(Clearwisdom.net) During the process of cultivation, we need to let go of all human attachments. At present the attachment to "fear" still exists among some practitioners to various extents. This is especially the case in places where the persecution is most severe in China, and among a number of practitioners in some other regions in the country.
At the beginning of the persecution that started on July 20, 1999, everyone had to overcome the attachment to "fear". For those who were able to say, "I have no fear" at that time, the majority came to realize from the Fa that with Teacher and the Fa, what is there to fear? Still, because this tribulation was so severe, most practitioners could not rid themselves of the attachment to fear in such a short time. That is to say, although many practitioners understood that they should let go of this attachment, their mentality was not that solid since they had not assimilated to the Fa yet and had not undergone tests.
For example, there was one person who was scared of snakes: she did not feel good when seeing toys or pictures with snakes, or even hearing the word "snake". How could this be? Although she knew there was no real danger, she was still frightened. She also could not really tell what it was that made her scared. Similarly, some are scared when confronted by the evil, just like being afraid of a snake. It is not unusual for a person to be frightened when seeing a snake for the first time, but one cannot go to extremes. When validating the Fa and exposing the evil, if our mentality is not stable, we must look inward on the basis of the Fa to see where we fall short.
Dafa practitioners should not be attached to anything in the human world, "In religious cultivation in the past, Buddhists taught Emptiness--not thinking about anything, and entering the Gate of Emptiness. And Daoists taught Nothingness--having nothing, wanting nothing, and seeking nothing." (Lecture Two in Zhuan Falun) If we are unafraid of death, is there anything in the human world worth being attached to?
On the issue of death, we also need to have a correct understanding. As Dafa practitioners, we should not think of death so easily when issues come up. Some practitioners might say, "No one wants to seek death." Then what was on our mind when the evil unreasonably tortured us? Some may think, " Dafa practitioners are not intimidated by torture. You can do whatever you want. Even if you beat me to death, I will still not be transformed." There are also other thoughts similar to these. Perhaps we should think this way: "I have let go of the attachment to everything in the human world and I have transcended everyday human beings. How can an everyday person harm me?" When an evil person tortures a Dafa disciple who has strong righteous thoughts--a being that is walking the journey towards becoming a god--very often he receives karmic retribution even before touching the Dafa disciple. This example demonstrates how powerful righteous thoughts are. How can we allow vicious thugs to beat us, or even torture us to death? If this occurs, either our righteous thoughts are not strong enough, or our understanding of the Fa is not clear.
It's better to think: "I am a Dafa disciple, and Teacher is taking care of me. My cultivation journey is arranged by Teacher, not by you old forces or evil party specters. I will break any connection to you, and do not acknowledge any vow with the old forces. I will reach consummation in this life, and anyone or anything interfering with this is committing a sin." Meanwhile, do not forget to send forth righteous thoughts. If it is indeed very hard, we may ask Teacher for help. In this way, we can overcome any tribulations no matter how big it is.
Let us think about it, isn't even the highest being's life in the cosmos due to Dafa allowing it to exist? It is Dafa that gives opportunities to all beings. The reason that evil can still exist is because Fa-rectification has not ended yet. The evil is still playing the various roles of persecutors arranged by the old forces. It is in this process, that Teacher allows Dafa practitioners to eliminate the evil and to cultivate. Once the process ends, the evil will be completely eradicated. Therefore, we need to be clear on the separation of Dafa practitioners and the elements that interfere with Dafa practitioners. How could Dafa practitioners, on their journey of cultivation, unconsciously surrender their future to other elements?
I know my words are heavy, but I feel we must not leave any chance at all for the old forces to take advantage of us. We need to be righteous in our minds, and regard the Fa as Teacher. If anything I have said is incorrect please point it out. Let us all cultivate diligently on this issue.
September 19, 2005
