentials for Further Advancement). I understand that speaking of the present Fa-rectification it is through our Teacher's mercy that we are able to be here today. Otherwise, this opportunity for us as to clarify the truth and save sencient beings would not exist.

Actually, the fellow practitioners who hold on to the "validating oneself" idea often show serious problems in the process of Fa-rectification. They are very pleased with themselves when they do things well, and after some time they become attached to complacency. Then they only want comfort. Finally, they even become afraid of coming out to do Dafa work because they fear that their levels will drop if they do not do well, so they conclude that not coming out at all is better. Such a mindset certainly leads them into being unable to clarify the truth well as required by the current situation. And once they do not do well, they fail to recover, falling into low spirits instead. This also undermines the effectiveness of Dafa work. Of course practitioners with the "validating oneself" thought are generally unable to flow with the Fa-rectification current, act according to the Fa, and cooperate with others. Only when we practitioners abandon this attachment to ourselves can we harmonize perfectly with Dafa and truly act according to Teacher's requirements: "So in your many projects your actions should reflect an understanding of others, an ability to listen to people's opinions, and an ability to gauge what's right and what's wrong by using Dafa." "The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference").

At present, we must diligently study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts and clarify the truth. Only by doing so can we fulfill our ancient solemn vows.