PureInsight | July 22, 2025
[PureInsight.org] In 1998, I had the privilege of attending a Falun Dafa cultivation experience sharing conference held in Europe, where I was fortunate enough to listen to Master Li Hongzhi giving a lecture in person. When Master said in Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Europe, “let me tell you that science is a religion too, and it’s a well-established religion.” I was utterly shocked.
At the time, I was pursuing a PhD under the supervision of one of the world’s top scientists. I had attended a lecture by a Nobel laureate in physics, and I once had a brief encounter with Professor Stephen Hawking, who was famous for his work on black holes. In my eyes, these were remarkable scientists, yet even they harbored unresolved questions about science and the universe. Never had I heard anyone summarize science from such an unexpected and profound angle as Master did.
Upon further reflection, I found this statement deeply insightful. The construction of scientific systems is based on hypothetical frameworks for explaining the material world, while religion provides an entirely different system of theory to describe the spiritual world. If one acknowledges that our world is composed of both matter and spirit—just as humans possess both physical bodies and mental thoughts—then science and religion are simply two ways of understanding different facets of the same reality. Great minds such as Newton and Einstein eventually turned to religion in their pursuit of answers to science’s deepest questions.
I. I Am Awed by Master’s Wisdom
I was in awe of Master's ability to articulate such a perspective on science, indicating that He had already transcended science itself and was observing it from a higher vantage point. With my limited knowledge, I felt that almost all scientists, no matter how well-known, remained within the confines of the scientific stronghold, unable to step outside and view the structure as a whole—just like the ancient poem says: “One cannot recognize the true face of Mount Lu simply because one is in the midst of the mountain.”
In my youth, I often read magazines like Mysteries of the Unknown and UFO Exploration, and I was fascinated by inexplicable phenomena around the world. Occasionally, Master would address topics like the pyramids, dinosaurs, or extraterrestrial beings, offering answers that were like a sudden flash of enlightenment. From a scientific perspective, I found these explanations surprisingly logical.
I could not comprehend where Master's wisdom came from. He seemed like a sage from beyond this world—omniscient and all-knowing about the cosmos and life.
Master also discussed the states of microscopic particles. With my scientific background and understanding, I believe what He referred to corresponds to what is commonly described today as different dimensions. What amazed me was how He conveyed such profound and complex topics in simple, understandable terms.
I know there are many highly educated individuals in the Dafa cultivation community, including experts in various scientific fields. They believe in Dafa not because of blind faith, but because they understand that science should not confine us. Rather, it should encourage us to transcend inherited limitations and seek deeper understanding of the universe. Just as Einstein's theory of relativity surpassed Newtonian gravity, pushing our knowledge of the material world forward, so too should a true scientist possess the courage and spirit to explore the unknown.
In fact, I believe the biggest bottleneck modern science faces is its attempt to use three-dimensional theories to explain phenomena that exist in higher dimensions—an ultimately futile effort. Cultivation, by contrast, is a true experiential path to breaking through space and dimensional barriers.
II. Revealing the True Nature of Religion and Cultivation over the Ages
Where do humans come from? Where do we return to? What is the essence of cultivation and religion? These are questions that have been pondered by religious and cultivation communities for thousands of years. Master's teachings in this regard left me in awe—He directly and clearly revealed the essence of cultivation and the meaning of religion. These are truths that past cultivation methods strictly kept secret and never disclosed openly.
When I was younger, I dabbled in various religions and spiritual practices, but the essence of cultivation always remained vague to me. I didn’t truly understand how to cultivate. Yet Master’s book Zhuan Falun laid it all out clearly: the essence of cultivation and the true meaning behind past religions became unmistakably clear. It shed light on the obscure texts I had once struggled to grasp—Tao Te Ching, Buddhist sutras, and the Bible. My understanding is this: cultivation is about returning to one's true self by refining the heart, eliminating karma, and accumulating virtue. Only by relinquishing all human attachments can one attain true fulfilment in cultivation.
III. Personal Testimonies
Cultivation is not physical exercise—it is a journey in search of life’s true meaning. Along the way, one inevitably experiences extraordinary phenomena.
I have entered deep states of meditation where time and space seemed to stand still and I felt united with nature. My main consciousness has left my body, hovering high above the earth—I came to realize the physical body is not the true self. I once saw two beautiful little angels with wings cheering for me. I have also seen an immortal being who, with a flick of his whisk, moved a distant planet right before my eyes. I have flown freely through the void and understood that our true bodies are capable of flight—only the heavy particles of emotional attachment weigh us down. I once reckoned that the thought itself was our tool to comprehend the world, but later realized that it is precisely human thought that blocks us from entering higher realms.
I often reflect on the immense gift Master has given us: the cosmic Great Law. It contains countless heavenly secrets and mysteries unknown to humankind. If ordinary people fail to value it, it reflects their ignorance and stubbornness. But if cultivators take it lightly, it is a violation and betrayal of the sacred vow of life itself. Those who once cultivated but now slander Dafa were never truly obtained the Fa. Those who, influenced by defamatory propaganda, begin to harbor doubts or waver in faith should ask themselves: What originally brought me to cultivation? Have I reached a rational understanding of cultivation? Only by answering these fundamental questions can one face today’s chaotic world calmly and remain unmoved in the face of praise or blame.
Master said in Zhuan Falun, “This is now provided right before you, and you may still be unaware of it. You have been everywhere looking for a teacher and spent a fortune, yet you have found nothing. Today, it is offered to you at your doorstep, and maybe you have not realized it! This is an issue of whether you can become enlightened to it and whether you can be saved.”
In the first scripture Master published after the persecution of Falun Dafa began in 1999, He wrote in “Your Heart Should Know” in The Essentials of Diligent Progress II, “Lofty talk means nothing in life-or-death affairs. Actions reveal what you’re really made of.”
To act or not to act—this is the serious test faced by every cultivator today. It is also the life-and-death question that every Dafa disciple must answer through action.
These are personal, humble understandings. If anything is inappropriate, I sincerely welcome compassionate correction from fellow practitioners.
