(Li Hongzhi, November 21st, 2004)
Disciple: I'm a Dafa disciple from Ireland, and I would like to send greetings to esteemed Teacher. For a long time now I haven't been doing well in spreading the Fa or in personal cultivation. Is there still time for me to make up for it?
Teacher: Then you should go ahead and do that. Since it's not over yet, yes, there is still time left. (Everyone smiles and applauds) Even if you haven't done well, no matter what, Master still doesn't want to leave any of you behind. (Applause)
I've said before that the Fa-rectification of the cosmos is one stage and the Fa's rectification of the human world is another stage. What that means is, Master is doing this in two steps. So I haven't taught you the Fa of the Three Realms, I have only taught you the Fa of the cosmos. I haven't talked about the structures of the different living things in the Three Realms, the origin of life, the structure of life, the history of the world, or the theories in this world from religion to science, such as where those things came from, what their purposes are, the reasons behind the different conflicts that take place in the human world--well, everything in history. And as for the state of the structure of the Three Realms and the different heavenly bodies in the Three Realms, I haven't talked to you about those things because they're so insignificant in the cosmos. The Three Realms doesn't deserve to be taught in Dafa, as they are too low. When I teach you the Great Law it encompasses the Three Realms. In the future you will know everything, and there won't be any need for me to tell you about things of the Three Realms. In the future I will handle things that have to do with human beings, and at that point I'll talk about the Fa of the Three Realms. When in the future it's time to do things in the Three Realms, that will be when the Fa rectifies the human world.
Because things are being done in two steps, a certain phenomenon has happened in the cosmos. What kind of phenomenon? It's that the Three Realms has been closed off all this time--the beings inside the Three Realms can't get out and the beings outside of the Three Realms can't get in. I was the one who closed things off from the beginning. The elements created early on by the old forces were and are still there and haven't been cleaned away completely, and before things are done at the surface of the human world, that portion of the old forces' elements is still having a negative effect. So, because the Fa-rectification and the Fa's rectification of the human world are being done in two different steps, the Three Realms needed to be separated from the cosmos. Since the beginning of my Fa-rectification--during the last ten-plus years--it has been continually moving away from the cosmos. Astronomers have seen that the heavenly bodies in the cosmos are no longer the heavenly bodies of the early times, and the Milky Way's position is no longer the same as it was early on, and the other star systems that were around the place where the Milky Way existed early on are no longer the same. That has happened because the Three Realms is being separated from the cosmos. Scientists discovered that fact when it was in the process of being shifted, and they are saying that the cosmos is expanding. In actuality it is the heavenly bodies separating themselves from the Three Realms, as well as the Three Realms moving further and further away from its original location. During the last ten-plus years, the Three Realms has been moving out of the cosmos nonstop. As that has been happening, scientists have discovered that the heavenly bodies have undergone immense changes. Stars that didn't exist before have appeared, heavenly bodies that didn't exist before have appeared, and star systems that didn't exist before have appeared. So where did the stars and star systems that were originally there go to? Why has the cosmos undergone such enormous changes? Those things have in fact come about as a part of the movement of the Three Realms as it separates from the cosmos.
Hasn't the PureInsight website reported that? The cosmos is disappearing into the distance faster than the speed of light, and the Milky Way is being separated from the cosmos. Since it has reached the point where even human beings can see this phase, it means that the separation has arrived at the most surface level. Early on when I was beginning to do this, some gods told me, "In the future, human beings will all be able to see the things that you did, and they will realize in the end that you were the one who did them." That is the case because certain manifestations will gradually converge on where I am.
Once the separation is complete, the dimensions outside of the Milky Way won't even exist. Human beings will find the emptiness terrifying. The stars that used to exist outside of the Milky Way and all the heavenly bodies that were scattered everywhere outside of the Milky Way will be gone. The PureInsight website reported that our Milky Way will become the "lonely soul and roaming ghost" of the cosmos. You might wonder, "What would be the reason for that phenomenon?" It seems as though people--including scientists--are indifferent to it, but it's only because they don't understand it. If such a thing had happened in the cosmos in the past, then the Milky Way would not have existed anymore. If separated from the cosmos, [the Milky Way] would not have been able to exist and would have disintegrated. The Fa-rectification of the cosmos and the Fa's rectification of the human world are being done in two steps, so the Three Realms has to be separated from the cosmos. If the Fa-rectification of the cosmos was complete--and everything was new and pure--but the Three Realms was still so filthy, it would pollute the cosmos. It wouldn't do to have such a filthy place inside such a wonderful cosmos, so it needs to be moved out and taken care of separately. That's why they will be separated. (Applause) Scientists have now discovered what I described.
Disciple: What do we do about correcting the Chinese characters in "On Buddha Law / Lunyu" that some practitioners have hanging on their walls...?
Teacher: Yes, you can correct the "On Buddha Law" text hanging on your wall. Just make the corrections with the appropriate color. Well actually, any method will do.
Disciple: How can we help newer students in China step forward?
Teacher: When it comes to newer students, you can't be too hasty with them since they need to go through a process of improving their understanding. If of their own initiative they offer to do something, then let them. But if they don't want to do something out of their own initiative, I don't think we can compel them to do anything, since they are still newer students after all.
Disciple: How should we view the big corporations outside of China that are poised to make investments in China, and how should we look at our family members' wanting to go back to China?
Teacher: If your family members don't cultivate and want to go back to China, then that's fine. If you are a cultivator it's best that you don't go back--wouldn't you be setting yourself up for persecution? As a Dafa disciple, you wouldn't be able to bear not doing what Dafa disciples are supposed to do, but if you did those things you would be persecuted. And also, there are things here that you should do.
As for a lot of corporations planning to make investments in China, don't do anything about that for now. You should just clarify the facts and tell people what Dafa is about and why it's being persecuted. Bring to light the despicable farces and all of the low acts committed by the government where they made up lies and slander, expose the evil's suppression, tell the world's people about these things and help them see all of this clearly--then you will have reached your goal. When you clarify the truth just talk about things at that level and don't go any higher. As far as some company wanting to make investments somewhere, if you get a chance, all you can say is: "It's only because of investments from you guys that the group of evildoers in China has the money to fund the persecution. You can see how scary it is when they display their wickedness, right? Hasn't your company been subjected to its coercion?" We won't get involved with whether they make investments there. All we can do is talk to them using principles at a very shallow level.
