Let Go of Human Notions and Purify the Cultivation Environment

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Taiwan

(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share a current phenomenon regarding the cultivation environment in Taiwan. I hope everyone can pay attention to the seriousness of some of these problems, and not use all kinds of excuses to ignore them. A common excuse is to say that the person who points out problems has attachments, and that we should wait until his heart becomes purer before considering his words. Actually this is a warped mentality, and an attempt to cover up and not look inward.

Problem of the Development of a "Hierarchy" Within the Group

This is not simply an issue of coordinators and other persons in charge placing themselves above fellow practitioners. In fact, many practitioners have such notions and gradually form the habit of following others, instead of taking the Fa as teacher.

In the beginning, the problem was not obvious, and even resulted in a superficial phenomenon of ease of coordination. However, after some time passed, and there had been many Dafa activities, it became evident that practitioners no longer had an environment where they could share their understanding of the Fa. When they encountered some detailed matters, some of the veteran practitioners, or practitioners of the Falun Dafa Association or the Assistance Center neglected to listen to everyone's opinions before making a decision. Instead, some main person in charge or coordinator held a meeting on their own, and decided what to do. Then they let the Assistance Center pass on the orders. The scope was limited, people did not express their thoughts openly, and the strength of one body was unable to manifest.

At most times, when assistants share their understanding with fellow practitioners, the assistants usually say that this is Dafa work and an opportunity for all to establish their mighty virtue. We all certainly need to cooperate fully with the Assistance Center and the Association, but we cannot forget that each practitioner also has a different path. For a long time, the Association has not seemed to consider other practitioners on all things. The Association has not fostered a cultivation environment that allows practitioners to share as one body when encountering ordeals. Sharing understandings of the Fa helps practitioners to let go of human notions and attachments. It helps us to clear-headedly consider the ultimate aim of our Dafa work, when to do it, what impact it should have, whether the decision of the Assistance Center and Association is correct, and whether there are any better understandings and methods to try.

All practitioners are expected to cooperate. If any have different opinions and understandings, they will be reminded that this is the decision of the association (or a particular person), and to just follow accordingly. If they still have different opinions, it is possible that those practitioners will be said to have problems in their cultivation.

With the fast pace of the Fa-rectification process, more and more activities have been planned with an ever-widening scope, and problems have occurred. The coordinators and persons in charge have had endless meetings. Many things have been decided carelessly and hastily because time was limited. Understandings were limited to those few making the decisions and they shouldered the pressure of project success or failure (human attachments). Therefore, they often could not break out of the same pattern. They began to think that it was good enough to do the work and report on accomplishments. Thus, for a long time, practitioners only cooperated, but could not progress in the Fa. They became numb and mechanically did the work superficially. They even sometimes irrationally rushed to do the projects that the association promoted, while putting aside their own projects. Practitioners especially had difficulty developing an understanding of the Fa on the issue of "we are not getting political." This occurred because for a long time there was a lack of sharing and Fa study. Thus practitioners approached issues from the perspective of an ordinary person. This caused many unnecessary conflicts and affected practitioner's cultivation status as well as the salvation of sentient beings.

So, is this only the problem of the person in charge and the coordinators? We as practitioners are studying the Fa every day. Why can't we act according to the requirements of the Fa? We have all provided the atmosphere for this to happen. Furthermore, some practitioners who truly had a correct understanding also showed many human attachments by not daring to walk the path they had enlightened to.

Teacher said,

How to create a cultivation environment where we regard the Fa as teacher and follow the format that Teacher gave us is the responsibility of every Dafa practitioner.

Choosing to Walk the Path Arranged by the Old Forces or Teacher

Many veteran practitioners, persons in charge and assistants separated themselves from the everyday people's environment during the early period of studying the Fa. They did not attend many ordinary people's events. They developed the notion that they were higher than everyday people, and could not understand them. Has this phenomena occurred because we have brought into Dafa cultivation the concept of

other cultivation formats commonly used in history? This actually should not cause too many problems, as everyone has his own understanding and choices. However, if this became the "example" that a group of Falun Dafa cultivators left for the future, they would not be regarded as diligent or able to follow the Fa-rectification process. If that's the case, isn't it a serious issue? Teacher has created a cultivation environment where we are to cultivate among ordinary people.

The effect of this phenomenon can be seen with practitioners who participate in media work. Those involved with the paper hardly ever read other newspapers, practitioners involved in TV work hardly watch any ordinary people's TV programs, and practitioners involved in radio broadcasting do not listen to other programs. We are gradually forgetting what everyday people are like, forgetting that the human world is also created by Dafa. Many project details are not done in the ordinary format from everyday people's angles, and continuously perfected and reformed. Instead practitioners want to create some new methods as references for people in the future and this is an attachment of arrogance. Practitioners display the habit of regarding people as master. When they are told by the coordinators that this is Dafa work, they just go ahead and do it. This is really dangerous. This issue is very serious, but when shared among practitioners, no one thought it mattered because the person in charge did not think it mattered. This is an irresponsible act. Teacher told us to rectify everything that is warped, and to walk every step well. Wherever we are, we each must be a good person who is modest in manner, friendly, and who considers others first. We must be strict in the requirements for ourselves. However, these requirements of the Fa are neglected because many practitioners have attachments to time, arrogance, jealousy and so on, or they eagerly hope for success.

The current group study environment in Taiwan consists of announcing projects and discussing experiences of going abroad etc. Although this is an activity in the Fa-rectification process, it appears to be more about personal cultivation. Practitioners do not plan in advance the needed capabilities for Fa validation. They have arguments like ordinary people and hence have lost many chances to establish predestined relationships with ordinary people and save them. While they use lots of manpower and physical resources to do many things, the results are limited.

The present urgent matter is that everyone should break through the following human notions: Dafa projects' leaders study the Fa well; the association will never make mistakes; the sentiment of feeling too embarrassed to acknowledge mistakes; the attachment of losing face and protecting self; and dealing with matters like "police." The persons in charge must refrain from using their own point of view and understandings to assign Dafa work or to judge other practitioners' cultivation status and level.

Persons in charge and coordinators, please place yourselves among practitioners. Practitioners, please also place persons in charge and coordinators among all other practitioners, and everyone please regard the Fa as Teacher. I believe by doing this, we definitely will break through human notions and sentiment quickly, and prevent the evil from taking advantage of our loopholes. Time and effort spent arguing could be used to save sentient beings! We can assist Teacher in Fa-rectification with supernatural powers developed as a result of improving our xinxing together as a whole! Let us walk on the bright path that is arranged by Teacher!
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/4/30/100745.html

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