PureInsight | May 24, 2004
[PureInsight.org] Teacher said in Zhuan Falun, "In cultivation of the Buddha Fa, you should strive forward vigorously." I think striving forward vigorously in our cultivation is a state that Dafa practitioners should try to maintain at all times. Besides, we are cultivating in the fundamental Fa of the universe while Teacher is physically in the human world and rectifying the universe. This precious predestined opportunity has never occurred before, and will never happen again. There is no word that can describe how lucky we are. All beings in the universe are envious of us, and the old forces are jealous of us [and brooding.] Shouldn't we treasure this opportunity? Especially now that it is the final stage of Fa-rectification, we should strive more vigorously than ever. I have asked myself, "Am I diligent in my cultivation?" Although many fellow practitioners think so, they are not evaluating my cultivation according to what Dafa requires of us. When I evaluate my cultivation state according to the Fa, I am not even close to being diligent. In fact, I often feel so ashamed of my lack of diligence in cultivation that I dare not look at Teacher's photos.
Although I cultivate myself and search inward everyday, I feel as if there is a barricade blocking my cultivation path and hampering me from advancing further. Whenever I think of the requirements of Dafa, I feel that I am far from reaching them and feel uneasy. What does it mean to be a Fa-rectification period Dafa practitioner? Am I one of them? I feel as if I have strayed into a maze where I lost the "...air of supremacy and of destroying all evil in the cosmos." (from "Righteous Thoughts") In addition, demonic illusions in the secular world often stir me up. What is the root cause of these problems? I have never tried to calm down and look deeper into my heart for the root cause. I seem to have succumbed to laziness and just don't want to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa any more. I know there must be something wrong with my cultivation, but I am clueless as to what the root cause may be. Of course, I am still cultivating in Falun Dafa, and of course I am still trying to break through and upgrade my cultivation level. I have even emphasized the importance of searching inward in my personal cultivation to the extent that many fellow practitioners think that I am cultivating well. But when I inspect my cultivation according to the principles of Falun Dafa, then I know there is something wrong with my cultivation. Teacher has said many times that there is very limited time left for our cultivation, but regardless, I lack a sense of urgency. I think it's because I think I am doing well with personal cultivation that I feel complacent and forget to trace my thoughts to the root to find the cause of my problems according to Dafa.
A few days ago I read an article titled "Using Dafa Is an Unforgivable Sin" on Clearwisdom.net written by a fellow Dafa practitioner, and I witnessed the article's effect on fellow practitioners around me. At first, I didn't approve of the author's point and wondered why so many fellow practitioners were so taken in. I thought, "Why would any Dafa practitioner still suffer from an elementary-level problem when we are already at the final stage of Fa-rectification?" Then I knew that there was something wrong with this mentality. I calmed down and searched within, [and this is what I have discovered.] Lately, I've been trapped in a cultivation state where I seem to have become an everyday person and cannot pull myself out of it. Although I seem to have made small progress, I still cannot pull myself out of the state completely. I am a Fa-rectification period Dafa practitioner, and I should validate the Fa with my divine side! Indeed, I do not have exactly the same problems described in that article, and I am still trying to search within for my remaining attachments. I am also cultivating steadily, working without seeking results, actively assimilating myself to Dafa, and cultivating without seeking results. But when I looked inside further and deeper, I suspected that I might have focused too much on my personal cultivation. When this thought surfaced, I felt as if a wall blocking my path had suddenly disappeared, or as if a door had been opened. I finally saw what the root cause of my problem was. Yes, my basis was wrong. What am I doing in this realm? Am I here just to upgrade my self? No! I am here to offer Teacher's salvation to sentient beings! This insight instantly removed the shadow in my heart. Teacher has come here to save all sentient beings. My personal cultivation is of little significance compared to this. After all, our personal cultivation is nothing compared to Fa-rectification. Validating Dafa is the most important matter and offering Teacher's salvation to sentient beings is our greatest mission!
In an article from the editors of Clearwisdom.net entitled, "Serious Teachings: Recorded from a Recent Talk by Master," Teacher said:
No matter how he "persists in studying the Fa and doing the exercises" at home, he is being controlled by demons and is 'enlightening' along an evil path.
When I read the article for the first time, I couldn't understand it. I thought, "Although those people have not stepped forward for the Fa, they have been studying the Fa and doing the exercises at home. Why would such a Dafa practitioner be 'controlled by demons' and 'enlightening along an evil path'?" Many fellow practitioners who didn't understand the meaning of Teacher's words even suspected this might be a fake article. Then we gradually began to understand Teacher's words. When the persecution first started, the old forces of the universe set up a trial to test the Fa. Dafa practitioners let go of the thought of life and death and stepped forward to validate Dafa, they built a solid foundation for Dafa in the human world and validated that Dafa is indestructible. I don't think any thought that deviates from this is righteous, and the thought may be from someone who is "enlightening along an evil path." Similarly, our current mission is to offer Teacher's salvation to sentient beings. If we become attached to our personal cultivation and neglect our foremost mission of offering Teacher's salvation to sentient beings, aren't we also "enlightening along an evil path?" Currently, some Dafa practitioners are still unaware that they often prioritize attaining the purest cultivation state, and [regard Fa-rectification as their secondary mission.] When these practitioners encounter problems [in doing Fa-rectification work,] they often put their own personal cultivation in the first place, thus compromising their primary mission of saving sentient beings. Can they be enlightening along a righteous path? Now that I think about it, aren't these Dafa practitioners, including myself, enlightening along an evil path because they focus on seeking a higher cultivation level and a higher understanding of the Fa, and have thus fallen prey to demons that exploit their attachment to their personal cultivation? They are unaware that they have parted with their foremost mission, and still believe they are enlightening along the righteous path of the Fa. Of course, it is not wrong to try to upgrade our level, but the question is: Have we placed Dafa in the first place? Have we placed the mission of offering Teacher's salvation to sentient being in the first place?