But I think that with material gain right in front of them some people are willing to listen and some aren't, so that issue isn't the focus. The focus is to tell people why Falun Gong is being persecuted and how evil the persecutors are, and that will be enough. Once people can see those evil things clearly, that will expel from their minds the poisonous elements from the propaganda produced by the slanderous media of China's communist government. This means you've saved those people, and that one act enabled them to make it to the next stage. Otherwise when the Fa's rectification of the human world arrives and that powerful gong comes...the Fa-rectification has standards, and at that point they definitely won't have any other chances to understand [the truth]. The standards hold true from the highest place in the cosmos down to the lowest. However a being is at that point, that will be it, and everything will be dealt with in the fastest time. Those who should be weeded out will be weeded out, those who should remain will remain, those who should be raised up will be raised up, and those who should be lowered will be lowered. It will be over in a flash. Whatever is in a being's mind determines what he [or his situation] is, so there won't be any more chances at that point. If a person has the poison from that wicked, villainous gang cleared away, then he will make it past that stage. So at the very least he'll be able to witness the changes that happen in the future.
Disciple: I'm a little disciple from Taiwan. On behalf of the little disciples from Taiwan, I'd like to present a lotus flower to Master. (Master smiles) (Audience smiles and applauds) We thank our magnificent Master.
Teacher: Thank you. This little lotus flower is truly beautifully done. (Applause) This is the sort of consideration and thought that Dafa disciples have put into clarifying the truth. You've really worked hard and have come up with so many ideas to save people. Today's people are really hard to save. [It seems as though] they'll listen only if what you tell them is in line with their ideas, and they'll listen only if you talk to them in a way that they like. In other words, if you want to save them, they have conditions for you to do so. (Master smiles)
Disciple: Master, one of my family members practices and says that he's special. He doesn't send righteous thoughts or clarify the truth, and he seldom studies Fa other than Zhuan Falun. Right now in the Fa-rectification period we are busy with all sorts of projects. If I spent a lot of time helping him, I would find it hard to make enough time for other things.
Teacher: That's true. If he is a newer student, then you should show some understanding towards him. If he is a veteran student, then he's definitely in the wrong. As far as how to help him, there is no special method for doing it. Take a look to see where he's off track and take the appropriate course of action to address it. Remove the hurdle in his mind and find his attachment.
Disciple: How do we truly break apart the old forces' arrangements, move beyond selfishness, and become true Fa-rectification disciples?
Teacher: The cosmos in the past was based on selfishness. Let's take man as an example: when it came to crucial moments he truly couldn't care less about others. When I started Fa-rectification, some gods said to me, "You're the only one who gets involved in others' business." I know, you find this hard to believe, because you are altruistic beings created by Dafa that have roles in Fa-rectification and that have truly enlightened. If I didn't do that, with the end of history all lives would end. When a being is considerate of others in doing things and displays tolerance in the process, it's because his starting point is selfless.
When Dafa cultivators find selfishness in themselves, they should gradually work to overcome it. Becoming aware of it means that you have taken another step forward in cultivation, because a non-practitioner can't become aware of it and it doesn't occur to him to think about whether he is selfish. Only cultivators make a practice of examining themselves and looking within.
Disciple: Dafa disciples from Fushun send their greetings to you. (Master says "Thank you.") I have a slow-paced personality. I'm normally slow when I work and am often criticized for it. Do I need to change my ways when I'm doing work?
Teacher: There are indeed people who have a slow-paced personality. I know I have a fast-paced personality, and I do everything very very quickly. If you say something needs to be done, I'll be out the door before others are even ready. (Master chuckles) (Applause) Put another way, I've developed this fast pace, and I hurry up and hurry up with everything I do. Of course, I'm not saying that a slow-paced personality is not good. Some people have just gotten into the habit of doing things that way. But I think it's better if we can speed up a little when it comes to saving people. (Master smiles) (Audience laughs and applauds) But it's not that you have to change your personality.
This is how beings in the cosmos are. Everyone is different: some are slow while others are fast, and some tend to be anxious while others are even-keeled. For some, they are just slow-paced with everything they do, and that can't be called an attachment. However, you should hurry up in matters of saving people and the things that Dafa disciples should do. I don't think that has anything to do with your personality. You should know what "hurrying up" means no matter how slow your personality is.
Disciple: I am a newer disciple. I'm very anxious to travel the Fa-rectification path well, but I am not sure, is that a type of attachment? How do I tell?
Teacher: You are a student who recently obtained the Fa, so don't be overly anxious. With many things you can't be held to the same requirements as the veteran students. But there are indeed some newer students who have been doing really well. They are deeply involved in doing things for Dafa and are doing what Dafa disciples need to do. They are truly amazing. Sometimes I really think those latecomers have great awakening capacity. Cultivation consists of step-by-step improvement, and it's not realistic to expect you to soar to a high level all at once and be like veteran students, since they, too, got to where they are through cultivating and improving step by step. Now that you've obtained Dafa you have nothing to worry about. Just go ahead and systematically do what needs to be done, and do what Dafa disciples should do--go as far as your understanding takes you with things. There's no problem with any of that.
Disciple: Would Master explain what effect it will have on our work if Dafa disciples do well in their coordination and cooperation, and what the result will be if we don't do those so well?
Teacher: The evil will take advantage and cause trouble if you don't coordinate and cooperate well. With a lot of the Fa-rectification things, it's not that there is no way to do them. No matter how hard it is, there is a path for you to take, even though it is a fairly narrow one. You have to go down that path correctly, and it won't work if you come up even a little short or stray a little bit. Nevertheless, there is a path for you. In other words, you need to go down it correctly. If you don't, the evil that currently exists will take advantage of it and cause trouble. In fact what I've just been talking about is the question of validating yourself versus validating the Fa when you work together on something--that's the issue.
