(Clearwisdom.net) For practitioners, their Xinxing levels, their understanding and handling of the Fa-rectification, and their individual cultivation in the period of Fa-rectification all have a direct impact on whether we are able to truly serve the purpose of a Dafa particle in each valuable passing day extended by Master for us. They also will affect the progression of the general Fa-rectification at the human level.
Through their ascension by awakening to Dafa principles, practitioners continually recognize their own attachments, human notions and mentalities, which they cultivate to eliminate. Nevertheless, the deviations from the Fa of the entire universe and the long-standing contamination by the human world have already led all beings--including the current batch of us practitioners--to experience, in their very essence, the full varieties of degeneration. Like stubborn weeds, some degenerated notions have their roots implanted deep in human cogitation. As such, attachments and notions identified by practitioners at certain levels of cultivation are most likely the foliage grown from the trunk of those essentially degenerated notions. These deep-seated degenerated notions are hard to detect and eliminate unless one has attained a certain level in cultivation.
Since Master's lecture in Canada, each day feels completely new as many practitioners have come to understand the seriousness of Dafa and the immense difficulty of the Fa-rectification. They have realized that without weeding out the degenerated notions deeply embedded in them, not only will they fail in their efforts to become wholesome Dafa particles required by the new universe, but they will be easily interfered with and exploited during the Fa-rectification by the vicious old forces, thus making the Fa-rectification harder to accomplish.
The cause for the myriads of degenerated notions, when their roots are dug out, can be summarized in one sentence, "they are not aligned with the Fa." This article will explore the notion of "authority" prevalent among the practitioners both inside and outside China.
First, the environment for collective cultivation is truly precious, as experience-sharing and communication among ourselves, in cultivation and Fa-rectification, are crucial to our progress and ascension together. In every field of endeavor in human society, there is "authority;" but such an entity does not exist in cultivation practice. Moreover, casually introducing the human notion of "authority" into cultivation practice reflects the degenerated notion of those practitioners' own thinking. Through the human concept of authority, those degenerated notions--vicious matter deviated from Dafa--have managed to put on a veneer of legitimacy. They encourage people to give up their principles in the face of pressures or difficulties, to blindly follow the thoughts, words, and actions of others, which will result in deviations from the Fa in cultivation. Hence, it is risky for practitioners to be dictated by the notion of "authority."
There is only one teacher in Dafa cultivation; and there is only one Fa. In addition, Master has repeatedly exhorted us to study the Fa more, and to treat the Fa as the teacher. All the genuine practitioners bear these in mind all the time, as the process of our validating and enlightening to Dafa is also a process for us to mature, step-by-step, in our understanding of the Fa. It is also a process for each and every Dafa particle to assimilate to the Fa, and to voluntarily sacrifice for and contribute to Dafa. Never can this process be consummated by a mass momentum under ordinary-people-type leadership, or by the guidance of a certain "authority."
This, however, does not prevent us from witnessing this kind of phenomenon: when dealing with Dafa work, when encountering difficulties or when questions related to Dafa principles arise, a few practitioners will "unwittingly" command or even restrain others. Even worse, some practitioners will "naturally" give audience to them and follow their dictates. This is precisely a manifestation of being subject to the control of degenerated notions. Should such conduct be molded into certain formalities, it is bound to have very deleterious effects on the general cultivation environment and bring irreparable damage to Dafa work.
To enjoy giving orders and to enjoy following orders are all just the concept of "authority" acting up
This phenomenon can be partially explained by inadequate Fa study by those involved who lack a good, Dafa-based understanding of the ongoing Fa-rectification and cultivation in this period. This has led them to "simplistically" equating Fa-rectification to work and treating the coordination within "a Great Tao is formless" as a position. It is also caused by the ordinary-people-type of mentality of wanting to take shortcuts. For instance, this particular task has to be done soon; otherwise, how can we calm our minds enough to study the Fa? Another example: since it seems slower to work on enlightening to the Fa--besides, I may never get it--let's just consult the "authority." Indeed, in their minds, they have lowered themselves to the level of ordinary people. It is thus not surprising at all that they run in circles in similar conflicts or difficulties, because ordinary people, with their ordinary-people-type mentalities, will definitely encounter ordinary-people-type conflicts. Under these circumstances and in the face of difficulties and resistance, only through solidly progressing in understanding Dafa principles can practitioners be truly responsible to themselves, to Dafa, and to all sentient beings.
In "How to Provide Assistance" in Essentials for Further Advancement, Master says, "First off, you should treat yourself as one of the students instead of considering yourself above them... Students will measure every move an assistant makes according to Dafa, and whether it is good or not can be clearly distinguished." I believe this is a requirement for practitioners who have not been able to do it this way, as well as an affirmation of those who have been able to.
