(Clearwisdom.net)

Part 1: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2008/9/12/100590.html

(Continued) Many practitioners believe that Master's Fa-rectification has advanced to its final stage. If we have not eliminated the attachment to fear, will Master be able to push us to the highest levels? Will we be able to become gods and buddhas? My understanding is that it is not that simple. We may well be tested before reaching the last step. I believe that the old forces used the persecution in the run up to the Olympics as a test for all of us. Some practitioners were arrested; some were sent to brainwashing centers; some were monitored at their workplaces or in their homes; and some were coerced into giving statements swearing to renounce Falun Gong completely. The tests were aimed at practitioners' attachments.

And what happened? Some practitioners refused to recant their beliefs, some turned in their fellow practitioners, and some succumbed and gave in to their captors' demands to "transform." The wide range of outcomes demonstrates the corresponding xinxing levels of different practitioners.

Fellow practitioners, if we are afraid of this or that and hold on to the attachment of fear, when is this going to be over? It has been over nine years. We can't have Master continue to wait. Are we going to wait until the evil is itself gone before we step forward to save sentient beings? Are we going to wait until the day of consummation to eliminate the attachment of fear? This is not realistic. Let us think about it. If all Dafa practitioners had eliminated their fear and all had stepped forward to validate the Fa and save sentient beings, would the evil still exist? Are we attached to ending the persecution today and reaching consummation tomorrow? We should not be attached to time. If we let go of the attachments of fear and time, the evil factors that hold us back will no longer exist.

Bloody campaigns of persecution have occurred one after another in the half century of CCP rule. This, indeed, has instilled fear in the Chinese people. People tend to be nervous and frightened at the slightest hint of a disturbance. They are afraid of being persecuted. The horrors of the past nine years have instilled fear in practitioners. Every time there is a hint of disturbance or when it is a "sensitive" day, practitioners think about persecution. It has become a natural reaction. This acquired notion and thinking around fear has become the excuse and reason for further persecution, and hence it continues.

During the first years of the persecution, we did not know what to do, and we were afraid. There was at least a valid reason. Now, after nine years, the evil in other dimensions has been largely eliminated. Master has taught us clearly, so why are we still afraid of the low level beings and dark minions? They are nothing. With our righteous thoughts, they are insignificant. Why do we still have so much fear? We should eliminate the fear quickly and completely.

The old forces take advantage of the loophole created by our fear to present false appearances to test us. If we could use our righteous thoughts, we would get through easily and quickly. When I was away from home (to avoid persecution), I was always afraid to distribute Falun Gong fliers in my own building. Later, I realized that it was not right and I must put fliers in my building. I later distributed several brochures of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party in my building and surrounding areas. The next morning, when I looked out with fear, I noticed someone on a motorcycle looking in my direction while talking on his cell phone. In his other hand, there was the bag with the Nine Commentaries flier. I believed he was calling the 610 Office to report me. I became nervous all of a sudden and started hiding the rest of the fliers. But then I thought: "This is not right. I should send forth righteous thoughts." I sent righteous thoughts and calmed down. I no longer held the thought that he was calling the 610 Office. I simply realized that he was lucky to have found the flier, so he opened it up and started reading.

When we encounter such false appearances, if we do not maintain our righteous thoughts, we will follow the false appearance to think and doubt ourselves, rather than negate the false appearance. We are thus interfered with. One woman went to a fellow practitioner's house to attend a local experience sharing gathering. When she was almost there, she heard somebody from behind shout: "You cannot escape. They have all been arrested. Where are you running to?" She felt it must have been that something happened at the gathering. She decided not to go to the practitioner's house. She tried very hard and got rid of the "follower." She then took a detour to go home. In the dark of night and with a nervous mind, she finally got home after a long detour. After she returned home, she was still afraid of asking about what happened to the other practitioners. A couple of days later, a practitioner came to her and she asked, "How did you get out?" The practitioner was puzzled and told her that the experience sharing gathering was safe and successful. Nothing had happened that night. It was only she who was absent. She then realized that due to her fear, she was deluded by the false appearance.

There are many examples like this. When encountering this kind of false appearance, we should always maintain our righteous thoughts. We should not be deluded and interfered with by the false images. In fact, from the perspective of a higher level, isn't the CCP's persecution a false appearance? It is nothing. It exists merely for fulfilling Dafa practitioners' grand purpose. As soon as we eliminate all our human attachments (including fear), the persecution will be immediately dissolved and no longer exist.

(To be continued)