When everyone is discussing something, you may get upset over someone expressing disapproval of your idea, but if nobody raises objections and everyone says, "This is a pretty good idea, and that one's not bad either"--so that nobody gets offended--I'd say that these students aren't being very responsible to Dafa or to their own cultivation. They don't dare to face a conflict and don't dare to address things directly, and they don't dare to speak up when they see a problem. That is being too attached to self, and that's selfishness. If you deal with a problem without the attachment to self and calmly put forward ideas about how to tackle the problem well, I don't think others will feel uncomfortable upon hearing it, because you're doing it for the Fa. This is one point.
Another point is, if someone's proposal is rejected and that person feels upset, then he really has a problem. Usually the only time when discussions about matters of validating Dafa go off track is when some attachment to self is stirred up. Go ahead and watch for this attentively--if you don't believe me, when you leave here and go home watch for it attentively. When you're talking something over, look at who is taking the conversation off track, and the person who is doing that has a problem for sure. (Audience laughs and applauds) The person who goes off topic is being attached to self, or when his concepts are challenged, driven by a human mindset he gets upset and sets aside Dafa's things. At those times he will be taken advantage of by the evil--he will stray further and further from the original subject as he argues, and the evil will take advantage. At that point he will get more and more upset, and the more upset he gets, the more his human mindset is in fact intensified by the evil and the less he is in a state of cultivation, so the evil will take advantage even further. Where do you think a wicked understanding, or "enlightening" along an evil path, come from? Isn't that where they come from? The evil takes advantage of his attachments and makes fake thoughts show up in his mind, but he considers them real and thinks they're quite reasonable. He's thinking, "None of you understand me, and when all is said and done your cultivation levels aren't as high as mine, and none of you understand the Fa as well as I do." (Master chuckles) That's how it ends up.
Disciple: Dafa disciples' efforts in New York City have changed the situation a lot, and many ordinary people have been moved by what they've seen at our anti-torture exhibits. But more and more Westerners have told us that they are seeing too many of those horrifying images, causing them to lose sympathy for us. Would Master please enlighten us on that?
Teacher: Maybe they say that the anti-torture exhibits you hold to clarify the truth are too shocking, but what I can tell you is that your actions are positive, and the energy is righteous and compassionate, so it absolutely will not shock people in any kind of negative way. Instead, the discomfort that some people feel must have been caused by bad thoughts in those people's minds. Don't people hang everywhere that graphic image of Jesus being crucified, with his hands and feet pierced by nails and bleeding? Haven't people been viewing that image for hundreds or thousands of years? So the problem doesn't lie in what is presented. Haven't Dafa disciples been subjected to similar ordeals in the persecution? You are not trying to use art to portray evil acts, you are saving people. There must be a reason why some people have negative reactions, there must be problems with their state of mind. Perhaps the evil is controlling their minds, or if not, then it's that their notions are not right. Even the people who sympathize with Dafa disciples have notions that have come out of ordinary society, and in terms of understanding, they may feel uncomfortable because of that. Don't worry, though, this can be resolved by a little more thorough explanation.
A human being may form different notions in the world. Some people think spicy food is good, some think sour food is, some like sweet food, and some like bland. Those are all tendencies of one's own making. Even if a comedy is playing in Manhattan, there are still a whole lot of people who don't like it and criticize it. That's how human beings are. There are people on both sides, positive and negative, and humans just live within the principle of mutual generation and mutual inhibition. They can't all be the same. Maybe there are more people out there who think the anti-torture exhibits are good, only they haven't said so. We can no longer keep making compromises to accommodate those with a lot of obstacles in their minds at the expense of saving good people. We are saving the world's people. Some can't bear to see these things, but there are more people who can, and who are moved, awakened, and saved. (Applause)
If someone thinks he can't stand it, well, let's think about it. With such a righteous field and the evil exposed so explicitly, and all of what is shown is actually happening in real life, yet there's this person who still raises issues like that, then doesn't that person have problems? He does, for sure. No matter how hard you work and how much you put into clarifying the truth, let me tell you, there will always be people in this world that you can't save. There is always going to be a portion that can't be saved. We can't be discouraged or demoralized because of those people. How could we be affected by and thus go along with whatever some people might say? We are here to change people, not to be changed by them. (Applause)
Everything we are giving people is wonderful, and we are saving people. We can't compromise to accommodate those who are no longer good and who obstruct the salvation of people, leading to good people not being saved. Of course, when we talk about those who are no longer good, they are not necessarily completely bad, and perhaps it's caused by their notions. But you have to stay coolheaded and rational when it comes to this. Don't be swayed by that small number of people and don't be affected by people. You should be very clear in your mind about what you're doing: you are saving people, you are doing the most righteous and most magnificent thing! (Applause) Our students have taken such great pains and overcome so much adversity in putting together the anti-torture exhibits. It's no small feat.
The key is actually that we ourselves be clearheaded. We should act with the power of conviction, not timidly or hesitantly. You can't see the fact that you are beings walking the road to godhood. (Applause) So you are different from ordinary people and you cannot be affected by them. The gods all admire you for the things you're doing in Manhattan, they truly admire you. Whether it's the gods that are playing positive roles or the ones playing negative roles, they all admire you. The world's people do too. The universal values of what is good and what is evil haven't changed.
Disciple: Is the question of priority involved when it comes to the Dafa work we do in Fa-rectification? If some students want to do Dafa work related to a specific nationality or language because of their own nationality or native tongue, shouldn't they put that aside for the time being and focus on the Dafa work at hand?
Teacher: It's not wrong to want to do Dafa work related to one's nationality or language. Master can't give you specific answers to these questions, because every student is doing things to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. Maybe those people have things that they have to do. But when it's necessary for you to work together on something as a group, Dafa disciples need to cooperate well.
Disciple: I have a question. You said a little earlier that once the persecution is over everything will be set. I'd like to ask, will the ordinary people who are still deceived have any more chances?
Teacher: A being will be whatever is contained in his head, and both for a being who is to be eliminated and one who is to have things end well for him, it will be over instantly in one pass. Some people may say that they just believe in a certain political party or that they just want to work for that party. If the Law of the cosmos considers that party good, then they will be kept when that flash of a moment comes; if the Law of the cosmos considers that party evil, then they'll be wiped out when that moment comes. At that point clarifying the facts will be no more and giving people extra chances to come to some understanding will be no more. At that point there won't be such things anymore, and people will be a member of whatever they contain and will be seen as an element of it. A person will be a part of whatever his head contains, and everything will be over in the blink of an eye.
