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My Understanding of Fa-Rectification, Self-Cultivation and Saving Sentient Beings

June 24, 2004 |   By a practitioner in Northeast China

(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher told us in Teaching the Fa on Easter, 2004, at the New York Fa Conference that,

"Because the Fa-rectification hasn't ended yet, even though people are waking up to the persecution of Dafa disciples, the morality of the world's people is still declining fast, and that's extremely scary. The longer the end time drags out, when it comes to saving the beings of the future... That doesn't pose a challenge for me, and even if you've fallen down into Hell I could still do it, but whether it'd still be worth doing and whether it could still be done, that would be a question."

My understanding of this is that having the Fa-rectification end sooner than later is more beneficial to the future sentient beings. The Fa-rectification has not ended yet because in many areas, practitioners' self-cultivation has not met the standard of the Fa. Teacher does not want to leave behind any practitioner and is waiting for us to meet the standard. How should we look at this problem as practitioners? On the one hand, we are trying our best to clarify the truth and save more beings; but on the other hand the problems that exist in our self-cultivation have prolonged the time of Fa-rectification. To a certain degree, it has created unnecessary obstacles in the course of saving sentient beings.

We can clearly see that under the mutual efforts by practitioners many people have come to understand the truth about Dafa and the persecution, yet most of them have not become practitioners and they cannot behave according to the standard of a practitioner. Their morality is declining extremely fast. The longer Fa-rectification lasts, the lesser the chance they will have to be truly saved. Therefore, during the Fa-rectification period, how each practitioner achieves his or her cultivation standard has become an important factor in saving more sentient beings.

As the Fa-rectification comes to its final stage, it is disheartening to see that there are still some practitioners with a large gap when it comes to Fa study and self-cultivation. When we calmly search for the reason why the evil is so rampant in some areas; we find that it was caused by various factors such as practitioners not recognizing their attachments, extreme thoughts, irrational behavior and indulging their attachments. All of these have encouraged and prolonged the life of the evil in other dimensions and allowed them to interfere with and persecute us and our fellow practitioners. At the same time, the evil continues to poison sentient beings that should be saved. On the one hand we are saving sentient beings; on the other hand our inadequate self-cultivation has nourished the evil elements that poison the world's people. As Dafa practitioners who bear such an important responsibility, how do we judge ourselves?

One main reason for this situation to occur is because we do not have a clear understanding of Fa study. We may be very busy so that there is no time for Fa study; or even though we have found time to study, we treat it as an assignment. If we cannot treat ourselves as cultivators and immerse ourselves within the Fa and calmly study, in reality, it is just like we have not studied. Another reason is that we have different understandings of the Fa; a great portion of our understanding may be based on human notions. Under this circumstance, the human side is not in a sensible state. It will limit the functioning of our divine side.

All Dafa practitioners are one body; the gap between practitioners in certain areas is also a gap within the whole body. We should strengthen our Fa study and experience sharing, and help each other with strong righteous thoughts, forming one body that is indestructible as diamond. We should take every step righteously as we validate the Fa and fulfill our historic mission as Dafa practitioners.

This is my personal understanding; please comment on anything that is incorrect.

2004-6-5