(Clearwisdom.net) After "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A." was published, I felt that Dafa practitioners should make a big breakthrough and better take charge of the Fa-rectification situation, but I couldn't figure out what exactly to do. After thinking for a while, all I came up with is that we should utilize the power of Dafa practitioners' righteous thoughts and completely change human notions. Use powerful righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil.
Looking back, I can see that the understanding I had was forced, and was not a solution as to how to fundamentally break away from the old forces' arrangements. Many practitioners are talking about breaking away from the old forces' arrangements these days, and here I wish to share my current understanding of this.
1. Be clear about the nature of Fa-rectification cultivation. Form righteous thoughts deep in your mind that completely negate the old forces.
Teacher said,
"This isn't cultivation with a small reach--it's the cosmos going through Fa-rectification. Everything is just too trivial to even mention next to the Fa-rectification--nothing begins to compare. You can't compare things that occur in personal cultivation with the Fa-rectification."
("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
Therefore, I think that jumping out of the limitations of individual cultivation is very important. The thought of simply accepting tests and establishing mighty virtue through tests and endurance is not right. Moreover, it's also wrong for us to treat fellow practitioners who unconsciously endured great tribulations as models. Firstly, there are no models in cultivation. Secondly, by accepting these things, we haven't truly negated the evil's persecution from the depths of our hearts.
I think the fundamental nature of Fa-rectification cultivation is to completely assimilate to Dafa and to save sentient beings. As we study the Fa, do the exercises and cultivate our hearts, we are saving the beings in the tremendous cosmos we represent. Truth clarification is saving those who have been deceived by the evil lies, and the beings in the gigantic cosmoses that they represent. If we take away these things, then there is no Fa-rectification cultivation. In fact, the old forces' persecution prevents Dafa practitioners from doing precisely these two things, and their arrangements thereby interfere with the Fa-rectification, and are actually destroying people.
On the surface, the old forces see Dafa practitioners' attachments and seem to set up tribulations to eliminate attachments for us to establish our mighty virtue, while in fact they are persecuting Dafa practitioners. These destructive tribulations lead us to lose the environment to study the Fa, to do the exercises and to clarify the truth, and therefore make us unable to improve in the Fa, unable to realize the fundamental deviations within ourselves, and unable to rectify ourselves as we should. At the same time, they have caused the persecuted practitioners to be unable to break away from their evil arrangements because of their attachments, forming a vicious circle of even greater persecution.
We eliminate our attachments through continuous Fa study and cultivation of our hearts. We improve ourselves through Fa-rectification, not through enduring persecution and simply overcoming hardships to eliminate karma. If our understanding in this aspect is not clear, we give the old forces space in which to thrive. As Dafa practitioners, we must clearly realize that this is not merely a matter of understanding. In my understanding, only by not acknowledging and opposing the persecution are we able to base our actions in the Fa.
2. How do we specifically break away from their arrangements?
Teacher said,
"...but that's not something you just say--you have to follow the requirements of Dafa and the Fa-rectification. 'I absolutely will not acknowledge any of those things you arranged in the past, old forces. I don't even acknowledge you'" ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.").
It is Teacher and Dafa who are actually rectifying the Fa, and the arrangements made by the old forces have always been the target of elimination. Breaking away from their arrangements in the ordinary human society depends on us, the Fa guardians in the human world. How? Simply purify ourselves and walk on righteous paths! If we can do this, Dafa will naturally eliminate the evil arrangements made by the old forces. Teacher said,
"...and this is because in Fa-rectification Dafa doesn't acknowledge the old forces' arrangements, and I, as your Master, don't acknowledge them either...When your righteous thoughts are very strong you can purge it and you can reject their arrangements"
("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.").
However, if our righteous thoughts are not strong enough, if we have too many attachments, and we don't look at them and actively eliminate them, sometimes we even refuse to give them up although we clearly know they are attachments, then we would give the old forces an excuse for their evil arrangements and their evil arrangements may come true.
I felt that keeping powerful divine righteous thoughts at all times is Dafa's natural requirement of us with the progress of cultivation and Fa-rectification. We must achieve it quickly. Teacher said,
"On the rest of the journey, may you fulfill, with godlike righteous thoughts and righteous actions, the grand vows you made before history!
...
While righteous thoughts display the might of Gods
Returning to Heaven is no longer just yearned for"
("New Year's Greetings from Master")
3. How do the old forces persecute Dafa practitioners by taking advantage of our loopholes?
Teacher said,
"Everything that the evil has done has actually targeted the attachments and fears that you have not let go of"
("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)," Essentials for Further Advancement II)
"When a cultivator's mind departs from the Fa, the evil will find its way in"
("Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.")
Then why are we susceptible to persecution when we have attachments and fears? I think the key is because we leave excuses and gaps for the evil to take advantage of. At this time, Master's Fashen [law body] and Fa guardian gods are anxious but cannot do anything. To be more specific, when our minds depart from the Fa, our demon nature and external interferences take over. At this time, our xinxing [heart or mind nature] drops, so our supernatural abilities are also suppressed. In addition, we have bad things in our bodies, so it's even harder to utilize our supernatural abilities.
Therefore, we should often take initiative to inspect ourselves in cultivation and check whether we have attachments and fears we are not yet aware of, and whether our thoughts conform to the Fa in all aspects. We should also maintain powerful righteous thoughts. I feel that this is something we must achieve.
This is my personal understanding to share with fellow practitioners.