Disciple: We often participate in community parades in the United States and have been well received by a lot of groups. Would Master tell us how we might help people come to know about Dafa while conforming to the way of ordinary people to the greatest extent? When we have disagreements, should we leave them for our own discussion or report them to Master? (Audience laughs)
Teacher: When you encounter problems you should talk them over together since you are cultivating. It can't be that whenever you have a problem you have Master go cultivate. (Audience laughs and applauds) Isn't that true? So when you encounter problems you should figure out how to address them, and whether you overcome those challenges or resolve them upon agreeing on a solution, those are opportunities for you to establish mighty virtue. That process is in fact the process of maturing, of moving towards the future, and is one of the steps you take on the road to godhood. (Applause) You definitely shouldn't leave the specifics to Master. (Audience laughs)
So how should you help all beings come to know Dafa? Once you've clarified the facts and have truly helped people understand the persecution and know that Dafa is a positive thing, that's good enough. If a person thinks that Falun Gong is really good and expresses a desire to know more about Falun Gong, then you may explain to him at an extremely basic level that Falun Gong asks its practitioners to be good, and in the end you may tell him that we are striving to become better and better people and to reach spiritual perfection. That is all you can tell him, and you can't go beyond that. You would scare him if you started telling him things at higher levels.
And people's realms of thought are different. For example, if you taught college classes to a first grade kid, he'd refuse to go to school and he wouldn't go to class anymore. (Applause) You have reached your current realms and levels step by step through cultivation, and if you want to tell him everything all at once, that's the same as wanting to lift him up from being an ordinary person to where you are instantaneously. (Master chuckles) Even I, your Master, don't do that. (Audience laughs) I can have a being, after he is rid of all low-level factors, reach a level of any height, and I can create beings at any height. But if you want a low-level being to understand things at such high levels, under normal circumstances that being can't handle it. So people have to understand step by step. Why do I ask you not to talk about things at high levels? Why do I ask you to clarify the facts rationally? That's why. So when some students are not quite rational and talk about things at very high levels right away when clarifying the facts, and when they even talk about gods-this and gods-that to government officials and tell them that their Master is so-and-so (Audience laughs), people think that you're talking nonsense. (Audience laughs) That's not the way to clarify the facts. The understanding of a cultivator is acquired step by step through cultivation, and in general people will find it very hard to comprehend if you want them to understand things at such high levels right away. If they can't understand, then it becomes counterproductive and in essence it will have a harmful effect.
Disciple: Some new students have entered the Way and obtained the Fa over the past two years in San Diego, California, and predestined people keep coming every week to learn the practice. Some of those newer students are quite capable and are qualified to get involved in projects to validate the Fa. Shall we have them go straight into doing the three things or ask them to study the Fa and do the exercises only, and then involve them later on in projects to validate the Fa?
Teacher: I can see that you are very shorthanded and are anxious to get some capable new students involved. But I still think it's better not to be hasty. Why is that? Because when veteran students talk about things together and are in that state where they are not very mindful of the way they come across, it will scare the new students. [Because of] your energy, even though your words might not be strong, to them they are strong. And though you might not raise your voice, to them it sounds like thunder. (Audience laughs) That's truly how it feels to them. So you should wait and not get the newer students involved until they've gained a certain level of understanding and knowledge, and had a chance to improve gradually--at least until they have some deeper insight into Dafa. That way it won't lead to their giving up cultivation out of a lack of understanding on something.
Disciple: Ever since the persecution began I've been bogged down with the courses at my research institute and have had no time for anything else. I haven't had much time for Dafa work and I surely haven't devoted 100% my time to Dafa work. Will I reach the level I'm supposed to?
Teacher: If your job truly has you tied up it's not a problem. As you do your job well, make time to study the Fa and use whatever chance you get to do the things that Dafa disciples should do, like clarifying the facts. There are always going to be busy times and not-so-busy times, and it can't be that everyone is busy at the same time or everyone is not busy at the same time. Some are busy when others aren't busy. For a cultivator, however, nothing is constant forever. Whether for the moment you are busy or not, just do what you're supposed to do, and everything may change as time passes. So this is what I think: don't use being busy as an excuse for yourself to not do anything or to neglect Fa study. And there are those who get really worried when they're busy, and that won't do, either. Do what you can based on your situation.
What I just said does apply to clarifying the facts in Manhattan. Those who have the ability and whose circumstances allow them to come may come, and those whose circumstances don't allow them to come shouldn't. It's not that all of you have to do things the same way. When all of you are doing things from your hearts, then that is genuine. Master has never ordered you to do anything. All I've done is to tell you what you should do, and some students go and do it. Just do what Dafa disciples should do based on your situation and your ability to do so. It won't work if you force things when your situation doesn't allow. If you do that, you will bring about problems in both your daily life and your cultivation, and that's no good.
Disciple: Dafa disciples in Turkey send their greetings to you. When might you be willing to visit Turkey? What do you think of Turkey?
Teacher: The principal part of every single nation's population came for Dafa, so I don't want to leave any nation behind as Dafa is spread. And that is why I ask you to go clarify the facts. Dafa disciples in different regions should indeed do well the things that should be done. The sentient beings are waiting for you.
As for when I will visit Turkey, I'll definitely go when the opportunity comes along. (Applause) I will travel to every corner of the globe in the future (enthusiastic applause), because I have to take care of every person you saved as you clarified the truth.
Disciple: I've seen some fellow practitioners who, after playing the role of the evil policemen a lot in the anti-torture exhibits, demonstrate more demon nature than before. Is there a correlation? (Audience laughs)
Teacher: No, there isn't. That's just in your mind. (Master smiles) It will be okay once they go home, study the Fa, and adjust their mindsets a little.
Disciple: Some Dafa disciples recently started a center for and school of the arts, which are open to the public. I'd like to ask for Master's advice on how we should go about playing our roles before the Fa rectifies the human world, given the fact that there are so many Dafa projects going on and finances are tight.
