(Clearwisdom.net) The attachment to time is a serious matter and may cause us to become impatient and restless, thus making us unable to study the Fa with a calm mind. It can also lead to extreme behaviors that can severely damage a practitioner's cultivation state and efforts to validate the Fa. For example, a practitioner may stop taking care of everyday matters and quit his or her job to "wholeheartedly" validate the Fa or may stop doing everything, including clarifying the truth, to simply wait for Consummation.
Teacher has mentioned the attachment to time on many occasions. Practitioners have also shared their experiences regarding this problem, including the lessons they have learned the hard way. Yet this problem still exists for some practitioners. If we dig for the root cause of this problem, we may find that it is the result of not being able to look at the issue from the perspective of the Fa. Hidden underneath the surface are the attachments to selfishness and fear.
There are practitioners who hope for the persecution to end earlier so they won't have to bear more hardships and so that they can reach Consummation sooner. Their starting point is selfishness. They are not considering whether they have fulfilled their historic mission of saving sentient beings or if they have done everything they should have done as Dafa disciples. If the Fa-rectification had ended early, everything would have been fixed, but how many beings would have lost the opportunity to be saved? Also, for practitioners who have not done well, they would not have a chance to make up for their mistakes.
It's understandable that Dafa disciples hope that the persecution ends soon. Such a thought cannot be considered wrong. But what is the basis of this thought? Is it for the sake of all sentient beings, or is it for oneself? Moreover, we should not develop an attachment to either. The Fa-rectification has its process. Teacher does not acknowledge this evil persecution, but we should bear in mind that this persecution has poisoned countless sentient beings.
Teacher has the greatest benevolent mercy. He is giving all beings enough time and opportunity to establish their bright future. For people who have been deceived, Teacher also gives them many opportunities to understand the truth and be saved. As Dafa disciples, we must validate the Fa and save sentient beings. Of course time cannot be extended forever. For beings that still cannot be saved, that is their own choosing.
On the other hand, how can the persecution end sooner because Dafa disciples hope it will? Teacher said,
"When the persecution in Mainland China started, if all of the Dafa disciples had managed to act fairly righteously like now, the persecution would have never gotten off the ground, and those evil things would have been destroyed instantly. The human world is no place for them to make a display of evilness." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York")
The fact is that the persecution has been prolonged because practitioners still have many shortcomings and have not done enough in validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. If all of us had done well, this persecution might have ended long ago. Changes in our environment, cultivation state, etc. do not come from waiting or wishing, and certainly not from having attachments. The changes come from our own cultivation and efforts. Time is pressing. Dafa disciples should make the best use of their time and let go of human attachments to save the world's people. If we can do better, and with compassion that can melt steel, then we may be able to save more sentient beings. There are still people who do not know the truth about Falun Gong, so how can we not give them the opportunity?
Some practitioners' attachment to time comes from fear. They are afraid that if they get arrested and persecuted for validating the Fa, they won't able to endure the torture and have their previous efforts be for naught. Some practitioners, who haven't established a good cultivation environment, either regionally or personally, feel a great amount of pressure. Some practitioners do not diligently cultivate themselves or search within when xinxing problems occur. Instead, they place their hope in the persecution ending soon.
If we cultivate well and walk our path righteously, how can the evil dare to persecute us? For practitioners who have done well, the evil did not dare to persecute them even during the darkest times, because the evil had no reason or excuse to. Although the overall environment has gotten better, our own environment has still not improved because we have not done well as individuals. We may then become the target of the persecution because the evil looks for this type of loophole. If the persecution were indeed over, and we still had attachments, including the attachment of fear, how could we reach Consummation? How could we meet the standards of a Dafa disciple?
It is not that we cannot think about time or talk about it. The important thing is that we are not attached to it. We must look at the issue from the perspective of the Fa. Regarding the end of the persecution, there is no need to think about or try to guess the specific date. Moreover, we should not have a narrow understanding of Teacher's teaching. We should not set a date based on some prophecy. Otherwise our hearts will become unsteady and we won't be able to do what we need to do.
In addition, we should not be attached to the prophecies or what we have seen in other dimensions. Teacher has said that we cannot use prophecies to guide our cultivation. We reveal the prophecies for the purpose of saving sentient beings. Teacher has also mentioned that the later parts of the prophecies are no longer accurate. Then there are some practitioners who cannot see other dimensions but are very interested in reading articles related to that topic. It is not a problem to read articles about what other practitioners have seen in other dimensions or on prophecies, but we should not become attached to them. We cannot depend on them to increase our confidence in cultivation and in validating the Fa. This type of behavior points out that we do not have enough righteous belief in Dafa. Only when we have steadfast belief in Teacher and Dafa and do everything according to the Fa, can we walk our path righteously. That is the greatest way.
These are my personal understandings. Please point out anything inappropriate.
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