(Clearwisdom.net) Recently I noticed my frequent delight when chatting with ordinary people about problems in society or at my workplace, such as soaring inflation, unfair overtime work without pay and reduction in employees' pensions. In today's CCP-controlled China, people have become morally degenerate, and corruption is rampant. There is no trust, and injustice is everywhere. People can discuss such topics endlessly. I have also enthusiastically joined the conversations and complained a lot.

When I calmed down, I thought what the difference might be between them and me when I have worked overtime without pay and if I complain like ordinary people? Isn't it just that I suffered some personal loss? If we had encountered this situation during the era of personal cultivation, prior to July 20, 1999, we would have responded with a smile. Why is it that we could do it then but not now, during the Fa-rectification period? I find I have lowered the standards on many issues in personal cultivation, with the excuse that we are now in the Fa-rectification period. This is in fact being irresponsible to myself and to Dafa, because the standards of the future universe will definitely not lower. No matter how hard it is presently to do the three things well, we must not indulge human mentalities and attachments; because if we do things with less than a pure mindset, we would then only achieve half the result with twice effort, and will harm our efforts to save sentient beings.

From another perspective, there is the issue of cultivation of speech.

Master said,

"The cultivation of speech that we teach refers to: that which involves one's reputation and personal gain that cannot be given up among everyday people, that which has nothing to do with the actual work of practitioners in society, the senseless gossiping among practitioners in the same school of practice, attachments that cause one to show off, hearsay or circulating rumors, or those discussions on some social issues that one is excited about. I hold that these are all attachments of everyday people. I think that in these areas we should watch what we say--that is the cultivation of speech we refer to." (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version)

Of course we sometimes need to talk about things along with ordinary people's attachments in our truth-telling efforts. This is a different issue, and we have the final aim to clarify the facts about Dafa. It uses this as means, and is not the objective. It is different from simply complaining and grumbling.

Thinking about it at a deeper level, why does the dark side of society make me I feel indignant? Because today's CCP-ruled Chinese society is beset with crises. If we as cultivators complain and grumble like ordinary people, wouldn't our realm be the same as that of ordinary people?

Why did the CCP come into existence? Why do we experience soaring inflation? For what and for whom does all this exist?

Master said in "Master's Comment on a Student's Article," (2004)

"Dafa disciples are validating the Great Law, and they should not be attached to the outcome of the vile Party's meeting. This is because everything in human society exists for Dafa and for Dafa disciples' cultivation. Whether something be upright or wicked, all the same it can only act in accordance with the needs of Dafa."

When I rattle on to complain about society's unfairness and the CCP's corruption, and when I worry about soaring housing prices, the black holes in finance and the economic bubbles, I am indeed no different from an ordinary person. In other words, I am not clearheaded on this issue. Although we live physically among ordinary people, our minds must be in the Fa. Only by doing so can we free ourselves from the confusion of the chaotic situations in the human world, and only then can we walk firmly on the path toward divinity.

We have overcome uncounted hardships to date, and we must cherish the precious opportunity we have that only comes by once in tens of thousands of years. Come to think of it, would a Buddha or a god sit and chat away about ordinary people's things? Surely they would not. While we are physically among the ordinary people society, our minds must be in the Fa.

January 9, 2008