Teacher: Whether it's Dafa disciples running companies or opening schools, I think these are normal activities that they do as members of society. They are means to make a living and might create job opportunities for fellow practitioners at the same time. Also, some ordinary people can be reached through our interacting with society in this way, and they might come to benefit from it.
You asked how you should go about playing your roles before the Fa rectifies the human world. You can do it according to your ability. Running a school of the arts is different from other professions. A school of the arts can teach students to be good people by following Zhen, Shan, Ren. And the school can participate in performances sponsored by Dafa disciples, helping people see another side of the Dafa disciples and see for themselves the contrast between the evilness of that political party and of that arch fiend and the goodness of Dafa disciples. So this should be a really good thing. The Chinese New Year Gala sponsored by New Tang Dynasty TV aims to reach out to and engage more Chinese people so as to clarify the facts to them and save them. If the performances were poor, then nobody would watch, and we wouldn't achieve our goal of saving beings. Good performances will serve that purpose, or at least serve as a bridge. If the school really becomes a success then it can participate in our performances. So all of this is good.
Disciple: Some students have been cultivating for a long time and seem to understand the importance of validating the Fa, yet they haven't been very diligent. How do we help them?
Teacher: There are no miracle cures. Everyone has to cultivate himself solidly before he can rise to higher levels. As far as those who aren't diligent, take a look to see where their thoughts are stuck. There must be a reason for their inadequate understanding of what Dafa disciples must do--try to find out, what do they care about most right now? Since they are our students, we have to take responsibility for them and talk to them. If they were ordinary people we wouldn't need to worry about it. It is fine for ordinary people to care about whatever they'd like. They don't want to cultivate, so we won't bother them. Once somebody starts cultivating, though, that person will be in danger amidst the evil's persecution if he can't keep up, so you have to take responsibility for him.
Disciple: The "Nine Commentaries on the Chinese *** Party" that has been carried by the newspaper run by Dafa disciples are great, but I worry that ordinary people who don't understand us will say that we're getting political.
Teacher: That won't happen. Everyone knows that that political party is persecuting Falun Gong. All we're doing is telling people why that political party is persecuting Falun Gong and, meanwhile, telling them what that party hopes to achieve through its persecution, why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is persecuting Falun Gong, and what fundamental differences there are between Falun Gong and the CCP. So we'll just talk about what that political party is and why it is opposed to Zhen, Shan, Ren. But as far as cultivation is concerned, one of our principles of personal cultivation and of clarifying the facts is that we don't get involved in those things. There is an important connection between the media's exposure of the CCP's persecution of Dafa disciples and saving all beings. The persecution of Falun Gong has been carried out in the name of that certain political party, one that has poisoned many people in the course of its persecution. In order to save those people it's important to help them see that party for what it is.
The Minghui website has not reported on this because, from a perspective that's closer to Dafa cultivation, it is not a key issue. The media reports are another way of saving all beings.
As far as who will govern China in the future, whoever wants to, let him. That has nothing to do with us. Whether he is good or bad, that's a human matter, and we are cultivators. If you didn't persecute us, then we wouldn't need to expose you. You have the gall to do those terrible things, so why don't you have the courage to face up to it?
Disciple: A lot of students who were involved with making FGM television programs don't do them anymore since they are tied up with the recent truth-clarification efforts in Manhattan and preparations for the New Year's Gala.
Teacher: Master can't say anything about that because those are things for you to work out yourselves. They are all important. I watch all of the programs done by FGM--every one of them. (Applause) So they are all important, and you shouldn't overlook any one of them. In fact, I see that all of you are truly busy, and each person is working on multiple projects. Coordinate among yourselves, Master can't say anything specific.
Disciple: (Translated question) Since the great firmament was created by Dafa, how could it be in such an improper state today that it needs Master to rectify it? Disciples from Hamilton, New Zealand, send their greetings to Master.
Teacher: Thank you. (Applause) The cosmos's former characteristics determined the cycles it went through. So, what were the characteristics? They were " formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction-emptiness, " and that is what the old cosmos is like. The cosmos is enormous, and when degeneration and destruction took place on a small scale or in a localized area, that area was blown up in an explosion, and then a void followed. After it became a void, the matter still existed, so the gods would use that dead matter to create a new layer in the cosmos from scratch. The process is very similar to human metabolism. If problems cropped up in a larger area, then that larger area had to be blown up and new beings were created afterwards. No one thinks about whether his metabolism has anything to do with mercy. Well, high-level gods in the cosmos look at the process of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction the way humans look at metabolism--they have no concept of whether it's merciful or not. The cosmos is alive, and if the cells in part of this organic body were no longer up to par, then that part needed to be weeded out and replaced. That's why a similar process occurs in humans: birth-aging-sickness-death.
The future cosmos will be different in that regard. Once something reaches the stage of degeneration, it will be made whole and renewed so that it becomes good again. So that is different from the old cosmos. (Applause)
All of the future beings will be selfless, while the beings of the past were selfish. (Applause) Some beings have no regard for others as they pursue the things they want, and that has been demonstrated in this world thoroughly. For the sake of proving a point or to save face, some people in the world go to any length to harm others and never consider others' welfare. Some people's selfishness surfaces in a very vicious way--some of them deliberately seek out people to push around and always look down on others. Who gave them the right to do that? Nobody. You shouldn't be like that, nobody that cultivates in Dafa should be like that.
Disciple: Thank you, venerable Master, for your merciful salvation. Please help us understand how to put the skills we've acquired in society to use in truth clarification.
Teacher: I think that every Dafa disciple is making use of his skills and abilities to save all beings and validate Dafa. Dafa disciples are running websites, and media outlets such as radio stations and TV stations, and it's all for the singular purpose of clarifying the facts. At this point the Chinese communist government and that arch fiend's evil, villainous faction have used financial leverage so that they now have society's media in the palm of their hand. Nobody is reporting on the persecution we're being subjected to, so with no other recourse, Dafa disciples have worked together to do these things. What I mean is, you have taken it upon yourselves to do these things, and Master didn't specifically take the lead on any of these things. It's true that Master has affirmed what you've done or told you what I felt you should do--that much I can say. But, as for what each person should do, Master can't tell you too specifically. That's because once Master said something, others would think, "Master has asked him to do that," and you too would think, "Master has asked me to do that," so then you wouldn't do or take care of anything else. And when you were needed with other things, you would have an excuse: "Master asked me to do this." (Teacher chuckles) I would have given you an attachment, and that's no good. So you need to do a lot of things on your own. You should establish your own mighty virtue, and that is what's truly magnificent.
