By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

(Clearwisdom.net)

Master talked about gradual enlightenment and sudden enlightenment in Zhuan Falun. In Fa-rectification today, Dafa has let me take a path of gradual enlightenment. Many fellow practitioners around me have cultivated in the course of gradual enlightenment, and some of them were ruined because they did not do well. I also did not cultivate smoothly. However Dafa arranged for me this important mission, so I felt the need to talk about the path I have taken so as to provide a reference for fellow practitioners. I am hoping fellow practitioners have a rational and upright understanding of this.

The form of gradual enlightenment I took was that I could hear with my celestial ear and partially see with my celestial eye (third eye). At the beginning I did not regard myself as a cultivator, and I was attached to being able to hear and see in other dimensions. I was attached to this minute supernatural capability. For example, I could transform an apple, or hear interesting things in other dimensions and enjoy it. I saw more and more illusion because of this attachment, and I have suffered all kinds of tribulations.

After studying the Fa thoroughly, I began to think of this form of cultivation seriously. I think that the path I take is required by the beings existing in my system. Different living systems have different requirements for beings, and the difference in the structures of heaven and earth and humans forges the difference in understanding and the manifestation of everything. The nature of the old cosmos was based on selfishness and egotism that manifested in the understanding of the Fa by those beings. Fa rectification is to rectify the cosmos. Master chose to let sentient beings study the Fa and assimilate to the Fa with righteous thoughts. I feel that during the process we are taking the initiative to cultivate, and that everything is there and they are created by cultivation and not ready-made. My celestial eye and ear are open. This requires me to adjust my relationship with other dimensions and heaven, earth, and humans, in order to walk a righteous path.

This is the Fa-rectification period, and I am cultivating as a human and validating the Fa from the standpoint of a human. How can I do well in saving the sentient beings during cultivation? How should I appropriately treat what I heard, saw, or felt? After everything that has happened, I have realized that every understanding should be based on Master's Fa -- that I should examine each and every deed.

My ability of ding was not adequate at the beginning. Many things happened in my dreams during sleep. I suddenly found that I was arrested, beaten, and locked in iron shackles. Now I realize that most of those things are not true, but are the result of transformation according to mind intent. However, why didn't I realize it then? Master said: "Any time some kind of interference comes along in your practice, you have to look within for the cause and find what it is you still haven't let go of." (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Six, English translation 2003 version)

I once dreamed that I was arrested, and I immediately thought of relocating. As a result of these false impressions created by demons, I saw evil beings in another dimension say to Master, "Take a look! What we did was right, wasn't it? He did not regard himself as a cultivator. Did he look inward? Did he cultivate? He walked the path arranged by us." Master could not do anything. The evil did this according to my human notion. In other words, I did not regard myself as a cultivator. When we are clearheaded, we can look inward and negate these notions as we encounter danger, tests, and conflict. However, when seeing the scenes of other dimensions, many of us are afraid. Actually, they are nothing but different forms. Of course, Master gave me a hint when my life was in danger.

Since they came from my human notions, no matter what I saw or felt, I did not distinguish whether they were correct or not. Instead I looked within myself to find my attachments, and tried to find out why I was afraid. This conformed to a cultivation state, and then I sent forth righteous thoughts to negate the arrangement and eliminate the evil factors behind it. If I was afraid, and was forcing myself to perform, I could not do well. This was so even if I used the formal methods and sent forth righteous thoughts, negating the arrangement of old forces, wanting what Master arranged.

I also found that some fellow practitioners sought superficial solutions after something happened to them. Master has an article on "Pacify the External by Cultivating the Internal." I saw in another dimension that if one looked within oneself, the evil would be totally restrained or would even be forced to retreat immediately. This was a manifestation of the power of the Fa. Since the evil came to persecute Dafa, even if they retreat or do not hurt us, we still need to eliminate them.

For five years I have heard many times in other dimensions that I was extraordinary, and that I was a great Buddha and Dao, etc. I was even called master, demon etc. I also saw my high lotus and power. There were historic factors, encouragement from beings in other dimensions, manifestations at that level, and false appearances caused by demonic interference from one's own mind. I am a cultivator, and my cultivated side has been isolated. My human side is the side that has not been cultivated well, and is the side that needs cultivation. I enlightened to the fact that all of these manifestations were here to help me cultivate, and that cultivation must not be looked at from a human mindset. After I heard praise or criticism I searched within myself for any human mindset. I did not mind if they were real or false, I only treated them with righteous thoughts.

There was a harsh lesson in history during the Fa-rectification period. Countless so-called high level beings with divine bodies and power, but without divine xinxing, could not understand the manifestation of the Fa according to the standard of Dafa. As a result they were eliminated. I keep this in mind. Even in the other dimensions where I was called Buddha, Dao, and God, even when I was called the King or Lord, even when there was a lotus with a thousand layers and divine power, those were only appearances. The Fa is eternal. I can only believe in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," not capability, money and power.

I can hear with my celestial ear and see with my celestial eye. I can communicate with beings in other dimensions. I am not attached to these things, however. All these things are for saving sentient beings and validating the Dafa, and if they are not used properly, then they are useless. I used my celestial ear to hear about plans for persecution. I used my celestial eye to find shortcomings in saving sentient beings. I used my celestial nose to check if it's smelly or sweet, selfishness or unselfishness. I can communicate with beings in other dimensions, and I asked the Earth God for places where everything needed improvement. I suggested to high level beings that are being saved in other dimensions that they should do things in different roles.

All the things that I saw or heard were not necessarily true. I did not directly tell others about these scenes, or what the beings told me. I took a look, and if I felt it was necessary, I would tell everyone of the situation so that they were not attached to it. There was a young fellow practitioner in our area who went to heaven and attended a Fa conference where Master told him that the Fa-rectification had ended. He told everyone, and the false news was spread everywhere, and as a result it played a negative role in interfering with the Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings. What he heard might be true in that dimension, but the time there is not the same time as the human dimension. Then why did he hear it? He was a practitioner, and he was being reminded to make good use of his time. He should not be attached to it. This event showed that he did not regard himself as a cultivator, and did not understand the Fa from the standpoint of the Fa.

Some fellow practitioners admire me, but I do not let this affect me. I usually protect myself by becoming invisible, and I admire fellow practitioners who use righteous thoughts and techniques. Once I saw Master's Fashen tell me that I was the worst in cultivation among my fellow practitioners. I was once detained in a forced labor camp, and while sending forth righteous thoughts I saw fellow practitioners flying up. However, I flew the most slowly and to the lowest place. I want to remind everyone that divine power doesn't represent xinxing, and that practitioners with high xinxing might not demonstrate or be aware of divine power. Master is spreading Falun Dafa. Any clearheaded practitioner will not show off divine power among fellow practitioners so as to not incite attachment. Cultivating the Dafa of the universe, we should not have attachments and omissions. We need to start from the heart and rationally choose techniques and forms.

The above is just some of my personal understanding to share with you. There is more profound content in the cited Fa from Master. If there is anything incorrect, please point it out.

Posting date: 4/18/2008
Original article date: 4/17/2008
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/4/9/176128.html

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