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Some Understandings About the Relationship Between Respect for Teacher, the Fa and Our Cultivation Amidst Fa-Rectification

April 11, 2003 |   By a Dafa Practitioner

(Clearwisdom.net) Do we remember what Teacher said in "Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" and "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" regarding respect for Teacher that stressed a large loophole occurring in the one body?

Recently, some critical situations arose in the Fa-rectification process, for example, in the cases of Charles Li, Lin Wenrong and others. Among Dafa practitioners there are some who have met with collective or individual troubles and difficulties. These occurrences had seriously hampered our Fa-rectification efforts and clarifying the facts. Our Fa-study was affected as well.

What were the reasons behind these problems?

For a long time, we have brought the need for Dafa practitioners' involvement in Fa-rectification to the attention of our fellow practitioners. This increased the strength of Dafa practitioners during this period of Fa-rectification. On the other hand, personal understandings were consciously or unconsciously infused into the process, creating some deviation from the Fa. Because of this, some practitioners were concentrating on "myself" and ultimately ignoring the most important point: that in fact only Teacher is rectifying the Fa. Teacher is actually the fundamental source of all our strength. This attachment to ourselves is not easy for us to perceive and the damage it does is the greatest of all. As we think "I am rectifying the Fa as a Fa-rectification practitioner in the Fa-rectification period," we have developed an attachment to "the image of self," and are unconsciously drifting away from the Fa and Teacher. That is what the old forces hoped we would do.

I have realized that the old forces have one basic aim. It is to isolate us from Teacher, from the Fa, from our daily concepts, and separate us from the rest of the world. This point is more evident amongst the Dafa practitioners in China. Many of us could feel that after 20 July 1999, we have not been so strict with our own requirements. Is that how we think we should be? I think not. There is a very important reason here. That is, the old forces have thoroughly thought of all ways and means to isolate us from Teacher, to isolate us from Dafa, and to isolate us from everything that we have successfully cultivated.

That being the case, the problems that Teacher mentioned in "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" have appeared recently. How do we perceive these problems?

Perhaps, some fellow practitioners would say: "I definitely respect Teacher." But they actually have not positioned themselves in the Fa to properly measure themselves. It is akin to what I just mentioned: instead of being "a Fa-rectification practitioner in the Fa-rectification period" we are in fact only intensifying "self." Then, are you really respecting Teacher?

"When a student has a strong attachment, his conduct is, strictly speaking, fundamentally a manifestation of his demon-nature and something brought about by emotion; it is not rational. The evil is then able to appear." ("Rationality")

When we have an attachment to ourselves, our thoughts and conduct are already not in the Fa. Then how could we speak of "taking the Fa as the Teacher," or "conforming to the Fa"?

I realized that if we excessively stress our strength in righteous thoughts and feel that we can use that strength to solve everything we encounter, we are actually displaying disrespect for our Teacher. We have forgotten that the source of righteous thoughts is the Fa from Teacher, and only if we truly and strictly conform to Dafa can we achieve having righteous thoughts. (Please refer to "Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")

The "Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" and "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference" discuss the relationships between respecting Teacher and the Fa, and our cultivation and Fa-rectification. I hope that fellow practitioners read them carefully.

Hence, during the current wave of Fa-rectification, we have to consider that all righteous thoughts and actions stem from our unwavering faith in Teacher and the Fa. Whenever we come across any situation, we must first give due consideration to how Teacher would have us deal with it. If Teacher was by our side to guide us, how would we deal with it? Taking this approach, I believe we can most certainly deal with it. Prior to July 20 1999, we thought of Teacher whenever we met difficulties, but in recent years it seems we think this way less often. We have stressed making decisions from our understandings, and on numerous occasions we have only given lip service to the concept of "righteous thoughts." To preserve our belief in the great power of "righteous thoughts" is correct, but I feel that we must also understand that it is Teacher that ultimately resolves our difficulties. We simply need a steadfast heart and unwavering faith. During the last stage of Fa-rectification, we must continue to rely on the great strength of Dafa and Teacher to unlock everything. When encountering real difficulties, our ability to have that steadfast heart and unwavering faith is solely due to our great Teacher!

During the Fa-rectification process, we should remember that besides ourselves, Teacher is also here. In very complex situations, if we were to depend solely on the righteous thoughts of practitioners, our strength would be insufficient. Only Teacher can eradicate all the factors of the remnants of the old forces.

These are my personal understandings. Would fellow practitioners kindly point out any mistakes so that they may be corrected? Thank you, all.