Disciple: As we're clarifying the facts, if some people acknowledge that the persecution is wrong but Dafa doesn't resonate with them, and we don't have time to clarify things more thoroughly for the time being, what should we do? Should we make helping people know about the persecution first priority and do that on a large scale?
Teacher: It doesn't matter whether Dafa resonates with them or not. But if they have a negative view of Dafa, that is a result of being poisoned by the evil, and it's necessary for you to clarify things to them. In general when it comes to clarifying the facts, it means talking about the persecution--you don't need to talk about things related to Dafa cultivation. It's fine if people don't want to cultivate. You should tell them that we are a group of good people, and our Dafa teaches people to be good. [You might want to have an attitude like,] "It doesn't matter whether it resonates with you, I'm not trying to persuade you to learn Dafa. I'm just trying to tell you that the persecution is wicked and that what you know is actually venomous disinformation." And that will be enough. Those who come to learn the Fa do so of their own accord, not because they were dragged into it. You absolutely must remember this: we don't want to impose anything on anyone.
Disciple: We have been sending a lot of e-mails to China. The e-mail team has been dealing with tremendous challenges, both with technology and in terms of manpower. Is this because of xinxing problems with the people left on our team or is it because the old forces blocked us off?
Teacher: You each have your own path. I think there are two reasons behind what you brought up: first, there are just so many things to do and as a result you are shorthanded; and second, maybe you've overlooked things in your personal cultivation, so the evil has taken advantage of the gaps, as Dafa disciples need to do each of the three things. Some people have said, "Master, in recent years, especially since July 20, 1999, I've found that my improvement through reading the book has slowed down. It's not like before, when I had that really good feeling of making a breakthrough every day and of my understanding improving really quickly." Why is it that you don't feel as good now reading the book as you did before? It's not that the Fa isn't powerful anymore. It's that the requirements are higher, and that Dafa disciples must do all three things well before they will see improvement. (Applause)
Some people who started studying the Fa in the earlier period say that they read the book at home and that they won't go out and do the things that Dafa disciples must do. I'm thinking that those people are not too far away from having a wicked understanding, and they are lucky if they haven't begun to stray. Over the past few years, Dafa disciples have been validating the Fa amidst the persecution and saving beings through clarifying the truth. Those people won't improve at all, no matter how much they may read the book at home. If you don't do the things that Dafa disciples should do, not only won't you improve, but you will only slide downwards. "Dafa disciple"... "Dafa disciple," what does being a "Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciple" mean? It is the foremost title and the most magnificent being in the cosmos. If you only care about your own salvation, will that do? How could that be called being a "Dafa disciple"? What is a "Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciple"? Have you validated the Fa? You came when Dafa benefited you, yet you hid out and didn't dare to speak up for Dafa when it faced danger. You have shown yourself to be less worthy than an ordinary person, so what's the point of "studying the Fa at home"? All beings are being poisoned in the persecution, so how could you feel at ease being in hiding? Why are Dafa disciples clarifying the truth and saving beings? Because that is Dafa disciples' duty. That is the kind of being that I, Li Hongzhi, want, and a Dafa disciple is that kind of cultivator.
Disciple: It seems that fellow practitioners as a whole do not pay much attention to overcoming the evil's economic persecution, so a lot of practitioners have long been at low-paying jobs, and have thereby been limited by time and financial constraints in validating the Fa.
Teacher: That problem does indeed exist, but sometimes it's our own doing or our own shortcoming of not taking everything into consideration that causes those things to happen. Dafa disciples are walking on a righteous path in validating the Fa and are saving all beings, so all aspects of that path, including financial conditions, should come together. If you don't do well in certain regards the evil will take advantage of the gap. With anything, as long as you do it well, everything will change.
Disciple: Would you say a few words to disciples who are involved in composing music? We haven't done as well as the disciples who are artists.
Teacher: We're not concerned with comparisons between artist disciples and musician disciples and who's doing better than whom. (Audience laughs) Those are just matters of self-improvement and differences in level. The Dafa disciples who compose music have a special duty to do so, and that is on top of clarifying the truth. To save all beings, Dafa disciples have composed some songs, including ones performed at the Gala. Those songs were composed by Dafa disciples themselves, and it's pretty remarkable. On the day when I taught the Fa to the artist Dafa disciples, I also attended the meetings of the disciples responsible for creating music and theatre arts, and I taught the Fa there. It wasn't recorded at the time, though. I'll say more on this in the future when the opportunity comes along. (Applause)
Disciple: There are many disciples who do not pay attention to their appearance and how they carry themselves, such as the way they look, speak, and behave.
Teacher: Let me talk about something extra here. Traditionally different gods have had different views on individual human beings' appearances. You may know that some people who cultivated the Dao in the past didn't care much about how they looked. At least the Daoists who cultivated in this world were like that, and especially the lesser ones, who cared even less about outward appearances. They were pretty slovenly and didn't groom themselves. A small number of them even cultivated in a dirty setting on purpose. Why was that? They felt that for a cultivator, being too particular about the way one dressed was an attachment and that it was better to be casual about it. And what other phenomenon did they see? Cultivation forms in the past cultivated assistant souls, so they discovered something in their cultivation, which was, over time as a person cultivated, everything on his body started to have energy on it. Those people looked bad on this side, but in the eyes of the assistant souls that had completed cultivation on the other side, those things all looked good. That happened because the matter in this dimension changes as a person cultivates, and it gains energy. So as the energy increases, what shows on the other side is supernatural treasure made of energy, from the other side the dirt and mud all over the person's body look like treasures covering the body, glittering and dazzling. But on this side--the human world--what one saw was filth covering the person's head and entire body, he was just dirty from head to toe, with just a lot of dirt and mud on the body. Consistent practice led to the mud and dirty things being fortified by the energy gained through cultivation, so the things the assistant souls took away were all good ones. They saw that, so they intentionally refrained from grooming themselves.
