Improving Understandings of the Fa in Cultivation

(Minghui.org) As we cultivate, our xinxing and our understanding of the Fa improves too. The wonderfulness of the improvement can only be sensed in solid cultivation. Human language can only describe a small portion of it. I would like to share some of my understandings here that I have gained in cultivation. 

1. The Difference Between a Cultivator and an Everyday Person

A Cultivator Is Watched by Master

A fellow practitioner told me that his child, who also cultivates, was once asked what an everyday person is like and what makes a person a cultivator. His child said, “Divine beings do not watch an everyday person, but a cultivator is watched by them.”

Yes, maybe he really saw it. Every cultivator is protected by Master’s fashen. Master also told us, 

“I have already told you that behind every practitioner there is my fashen, and not just one.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)

A Cultivator Looks Within When Encountering Conflicts

Master said, 

“For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX)

An everyday person usually blames others when encountering conflicts. Of course, some of them might consider and forgive others, but they do so because they don’t want to lower themselves to the other person’s level. 

When a cultivator encounters conflicts or is wronged by others, he or she will look within, even if it is completely the other person’s fault. This is required by the Fa. A cultivator’s life has been rearranged by Master. So when conflicts arise it is because you have certain attachments. It is a chance to improve yourself. So, whether you can look within demonstrates if you are a cultivator. That is why fellow practitioners might say, “You don’t act like a cultivator,” when you throw a fit or yell in conflicts. 

A Cultivator Treats Fame, Money, and Sentimentality Lightly

Fame, money, and sentimentality are the goals of everyday people. From the Fa, a cultivator understands that what we have in our life is because of our karma, and fame, money, and sentimentality are merely illusions. 

But, since we are cultivating in the maze, in the big dye vat, we often have attachments to those things. Through cultivation, we should be able to get rid of these things gradually. 

A Cultivator’s Life Has been Fundamentally Changed by Master

Falun Dafa cultivates body and mind. Master said,

“A cultivation practice of mind and body stores energy in all cells of the body.” 

“When your cultivation reaches this point, the high-energy matter will replace all cells in your body. Think about it: Is your body still made of the Five Elements? Is it still matter from this dimension of ours? It is already made of the high-energy matter collected from other dimensions.” 

“An everyday person cannot discern the changes in you from the appearance, as your cells’ molecules still retain their original structure and combination; their structure does not change. Yet the energy inside has changed. Thus, from this point on this person will not age naturally, and his cells will not die. Accordingly, he will stay young continuously. In the course of cultivation practice, one will look young and, in the end, stay that way.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)

Many of us have witnessed the changes in our bodies. Because our cells are filled with elements from other dimensions, many of us look very young as we age and different than everyday people. 

The Lives of a Cultivator and an Everyday Person Have Different Destinies 

Every day people fight in everyday life and make a lot of karma. So they will reincarnate, and then repay their karma. 

A cultivator walks on the path arranged by Master. He or she eliminates karma through hardships and accumulates de to increase gong. A cultivator will break free from the cycle of reincarnation and reach consummation at different levels. 

2. Differentiate the True Self from the False Self

We often think that our speech and behavior, or that of fellow practitioners, and every day people come from our true selves as if the speech and behavior reflect our true character. 

But our true selves actually assimilate to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Our true selves are benevolent and altruistic. 

Master said, 

“In other words, a person’s earliest life comes from the universe. The space of the universe is benevolent to begin with and embodies the characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren. At birth, one is assimilated to the characteristic of the universe. Yet as the number of lives increases, a collective form of social relations develops in which some people may develop selfishness and gradually their level will be lowered. If they cannot stay at this level, they must drop down further. At that level, however, they may again become not so good and not be able to stay there, either. They will continue to descend further until, in the end, they reach this level of human beings.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

We dropped to this level because of selfishness. During this process, our true selves were polluted by the notions that deviate from the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. 

Master told us, 

“But with the lowly, impotent human body, whatever one’s thoughts align with will dominate the person. In other words, when beings of different planes notice that you want something, or are attached to something and that it precisely aligns with them, they take effect and even direct you. When a person is not rational or is venting anger, negative elements are taking effect. Everything is alive, and those things include evilness, desires, and hatred, among others. So in such situations they naturally take effect.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)

Understanding this teaching, we will be able to tell if our behavior and speech come from our true selves or not—it depends on whether the behavior and speech fit the standards of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance or not. If they don’t, we know that this person is controlled by notions and other beings. 

