(Clearwisdom.net) [Foreword] -- After reading the Clearwisdom article "Understand the Fa from the Fa and Completely Deny the Old Forces' Arrangements," I was greatly inspired. I feel that this article discussed the xinxing problems that must be overcome for the entire body's elevation at the present time. After exchanging insights with a few fellow practitioners, we came to understand how critical completely denying the old forces' evil arrangements is to Dafa disciples' being able to destroying the evil persecution. I have a few understandings on how to deny the old forces' arrangements. In the process of carefully analyzing my own and surrounding practitioners' thinking and understandings that were "publicly acknowledged to be correct" and "silently acknowledged to be correct," I saw within them deeply imbedded acceptance to the old forces' arrangements. This article attempts to dissect those tiny, tightly woven knots in this way of thinking, discusses my understandings of studying the Fa and looking inward in this current cosmic climate, and explores my views on the current wicked, dangerous situation in Changchun, etc. Because my understanding is not very thorough, the train of thought might be somewhat disorganized. I hope that everyone when seeing inadequacies will compassionately correct them.

1. Reflections on "being able to endure hardship"

While reading articles posted on the web, I have this impression -- perhaps it's not accurate, but I will present it to everyone for their reference. The impression is that overseas practitioners believe that practitioners in China are "able to endure hardship." Practitioners in Mainland China believe that those practitioners who had endured tribulations and had broken out of forced labor camps in a dignified and aboveboard manner are "able to endure hardship." Those disciples in big cities believe that disciples in rural areas are "able to endure hardship." Disciples from other regions believe that disciples from northeastern provinces, especially those from the city of Changchun, are "able to endure hardship," etc, etc. In some recorded interviews of Dafa disciples, when practitioners who participated in the SOS long march on foot are being interviewed, these practitioners would say, "What I am enduring is far less than those disciples in Mainland China!" When those practitioners who conduct sit-in appeals quietly in front of the Chinese Consulate are interviewed, they say, "What I am enduring cannot be compared with the disciples in Mainland China!" Such similar themes and expressions are innumerable.

The practitioners who think and talk this way, did they consider thoroughly the hardships that the Mainland Chinese disciples (or those disciples in rural areas, or Changchun disciples, or those disciples who had broken out of the forced labor camps) endured amidst Fa-rectification - the same ones that they talk about with such admiration - were they arranged by Master? Did they consider thoroughly what they are enduring with their own bodies, the hardships that they are using to compare with those of the Mainland Chinese disciples, (or those disciples in rural areas, or Changchun disciples, or those disciples who had broken out of the forced labor camps) -- did Master arrange them? If one talks with admiration about those who can "endure hardships" before clearly determining whether Master had arranged these hardships, compares who is enduring more hardship, then I believe that this is fundamentally recognizing these hardships, then that is recognizing this type of arrangements that placed the hardships on the Dafa disciples. But in fact, who arranged this type of hardship, exerting a very bad influence in the current Fa-rectification process? Looking at it from a holistic point of view, I believe that the old forces arranged it all.

Some disciples might think, "No, that's not right, Master has said that those with great inborn quality can endure the toughest hardships of all." However, the hardships that Master discussed are arranged by Master on the path of cultivation practice for the sake of our improvement and not arranged by other beings. If other beings attempt to arrange our path of cultivation practice, that is a disruption and undermining of our cultivation, it is a disruption and undermining of Fa-rectification. Furthermore, "able to endure hardships" is not the same as "should endure hardships." Jesus let go of life and death for the sake of saving people, but it was totally wrong for people to crucify Jesus. What I want to point out is that even while accepting "able to endure hardships," at the same time it is accepting the existence of "hardship," accepting the evil arrangement of placing hardships on Dafa disciples. But this person has not clearly recognized that the overwhelming, rampant "hardships" in Mainland China as well as all over the world - they are all evil arrangements by the old forces.

According to a news report from Clearwisdom, while a wicked policeman was torturing Dalian disciple Li Zhongmin, he said that Li "really can withstand a beating." The similarity between "able to endure hardship" and "really can withstand a beating" sent chills down my spine. For Dafa disciples who are assisting Teacher in the human world and those dregs of human world being controlled by evil, how can they share anything in common? This reminded me, all life was created by this old cosmos. What differentiates us is the fact that we conformed to and assimilated to Master's arrangements. If on any point we do not realize our own deviation, do not correctly understand Master's will, then on that point, we would have common ground with the most wicked, lowest beings of the old cosmos that are being used by the old forces.

