(Clearwisdom.net) For Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, the issue of on what basis we view the Fa-Rectification is a very serious matter. On the surface, the main purpose of writing solemn declarations is for those of us who did not do things righteously during the persecution to have a chance to start afresh and do well again, so as to clean up our own stains in our cultivation. But from the basis of Fa-rectification, the reason to write solemn declarations is not merely to clean up one's own stains, it should also be to eliminate the evil and to make up for the losses one has caused to Dafa. Compared to matters of Fa-rectification, everything else is trivial. We must think of Dafa first in anything we do, and this is being Fa-rectification Dafa disciples.
Some people did not let go of their everyday people's mentality and used the writing of solemn declarations as a way out to cover the fact that they had not cultivated themselves righteously. Some people gave in to the evil due to fear, yet they did not dare to write solemn declarations with the excuse that doing so was just a formality and it would be fine as long as they could genuinely cultivate themselves righteously afterewards. In fact, this because they did not look at the relationship between themselves and the Fa-rectification with righteous thoughts. Furthermore, after a practitioner succumbed to the evil by writing "gurantee letters," his or her deterioration and degeneration in mind and body is very frightening and a grievous situation. He or she does not feel scared by any of these, yet he or she fears for a tiny loss in the human world. This is precisely the behavior of someone who does not truly study the Fa well, and who has a very poor quality of enlightenment and character.
There are also some practitioners who had not cultivated themselves righteously in the past or even went astray along the evil path, and who, after they recognized their mistakes, worked extremely hard in doing Dafa work, hoping to make up for the losses they had caused. Among them, the final goal of some people was to regain their own losses they thought they had lost, rather than to genuinely make up for the losses they have caused to Fa-rectification. For an everyday person, if he or she did something bad to defame Dafa, that everyday person could be given another opportunity to make up for the losses by doing something good. This is because everyday people are only repositioning themselves and they are not participating in the Fa-rectification. Their character problems will not cause interference to Fa-rectification. For a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple, the situation is completely different. We are participating in the Fa-rectification and all of our loopholes will be exploited by the evil as excuses to persecute us, and consequently will bring losses to the Fa.
Another issue is on what basis we look at our own cultivation. In the past, I looked at my own cultivation with a very complicated mentality. For example, practicing the exercises was to strengthen supernormal capabilities; studying the Fa was to speed up the progress of my cultivation; letting go of attachments was to attain Consummation, because I knew that I would not attain Consummation if I did not let go of my attachments. Though I did not have an explicit intention to pursue these things, that was what I thought deep down in my mind. The true, original basis of all of these matters revolved around "for myself." The true, original basis of my cultivation was also centering around "me." Because I wanted to achieve certain goals, so I took actions to make my goals come true.
It was only until recently while I was studying the Fa that I truly realized the fact that all this time I had been holding on to the basis of individual cultivation, which was hidden deeply in my mind. As a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple, we are not here simply to attain our own Consummation, rather we are here to assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification and in saving people. For Re-rectification Dafa disciples, all of our actions, thoughts and notions are closely related to offering salvation to all beings. Even though some matters in our daily lives do not appear to have much connection to saving all beings, Fa-rectification Dafa disciples' handling of these everyday matters has significant implications. I began to realize that the meaning of offering salvation to all beings is very significant. Offering salvation to all sentient beings is not only limited to clarifying the truth, which is only one aspect of saving sentient beings. In fact, our cultivation itself is to offer salvation to all sentient beings. If we cultivate ourselves very well, fewer of the beings in the cosmos that we represent will be weeded out. In this special period of Fa-rectification, even for a seemingly normal and small gesture, if it does not comply to the Fa, it may cause some beings in our worlds to be weeded out. Therefore, we must truly follow Teacher's teaching in all our words and actions, and in all our thoughts and notions. At the same time, we must study the Fa well, send forth righteous thought and clarify the truth. Only when we are truly able to do so, are we truly offering salvation to all beings and accomplishing something according to Teacher' requirements. Teacher said in the Fa lecture "Touring North America to Teach the Fa",
"Why do I say that Dafa disciples are different from the cultivators of the past? I say that Dafa disciples are magnificent, but only if you've cultivated really well is your Consummation truly magnificent. A Dafa disciple's Consummation isn't just about an ordinary being breaking out of the Three Realms. Think about it, when you cultivate well few beings in the gigantic cosmos turn bad and few of them get weeded out. And when you return, they will truly regard you as their Lord, their King, and have boundless reverence for you, because you saved them, you sacrificed for them, and you gave them everything they have. But if you don't cultivate well, many beings will be weeded out since we can't not weed out beings who are no longer salvageable."
In the past, studying the Fa, cultivating character, and practicing the exercises were all for improving myself, and the ultimate goal of my cultivation was to attain Consummation. Now I am clear about the basis, and I no longer think about what I am going to accomplish while doing Dafa work. The reason I am doing Dafa work is to fulfill my duty as a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple. My personal understanding of the duty of a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple is that during this special period, all the things that we will do, including each thought and each notion, must truly be in line with Teacher's teachings. That is to use our whole body and heart and all the best things in us to harmoniously perfect what Teacher wants in Fa-rectification. One of the major objectives is to offer salvation to all beings. Its manifestation is that we will do exactly what Teacher said unconditionally and that regardless of the scale of the task, we will do it with all we have. This is the duty for being a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple and is the genuine meaning of our life. If the basis of our cultivation practice revolves around ourselves and we attempt to use Dafa to perfect our own plans so that we can achieve some goal, we are completely mistaken. Teacher said,
"So for the beings of the old cosmos, and this includes all the elements of beings, when it comes to the Fa-rectification and what I choose, all beings' harmonizing and completing things according to my choices and contributing their best ideas and approaches--not to change what I want, but to harmonize and complete things according to what I've said--is the best thought a being in the cosmos could have. (Applause) But the old forces haven't been doing it that way. They've considered their choices the most essential, and have thought that everything I do should harmonize everything they want--they've completely reversed it. I don't want to state their crimes too harshly, right now I don't want to name their crimes. But it's absolutely wrong, they absolutely can't do it that way." ("Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
The basis of our cultivation is for Fa-rectification and saving all beings. The basis of our life is to harmonize and accomplish what Teacher wants, rather than "for myself." When we truly meet this requirement, we can then be worthy of the title of Fa-rectification Dafa disciples. It is because we are great beings created by Teacher in this special period of Fa-rectification, and we are to become the great enlightened beings with the nature of "selflessness" and "not attaching to oneself" in the new cosmos.
The above are my personal understandings, please kindly correct me if there is anything inappropriate.
