(Clearwisdom.net) Everyday people's attachments constitute the part that has not assimilated to the Fa. If one still allows them to remain, then one is not, or not fully, transcending ordinary people. One will be entangled in various distracting thoughts and worry about personal gains and losses. This will cause us, the Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, to have trouble honoring our vows. The evil dark minions will take advantage of our loopholes and allow us to be used by demons.
Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston,"
"When you're not coolheaded, I'll tell you, that's when demons are using you. I don't care how long you've cultivated for, and it doesn't matter what reputation you have among Dafa disciples, I can guarantee that's what's going on when you're not paying attention to these things. Let me tell you, no matter how well you've cultivated, as long as you still have everyday people's attachments, those are what demons can use, and when you're not paying attention they can be used at any moment."
Human attachments are specifically displayed as desires, jealousy, vanity, showing-off, zealotry, hatred, attachment to doing things, confusion, irritation, discouragement, attachment to gain and loss, lust, laziness, fear, feeling inferior, arrogance, complacency, and others. These all come from selfishness, which can be classified as a fundamental attachment or attachment to self. However, these attachments depart from Dafa's requirements of a cultivator. Only by letting go of these attachments can we truly step out from the multitudes of everyday people. All these human thoughts are karma. These stubborn and harder-than-granite substances have been formed from karma piling on top of karma from remote ages, and they are real, existing matter.
When we say, "look within, look within," these traits are what we are looking within for. In other dimensions they are truly of material existence. We are eliminating those things when we send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the bad thoughts, karma, and bad notions and interference in our minds. These things are the soil, environment, and space that the dark minions rely on to survive. When we do not pay attention and possess these "heavy" human thoughts, they will act without restraint to interfere with Dafa disciples and the Fa-rectification. Only by separating ourselves from the throngs of everyday people, participating actively in validating Dafa, solidly doing well "the three things," and undertaking our significant and historical responsibilities can we then, in the process, correspondingly let go of human thoughts. The most important action is clarifying the truth. The following are some of my opinions and understandings.
A long time friend of mine came back to our hometown and came to my home to visit. Because our friendship was close and the foundation solid, I directly clarified the truth and validated Dafa to him. He had negative notions, and the result was not ideal. I felt deep regret after he left. As a result I began to study the Fa and search within. I realized that I still had serious human thoughts, such as the attachment to showing-off. I still wanted to validate myself. Personal relationships and relationships between friends had become of primary importance to me. I did not behave according to the Fa and did not speak wisely given my friend's attachments. Even more serious was the fact that I had used human sentimentality as a guide, and thus the result was not good.
After that, clarifying the truth became more interesting. Most recently I went to visit a friend who lived far away. Since we had not seen each other for dozens of years, we were both very enthusiastic. We talked about a lot of our experiences. Next, we talked about the Chinese Communist Party's fabrications. This gradually led to talking about Dafa. We talked about the fabrication of the "Tiananmen Self-Immolation" incident, and other specifics. We also talked about how a cultivator can achieve a healthy mind and body and raise his xinxing level. Everything went very smoothly. Although many questions were raised in the process, I acted according to the Fa and could explain things well to him, and he understood and agreed. Comparing the two instances of validating the Fa to my friends, the first time human sentimentality was used to validate the Fa, while the second time benevolence without human thoughts was used. The first instance was weak and ineffective. The latter instance had surpassing power and displayed Dafa's mighty virtue.
I felt good on my way home, and I felt many human attachments had been discarded. Compared to my former self, who was attached to showing-off and self-validating, I was like a different person. I truly felt like I'd ascended to another level and thought to myself, "What a good experience of cultivation!"
Master said,
"There's something you must pay attention to: you are validating the Fa, not validating yourselves. A Dafa disciple's responsibility is to validate the Fa. Validating the Fa is cultivation, and what you remove in the cultivation process is none other than the attachment to self; you can't, instead, go and exacerbate the problem of validating oneself, even if you do it unwittingly. When you're validating the Fa and cultivating, that is a process of removing self, and only when you do that are you really validating yourself. That's because ultimately you have to let go of all your human things, and only after you've let go of all your human attachments can you step out from the throngs of everyday people." ("Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asian-Pacific Students")
In order to step out from the throngs of everyday people and validate Dafa we need to do the three things well together. This is tied to eliminating the evil, saving sentient beings, rectifying ourselves to assimilate to Dafa, and our own path to Consummation.
Master said,
"In terms of Dafa disciples' responsibilities, there are still many things that need to be done in greater depth, especially clarifying the facts. Doing a better job of informing people about the facts more deeply is tied to the people of the future obtaining the Fa, tied to all beings being rescued, tied to negating the old forces, tied to eliminating the evil and this persecution, and tied to your own Consummation." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference")
Clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings are our primary objectives. Only by letting go of our human attachments and stepping out from the throngs of everyday people can we improve. Letting go of human attachments is the key and fundamental point. Master said, "Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People." The prerequisite is to let go of one's human attachments. Master also said, "In Fa-Rectification Your Thoughts Have to be Righteous, Not Human." Thus the elimination of our human notions is most urgent.
Eliminating human notions is to separate oneself from this world of ordinary people.
Master said,
"At the crucial moment when I ask you to break away from humanness, you do not follow me. Each opportunity will not occur again." ("Digging Out the Roots" in Essentials for Further Advancement)
"Human beings are just human beings. At critical moments it is hard for them to let go of their human notions, but they always try to find excuses to convince themselves. A magnificent cultivator, on the other hand, is able to let go of his Self and even all of his ordinary human thoughts amidst crucial trials." ("Position" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
As particles of Fa-Rectification, we must eliminate our human notions. At our current state in the Fa-Rectification, each sentient being's capability to enter the new universe solely depends upon one's own choice. Some will assimilate to the Fa, some will be benevolently resolved by Dafa, and some will be destroyed. How Dafa practitioners position themselves is a most serious matter. There is really nothing to be attached to in this old universe, and we should completely separate ourselves from it. The products of this old universe - selfishness, attachments, human thoughts and notions - are the things we must completely eliminate without leaving behind a single trace, for no human thought can be taken to heaven.