Master said, "Before the Fa-rectification, the old forces crammed the lowest-level section of each of those tens of millions of remote cosmic systems into the Three Realms of the central cosmic system where we are. Seemingly, this was to prevent them from being left out of the Fa-rectification, and was to show that they took part in Fa-rectification, when in reality they were using Fa-rectification to reach their selfish goals. Because the places at higher levels of the cosmic colossal firmament are being cleaned up, destroyed, or assimilated extremely rapidly by the immense force of Fa-rectification, every minute there are countless immense universes that are being swept through by the force of Fa-rectification and at the same time being quickly rectified by the Fa. Yet, these countless universes make up cosmic bodies, and countless gigantic cosmic bodies make up cosmic systems, so, because the lowest levels that are connected to these cosmic systems are pressed into our Three Realms, even though their dimensions shrank after they were crammed in, the time and structure inside didn't change. That is why when an entire enormous system, which is made up of countless universes and countless cosmic bodies, has been completely rectified up there by the Fa, only one of the segments formed by the sections that have been pressed into our Three Realms can be eliminated." ("The Effect of Righteous Thoughts") Master while teaching the Fa talked about "... crammed the lowest-level section ... into the Three Realms of the central cosmic system where we are" and "That is why when an entire enormous system, which is made up of countless universes and countless cosmic bodies, has been completely rectified up there by the Fa, only one of the segments formed by the sections that have been pressed into our Three Realms can be eliminated." The above is a part of my understanding.

Meanwhile, Master has also said, "So why, when it comes to cultivators, can a person leave his body? And why can he levitate? It's exactly because your body's matter, which is related to the Earth and is composed of surface-matter particles, has undergone changes. It has severed its connection to the particles in this environment, so you're no longer subject to its cohesive force, and are no longer subject to its restraining and drawing power. That's when you can levitate. So whichever realm you have cultivated to, the composition of your being at the microcosmic level is connected to that realm. When you cultivate to higher levels you will be connected to higher levels and will sever the connections to all levels below. That's the relationship." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2001 Canada Fa Conference")

While not recognizing one's own acceptance of the old forces, and on the point of the understanding of "able to endure hardship" and "can really withstand a beating," one would share common ground with the lowest, most wicked lives. Yet those lives, they never deserved to exert any effect during Fa-rectification. Then, once one has a connection with particles in that environment, then one would be exposed to the "cohesive force" and "its restraining and drawing power."

Then, what are the manifestations and the consequences of being exposed to the lowest level's particles' "cohesive force" and "its restraining and drawing power"?

For example, the German Prime Minister's use of his power and the way the German police treated us peaceful cultivators, including threatening to open fire, using handcuffs, throwing us onto the ground, pressing our faces against iron bars, dragging away our Dafa disciples, etc, etc, this is rare in Western, democratic countries. Why did these things happen? I believe that it was mainly due to disciples (not just overseas disciples, but disciples who have this problem) accepted the old forces' arrangement in their trains of thought, accepted the hardships arranged by the old forces. Perhaps some disciples might think, no, I did not accept this arrangement. I clarified the truth to the police, I broke through the barriers to display banners and shouted words of justice, is this breaking apart the old forces' arrangements? At a certain level, it is indeed breaking apart the old forces' arrangements. However, at the root, some disciples unconsciously accepted this hardship, and in reality, asked for this hardship on some level. For example, the police threatened to open fire against the Dafa disciples -- it originally happened in China's Changchun, and now it occurred in Germany's Berlin. On the other hand, in the deeper places of this way of thinking, it is in accordance to the arrangement of the high-level old forces. Then fitting their arrangement, the old forces would hold in their hands the persecution against us, hold in their hands our enduring it. How severe the persecution is, whether the persecution is enough or not, it is up to the old forces. How much to endure, whether enough has been endured, it is up to the old forces. They become the main actors, while we become the supporting actors. Those high-level old forces who are obstructing Fa-rectification, perhaps they do not care whether the disciples have used righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil behind the policemen. In their arrangements, it originally included taking all of us together to eliminate the evil by sending forth righteous thoughts, and changing it into spreading out to deal with the evil behind the German policemen. They are also using Dafa disciples to clean out on a large scale those evil elements/lives that they have used and no longer find valuable.

Master also said in "The Effect of Righteous Thoughts": "I have asked disciples to send forth righteous thoughts, because those so-called evil beings are in fact nothing. Yet because the old forces have taken advantage of Dafa disciples' mercy, the evil beings that are protected by the old forces have been deliberately persecuting, so what Dafa disciples are enduring is no longer just their own karma, but something they should not endure under the evil beings' persecution. Yet these evil beings are extremely base and filthy, and are not worthy of playing any role in the Fa-rectification. In order to lessen the persecution of Dafa and Dafa disciples, I have asked disciples to send forth righteous thoughts to clear away the damage these beings deliberately do to the Fa-rectification, thereby lessening what Dafa disciples should not endure during the persecution and, at the same time, saving all sentient beings and consummating Dafa disciples' paradises."

However, currently those who are unworthy of exerting an effect during Fa-rectification are still exerting an effect at many levels. I believe that precisely because many Dafa disciples accepted the old forces' arrangements in their minds, at the same time they have also been accepting the persecution from "the evil beings that are protected by the old forces". They have thus been unable to fundamentally assimilate to Master's Fa.

