(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher commented in "Study the Fa Well, and Getting Rid of Attachments is Not Hard" (from a recent Clearwisdom article, "The Only Thing Falun Dafa Disciples Have a Role in Is Saving People ** With Teacher's Commentary"):
"The fact is, those who can't step forward, regardless of the excuse, are concealing fear. Yet for cultivators, fear or lack thereof proves [one's] humanity or divinity, and it is what differentiates cultivators from ordinary people. It is something that a cultivator must face, and the biggest human attachment that a cultivator must remove."
Teacher has discussed the attachment of fear many times. In Zhuan Falun, Teacher mentioned that there was a person who became an Arhat after much effort in cultivation, but because of his fear of failing, he fell and his cultivation ended in vain. Teacher said in "Study the Fa Well, and Getting Rid of Attachments is Not Hard" that the issue of being fearful or fearless differentiated a cultivator from an ordinary person. It is clear that removing fear, the biggest human attachment, is vitally important for a cultivator, particularly for a Dafa practitioner during the Fa-rectification period. The attachment of fear is actually widespread. I would like to share with fellow practitioners my thoughts about the fear of being persecuted by the evil, based on my own enlightenment and the situations of the fellow practitioners I have seen and talked to.
The most effective way to get rid of fear is to study the Fa with a quiet mind. Recently, the authorities have been aggresively arresting practitioners in our area. One day the party secretary of our community told my father that the police station wanted every Falun Gong practitioner to fill out a form. We all knew that it was an excuse to persecute practitioners. During this time, our whole family (we are all Dafa cultivators) sent forth righteous thoughts to disintegrate the evil's plan to persecute practitioners and to prevent practitioners from filling out the form. After a few days, the secretary came back and told my father that it wasn't necessary to fill out the form after all. Through this incident, as we looked within, we knew it was the evil hoping to use our fear as a loophole to persecute us. Through studying the Fa, our righteous thoughts can become stronger, and every cell of our bodies, from the innermost areas to the surface, will be filled with Dafa, and fear will vanish completely. As teacher said, "If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)") I feel that when we are able to study the Fa with a quiet mind, getting rid of fear will not be difficult because:
"the Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Drive Out Interference")
We should use righteous thoughts all the time to deal with everything that happens, and never forget that we are Teacher's disciples. We have Teacher and the Fa. What is there to be afraid of?
"One thought born of righteous faith is all it takes. And whoever can hold firm that righteous thought and go the distance will become a magnificent god forged by Dafa." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")
Recently, some fellow practitioners stopped going out to distribute truth-clarifying materials because they were afraid. They stayed at home sending forth righteous thoughts and studying the Fa. They thought this would be the safest way. They went out to clarify the truth occasionally but only when they considered the situation to be very safe. They used excuses to cover up their selfishness and fear. Some fellow practitioners thought that, because they had distributed lots of materials in the past, it would be fine if they didn't do as much and that they could raise their levels by sending forth righteous thoughts and studying the Fa more frequently at home. They were afraid of giving the evil any opportunities during this final phase. Isn't this the biggest loophole? They didn't know that the "safest" way was the least safe, because the old forces were watching closely to find a loophole to persecute us. Only when we diligently do well the three things that Teacher requires of us, can we keep up with the Fa-rectification and truly be safe. Actually, we have fear because we do not clearly understand the evil persecution, taking it to be ordinary human persecution against human beings.
As a cultivator, our fear at some particular moment has a lot to do with the state of our cultivation. Actually, it is time to remove our attachment of fear. If we use our righteous thoughts to deal with it, we'll be able to get rid of this attachment. When some fellow practitioners felt fearful, they found all kinds of excuses to cover it up. When a cultivator has an attachment, it shouldn't be covered up. It is very important to know the Fa well and to have persistent righteous thoughts. It entails the degree of our belief in Teacher and the Fa. Teacher has provided us all the abilities needed to validate the Fa and if we do not follow what Teacher requires of us, isn't it because we do not totally believe in Teacher? If a Dafa practitioner has the slightest doubt in Teacher, it will affect his or her capabilities.
The evil has now been reduced to a minimum, and we should be more persistent doing the three things well. Then we can:
"Be solid and firm like diamond, or granite, and then nothing can affect you--evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")
It is the evil that fears us. Why should we be afraid?