I think I have come to a more clear understanding of our mission. We have come to the earth to offer Teacher's salvation to sentient beings, not to focus on upgrading our cultivation level through helping Teacher with Fa-rectification. Nothing can exist without Teacher. We should think more about harmonizing and perfecting things to reach Teacher's goals and requirements. The old forces prioritize our personal cultivation while Teacher leads us to offer his salvation to sentient beings. Isn't it clear whom we should follow?
What are Fa-rectification practitioners? They are Dafa practitioners during the Fa-rectification period.
Teacher said:
So, it was arranged that when you reach the standard for ordinary Consummation, you still have, in the human world, all kinds of ordinary human thoughts and karma. The purpose is so that while doing Fa-rectification things you bring in, through your clarifying the truth and for the consummation of your paradises, beings that can be saved. As you consummate your own paradises you are, at the same time, eliminating your last karma, gradually getting rid of your human thoughts, and truly stepping forward from humanness.
(From "Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Without our human thoughts, we would be unable to live in the human world. Because of our human thoughts, we care about the lives on earth and are capable of validating Dafa and offering Teacher's salvation to the sentient beings among everyday people. In other words, Teacher has left us human thoughts so that we can validate Dafa in the human world. But we mustn't attend to the trifles to the extent of neglecting the essentials, or regard the trifles as the basis of our actions.
Some other fellow practitioners feel that they have validated the Fa already, and they have attained a deep understanding of the principles of the Fa. Therefore, they feel satisfied with their "accomplishments" and become complacent. Then they start to take time off and don't want to do any truth-clarification any more. They even start to reduce the frequency of practicing the exercises and studying the Fa. This is obviously not a righteous mentality. From the standpoint of the Fa, isn't it another form of "enlightening along an evil path" to think that I have already validated Dafa and can just call it a day, completely forgetting the significance of offering Teachers' salvation to sentient beings? However, it is very difficult to detect this type of mentality. What this mentality will do to you is to pull you slowly off the righteous path of Fa-rectification and away from your fellow practitioners. Eventually, you will become stubbornly attached to your own understandings [from the perspective of personal cultivation] and judge other practitioners according to your standards of personal cultivation, instead of judging your own cultivation and evaluating everything according to our mission in the Fa-rectification period. This is a very dangerous mentality! Our number one mission during the Fa-rectification period is to offer Teacher's salvation to sentient beings. This is what we should be doing right now.
Teacher said:
If during this period you cannot do well with what you should do, this Consummation stage can only be a cultivation process, and it cannot fundamentally be a Fa-rectification disciple's true and final Consummation. If during the evil's persecution a Dafa disciple doesn't do well or slacks off, it's very possible all his previous efforts will have been for nothing...Cultivation and Fa-rectification are serious. Whether you are able to treasure this period of time is, in fact, a matter of whether you can be responsible to yourselves. This period of time will not last long, but it can forge the mighty virtue of magnificent Enlightened Beings, Buddhas, Daos, and Gods of different levels, and even Lords of different levels. It can also destroy overnight a cultivator who has reached a really high level but who has become less strict with himself.
(From "Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
These are Fa principles. Teacher is cautioning us Fa-rectification practitioners.
Sometimes Dafa practitioners have heated debates over how to harmonize with ordinary people's society more appropriately. [When a Dafa practitioner does something in everyday people's society,] is his action harmonizing everyday people's society or is he being exploited by demons when he takes such an action? Often times, Dafa practitioners aren't able to reach any consensus after having serious debates. In my humble opinion, if we stand on the basis of carrying out our mission of offering Teacher's salvation to sentient beings, we might find it much easier to decide what to do next. If we are not sure which task to put emphasis on, it's often because we have placed our personal cultivation before Fa-rectification. It's because a Dafa practitioner is confused about his role in the Fa-rectification period that he becomes indecisive. And it is because a Dafa practitioner has not identified the basis of his actions that he is confused and cannot find the root cause of his attachments. Of course we shouldn't go to the extreme [and completely neglect our personal cultivation.] The key is to identify offering Teacher's salvation to sentient beings as our starting point.
Dear fellow practitioners, let us all think about the following issues: Are we placing our personal cultivation above Fa-rectification? Have we become complacent because we once validated Dafa, and then neglected to prioritize our real mission of offering Teacher's salvation to sentient beings? Have we forgotten our real mission?
Why do some Dafa practitioners fail to be diligent? Why are some Dafa practitioners overcome by their attachment to comfort for a long time without making progress? Why do some practitioners feel that it's okay to relax their standards in cultivation? Aren't these signs of not placing Fa-rectification as the starting point? It is dangerous to consider it trivial to be under demons' manipulation and to neglect our essential mission! Our path is very narrow. Stray but a little and we will fall and be totally ruined!
The force of Fa-rectification won't wait for anyone. Countless sentient beings are waiting for us to save them! Countless sentient beings are hoping for us to save them! Let us clearly identify the mission of Dafa practitioners in the Fa-rectification period!
Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2003/10/30/24263.html
