(Clearwisdom.net) After receiving Master’s recent article, "Pass the Deadly Test," I studied it a few times in a row. Human notions controlled my mind and kept telling me, "This only concerns the practitioners who have cultivated but have enlightened on an evil path, and the practitioners who have been spies among the practitioners and have not turned around." But I knew that this was not right, so I required myself to study this new article more times.
It is not easy to look inward. It was our compassionate Master who guided me and enlightened me, so that I could gradually understand more. This learning process also helped me see the suffering and hardship the Master endures to save people with compassion. I would like to share with fellow practitioners my understandings gained from this new article.
1. We do not cultivate to eliminate the attachment to fear
In doing the three things to validate Dafa, we often have many thoughts which are not righteous. For example, when giving out truth-clarification materials, we sometimes think, "Even if I were arrested by the evil people, I still would need to tell the truth to the people, including the people who are committing crimes by arresting me." On the surface, this thought was righteous. However, as we elevate in cultivation, we now understand that this thought is actually accepting the old forces’ persecution of Dafa. Furthermore, this thought is using a human means to let go of the attachment to fear. In other words, to eliminate the attachment of fearing being arrested, we have even considered the worst-case scenario, which is being arrested. It implies that there is nothing to fear since we would still clarify the facts to the police if we were arrested.
The old forces can use such "righteous thoughts" as, "I need to clarify the facts even if I were arrested," to persecute Dafa and Dafa disciples. The reason is that in order to get rid of this attachment, we are using human means, instead of the righteous thoughts of cultivators that comes from Dafa. Master said,
"If you want to use some tricks or methods to achieve stillness, I’d say you’re looking outward for help. And it means that you’ve gone wrong in your practice, or you’ve taken a crooked path, which is the same as looking outward for help. And that’s especially true in Buddhism, where if you look outward they’ll say you’ve gone down a demonic path." ("Lecture 9" from Zhuan Falun)
Having no fear is not a state of a human being. Once cultivators reach the state of selflessness, we often demonstrate a state of having no fear. To put it another way, we do not cultivate to eliminate the attachment to fear. However, only when we focus on Fa study and study the Fa well can we eliminate the attachment to fear.
2. With righteous thoughts, help former fellow practitioners return to the path of Dafa cultivation
In this article, I will call the fellow practitioners who have enlightened on an evil path "confused ones." There is a confused one around me. This has given me an opportunity to observe the state of these people who used to be our fellow practitioners. They are in frequent and broad touch with each other, and are spread all over the country. They often travel to meet with each other. They think they have done well and that they are doing "true cultivation." In fact, they do not study Zhuan Falun, or follow the requirements of Master to guide themselves. Some of them are lay Buddhists, and some are following other cultivation ways. Some say their true master is so-and-so, and some practitioners who have been detained in labor camps have spread the so-called "true scriptures." There are all kinds of situations.
I have come into contact with these confused ones several times. Their most important characteristics is that they don’t understand the Fa principles well and have a strong attachment of fear. I wondered, "How can these people be so confused? How can they be like that?" I began to focus more and more on the mistakes they showed on their paths, which have deviated from Dafa cultivation.
After studying "Pass the Deadly Test," I finally realized that I was wrong. Master has never given up on any practitioner, even those who have betrayed Dafa and their fellow practitioners. Master’s lectures on the Fa and recent articles are also meant to guide them. It was because of Master’s great compassion that so many practitioners are able to return to the path of Dafa cultivation.
Master mentioned the practitioners who have enlightened on evil paths in many lectures. Using my human notions, I thought that Master has talked little about such practitioners, and that Master does not want to talk to them anymore. Subconsciously, I began to despise these practitioners, not regarding them as lives that Master wants to save. I did not notice this change in me. Although occasionally I sent forth righteous thoughts for them and shared understandings with them, I did not truly care about them or want to help them.
It is easy to see that fear is the main reason that many people, who had previously learned the Fa, enlightened on an evil path, whatever the detailed circumstances. After enlightening on an evil path, it is again fear that caused them to be brainwashed and not clear-minded. Because these practitioners did not pay attention to studying the Fa, and did not study the Fa well, they were controlled by their attachment of fear. Actually, these practitioners are not the only ones harboring this fear. The state of being muddle-headed on Fa principles is not unique to these practitioners. It is also not only the responsibility of their friends, family, and fellow practitioners to help them return to the path of Fa-rectification cultivation.
During cultivation, when there is a conflict between two people, they both need to look inside. Even a third party who observes the conflict should look inside. Then if the old forces persecute our fellow practitioners so severely that they act irrationally, and even ordinary people feel that these people are unreasonable, then shouldn’t we look inside and be clear-headed in the face of such severe persecution by the evil old forces against Dafa?
We should not be attached to whether the people who quit practicing can return to the path of cultivation. We are also not doing well just for their awakening. However, we should have the right perspective in our own hearts and stop the evil that tarnishes Dafa. Maybe the fellow practitioners have attachments, maybe they are not clear on the Fa principles, and maybe they have done things against Dafa. Whatever the situation, we cannot allow the old forces to use this as an excuse to persecute Dafa and Dafa practitioners. We Dafa disciples are eliminating the attachment of fear through our cultivation. The part that has harmonized with the Fa is compassion. With the compassionate and righteous thoughts bestowed by Dafa, we can harmonize with everything the Master has chosen.
When studying the recent lectures, sometimes I truly feel that Master is clearing away bad elements for the disciples. I feel as if Master is eliminating dirty, heavy substances in other dimensions, and I feel relieved. My understanding is that Master has used the powerful ability of the Fa to rectify every unrighteous element in the universe. During the same process, Dafa disciples are also improving. That is why it is also vitally important for every Dafa disciple to study the new lectures well. Let us pay more attention to studying the Fa, and do even better!
The above is just my personal understanding. Please point out anything inappropriate.