Allocation of responsibilities in Dafa work is necessitated by the needs of overall Fa-rectification and is not a process to produce "VIP's (very important persons)"
"Human society is a good place for cultivation, since everything here can induce attachments. Precisely because of this, a person who is able to step out of it and get rid of all his attachments to human society is magnificent and is able to reach Consummation ('No Politics')."
Some practitioners have awakened to the following, that "every single Dafa task is extremely important, because of its unique impact on the general situation of Fa-rectification." It is the design of history that all the Dafa particles are now able to unify their thoughts and engage in coordinated allocation of responsibilities from the standpoint of the Fa-rectification. Thanks to this design, we are capable of building mighty virtue for Dafa during the Fa-rectification, and rectify all that is unrighteous. Be it related to government officials, media, signature-collection, newspaper-distribution, appearances as nominal leaders, or silent contributions as a "rank-and-file" practitioner, the type of Dafa work provides no indication as to the realm or level of the individual practitioners carrying it out; nor does it have any connection with the ordinary-people-type "status" or "identity."
Similarly, those practitioners ostensibly close to Master are also practitioners cultivating themselves; and they also face the issue of whether they are able to fully understand the words--or Fa--of Master, and cultivate their Xinxing based on the principle of "treating the Fa as the teacher." Being able to attend Master's lectures is more a reflection of Master's compassionate benevolence, the design of history, and the predestined relationship cultivated in the past; it should not be equated with cultivation level or realm. The old evil forces dare to make arrangements for us to endure so much tribulation and resistance only because they are following the out-dated, degenerated principle of "inter-generation and inter-inhibition." Dafa, however, saves all sentient beings and saves all those cherishing the hope of being saved. This precisely demonstrates the power of Dafa and the compassionate benevolence of Master. In Essentials for Further Advancement, Master touches upon the issues involving "those close to Master" many times. This holds important hints and very profound implications.
"It's just like my gong, which does different things at the same time--some of it is continuously charging through the immense cosmos with tremendous force into the microcosm, toward what's higher and broader; the force is so massive and the speed is so fast, transcending all times as it rectifies the colossal firmament. Some of it, after this charging, eliminates the sinful karma of the beings at different levels and balances all the interwoven relationships among beings at different levels. Some of it assimilates beings, and some of it is repositioning beings. It is doing different things even at the beings' most microscopic levels, at every level. Some of it does things in low dimensions, some of it protects the students, and some of it is clearing out the evil--every facet of my gong is doing these things ('Lecture on the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Conference')."
The above example sets forth, in a most lucid manner, the allocation of responsibilities and coordination with respect to the whole entity. Cultivation transcends the boundaries of ordinary people; and the Fa-rectification transcends all the time and space dimensions--how can we use human thoughts to distinguish nobleness and humility from our allocation of responsibilities?
In addition, Master told us a long time ago, "No matter how much work a person in charge has done among everyday people, he is working for Dafa out of his own will. The success of his work is only a manifestation among ordinary humans. It is the mighty power of Dafa itself and the specific arrangements made by my Law Bodies that enable people to obtain the Fa and spread the Fa widely. Without my Law Bodies doing these things, even protecting the people in charge could hardly be ensured, let alone spreading the Fa widely. So, do not always think of yourselves too highly. There is no fame, self-interest, or official titles in Dafa, but only cultivation practice ('A Heavy Blow,' Essentials for Further Advancement)."
Special treatment for VIP's is also the notion of "authority" acting up
Everyone has attachments and human mentalities yet to be discarded in cultivation. Our most pure and righteous cultivation environment, however, enables us to see more clearly our uncultivated aspects, to strive forward more diligently, and to work harder for the Fa-rectification--all these will help us fulfill our sacred promises regarding the Fa-rectification. These are also manifestations of Dafa's power in the human world. Nevertheless, we in many cases either turn a blind eye to it, or look the other way--as justified by the flimsy "they're probably under great pressure from their Dafa work"--when we clearly see some practitioners who view themselves as "authorities" are not speaking and acting in ways aligned with Dafa principles. By doing so, we unwittingly accept those unrighteous things and consider them as something unavoidable during the historic period of the Fa-rectification. In fact, this behavior is the same as selling out Dafa principles, including "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance"--the only criterion to distinguish good and bad, in the stupor of being dictated by degenerated notions. To compromise on issues of principle will only bring about negative consequences to the other party, to ourselves, and to Dafa work. The consequences can be very serious. How can the new universe allow the bad thoughts of "acting as the occasion dictates" or "trading principles for profits" to be brought up to the heavens?
