(Clearwisdom.net) After Master's lecturing on and explaining the Fa at the 2003 Metropolitan New York Fa Conference, some of the things that Master touched upon gave a powerful jolt to the practitioners who have done things to let Dafa down and sullied the name of Dafa disciples. Experiencing Master's grand compassion, they finally recognized, to an extent that was totally different from before, the nature of the bad things that they have done. They have made up their minds to rectify themselves based on the Fa and become truly worthy Dafa disciples.
Some of those people have already published their solemn declarations on the Clearwisdom website, and some of them have told Dafa disciples that, indeed, they are the people that Master was talking about. The basis for these actions is to admit to their being unworthy of Master's benevolence and sullying the name of Dafa disciples, recognizing that they should immediately cease their own improper behavior of the past, and solemnly expressing their sincerity in wanting to be rectified by Dafa. This is a reflection of Dafa's power of inspiration. As for the fellow practitioners who have made mistakes, this is a very precious step to their rectifying themselves through cultivation.
However, during this process, there have been some irrational, irresponsible displays between those practitioners involved and the practitioners around them. For example, some of the practitioners involved are discussing the things that they have done right or done wrong with their attachments to self and attachments to what they have lost or gained in the midst of emotions. Some practitioners around them, out of impure states of mind and attachments to other people's mistakes, have been digging up and spreading around specific details. Some have even brought these things to the pure place of where Dafa disciples study the Fa together and share experiences. Some practitioners could not accept these things in their minds and handled situations in an extreme way, etc.
As fellow practitioners, we have seen that these phenomena have brought about a certain amount of interference to Dafa practitioners as a whole and to the urgent work of offering salvation to people of the world. So we've written down some things as a kind reminder to share with fellow practitioners:
Cultivation is about having people truly change from deep down in their hearts. To talk about things in the open should be done out of the sincere wish to correct mistakes of the past; it should not be a formality or have some desire to pursue something mixed in. Otherwise, it is still not truly understanding and rectifying based on the Fa.
When Dafa disciples disclose their own attachments and wrongdoings during Fa-study and experience sharing, it is for the sake of correcting themselves and validating Dafa, not for correcting others. If something involves others, we should take care not to create pressure or an adverse effect for others. Even if the other people are practitioners, we should still give them the chance to enlighten to it and talk about it on their own.
When Dafa disciples disclose their own attachments and mistakes during Fa-study and experience sharing, it is not the criticism and self-criticism of everyday people, and even less is it for the sake for publicizing mistakes and becoming attached to a poor past. From the perspective of being responsible to Dafa, to fellow practitioners, and to ourselves, whether it is the practitioners involved in this matter or the practitioners around them, everyone should take care to safeguard the purity of the Dafa cultivation environment. Don't talk about, listen to, or spread things that shouldn't be talked about.
Master had admonished us as early as February 1997:
"I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism. So from now on, whatever you do or whatever you say, you must consider others--or even future generations--along with Dafa's eternal stability." ("Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature")
Cultivation is a serious matter. For fellow practitioners who have made mistakes, how to truly, clearly recognize the root cause of their own mistakes based on the Fa, how to make the most of the time to make up for the losses, and how to rectify themselves--this is a solemn task in cultivation. For the fellow practitioners around them, how to regard these very bad things, those fellow practitioners who have made mistakes, as well as their process of rectifying themselves--isn't this also a solemn task in cultivation?
Master's Fa is one whole entity, and it is also taught to all of the Dafa disciples. Whether each person can, with the state of mind that a Dafa disciple should have, clear-headedly and rationally look at the Fa that Master has taught to us, whether each person can use the Fa to evaluate what is happening around him and his every thought, and in the process cultivate himself, handle himself well, and treat fellow practitioners with a kind heart--all of this not only reflects each person's cultivation state, it is also tied to each of our project teams, each practice site, assistance center, and Falun Dafa Association acting as a whole body, and it is a question of whether or not we can truly do well according to Master's requirements.
Among Dafa disciples, there is nothing more precious than the exchange of understandings and improving together based on the Fa principles, and mutual tolerance and support during Fa-rectification cultivation. If we cannot use the state of mind that Dafa disciples should have to clearheadedly look at the Fa that Master has taught to us, but instead we take up a human curiosity, desire to meddle, competitiveness or some other impure motivation, or a human's impure understanding, or even excessive human enthusiasm or well-meaning mentality to handle this matter--then the result might just be allowing irrational thoughts to manipulate us, resulting in disturbing others, interfering with the whole body, and even leading to a propensity to be used by the old forces and to damage Dafa's reputation.
At the present time, each day is very precious to each of us Dafa disciples and the sentient beings. Let us remind each other, walk each Dafa disciple's own path righteously, and not allow the evil to cause interference with us as a group or with our great mission and the progress of saving the people of the world.