If we have this type of behavior and speech, then we should rectify ourselves in the Fa and get rid of any unrighteous thoughts. 

If fellow practitioners have these types of behavior and speech, then we should look within first. Everything of a cultivator is arranged by Master. The reason that we see fellow practitioners’ unrighteousness is that we have our own attachments, and Master uses fellow practitioners to give us a chance to improve ourselves. We should also point out these things to fellow practitioners with compassion, and remind them about the Fa-teachings. We should not blame them or complain about them. 

When everyday people do bad things, we will have sympathy, and try to help them to develop righteous thoughts. We will not want to take revenge or fight against them. 

3. We Need to Be Clear Who Arranges Our Lives

We often think things such as we should do such and such, otherwise such and such will happen. We spend a lot of time and mental power trying to arrange our lives. We believe that our arrangements are nearly perfect. Sometimes, we do things due to pressure from our family or friends. Sometimes, we are worried about fellow practitioners’ ordeals and try to tell them what to do or how to do it.

So, who arranges a cultivator’s life?

If we really understand that everything in a cultivator’s life is arranged by Master, we would not worry about our tribulations and troubles. We would know that these things are all good things that are used by Master to make us improve. We should follow the natural course of things. Cultivators have our own standard—the Fa. We look within according to the Fa and do everything following the Fa. 

Our fellow practitioners are likewise also within Master’s arrangements. We don’t have to worry about them or be eager to tell them what to do. When we see fellow practitioners’ shortcomings, we should treat it as a mirror that may reflect our own attachments. Maybe it is a hint from Master for us to see our own shortcomings. 

The most important thing is that a cultivator enlightens. Master is watching us. The best way to help a fellow practitioner who is in a tribulation is to study the Fa with him or her and keep him or her in a righteous field. The fellow practitioner will gain enlightenment from the Fa, and Master will give him guidance. If we see evil beings’ interfering with fellow practitioners, making them sleepy when studying the Fa, we should help them eliminate the interference, because we are one body. 

4. We Should Treat Everything As a Chance to Improve

Chances for Improvement Are Present All the Time

Can you get up in the early morning to send forth righteous thoughts and do the exercises? It is the moment to get rid of the attachment to comfort. When having a good meal, you love this dish, but not that one. Do you think about getting rid of the attachment to food? When people around you curse or hurt you, do you realize that they are helping you to improve your level? Do you think it is Master’s arrangement for you to see your attachments? These people have a predestined relationship with you, so you should save them. Do you treat senior fellow practitioners as elderly people, and think that they need your help? Such thoughts may bring them trouble. In a busy public place, do you remember that you are a cultivator with the task of saving people? Do you send forth righteous thoughts to the crowd to eliminate all evil lives and elements that prevent them from being awakening to the truth? When doing the three things, is your main conscience clear? When studying the Fa, do you scan the words, or soak yourself in the profoundness of the Fa? When doing the exercises, do you concentrate, or think of nonsense? Is your motivation for saving people to accumulate de, or truly for the sentient beings? The chances for us to improve occur all the time. 

Everything in Daily Life Is a Chance to Improve

Master said, 

“Since it’s cultivation, nothing on our path of cultivation is coincidental.” (Teachings at Conference in New Zealand)

If we have attachments to fame or to saving face, we may be insulted; if we have attachments to personal interests, we may encounter bad people who make us lose money. If we are attached to qing, our loved ones may have tribulations, because the evil beings take advantage of our loopholes. When we are jealous of others, we may be wronged by others, or other people may hurt us because they are jealous of us. 

All of these things may happen for two kinds of reasons. It may be caused by the evil old forces, and it may be arranged by Master for us to rectify ourselves and turn bad things into good things. As long as we can follow the Fa and look within, it is a chance to improve, and we will turn it into a good thing. 

The above are some of my understandings at my current level. Please correct me if anything is not in line with the Fa. 

Editor's note: Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions, for which the author is solely responsible. Readers should evaluate the article's merits on their own.