Now let's look at it from another angle. As you know, in Western society people care a lot about appearance and demeanor. Since they don't have that culture of cultivation, they have no concept of these matters. The cultivation in Buddhism teaches that everything a cultivator has was granted to him by the Buddha--he will get whatever Attainment Status the Buddha gives him, and he will get whatever he is supposed to get and not get what he's not supposed to get. The same goes for gods in the West. Of course, though, Dafa is different from all prior forms of cultivation.
Before the 1960s, as the Western students may recall, the men were gentlemanly, well mannered, and civilized. The women were gracious and placed a lot of importance on being well educated and cultured. Humans might have thought it was good, and actually gods didn't think it was all that bad, either. But it led to human beings easily becoming obsessed with it. It got to a point where a person's worth was judged by his manner of speaking and demeanor. A person was deemed noble--or not--based on that, rather than on his fundamental character. Later on, since all human beings came here to obtain the Fa, all actions and tendencies that stood in the way of cultivation had to be removed, and so the old forces got involved and they did that with the approach of using a bad thing to fight a bad thing. Do you know why, once the 1960s began, hippies and street artists appeared, people started having a slovenly appearance and acting against traditional values, and when it came to clothes, the more casual it was, the more fashionable it was? People's outer layer of clothing was smaller than their inner layer, their sleeves covered their hands and only their fingertips were left exposed, the waists of their pants got lower, with their pant legs bunched up on top of their feet--basically, the sloppier it was, the better. I can tell you that it was definitely not just a fashion trend. The old forces did it in order to remove that human fixation on appearance by using a bad thing to fight a bad thing. There is actually nothing wrong at all with dressing neatly, but nothing should become a fixation. Once something becomes a fixation, the human mind has deviated and that leads those human beings to go to extremes with it.
Before the Cultural Revolution in China, the Chinese were quite neat, clean, and civilized, with five thousand years of civilization behind them. You know that the Japanese have always been very clean and neat, right? A few centuries ago when things were not as developed, the Japanese would bathe in a wooden barrel every day with water that was heated in a big pot. They did that even during periods that were extremely underdeveloped. And do you know what? That was the way people lived in the Tang Dynasty, too--it was exactly the same with people in the Tang Dynasty. It's not that the people in ancient times were not clean. It's that today's people don't know how the ancients lived. The people in different dynasties and different periods were all the same, they didn't change. The only difference was with the way they dressed. Today's people portray the ancients as being backward, but that actually comes out of reasoning based on the theory of evolution. The Cultural Revolution did away with the "Four Olds" [1] and thought of cleanliness and tidiness as a "bourgeois mentality"--to quote the absurd words of a certain political party, it was a "bourgeois mentality." They would cut off women's braids, if they found someone walking down the street with high heels they would take the shoes off their feet and chop off the heels, and they would use scissors to cut apart any nice-looking clothes you might have on. That political party in China put forward the slogan of "get a hand full of calluses, roll around until covered with mud, and live with 'revolutionary bugs' all over the body." (Audience laughs) It took only a few years to completely ruin the Chinese civilization.
I do know that some Caucasian students frown upon the appearances of some Chinese students. [That kind of appearance] is a product of being in that society, and over time they got used to it and it came to be a habit, and they aren't aware of the inappropriateness of their actions and demeanor. Nothing should go to extremes, of course, so keep to the way of human beings as much as possible, and act like a normal, dignified person. You can't be too sloppy, casual, careless about manners, or informal.
In fact, from a cultivation perspective, even though it doesn't make a difference whether or not you pay attention to the way you look and it won't affect your cultivation, the key is that you can't get attached either way. The Chinese would say, "I just like to be casual. The more casual the better. It's so much easier to be sloppy and untidy." I would say that isn't good. A Dafa disciple should be a role model for others and look like a dignified human being. When I was teaching the Fa and giving classes in Mainland China, I always dressed formally, and it was to set an example for you. (Applause) And that is because some people feel that actions speak louder than words. Whether those people are right or not, some practitioners just want to copy what Master does--"I'll dress how Master dresses." (Audience laughs) So I pay attention to the way I look and so should all of you. The Cultural Revolution did indeed ravage the Chinese culture so terribly, it destroyed five thousand years of civilization in a matter of a few years. So Chinese should pay more attention to their appearance and demeanor, Western students should refrain from judging people based on appearance, and Asian students as a whole should mind their behavior more. (Audience applauds) No one should go to extremes.
Disciple: How should we look at things that have had a negative effect on ordinary people in the Fa-rectification period?
Teacher: Yes, you might clarify the facts very well, but if people find you to be too displeasing to the eye and hear you using crude language, they won't think you are credible. If you don't do well in truth clarification you will have a negative effect. You need to bear all of this in mind.
Disciple: How should we as disciples look at the incident that happened in Argentina?
Teacher: As far as that goes, I think that if anyone persecutes Dafa disciples we should hold them accountable. We will explain the facts if that's what is needed, and when someone is injured, we'll take it to the courts if necessary. There are precedents for all these things, and you can do whatever you need to.
Disciple: If my mind isn't clear or calm when I do the exercises, can I cleanse myself the way we do during the five minutes right before we send forth righteous thoughts?
Teacher: You may send forth righteous thoughts whenever your mind is not clear and calm or your mind comes under interference. If you want to make an adjustment or send forth righteous thoughts, you don't have to be constrained by time. You may do it at any time and you can just stop when you feel your head is cleared and your righteous thoughts are strong.
Disciple: Are the requirements for doing the three things that Dafa disciples do the same for kids as for adult disciples?
Teacher: No, they're different. The little disciples are different in terms of their skills, communication abilities, and the attention they can get from society. So the requirements can't be the same. Kids and adults are not the same--kids are kids. I've talked about this many times before.
Disciple: You've been talking for nearly three hours. Master is working so hard. Many disciples would like Master to drink some water. (Applause)
Teacher: It's no problem. I think that since there are still so many question slips, I won't address those that have been touched on already.
Disciple: Some students say that we can ease up on going to the consulates and embassies for now since Manhattan is more important.
