(Clearwisdom.net) I have gained a lot of understandings after I respectfully read the poem that Master wrote on September 18 for Dafa disciples all around the world. Over the past six years, many Dafa disciples have walked through numerous tribulations in open and dignified ways. They always remember Master's words: "The only thing you have a role in is saving people" ("Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago" in 2005) and do well the three things, the most sacred mission. They have expended great efforts in clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings as they diligently walk along the path of returning to their true selves.
To do the three things well, they have wasted no time. They have been doing Dafa work regardless of whether it was day and night. To balance well their daily work and normal obligations, they only sleep three to four hours each night; however, they are still very energetic. Some practitioners have been trying all possible methods, with their righteous thoughts, to rescue the practitioners who are still detained in the evil dens, and they have succeeded in their efforts. Some have been working closely with other practitioners in doing well what they are supposed to do, forming one mighty body of Dafa practitioners as a whole, effectively frightening the evil. There are also some practitioners who have taken advantage of all means and conditions they can use to do the three things, truly like "flowers blossoming everywhere." ( "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
However, when I looked back at what I had done after I was released from a forced labor camp, I found that I have unknowingly lagged behind other practitioners. I was sent to a labor camp twice, where I was detained for a total of three years. Inside the evil's den, I had done very well; I did not given in to the evil's demands to renounce Falun Dafa and I saved many people who had a predestined relationship with Dafa. After I came out of the labor camp, I did not have the thought of looking at myself as a "hero." However, over the past several months, after talking with some disciples who have done very well, it was clear to me that I had unwittingly begun to lag far behind. For example, I had failed to realize that my being detained in the labor camps for a long time was due to my inadequate understanding of the Fa and my just trying to save sentient beings within the context of the evil's arrangements. Also, because I had not completely eliminated the shadow of fear, I became more and more overly cautious while doing things, and I always overly emphasized the importance of "safety." Therefore, except for studying the Fa and doing the Falun Gong exercises, my doing the three things was done more and more in a passive way. I also seldom contacted others.
When I read Master's poem, "A Will That Ebbs Not," I felt that every sentence of the poem applied to me. Remembering my Fa-rectification-period cultivation over the past period of more than one year, I felt as if I had been sailing a ship upstream; if I weren't firmly moving forward, I would go backwards. On the surface, it seemed that I still studied the Fa, did the exercises, clarified the truth whenever I had the opportunity, and followed the progress of Fa-rectification. But it was done in a way that was convenient to myself, without hurrying up. This was, in fact, caused by my human desire of seeking a stable life and comfort. My xinxing was dropping. As a result, I had wasted much of my valuable time and had unknowingly missed many opportunities.
Many people who should be saved are still eagerly waiting for us to save them. So it was no surprise that an old colleague of mine complained after he saw me, "Why did you not tell me about this before?" (He was referring to truth clarification). After reading Master's "A Will That Ebbs Not," and after I "Let each and every thing be measured against the Fa" ("Solid Cultivation" in Hong Yin), I came to understand the situation as if I had woken up from a dream. After my human notions were eliminated and after my xinxing was improved, I found that the original false manifestations had been caused by my own mentality. Only when I was able to follow Master's words and do things with righteous thoughts and actions did I realize that my mentality was changing with my righteous thoughts. Only at that time did I really realize that I had failed to do a lot of things that I was supposed to do and that I had wasted much of my valuable time seeking comfort. Only through diligently cultivating myself was I able to keep up with the progress of Fa-rectification.
Through studying Master's new article, I have not only seen my shortcomings and changes, but also remembered practitioners who were in similar situations. My benevolence for them has welled up in my heart. Master's poem can be considered Master's deeply caring for all Dafa practitioners who are in different states. In this last period of the Fa-rectification, when the evil is still not completely eliminated, every Dafa disciple must forge ahead against the evil's current; otherwise, he will go backward! Perhaps, with just a slight slacking-off, the evil forces, which are putting up their last-ditch struggles, will take advantage of these loopholes. Let us make full use of this rare opportunity of Fa-rectification cultivation. Only by cherishing this extremely valuable time and relying on a diamond-solid will to shoulder the sacred responsibility of saving people, can Dafa disciples live up to Master's expectation and fulfill the wish that we had in history. Only in this way can we not let down the sentient beings who are anxiously waiting for their salvation. Without awakening to this point, it would be quite possible for a practitioner to create some irreversible regrets after the momentum of Fa-rectification reaches the human world in a speed "surpassing time and space." (From "A Will That Ebbs Not") We should make sure not to overlook this issue.
These are my understandings after reading, "A Will That Ebbs Not." Please point out anything that is improper.
October 6, 2005