(Clearwisdom.net) On July 18th, 2000, the Minghui editors wrote an article called "Our Compassionate and Venerable Master," which I found deeply moving. The article states:
"In the year 2000, everyone in the world is relieved that we have made it through many crises and have entered into yet another era. Of all the people in the world, who is capable of knowing why human beings are so fortunate? How many soothsayers have now lost their appeal? And yet it is our Master, who has enabled humankind to have this hope for survival, has been bearing the karma that was produced from the deterioration of humankind throughout the course of history."
"In the face of this kind of vicious and dangerous situation, Master gathered together all of this karma and the huge physical elements composed of evil. Master used his own body to bear them, and, at the same time, to destroy these huge evil elements."
"That humankind has made it to the year 2000 is not to give humankind prosperity, and even less is it to allow humankind to continue creating karma for their own selfish interests."
When I re-read this article, I felt a sense of alarm. It is a very big wake-up call!
When the Chinese Communist Party began its persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999, practitioners in China were subjected to a very harsh cultivation environment, while overseas practitioners were still able to cultivate in a relatively peaceful setting. All genuine practitioners know that Teacher has endured tremendous hardships to enable us to break through the arrangements of the old forces, and as Fa-rectification progresses, overseas practitioners are becoming more and more mature in their personal cultivation.
Practitioners have spent a huge amount of time helping to validate the Fa during this historic period, and this is a main requirement of our cultivation process. Over the past eleven years, we have done many things well, but have also done things that failed to meet the requirements of Fa-rectification.
I want to point out some of the main areas where I feel that we practitioners can improve.
Overseas working environment
In some areas overseas, Fa-rectification work has gone very smoothly, while in other areas it has not, with some areas facing unresolved, longstanding issues. In some regions, practitioners vacillate between doing well and not doing so well, and this even applies to practitioners in the same area. The reason is that practitioners have problems in their understanding of the Fa and are not earnestly cultivating their xinxing.
Many overseas practitioners have long recognized that mutual cooperation is the key to saving sentient beings, and in dealing with specific issues, the results achieved are dependent upon the states of mind of each individual in a given group. I believe it is important to improve our minds and meet the requirements that Teacher has set for us, to be selfless and consider others first. This is the key to saving more sentient beings and fulfilling our historic vows.
If we use ordinary people's methods and techniques to deal with the problems we encounter when validating the Fa, and look externally to find solutions, we will only reach a certain level in cultivation. Furthermore, we might become complacent or find ourselves embroiled in endless conflict. This will make it difficult for us to work together and achieve the required results. In order to get to the root of the problem, we each need to focus on improving ourselves through cultivation, and then we will avoid many problems and achieve better results. By doing so, we will find it easier to meet Teacher's requirements and save more sentient beings.
Overseas practice environment
As part of our cultivation Teacher has provided us with the setting of group exercises and Fa-study, but as practitioners have become increasingly busier over the years, many overseas practitioners rarely participate in regular group exercises. With regards to group Fa-study, practitioners normally read one of Teacher's lectures then immediately talk about their respective projects to validate the Fa. When practitioners are asked to share a little about their cultivation experiences, the group usually falls silent, or only a couple of individuals will say a few words. The small amount of time spent on sharing does not amount to group cultivation, nor could it enable all involved to improve as a whole. This situation reflects the cultivation state of each practitioner in the group. To break through this level, we each need to make breakthroughs in our own cultivation.
As we improve our cultivation environment, cooperate well on various projects and save sentient beings, we will be more effective in achieving better results with less effort. I firmly believe that it is not that difficult to improve our group cultivation environment. Teacher said:
"It is all right to talk about one's own individual understandings, however. People may share thoughts with one another, saying: "I have come to realize something... now I have come to see the following meaning..." "I feel that it indicates that I didn't handle something well, so I should improve in certain ways..." or "This sentence is referring to me, hinting that I didn't do well. This is great." When that person improves and reads it again, he will find that the same sentence provides new insight. That is how a person improves, and it is in that manner that people enlighten to and understand things." (Zhuan Falun (Volume II)).
If we diligently study the Fa together and meet the basic requirements of group sharing, our Fa-study group and exercise environment will naturally improve. Participating in group Fa-study is a part of cherishing the basic requirements that Teacher has established for us.
Without a doubt, our environment for cultivation and to validate the Fa are one and the same.
This is my personal understanding, and I hope that my humble insights will encourage others that are more capable than me to share their understandings. I hope that we can cooperate better and treasure the environment that Teacher has created for us.
