Written by a practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net) How does a practitioner break away from the old force's arrangement and step out of tribulations? Only when we balance individual cultivation and Fa-rectification period cultivation can we truly walk our path of Fa-rectification arranged by Master well.

During the vicious campaign of genocide against Falun Gong, which has lasted almost five years, I have experienced all sorts of persecution, yet I have remained firm in my cultivation practice. Thus, I thought that I met the requirements of a Dafa disciple in the Fa-rectification period. In fact, I unintentionally followed the old force's arrangement. It is just like what Master says in Zhuan Falun,

I suddenly awakened--throughout my cultivation, I have been attached to my self. Even when doing Dafa work, my standpoint and standards remained focused on "Personal Cultivation", and I always found myself trying to break through tribulations in personal cultivation arranged by the old forces. Under Master's benevolent care and great sacrifice, every time I have narrowly escaped from the danger. Yet as a Dafa disciple in the Fa-rectification period, I didn't fully use my life for validating Dafa and saving sentient beings. Hence, I have caused losses to Dafa and left a stain on my path of Fa-rectification.

Seeing practitioners immersed in long-term tribulations, and many more practitioners being tortured severely, I often reflect: why would the old forces dare to persecute practitioners in such a rampant way, even torturing them to death? There are complicated factors arranged by the old forces throughout history. As Master has pointed out, there is also the matter that "the old forces arranged this for the purpose of 'examining' Dafa in a destructive manner." ("In Reference to a Prophecy"). Isn't there also the factor of the old forces attempting to test us by providing a severe environment?

Master says in "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference":

In the experience sharing articles on Clearwisdom.net, there was a story about a practitioner who managed to leave a detention center after going on a hunger strike. She had barely recovered when several policemen came to arrest her again from her home. She didn't open the door, so they tried to forcefully break in by ramming her window and door. She sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the persecution against her, but they kept on fiercely hitting her window. Suddenly a righteous thought came to her mind, "The evil is not allowed to persecute Dafa." In a split second the evil was gone. There is another story about a practitioner who went on hunger strike to protest the persecution. He endured severe torture and was then sentenced to a labor camp. While he was in the line waiting for the physical exam in the labor camp, he had a thought, "Most of the practitioners in our region are detained. If I am detained here, who is going to do the Dafa work?" As a result of this righteous thought, the labor camp refused to take him because of his "poor health." He thus returned home.

Dafa disciples are the only hope now for the sentient beings to be saved. If Dafa disciples are unable to participate in the Fa-rectification and in saving sentient beings, or if they lose their lives during the persecution, it would be a great loss to Dafa. As Master says,

It is crucial that we make the best use of the time that Master has given us to save more sentient beings. The old forces are using the excuse of testing practitioners' "Self cultivation" to get rid of some of our attachments to arrange all sorts of tests: the conflicts among practitioners, karma elimination, detention in jails, and even deadly torture. Their purpose is to consume our energy and make us exhausted so that we won't be able to save sentient beings in Fa rectification. They are even trying to force Fa rectification period Dafa Disciples to give up cultivation, and then eliminate them.

If we can study the Fa with a calm mind, look at things from the standpoint of the Fa-rectification, understand and balance well the relation between personal cultivation and cultivation in the Fa-rectification period, and recognize and actively eliminate each and every thought arranged by the old force in our minds, then the old force's arrangements and "tests" would cease to exist. Master says,

When we really melt into the Fa and are particles in the Fa, who could possibly damage the Fa?

The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything incorrect.

Posting date: 5/20/2004
Original article date: 5/20/2004
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/5/4/73785.html

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