Keen lessons from those who enlightened incorrectly who attach more importance to authority than to the Fa
Since it fits well with their ingrained, degenerated notions, some people think that harboring the notion of "authority" is normal. Outside China, it may take a while for the practitioners to improve their personal understanding and ascension along these lines-- because even though it can be a protracted process, the losses incurred are hard to detect from this superficial dimension. The situation in Mainland China, however, is much more grim. Admittedly, many of those who enlightened incorrectly started to fall when they were hindered by their fundamental attachments, committing sins that wreck their future lives and damage Dafa due to their impulsiveness and confusion. Nevertheless, judging from the "Solemn Statements" that appear everyday in great numbers, those people who were spellbound by the evil and exploited due to the loopholes in their thoughts share some similarities: the evil broached their minds via their acceptance of the notion of "authority." For example, this person conducted himself very well, has been very resolute and detained several times; that person used to be an assistant, a member of the Research Society--but how can these characteristics be used as criteria?
"Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance are the sole criteria for judging good and bad people." (Zhuan Falun) There should be no ordinary-people-type leadership or authority in Dafa, as everyone is a disciple of Master. All the disciples should be alert at each moment to the issue of understanding the Fa within the Fa, and constantly rectify the human mentalities and degenerated notions residing in their minds through the ages--in order to rectify all that is unrighteous. At this historic juncture witnessing the conflict between righteousness and evil, if your human thoughts come forth, the evil will definitely take advantage of them to wreck your lives and interfere with the Fa-rectification.
Looking back in history between 1992 and 1999, we can see in many practitioners' minds, the notion of authority--that has been passed down through generations in ordinary human society--was deeply entrenched. Moreover, the lesson is very pointed. In terms of the principle, everyone seemed to understand this. Assistants or members of the Research Society, they are all practitioners voluntarily working for Dafa, and are only the coordinators nominally. They cannot represent the mass of practitioners as an entity, let alone Master. Besides, their understandings of Dafa were limited to their cultivation states; some of them still to varying degrees bore attachments to material benefits and fame, competitive mentality, and show-off mentality.
However, in the eyes of many practitioners without a deep understanding of the Fa, there was a disconnect between cultivation and principles. They regarded assistants as authorities in cultivation. Instead of improving their understandings solidly through Fa studies and looking within for causes, they looked to the assistants for answers to the questions they had. On the issue of Dafa work, in addition to the usual coordination and communication, many ordinary-people-type formalities, like inquiries, requests, reports, etc., were somehow adopted. What is more, "leadership styles" of certain persons in charge apparently against Dafa principles were condoned or even accepted, effectively relegating the most dignified principles of "Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance" to the backseat. Those practitioners constantly harboring these types of human thoughts were greatly affected when they saw those few "leaders" rejecting Dafa on TV, or heard the viciously deviant words from the lips of former assistants at the detention centers after July 20, 1999. Some, temporarily confused, have tarnished their record for good; some have even gone on the way to destruction.
Cultivation practice is most serious. Along the arduous path of cultivation, whatever human mentalities that have yet to be eliminated are likely to become fatal obstacles. If practitioners are unable to discern anything unrighteous or are accustomed to the practice of condoning, it is understandable that they could be dictated by degenerated notions during the confrontation between right and wrong in the Fa-rectification process. As a result, not only would the external environment fail to be rectified, the practitioners would also be dictated by those unrighteous things.
Start with yourself--when every Dafa particle does it right, the general situation will be righteous
Many people were content to see the problems not rectified because they thought, as obscure individuals, they would rather wait for a person-in-charge, an authority, to step forward and make some remarks or redress their problems first. This indicates that those human notions about rank and the mentality to search outward are still at work.
Master teaches us to "attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism." If we truly want to do good for others, why can't we start with ourselves pointing out with benevolence and altruism those people's problems? Remember that our fear of misunderstandings, of hurting others, etc. comes from our obsession with "self." However, the evil can never subdue the good. In Xinxing tests for every Dafa particle, in the face of pressure, interference and persecution by the evil, if one can hold on to the principles with openness and dignity, everything unrighteous will be rectified and we will be indestructible as a whole and there will be no room for the evil to maneuver.
As a matter of fact, every disciple cultivating during the Fa-rectification ought to be as responsible for Dafa work as if he were a person-in-charge, thereby fully bringing into play the wisdom and power of each individual without waiting and relying on others. This is because our innate nature knows how to carry it out. When confronted with conflicts and tribulations, we should take care not to let human sentiments replace principles. This ensures the human side will never suppress the cultivated part. It relates to the question of whether we, as an entity, are able to take a righteous path as well as whether each of us can return to his original highest realm. As future enlightened beings cultivated from Dafa, we must attain absolute purity; as such, the current efforts to eliminate practitioners' own degenerated notions is an important component of the Fa-rectification. Only if every one of us is righteous in his word and conduct will the day arrive when the human world is basked in the glory of the Buddha's light.
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