Treat Our Own Cultivation Problems Rationally and Soberly During the Fa-Rectification Period

By a Dafa practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net) A few days ago, after sharing with a fellow practitioner, I learned that practitioners in our city have exposed many problems recently. Some practitioners became indignant when others pointed out their problems. The cultivation states of some practitioners were not good, and so things did not go smoothly for them. These practitioners actually looked outwards and at the attachments of others. Some practitioners who have become homeless to avoid arrest read the so-called "Teacher's lecture" that was secretly passed around. They liked to talk about the section of the article that referred to them, and appeared to have become complacent. Moreover, fellow practitioners in various villages and towns were being arrested. The occurrence of these problems severely affected the normal progress of truth-clarification work in our city. If these problems were not solved, not only would we not be improving ourselves, but our truth-clarification work could be delayed. We needed to pay close attention to this.

I want to share my understanding of three aspects of these prominent problems.

1. When the Fa-rectification is so close to the surface, the evil appears to be more intense and vicious. We all know that Teacher rectifies the Fa from the microscopic level to the surface level. As the Fa rectification gets closer to the surface, the behavior we expose can be quite wicked. Our cultivation during the Fa-rectification period manifests in all of our work. As long as the Fa-rectification has not concluded, our cultivation has not ended, and we still have human notions. Therefore, it is normal to have problems. In fact, it would be unusual not to have any problems. The most crucial aspect is how we treat our problems and solve them. The Fa-rectification is breaking through towards the surface, layer by layer; our self-cultivation is also breaking through, layer by layer, towards the surface. These events occur at the same time. We are cultivating and improving by continually exposing and solving our problems. With the slightest negligence, the problems that can't be solved will pile up, aggravate our attachments, and cause us to be unable to catch up with the Fa-rectification process. If the problems go unresolved for a long time, it could bring danger to us.
2. It is crucial to look inwards in order to solve our problems. But we often fall into examining the details of our problems, and forget that the conflicts and troubles are ways to expose our attachments, and show our hearts. This situation is the main cause of long-unresolved problems. Some practitioners display their attachments, but they are unaware of them, and don't seem to realize that they need to look inwards. Therefore, the problems go unnoticed. Actually, I wondered if it was good to expose the problem. It should be a good thing from the cultivation angle. If we can face up to the exposed problems, treat them seriously, not cover them up, not go around them, and expose an attachment and remove it, then we can cultivate quickly and perform better in clarifying the truth. On the other hand, once a problem is exposed, if we do not look inside ourselves, or try to avoid and cover up the attachment, then we are being irresponsible to ourselves, to the Fa, and to sentient beings. Because doing everything well is based on cultivating ourselves well, if we do not cultivate well, then everything else will be affected. The recent behavior of some practitioners is an example of this. The truth clarifying materials were delayed again and again, the equipment had problems, and the work didn't get done. All this occurred because we did not pay attention and look inwards.
3. It is crucial to understand the problem with our main consciousnesses and with Fa-rectification awareness, but not with human sentiment or mentality, so we can coordinate well with each other.

Teacher mentioned in "Touring North America to Teach the Fa" that there are three categories of Dafa disciples. My understanding is that one group of practitioners signed pacts with Teacher; the second group came to establish a karmic relationship with Teacher while representing the sentient beings in their cosmic bodies, and those in the third group have good inborn quality and were able to walk in the open door. Teacher also mentioned a group of people that came down to save the colossal firmaments like Teacher.

"I'm not the only one--a lot of Gods in the colossal firmament have come down to the human world, and they, too, had to come down step by step like this. Many Gods from different levels have come from the cosmos, and they came with the purpose of saving the colossal firmament. To humans, they are beings at extremely high levels. They vowed to save all this, and indeed a lot of them came down." ("Touring North America to Teach the Fa")

From this Fa taught by the Teacher, we understand that Dafa practitioners in the Fa-rectification period came to help Teacher during the Fa-rectification process, and to save sentient beings. We came voluntarily, and we are not doing it for others.

We all came for the same purpose, so why can't we coordinate well and cooperate well? Actually the reason is we are still attached to our human notions, and we still have attachments, so we can't achieve our innate pureness. When we truly treat the problem using our inborn consciousness and Fa-rectification awareness, as long as it benefits the Fa-rectification and the salvation of sentient beings, we can cooperate in everything.

So why do we attach to that bit of self? Our coordinators generally all undertake the responsibility using their own initiative, and generally consider the problems and treat fellow practitioners while being responsible for the Fa and sentient beings. As the people who are being helped, we should also consider things from that angle, set aside "the self" and positively take the lead in cooperating. If we do not solve the existing problems within ourselves promptly, and instead treat others with human notions when they point out our mistakes, once the conflict happens, it will inevitably bring problems to our truth-clarification work. Teacher told us how to treat this problem in Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference,

"When you truly look at things from the perspective of being responsible to the Fa and truly have a heart that can melt steel, I just don't believe that things can't be handled well... ...And don't think that it's hard to communicate. Neither side has lived up to 'great compassion' when doing things. If you can truly embody great compassion, I think those things that aren't right will definitely be rectified."

Compassion is not being attached to oneself, giving up the self, and thus being able to consider others first. Therefore, we all should not attach to our "selves," and should not think that we are right. When a problem occurs, it is possible that both parties have incorrect thinking. When we are unable to compromise, it is because we have formed an attachment to our "selves." When we can put down our "selves," problems can be solved very quickly, just as Teacher said in Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A,

"But true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining."

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/5/27/75618.html

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