Teacher: They are all important, and no place can be overlooked. (Applause)
Disciple: We are a married couple who are both disciples, and we have a ten-year-old boy. He's been attending the Minghui School for three years, yet he still often fights with people, lies, and exhibits bad manners.
Teacher: A kid, well, sometimes he might still have the traits of a kid, and the people he comes into contact with will play a role in it as well. Mankind is a big dye vat, and if there were anyone who was untouched by this dye vat, then he would be a god. Even Dafa disciples who are cultivating need to clean themselves off often, and that's even more so for a kid.
And also, if the parents have problems in certain respects, the kid will reflect that. Those will be intentionally shown to Dafa disciples and to the parents. Let's not go on about this too much. He's a kid, after all.
Disciple: The Korean language used to include lots of Chinese characters, but since the beginning of modern times it has generally used Korean only, and that gets in the way to a certain extent with Falun Gong spreading widely. Please shed some light on this.
Teacher: I remember that in the past the entire Asian region, and I'm not referring to Middle-Eastern countries or India, used Chinese characters or at least partially used them, since there were a lot of Chinese people there. The Chinese were doing business or even became government officials there, so there were quite a lot of Chinese schools, too. In the past, the Chinese language was widely used in the Asian region, whether in business or cultural exchanges. That made things quite easy. But the old forces were just intent on impeding the world's people from obtaining the Fa and at the same time creating adversity for me to do Fa-rectification. So it asked that political party to do a terrible thing.
The old forces thought, "If the Chinese language is used [by all of these countries], it will be too easy for people to obtain the Fa and too easy for your Falun Gong to spread around the world." Then the old forces wouldn't have been in control when it came time for them to do what they wanted to. In order to do what they wanted to, they took advantage of people's concept of nationalism so as to have them promote their native cultures, creating symbols [for language] that gods don't see as words. One time at a conference of Communist nations in the then Soviet Union the Chinese Communist Party stated openly, "There are so many of us Chinese in Southeast Asia, a huge number. With just one rallying cry from us those places will turn into nations of our political party." And you know, there were a lot of journalists attending that conference, and they quickly spread that news to the entire world. The conference hadn't even finished when the entire Southeast Asian region began a major campaign against the Chinese. Did you know how that "rejection of the Chinese" started? That's where it came from. In South Asia in particular, the schools run by Chinese were forced to close, the Chinese people there had to take on local surnames and given names, and the use of the Chinese language was prohibited. Furthermore, many countries passed laws and amendments to their Constitutions that prohibited use of the Chinese language. So that created a great many challenges for people in certain regions when it comes to studying and obtaining the Fa today.
Of course, the old forces couldn't anticipate Dafa's might. People not just in Asia, but anywhere in the world, can translate the Great Law into different languages, and the inner meaning of the Great Law remains unchanged no matter what language it is in. But the obstacles were immense for the first group of Dafa disciples, who joined during the Fa-rectification period. The interference against those who obtained the Fa early remains quite intense.
Disciple: The literature that disciples are distributing in Hong Kong contains several stories with the theme of "recite 'Dafa hao' [2] silently and your health problems will be cured." This has led some Mainland Chinese tourists to mistakenly think that we're pushing the idea that if people have health problems they don't need to take medicine and will be healed just by saying to themselves that Dafa is great.
Teacher: Saying "Dafa hao" is not only effective for ordinary people, but also for Dafa disciples since it clears away the bad things in the mind. When you have every cell in your body saying that Dafa is great, you will find that your entire body feels the reverberations. (Applause) It is the Fa that your mind is invoking, so that's why it is so powerful. But I think it's best to clarify the truth with wisdom. Outside Mainland China you don't need to do this or to clarify the truth this way. The environment is more relaxed and you can clarify things to people based on reason. In Mainland China the environment is different, the extent to which people have been poisoned by the slanderous propaganda varies and they thereby have different views on Falun Gong, and people from Mainland China have a certain degree of cultural context for and background on qigong, so you can do it this way among the broader populace in Mainland China. But you don't need to do it this way in urban areas or if you're outside Mainland China. You don't need to do it this way in Hong Kong either. Just tell them the facts in an open and dignified way, and that will be fine.
Disciple: As we've spread the Fa and clarified the truth, some Western ordinary people have been moved and have brought us cookies, fruit, and other things. We would like to ask if it's appropriate to accept them. We've discussed this a few times and students have had different opinions.
Teacher: It depends on the situation. If people give you something out of sincerity and earnestness yet you refuse it, that really is a little impolite. Those things aren't too expensive, so it's fine to accept them after you thank the person. But you need to take it case by case. If somebody wants to give you a huge amount of food, then it really wouldn't be appropriate to accept it. Handle it on a case-by-case basis, and as an alternative you could give them money for it. Some people truly do that out of kindness, though. They see that you are cold, and they bring you some coffee or food, so you can go ahead and thank them for it. It's fine too if you want to give them money. If they don't want to take it, then just thank them a lot. Deal with these things based on the situation.
Disciple: There are some ordinary people's media and TV producers who want to do programs about Dafa now, and they want some of our footage. We'd like to ask Master how we should handle that.
Teacher: It depends on what kinds of programs they want to do. If they want to shoot our parades and anti-torture exhibits, they are free to do so, since those are public events in the first place. But if they want to do programs about the special aspects of your lives, about how you study the Fa and cultivate, then I'd say turn them down. Why turn them down? Because you don't know what they're after and how far they will go with it. Besides, studying the Fa and cultivating are a very solemn thing, and it's not solemn to put them in the middle of some ordinary people's commentary. That's why you should turn them down, and also, it's really hard for people to truly understand us.
A little earlier I talked about how cultivators in the past were sloppy and untidy. I want to stress again that you shouldn't get attached to that. Some of you are thinking, "Wow, those untidy and dirty things might turn into good things. Then I'll be dirty too." (Audience laughs) I want to make it clear to you: that's when it is the assistant souls who are getting things! So you shouldn't copy those things. Even if those things could really turn into good ones and the master soul could get them, that's not the way we cultivate in Dafa. Dafa disciples, let me tell you, in the future you will have everything. (Applause)
[1] Defined as "old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits."
[2] "Dafa is great"
Note: The Q&A portion of Master's talk is being posted in three segments as the translations are completed. This is the second part.
