(Minghui.org) Master Li has clearly told us,

“Thus, you must study the Fa well and become a true cultivator; only then can you take on this task and fulfill this sacred and magnificent responsibility.”(To the Dafa Disciples Attending the Fa Conference in Taiwan)

My understanding is that Master would not have reminded us about this if we, as one body, were genuinely cultivating. When sharing with a few practitioners recently, I often feel that, although we study the Fa and do truth-clarification work every day, we don’t seem to see the Fa principles at a deeper level. When I looked within more deeply, I realized that it was because some of us have unwittingly placed ourselves outside the Fa.

When we read Master’s teachings, some of us may feel that “this part” of the Fa has nothing to do with us, that “this line” is about a heavenly secret or is just a story in history, and some even think that a certain part is about everyday people and, therefore, has nothing to do with us. Such notions have prevented us from understanding the Fa principles despite studying it.

Why does Master want to rectify the Fa? Why did the heavenly kings and lords take the enormous risk of descending to the human world to assist Master in Fa-rectification? Over the years, Master has explained this from different perspectives in his lectures, especially in his most recent articles. However, some practitioners only accept the parts of the Fa that align with their own notions and wishes instead of thoroughly accepting Master’s teachings.

Master said in “How Humankind Came To Be:”

“Everything in the universe had become impure during the Formation, Stasis, and Degeneration phases, and inferior to when creation was begun. And this is why things have been heading for Destruction. In other words, everything in the greater universe has gone bad, the lives of creation are no longer as good as they were in the very beginning, are no longer pure, and all of them have accrued karma and sins. And this accounts for Destruction coming about. This kind of sin is what has been referred to in religious contexts as original sin. So that the universe could be saved, the Creator directed a multitude of higher beings and divine sovereigns to descend to the earth and assume human form in this setting, where they would suffer, elevate, atone for their sins, and forge themselves anew—reascending to heaven as a result.”(How Humankind Came To Be)

Master also explained in “Why This World Is a Realm of Unknowing:”

“The reason the greater universe and the numerous universes within it had reached the stage of Destruction is because they as well as the countless lives within them—including the many lords, sovereigns, and divine ones in each of the universes—had become, over the very long course of the Formation, Stasis, Degeneration, and Destruction cosmic cycle, inferior to how they were during the early days of the Formation stage. Or to put it another way, after all of those ages they no longer met the standards for their respective planes. This was the inevitable trajectory of the course of existence.”

“When the final cosmic phase arrived, the Creator gave his approval for the greater universe’s multitude of divine beings, sovereigns, lords—and the still more massive divine and enlightened beings overseeing each of the greater universe’s different domains—to descend to the world and incarnate in human form. Here, however, all of their higher wisdom, powers of insight, and divine abilities would be sealed off. And in this most trying of places, without their powers or wisdom, closed off completely in a human body, they would have to go through adversity to work off their karma while relying on positive and virtuous thoughts and keeping alive the goodness within. Only then would they be acknowledged by the legions of divine ones above as well as the Creator, and earn a place in the future. Those who have managed to gradually work off their karma over the course of their many reincarnations in this world, and who have grown in virtue and goodness along the way, are sure to be chosen for salvation. They will certainly be delivered by the Creator to the new universe when salvation unfolds at the end of the last days.(Why This World Is a Realm of Unknowing)

When sharing with fellow practitioners, some said that, in the past, they had always thought that gods in heaven had deviated from the Fa, and they descended to the human world to assume a human body so that they could eliminate their sins. Master was talking about them, not us, because we are the best beings, and we came to this world solely to assist Master in the Fa-rectification.

I responded by asking, “If we were all the best beings up in heaven, why would the universe enter the phase of Destruction? Why would Master Li need to rectify the Fa? Master is teaching the Fa to cultivators; why do we think we are not involved?” Some practitioners were really shocked upon to hear these questions and thought: “That’s right. Why have I had such a wrong understanding all this time?”

I’m not too sure how many practitioners share a similar view, but from the few practitioners I talked with, most of the practitioners they know have a similar understanding.

If we do not accept that we deviated from the Fa and accumulated karma when we were in heaven, wouldn’t this mean that we do not accept that Master’s Fa-rectification is necessary? Of course, none of us would knowingly think this way, and none of us would refuse to accept Master’s Fa-rectification. But in reality, such a warped understanding has played such a role and become a big excuse for the old forces to prevent us from being successful in our cultivation.

I wonder if some practitioners have similar wrong understandings about other Fa principles Master has taught us. However, the misunderstanding on this alone is enough to hinder us from elevating in cultivation. If we cannot correctly understand and truly accept the Fa principles due to our wrong notions, how can the Fa guide us in cultivation? How can we possibly cultivate in the true sense?

From a different perspective, our cultivation as Dafa disciples includes the process of us accepting the Creator’s Fa-rectification.

One practitioner shared, “Although I can memorize the Fa teachings, why is it that I still cannot think of the Fa principles when I encounter problems and deal with them on the basis of the Fa?” My understanding is that the purpose of studying the Fa and memorizing the Fa is to assimilate to the Fa, to truly understand the Fa principles, and to apply them to our own behavior. In fact, when we say that we have enlightened to some Fa principles, the Fa that has revealed them to us, it is not because we are so clever or wise.

Then, why is it that the Fa sometimes reveals certain connotations to us and sometimes it does not? It is because the Fa cannot reveal the deep connotations to you when you have thought karma and all sorts of bad things in you, since the Fa does not show any of its connotations to evil beings. What’s more, the Fa has different requirements at different levels, so the bar gets higher and stricter with each elevation, and one will not gain new insights if one falls even just a little bit short of the requirements.

I have also noticed another issue. People in some countries or regions are very polite, and they pay attention to civility and etiquette, so they try to avoid making others uncomfortable with what they say or do. Such conduct is virtuous by everyday people’s standards, but it could become an obstacle for cultivators. For example, when there are issues, most practitioners do not want to point them out directly but try to be polite or interact with each other indirectly and tactfully. As a result, nothing touches the true attachment. By and by, no one likes to be “harmed,” and as soon as their ego is touched, they harbor resentment. Also, as the environment outside China is generally safe and comfortable, our cultivation environment has gradually turned into one in which everyone feels “you’re good, I’m good, and everyone is good.” In such an environment, one cannot truly cultivate, and if this is the case, we must rectify our environment.

The entire human society is undergoing enormous changes right now, and it may not be too long before Master rectifies the human world. Therefore, it is extremely serious whether we can reach the standards to follow Master in the Fa-rectification of the human world.

Master said:

“The Fa-rectification of the universe has arrived at the end times, and after this period is over, there will be a serious selection and elimination process. Look out for yourself! Dafa disciples who have gone through this historic period, even the gods respect you. You, too, should cherish yourself for having been able to make it through this unprecedented, most evil persecution. Become a truly enlightened one! Only this is what the gods think is magnificent!” (Stay Far Away From Peril)

Dafa disciples are one body, and we have an obligation to help each and save each other. Any Dafa disciple who fails to achieve success in cultivation or is weeded out is a loss to the universe and to countless sentient beings.