2. Relying on one's special characteristic and not completely denying the old forces' evil arrangement

Master said in "Abandon Human Attachments and Continue True Cultivation" (from Essentials for Further Advancement), "Cultivation practice is magnificent and solemn. Whether you can abandon your particular human notions is a major test that you will have difficulty passing, yet you must pass."

In the current cosmic climate of Fa-rectification, How do I understand this issue? For example, a nursing mother feeds milk to her baby, this is her special characteristic. A chief executive officer is responsible for many key matters within a company, this is his special characteristic. A senior bureaucrat at an agency has various interpersonal relationships to support him, this is his special characteristic.

Let me tell a true story that happened right in front of me. In a major agency located in Beijing, the evil planned to hold a brainwashing class. When they first started, they were very "polite" but hid their deadly intentions. They sought out people one by one, talking to them "politely." They asked the young Yu to go to the brainwashing class. Yu replied, "My child is only six months old and needs to be breast-fed." Those people that were controlled by the evil said understandingly, "True, the baby needs to be fed. We're all colleagues, we won't push you too hard. Then Li, you need to go, you are a strong man - you don't need to breast-feed right?" Li said, "I am the assistant manager of an important project. If you want this important international contract to fail, then go ahead and arrange it." The people controlled by the evil said with difficulty, "Yes, every organization's profits are down, and an international contract is like a golden goose. In that case, Li, you shouldn't go. But old Zhou, you're retired at home, you have to go, right?" Zhou replied, "I'm still not sure about the central government's policy, let me give young Zhang a call first." When the people controlled by the evil heard this, they were scared witless, "Young Zhang?" The powerful Bureau Chief Zhang is the head of this agency's parent agency, and he is Zhou's protégé. Why did we go after him? How muddle-headed!

Just like this, some brainwashing classes were resisted, while some brainwashing classes only had a few people that were forced to attend. But those people controlled by the evil forces did not panic. Cooperating with the local public security bureau they came back again and again, their faces becoming more and more blatant and vicious. As for those Dafa disciples that established an environment using their own special characteristics, their space were compressed more and more. In the end, within a few months, every Dafa disciple in the agency had to go to the brainwashing class. The vast majority of them went astray, and the few that were the most steadfast were sent to the forced labor camp. Evil reigned over this entire agency.

Why did this happen? Looking at it from each practitioner's perspective, basically everyone more or less did his or her best to resist, but why was the result that no one was left? At the level of each individual, perhaps one could discover one's own different attachments. However, I believe that the fundamental reason lies with the fact that nobody truly denied the old forces' evil arrangements from their heart. Instead the attitude was: "I do not want to go to the brainwashing class." Some practitioners might think, "Not wanting to go to the brainwashing class, isn't this denying the evil arrangement of the brainwashing class?" At some level, speaking from a particular confrontation with the evil, it is denying the evil's arrangement. However, on what basis was this denial made? It was based on a personal level. How was the denial carried out? It was reliant upon each individual's special characteristic. It was not denied based on the correct understanding of the cosmic climate within Fa-rectification, it was not denied based on the complete denial of the old forces' evil arrangements. What was denied was the specific arrangements made by the people that were controlled by the evil, and they did not deny the arrangement of old forces to persecute Dafa and cultivators -- still treating the persecution as persecution by everyday people against everyday people. Relying on one's own individual special characteristic, it will definitely cause the people controlled by the evil to feel "understanding" (Yu), "difficulty" (Li) and "fear" (Zhou). But these things are useless against the high-level old forces that are obstructing the Fa-rectification. Although in some specific confrontation they eliminated the evil controlling the people, next time the evil will just come back in another form.

In addition, this reliance on an individual's special characteristic, it is harmful to the overall body. In reality, when one relies on special characteristics to deny the old forces' arrangements, he is exerting pressure on the disciples that do not have this special characteristic. For example, Yu relied on breast-feeding her baby to resist, creating pressure for Li and Zhou who do not breast-feed. Li relies on his important role at work to resist, forming pressure for the retired Zhou and Yu the ordinary employee. Zhou used his interpersonal relationship to resist, creating pressure for Yu and Li, etc. Looking at it from the perspective of the higher level evil, we are in reality seeking "innocence" and "not making a mistake" in personal cultivation, thus "applying pressure" to each other under the pressure of the evil's arrangement. We are not acting as a part of the entire body of Dafa disciples, using individual ability to relieve and eliminate pressure for the group. In the process of eliminating the old forces' arrangements on the surface, (instead of eliminating at the root - I believe that not eliminating at the root is equivalent to acceptance) saying that it is "denying" the evil arrangements, in reality it was transferring the pressure and creating obstacles and difficulties for the entire body. In this situation, in the end the individual cannot last. The gaps among Dafa practitioners, that is to say the field created by uniformly accepting in their minds the old forces' arrangement, is strengthened more and more. Then the evil precisely uses this type of gap, hiding within them and rampantly carrying out persecution. This type of gap is a situation that we have to pay special attention to.

(To be continued)